November 2015 Prime Picks From Larger Presses
Awesome Audiobooks
Hachette
Audio
www.hachetteaudio.com
Hachette's audiobook division produces some consistent winners in the industry and uses many powerful authors paired with equally strong narrators; and these selections are among some of the finest of its new Fall releases: each highly recommended for discriminating listeners who seek superior reads and productions.
Emma Donoghue's Room (9781478936749, $20.00) comes from a national best-selling book which has been made into a major motion picture, is unabridged, and enjoys a shared narration between Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Suzanne Toren and Robert Petkoff.
To five-year-old Jack, Room is a sanctuary. To Ma, it's her prison and has been for seven years. Her tenacity has led her to create an acceptable life for her son under these limited conditions, but as he ages, things change. The narrators really bring the story line to life and make for an audio hard to put down, with all the qualities of a superior theater production.
Robert Ludlum's The Patriot Attack provides a Covert-One novel written by Kyle Mills (but based on Ludlum's scenarios) and narrated here by Jeff Woodman in an unabridged audio production (9781478979579, $30.00).
An attack on a Japanese warship brings Japan and China in conflict and when Covert-One operative Jon Smith fails to return from a mission, CIA agent Randi stumbles on a closely-held Japanese secret that reveal their true intentions in weapons development and a confrontation with China. Jeff Woodman's award-winning voice pairs perfectly with the story line and succeeds in capturing the thriller's tension and mystery throughout.
Nicholas Sparks' Message in a Bottle (9781478906797, $15.00) is available for the first time on an unabridged audio set and receives Kimberly Schraf's evocative voice as it tells of a woman who discovers a message of love and poignant longing in a bottle on a beach.
It's a mystery that pulls her in and holds the key to changing her life forever, and which comes to life in an audio that succeeds in capturing all the nuances of the novel.
Nicholas Sparks' See Me (9781478955450, $23.00) is narrated by Christopher Ryan Grant, who provides a powerful rendition of the story of Colin, who has a history of violence and prison behind him and who struggles to turn his life around by going for his teaching degree against all odds.
Love is the last thing on his mind - until he encounters the daughter of Mexican immigrants on track to success who hides her own life traumas.
A chance encounter brings them together - but will it also rip them apart? The story is beautifully told in an audio that is compelling and hard to stop listening to.
John C. Maxwell's Intentional Living (9781478924357, $30.00) is narrated by the author, whose passion for his subject shines in a production that advocates getting the most out of life and achieving significance by creating a lasting legacy and a life that matters.
The secret lies in intentional actions towards this goal, and Maxwell shares his own personal journey towards such a goal as he considers how to develop such a lifestyle and how to put beliefs into action. As a solid inspirational read, it is already powerful: put it in audio version backed by the author's own excitement and you really have a winner, highly recommended for readers seeking a blueprint towards a more inspired life.
Artistic Flavors
Rodin
Antoinette Le Normand-Romain
Abbeville Press
9780789212078 $150.00
www.abbeville.com
If only one authoritative art book overview of Rodin were to be purchased for a discriminating collection, it should be the new Rodin published by Abbeville covering his life and art. It comes from a world-renowned expert on Robin's work who is a museum curator and a researcher and it features never-before-seen sketches and details of his masterpieces and works from famous pieces to lesser-known works.
Le Normand-Romain's unique access to Rodin's archives results in a discussion unparalleled in its depth and content, telling stories of his sculptures, methods, and his techniques, all captured in photographs (many new to this book) that explore details of his pieces.
The combination of analysis, biography, artistic insights and illustrations unique to this book make for a powerful and compelling study that is no light overview, but a solid and in-depth piece of research supported by much new material, making this a 'must' for any serious art collection seeking an authoritative, expansive and weighty oversized piece.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Nova
Margaret Fortune
DAW Books
9780756410810 $24.95
www.dawbooks.com
Nova tells of a genetically engineered human bomb whose namesake was a prisoner of war. Lia has been given the original's memories and sent back in her place on a suicide mission: the only problem is that something has gone wrong in the programming and her clock malfunctions, meaning that instead of exploding, she's living on borrowed time with no alternate plans, no memories of her own original identity, and no purpose.
As Lia flounders in this strange new world, set adrift by a glitch, she is forced to create her own agenda from scratch, and to confront both her mortality and the events she's set in place.
Nova is a fast-paced and absorbing read fueled by a powerful protagonist's unique dilemma and by the choices she makes in not just confronting but re-creating her world. Her powers and purposes come to life in a thriller that is hard to put down, backed by solid characterization, a plausible story line, and a dilemma that is absorbing.
Historical Delights
The
Devil's Chessboard
David Talbot
Harper
9780062276162 $29.99
www.harpercollins.com
The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government offers an in-depth and weighty portrait of Alan Dulles, the man who made the CIA one of the most powerful and secretive entities in Washington, and it offers a history that documents how the U.S. rose to world dominance under his hand. New materials including newly discovered U.S. government documents and intelligence reports, as well as the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulles's wife and mistress and interviews with children of top CIA officials, lend to an outstanding and in-depth coverage of a secret organization and one of its key leaders. While the result certainly could be termed a 'biography', it's a political history that follows the man's decade as director of the CIA and the political repercussions that followed from his approaches, making for a key acquisition for any American history or political science holding.
Otherworldly
Politics
Stephen Benedict Dyson
Johns Hopkins University Press
9781421417165 $24.95
www.press.jhu.edu
Otherworldly Politics: The International Relations of Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and Battlestar Galactica is recommended for college-level students of political science, but it adopts an unusual approach in examining the fictional political realms of three top television shows: Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and Battlestar Galactia.
One might expect this unusual approach would contain more fiction and fact; but the reality is that the process of constructing and understanding political environments is the same whether one analyzes fiction or nonfiction, and the premise here is that science fiction and fantasy serves as an effective backdrop for exploring the intersections between history and international relations.
Chapters present discussions by and among political scientists, survey the social and political environment of each of the shows, and provide thought-provoking differences and contrasts between the shows and their portrayal of international and inter-species relationships.
While the result is intended for college-level political science students, it's far more accessible and lively than most and by using these three top science fiction productions as their foundation, offers students the opportunity to engage with and process more political insights than the usual international relations approach offers.
University
Press of Kansas
www.kansaspress.ku.edu
Amy M. Ware's The Cherokee Kid: Will Rogers, Tribal Identity, and the Making of an American Icon (9780700621002, $37.50) joins others in the 'Culture America' series in offering up a scholarly new assessment of Will Rogers and his career, and gathers interviews, news, and insights from a range of sources from radio shows to family letters to consider both Rogers and his Native American background.
Chapters study his tribal influences and connections with an eye to exploring and exposing his Cherokee background and its influences on his humor, politics, and controversial image. They reveal his blend of Western and Native identities, analyze the effects of his works, and pinpoint many misconceptions in how Native American culture is portrayed, and they blend a media focus with a survey of Native images and influences on American culture.
The result is a highly recommended pick for college-level collections strong in history, media studies, and Native American culture alike.
William Burr & Jeffrey P. Kimball's Nixon's Nuclear Specter: The Secret Alert of 1969, Madman Diplomacy, and the Vietnam War (9780700620821, $39.95) offers quite a different perspective on events in Vietnam from most: a survey of the diplomatic efforts of Nixon and Kissinger to end the Vietnam War which included threats of excessive force, to include nuclear options.
In addition to ramping up bombing and warnings to Hanoi and Moscow, a massive military operation known in the White House as Duck Hook was contemplated which included ideas of using nuclear strikes against various targets. In 1969 Nixon ended such plans, concerned about antiwar protests and political ramifications; but Nixon's Nuclear Specter follows the idea's transformation to a secret global nuclear alert designed to pressure Hanoi and Moscow.
Any who would learn insider details about the Vietnam Era's politics and processes can't ignore this book: it uses newly declassified documents and source material research to probe the 1969 nuclear alert and its effects on diplomacy and the world, and should be a key part of any serious discussion of the era.
John Robert Greene's The Presidency of George H.W. Bush (9780700620791, $37.50) appears in a revised, expanded second edition to provide new audiences with a significant update to the original, using newly released documents to revisit Bush's term in office and his history.
Virtually everything presented in the original volume is re-examined in light of these new papers, from his politics and international choices to underlying choices affecting his administration's transition to the Clintons.
Newcomers will find it filled with a combination of historical fact and political insights key to understanding the Bush administration, while those familiar with the first volume may be surprised at the length and depth of added information provided in this recap. The result is a powerful political analysis that takes the news events of the times and adds information that will be new to many in a detailed exploration especially recommended for college-level political science readers.
Powerful Picture Book Picks
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewick.com
Scott Menchin's Goodnight Selfie (9780763631826, $14.99) is illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby and tells of a young girl who is taught how to take a 'selfie' photo - and can't stop taking shots of everything she does. Obsessed with her new talent, she spends her day snapping shots - and then night comes.
The story line's simple language, contemporary perspective, and fun first-person account of a girl gone photo-wild will delight young picture book readers who may completely understand the protagonist's self-absorption!
Charlotte Zolotow and Charlotte Voake's Say It! (9780763681159, $15.99) tells of a mother and daughter's fall walk and their adventures outdoors. The little girl keeps urging her mother to "Say it." - but can 'it' be found outside and shared between the two? The mother misunderstands and never seems to say quite the right thing, even though her observations of the beautiful fall day are compellingly fun in this gentle celebration of a mother and child moment.
Lesléa Newman's Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed (9780763665555, $16.99) tells of computer Mosche Cotel, who lives in a noisy building on a noisy city street. But he doesn't hear noise: he hears music - until a kitten offers him additional perceptive powers.
Amy June Bates provides the engaging, fun drawings to accompany this story of a musician's efforts to create a new kind of composition and the cat that helps him. Parental read-aloud or good reading skills will enhance the pleasure of this gentle story.
Heidi Deedman's Too Many Toys! (9780763676616, $15.99) tells of young Lulu's affection for a favorite teddy bear: a love that gets set aside as the years go by and new toys arrive, causing bear Jupiter to feel overwhelmed. Lulu still loves him but she, too, feels that she just may have too many toys - and her solution to the problem offers a fun resolution to the problem of wealth and an overcrowded toy box.
Grandma's
Christmas Wish
Helen Foster James
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585369188
$15.99 www.sleepingbearpress.com
Petra Brown's fun rabbit illustrations accompany this simple picture book read of a grandmother's love at Christmas in Grandma's Christmas Wish, which explores a grandma and grandchild's relationship. Love and how it's expressed between the two is the guiding light of a gentle, easy reader that takes all the trappings of Christmas and turns them into loving scenes and expressions.
As a seasonal read-aloud for the very young, this invites grandparents to participate in and explore their relationships with their grandchildren through an animal world and reader replete with large-sized, warm drawings.
Holiday House
www.holidayhouse.com
Tedd Arnold's Vincent Paints His House (9780823432103, $16.95) presents a dilemma when Vincent decides to paint his house - only to find that the abode actually is home to other creatures who like different colors. What is a creative artist to do? How can he make everyone happy when each creature prefers a different color? The solution is not only fun, but it's inspired by an actual Van Gogh painting, concluding the easy, fun story of an artist's dilemma.
Will Hillenbrand's All for a Dime! (9780823429462, $16.95) presents Market Day, a group of animals who have decided how they will make money selling things at market, and the dilemma they face when they miscalculate their entrepreneurial efforts and interpersonal connections.
The story moves in an unexpected direction and centers around friendship, acceptance, and the dubious pursuits of profit in a fun, zany story of how Market Day is perceived differently by the friends.
Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel's Spidermania: Friends on the Web (9780823428717, $17.95) requires good reading skills from young spider fans in grades 3-5, and offers close-up portraits of a range of spiders by profiling ten unusual species using electron microscope color photos. This is no general or casual spider text but a profile of the unique and unusual in the spider world, from wolf spiders to spitting spiders. The result is an eye-catching, dramatic natural history many an adult will find compelling.
R. Gregory Christie's Mousetropolis (9780823423194, $16.95) tells of City Mouse, who leaves his noisy apartment to vacation in the quiet country, only to find the countryside a little too challenging for his tastes. Time to take his country cousin to Mousetropolis where a mouse can really live it up - and time for City Mouse to acknowledge some hard truths about the different environments. A very simple story line and fun drawings lends to a mouse tale young readers will relish.
The
Culinary Corner
Artisan
Pizza to Make Perfectly At Home
Giuseppe Mascoli & Bridget Hugo
Kyle Books
9781909487314 $19.95
www.kylebooks.com
Artisan Pizza to Make Perfectly At Home narrows the pizza focus to Neapolitan style pizza and comes from Franco Manca, a restaurant billed as Britain's 'best pizza' since 2008. As if this wasn't enough to authenticate the quality of this production, the thin-crust productions featured herein focus on the traditional crispy bottom of Neapolitan style productions, and thus present the author's own slow-rising sourdough recipe, which can easily be duplicated in cast-iron pans and heavy trays without the need for a specialty pizza oven.
Recipes for traditional pizza fare introduce the collection, which also offers original creations that blend different cheeses and toppings to sometimes-unusual effect, such as blue cheese with radicchio or a spicy lamb, mozzarella and tomato topping.
Add a peppering of salads and sides and full-page color photos and you have a fine production perfect for any pizza cook interested in re-creating a Neapolitan-style pizza at home.
A.
Wong The Cookbook
Andrew Wong
Mitchell Beazley
9781784720957 $29.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The first thing to note about A. Wong The Cookbook is that this isn't your usual Chinese cookbook filled with familiar fare; but a collection of new Chinese recipes that takes the basics of Chinese dishes and adds the author's innovations to the mix.
As the owner of a restaurant billed one of 2013's best by several notable review publications, Wong has more going for him than innovative ideas: he takes China's regional influences and embellishes on them to produce such dishes as Glazed Monkfish Cheeks with Pomegranate Salad (which may require some special resources but which is surprisingly easy to make at home, otherwise), Shrimp-Infused Slow-Poached Chicken, and an unusual Tea-Smoked Banana with Almond Crisp, Chocolate Sphere & Soy Caramel.
Between the dishes collected from different provinces from Xinjiang to Sichuan and the variations on themes, even the most avid Chinese chef will find much new - and much to appreciate - in this survey, which includes full-page color photos of completed dishes for added attraction.
Fast
Food, Good Food
Andrew Weil, MD
Little, Brown
9780316329422 $30.00
www.littlebrown.com
Fast Food, Good Food: More Than 150 Quick and Easy Ways to Put Healthy, Delicious Food on the Table gathers Dr. Weil's recipes for fast, fresh and healthy food from his own collection; each of which takes 30 minutes or less to make, and provides a set of nutritious, interesting foods recommended for any interested in foods that follow scientifically-proven guidelines for anti-inflammatory dishes.
These combine the Mediterranean diet with Asian influences with each recipe labeled vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free and each attending to bringing out the best flavors in the dishes, whether it be from roasting asparagus to bring out the vegetable's natural flavor and then pairing it with lemon and parmesan or presenting a Yucatan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tostadas dish inspired by the owners of the British Columbian restaurant Rebar.
Color photos throughout pair with discussions of what makes for healthier food choices in a presentation which fans of Dr. Weil will find attractive and highly accessible.
The
Homemade Kitchen
Alana Chernila
Clarkson Potter
9780385346153 $24.99
www.clarksonpotter.com
While The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure may sound like another comfort food collection, it should be mentioned that the subject is anything but common: these 150 recipes offer twists on tradition and more than a light dose of international influences, and contain fare that is filled with flavor and dishes meant to be savored for their different approaches.
Here, therefore, is a recipe for Chevre Cheesecake with almonds, mint and berries (introduced by a recipe for making homemade chevre); there a winter squash stuffed with chorizo, apples, and other greens. Sprinkled amongst these surprises are such down-home dishes as Chicken Pot Pie and Rhubarb Snacking Cake.
With full-page color photos enhancing all dishes and a focus on both new staples and familiar pantry basics, The Homemade Kitchen offers something for all cooks who are interested in putting the effort into making delicious meals from scratch and fresh ingredients, packed with unexpected flavors and the appeal that makes comfort food a lasting choice.
Maple
Katie Webster
Quirk Books
9781594748042 $22.95
www.quirkbooks.com
Maple: 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes Featuring Pure Maple Syrup surprises and delights cooks with its inclusion of the savory possibilities of maple flavoring, and offers a satisfyingly-wide range of maple-infused dishes, from a Balsamic Carmalized Onion Pizza with Arugula and Maple Drizzle to Swordfish with Maple Pipérade, Cauliflower Salad with Black Sesame and a dark maple/mustard dressing, and Cheesecake Swirl Brownies made with dark maple syrup.
Quite a few of these dishes surprises in the way they combine flavors and offer something different from traditional dessert-oriented maple cookbooks, making for a production that stands out not just because it features pure maple syrup in every dish; but because different types and grades of syrup are paired with unexpected flavors, making this a top pick even for maple fans who already have cookbooks on the subject.
The
Mindfulness Cookbook
Dr. Patrizia Collard & Helen Stephenson
Hamlyn
9780600632610
$12.99 www.octopuspublishing.com
The Mindfulness Cookbook: Recipes, Tips and Plans for Mindful Eating may seem puzzling at first because the concept of mindfulness is typically associated more with new age or psychological concerns than food; but this cookbook brings the mindfulness attitude into the kitchen by eschewing calorie counting, fasting and diets while advocating a different approach to cooking and eating, and holds appeal for any who would apply mindfulness to all kinds of purposes.
Exercises, tips, and a weekly meal planner accompany recipes paired with 'awareness points' that take some of each dish's qualities and discuss its attributes and applications to revised lifestyle and attitudes.
A recipe for Lime & Coconut Squid, for example, holds the caution to source seafood carefully, absorb the sweet smell of grated ginger, and appreciate the contrast between sweet and sour in the dressing. While some of these pointers will not be new to some, the intention is to stop and notice choices and their impact, and also to take time while cooking and eating to fully experience the moment.
Cooks will find it a satisfyingly different approach to acknowledging, handling and enjoying food.
Pastrami
on Rye
Ted Merwin
New York University Press
9780814760314
$26.95 www.nyupress.org
Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli provides a fine survey of the social and cultural role of the New York Jewish deli in New York and American life, and provides the first full-length history of the New York Jewish Deli.
Where other books only touch upon the subject in favor of providing recipes, this provides an in-depth survey that includes not a few surprises, such as the idea that the deli reached its height not during the early immigrant period when Jewish people flooded into the country, but when their children began to frequent such delis in celebration of ther heritage.
Chapters focus on specific historical Jewish delis and general facts about their evolution as it considers the Jewish deli in music, the restaurant world, kosher trends, and how Jewish culture is connected with sandwiches in general.
Add vintage black and white photos peppered throughout and you have a read accessible by both culinary historians and social science readers and general-interest readers with an interest in Jewish history and culture.
Ryland
Peters & Small
www.rylandpeters.com
Ghillie Basan's Mezze: Small Plates to Share (9781849756518, $21.95) offers a delightful collection of dips, salads, and foods from the Mediterranean and Middle East which can be used as either appetizers or shared as light meals, and provides a delicious collection of unusual flavor combinations.
This is Mezze's greatest strength - the unexpected pairings of flavors and spices - and access to international spices and ingredients will contribute to the book's successful use, as such ingredients as hallumi and tamarind paste may only be accessible by mail order in some areas. From a spiced rice and nut/raisin stuffed bell pepper dish to Pumpkin Poached in Clove Syrup with Tahini, these are delicious and unusual productions packaged in small amounts that lend to snacking and light lunches.
Jackie Kearney's Vegan Street Food: Foodie Travels from India to Indonesia (9781849655401, $21.95) is a masterchef UK finalist whose journeys around the world have resulted in nearly a hundred vegan street food dishes. From dahls and fried pancakes to traditional noodle dishes and desserts, this collection represents both the author's innovations on traditional themes (such as a Rhubarb Samosa with rose water sauce) and her discoveries of and adaptations of dishes such as a Lemongrass Soup with Wontons. The result is a delicious collection highly recommended for vegans and non-vegans who want a different approach to Asian street food.
Vegan
with a Vengeance
Isa Chandra
Moskowitz
DaCapo Press
9780738218335 $22.99
www.dacapopress.com
With the flood of vegan cookbooks hitting the market, it's hard to find those which are unique and stand out from the crowd, but Vegan with a Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes that Rock provides an approach that eschews the common perception of vegan food as being odd or tasteless, and comes from a pioneers who celebrates her book's 10th anniversary edition, making it one of the earlier vegan cookbooks on the market.
New color photos and a new foreword accompany an updated edition filled with new recipes for soups, pies, casseroles, stir-fries and more; many with international influences such as in a Black-Eyed Pea Curry with Collards and Potatoes or a recipe for Greek Spanakopita (spinach pies, sans the cheese.)
With so much to offer, Vegan with a Vengeance is a top pick for any who want a budget orientation paired with flavors that pop.
Home and Garden
Easy
Edibles
Judy Barrett
Texas A&M University Press
9781623493394
www.ramupress.com
Easy Edibles: How to Grow & Enjoy Fresh Food provides an easy reader that pairs practical gardening tips for successful growing of fruits and vegetables with recipes for using them, and goes beyond the usual cookbook/gardening guide to emphasize easier approaches to both than some books provide.
The chatty tone and clear techniques and discussions of what makes gardening and cooking simple or difficult accompanies arrange of tips gardeners and cooks will find simple to apply, while the recipes themselves are a cut above the usual and pair unusual flavors and spices to stand out from the crowd.
Cooks and gardeners seeking something refreshingly different yet still easy will thus find these attributes in abundance in Easy Edibles: How to Grow & Enjoy Fresh Food.
The
Lean Farm
Ben Hartman
Chelsea Green
9781603585927 $29.95
www.chelseagreen.com
The Lean Farm: How to Minimize Waste, Increase Efficiency, and Maximize Value and Profits with Less Work is a recommendation for any who would apply lean business principles to a farming effort, and will especially interest small-scale farmers who will find examples from the author's own one-acre farm provide lean applications to all sizes of farm. Hartman takes each practice and scales it down to operations at many levels, and offers a series of approaches to identifying and solving wasteful practices, identifying ten typical types of farm waste, overseeing work quality and making adjustments that improve the end result, and understanding the differences between 'pull' and 'push' approaches to management. The result is especially enlightening for the small-scale farmer who wants specifics from the business world that work in any size endeavor.
A
Miscellany for Garden-Lovers
David Squire
Green Books
9780857812749
$15.95 www.greenbooks.co.uk
A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers: Facts and Folklore Through the Ages isn't another gardener's guide - thankfully: it’s a compendium of history and vignettes on gardening that adopts a satisfyingly simple blend of fanciful reflection and facts to keep gardeners both educated and entertained.
All this is presented in a lively format that juxtaposes black and white drawings of plants and gardeners with sidebars and tidbits of information perfect for quick reading and easy digestion.
While one might have wished for these illustrations to appear in color for maximum impact, the result is perfect for gift-giving and leisure pursuit, and provides avid gardeners with a more literary and lighter approach than many would hold, making it the perfect gift-giving choice for gardeners who already have more than enough plant guides in hand.
Reference Shelf
A
Brief Introduction to Criminal Law, 2nd Edition
Philip E, Carlan, Lisa S. Nored, and Ragan A. Downey
Jones & Bartlett Leaning
9781284056112
www.jblearning,com
College-level readers new to criminal law basics will find this undergrad's introduction to the criminal justice system to be the perfect starting point for understanding the process of U.S. criminal law.
This introductory text comes from an attorney and two non-attorneys and the combination assures both an authoritative tone and explanations that aren't confusing to non-lawyer readers just starting out. Thus, readers will find chapters open with a list of key terms and end with exercises that support the material covered.
The second expanded edition offers more case studies, updated coverage of constitutional law, and added information on terrorism, and it includes 'pause for thought' sidebars of information along the way, flow charts and references to legal process, and discussions of federal laws and how they are defined.
The result is a powerful and essential text recommended as a basic starting point for many an undergrad legal student, and will serve equally well as a classroom text and a supplemental reference.
Dracula
FAQ
Bruce Scivally
Backbeat Books
9781617136009 $19.99
www.backbeatbooks.com
Dracula FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Count from Transylvania belongs in film and pop culture collections alike and provides some surprising facts about the historical and literary figure of Dracula, making it an equal pick for literary readers as well.
It surveys a range of vampire films and approaches, from early movies to Anne Rice's book series and its film incarnation, and it packs in rare images of posters, actors, commenting on different approaches and techniques which either supported or departed from Bram Stoker's original classic story.
If
You Really Want to Change the World
Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky
Harvard Business School Press
9781625278296 $30.00
www.hbr.org
If You Really Want to Change the World: A Guide to Creating, Building, and Sustaining Breakthrough Ventures documents Silicon Valley's trend for creating new ventures and comes from authors who are inventors and investors with solid track records of success, who provide a guide for any who wish to create a powerful new company.
It offers a step-by-step exploration of this process, covers different typical stages of venture development and options along the way, and uses their experiences and those of fellow entrepreneurs to share not only case history examples, but document the exact processes that inspire success.
From market changes and influences on perceived product or service value to how to create a business plan that impresses investors, If You Really Want to Change the World: A Guide to Creating, Building, and Sustaining Breakthrough Ventures is a powerful survey of strategies and tactics that work, and is a 'must' for any size business that wants to create a new venture holding big impact potential.
Oracle
Exadata Expert's Handbook
Tariq Farooq, et.al.
Addison Wesley
9780321992604
$54.99 www.informit.com/aw
Oracle Exadata Expert's Handbook provides a technical guide to Oracle Exadata from set-up to troubleshooting, and comes from six Oracle experts who together provide basic technical information and best practices tips in a reference designed for newcomers and Oracle database architects and managers alike.
It provides an overview, teaches the basis of configuration, setup, and customization, shows how to perform basic routines and recovery processes, and also covers the basics of how to move to Oracle Exadata from other platforms. Any programmer who wants specifics based on expert advice will find this a solid reference blending real-world applications with charts, screen shots, and tips to make the process logical and easy.
Reviewer's Choice
101
American Geo-Sites You've Gotta See
Albert B. Dickas
Mountain Press Publishing
9780878425877 $24.00
www.mountain-press.com
101 American Geo-Sites You've Gotta See outlines one or more geologically significant, amazing sites for all fifty states, and offers American travelers a combination of geologic discussions and travel information designed to encourage amateur and neo-professional geologists explore the different formations and geologic wonders around the country.
Where other travel books that focus on natural wonders limit discussions on travel matters, this book offers an equal focus on geologic history and science. Where others would fill in discussions with travel basics on where to stay and other things to see, this retains its unique focus on geo-sites. And where other books dilute the science in favor of urging general-interest readers to develop an interest, 101 American Geo-Sites You've Gotta See already assumes a basic excitement about geologic wonders and attends to profiling truly remarkable examples of different geologic eras and formations.
With its numerous color photos and wealth of scientific detail, this is a recommendation for destination travelers and armchair geology buffs alike.
Before
and After Cancer Treatment
Julie K. Silver, MD
Johns Hopkins University Press
9781421417776 $18.95
www.press.jhu.edu
Before and After Cancer Treatment: Heal Faster, Better, Stronger would, at first glance, seem to join a plethora of books about cancer treatment already on the market; but this comes from a twelve-year cancer survivor and oncology rehabilitation specialist who wrote her took to help address typical side-effects of cancer treatments, and it is packed with specific exercises and directions for handling fatigue, depression, and other effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment regimen.
Chapters direct readers to take time to heal, to incorporate alternative approaches and medicines to supplement conventional treatments, and offer strategies that address not just physical healing, but mental adjustments.
The specifics are refreshing, as is an account from a physician who has been through this herself, and so provides a personal perspective to compliment her professional background.
Any health collection catering to cancer patients and any who have been newly diagnosed will find this an outstanding survey of all the physical and psychological ramifications of treatment.
Immunity
William E. Paul, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Press
97814219018 $29.95
www.press.jhu.edu
Immunity pairs lively stories from Dr. William Paul's career with accounts of scientific discovery, and reviews the three laws governing the operation and efficiency of the human immune system: universality, tolerance, and appropriateness.
It explains how the human immune system operates, how it's compromised, and covers stories from epidemics and health challenges as it argues that the latest technologies must be blended into immune system research and changing treatments, and it considers the consequences of health challenges that hold the power to impair or over simulate the body.
From published works and researcher efforts to the author's own involvement in immune system research, Immunity charts the progress of science as it learns about how the body's system operates and what happens when it fails, and it provides a lively and thought-provoking medical discussion perfect for any general-interest reader interested in health issues and advancements.
Legal
and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
George D. Pozgar
Jones & Bartlett
9781284036794
www.jblearning.com
Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals appears in its fourth updated edition to provide a practical guide to law and ethics in health care. The field's changing quickly, requiring constant updates to adequately reflect the latest events and their impact on health care ethics.
Not only the laws change, but the case history examples that illustrate the legal implications of health care decisions and options. This reference's fourth updated edition reflects these changes and includes an in-depth, interactive book, practice activities, and discussions that cover everything from nursing issues and questions of physician negligence to senior abuse and contracts between hospitals and employees.
The book's wide-ranging discussions make it a top, accessible reference that can be utilized as a college-level classroom text or supplemental reading.
Population
Wars
Greg Graffin
Thomas Dunne Books
9781250017628 $27.99
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
Population Wars: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence comes from the lead singer of Bad Religion and author of Anarchy Evolution and provides an argument about the biological roots of competition that advocates rethinking the reasons for war and human aggression.
It offers a surprising argument against Darwin's 'war of nature' theory and it tackles some long-held 'truths' about the nature and circumstances of war and violence as it examines competition, survival, and ways in which humans have simplified war and its consequences, and it's a rich and powerful contrast to traditional thinking that is especially recommended for college-level students of social science, politics, history, and beyond.
Smart
Choices
John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, Howard Raiffa
Harvard Business Review Press
9781633691049 $35.00
www.hbr.org
Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions goes where few other self-help guides attempt in examining the basics of smart and poor choices; from where to live and whether or not to change careers to how to meet financial goals. One might think that making smart choice is an intrinsic part of being an adult; but unfortunately few people learn the basics of successful decision-making skills.
This book can be used by any reader at any level of the process and is the first to take the idea of smart choices and reduce them to step-by-step improvements in how business, family and personal decisions are made.
Chapters pepper case histories into tips on how to balance decisions and how to know when decisions are smart or poor. This is invaluable, important information no business person - or any interested in success - should be without. Even those who have a history of 'smart' decisions would do well to review the techniques and approaches of this thought-provoking guide to the process.
Tangled
Vines
Frances Dinkelspiel
St. Martin's Press
9781250033222 $28.99
www.stmartins.com
Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California may initially sound like a murder mystery, but it's a powerful true story of an event that happened not long ago: the 2005 largest wine arson in the world, when nearly 4.5 million bottles of wine went up in flames in a Navy bunker outside of San Francisco. Some of the state's rarest, oldest wines were lost - and wine collector Mark Anderson was convicted of the crime.
Many believed his was the first such attempt to destroy California's wine industry, but Tangled Vines reveals that in fact the wine business in California has experienced more than its fair share of wine scandal, fraud, and deception.
Chapters research the author's own family history in the wine world as they provide a history of the wine making business and the scandals and subterfuges that have attracted those who were greedy, lazy, or egotistical.
Because it's so wide-ranging, Tangled Vines is recommended not just for wine enthusiasts, but for any interested in California history.