News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

In this month’s splendid selection of new books we offer you inspiring ideas and techniques to make fabulous handmade projects for your home and family. Enjoy experimenting with contemporary and traditional crafts such as, felting, quilting and knitting using timeless knitwear designs, as well as, recycling and repurposing materials for your beach house, caravan or home. Happy crafting!

The crafty minx at home : 50+ handmade and upcycled projects for beautiful living / Kelly Doust.
“The Crafty Minx is about making gorgeous things from pre-loved, remnant and vintage items. It is written especially for non-crafters who are desperate to be more creative but don’t know how, and shares the delicious rewards of living with and giving away beautiful handmade objects. Kelly Doust shares her practical tips to help make your own delectable crafts from discarded materials, and a positive impact on the environment in the process. Including over 75 projects which give traditional crafts a modern makeover – from brightly patterned summer beach bags and cotton apron tops to cosy lambs’ wool throws and cashmere-covered hot water bottles, or a soft toy for a friend’s new baby – this book is broken down into the four seasons of the year for easy inspiration, and to carry you through the year creatively. Bringing you stories about great vintage finds and new ways of looking at the treasures within our own homes. No matter where you live or what your circumstances, discover just how easy it is to be a crafty minx” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Kirstie’s vintage home / Kirstie Allsopp.
“Transform your home from shabby to chic, with the help of Kirstie Allsopp. Looking to the past for inspiration and embracing vintage style to create something unique and beautiful, Kirstie continues her love affair with everything handmade.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Fabric surface design / Cheryl Rezendes ; photography by John Polak.
“Rezendes’s handbook of techniques for making fabric one-of-a-kind is for crafters of all skill levels. Novices will see this and be grateful. Those who have just dipped paint to fabric will be bolstered by the assistance. And experienced fabric designers will have some “ah ha” moments as they build upon their knowledge of painting, stamping, resists, image transfer, marbling, batik, and so much more. Fiber artist Rezendes helps amateurs become pros, inviting different entries to the book: zero in on a subject or shop around the book’s pages, which cover everything from such basics as brushes and other supplies to advanced technical skills such as reverse photo imaging. Not to fear-the latter can be done in a darkened closet. The journey begins with the Song Dynasty in China and ends on the contemporary kitchen work surface, employing techniques and materials from Elmer’s School Glue and soy wax to house paint and photo emulsion. This is a good source for crafters wanting to extend their design skills beyond basic quilting, and the experienced who have not yet dabbled in this vast variety of techniques. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)

Handmade glamping / Charlotte Liddle & Lucy Hopping.
“Decorate your tent, tipi, caravan or camper van with any of the 35 stunning projects in Handmade Glamping. Using a variety of crafting techniques including knitting, crochet, quilting, embroidery, patchwork and applique, Charlotte Liddle and Lucy Hopping have created a wonderful range of accessories that will bring retro charm to your idyllic country getaway. Whether you fancy a quiet retreat to secluded beaches or are off to live it up at the summer festivals, you will find something to make your home away from home look stunning and feel cosy and comfortable. Divided into four chapters, start with Recycling and Repurposing and make the embroidered curtains using vintage fabrics or the hexagonal patchwork scatter cushions to put on the camp bed. In Campfire Cooking there is everything you’ll need for a romantic meal under the stars, including decorated plates, quilted placemats and a picnic bag.” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Felt with love : felt hearts, flowers and much more / Madeleine Millington.
“Felt With Love is a must-have book for anyone with an appreciation of adorable hand-crafted objects. It is a colourful one-off book, filled with 15 cute, fun and simple projects (plus some variations) made from felted wool. As well as easy to follow instructions and step by step photographs for each project, the book explains various stitching and embellishment techniques. Projects include mini hanging decorations, beautiful brooches, pincushions, various wall hangings, a couple Christmassy pieces, plus much more! The author has provided templates for all the projects so that everything can be replicated with relative ease. This book is a great collection of bright, affordable, and easy to sew felt projects embellished with simple stitching, buttons and beads. They are great to do ‘on-the-go’ and once completed you have a beautiful gift for a special person or a timeless treasure for yourself!” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Tula Pink’s city sampler : 100 modern quilt blocks / [Tula Pink].
“Make a beautiful, modern quilt of your own design with the 100 original quilt blocks or try one of the 5 city-theme sampler quilts designed by Tula.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Hand quilted with love : patchwork projects inspired by a passion for quilting / Sarah Fielke.
“16 breathtaking new designs to inspire your own passion for quilting . From a pattern that reflects life’s ups and downs to a design featuring a teapot and cups, these are the quilts that Sarah has been longing to make– and give– with love.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Knit to flatter : the only instructions you’ll ever need to knot sweaters that make you look good and feel great / Amy Herzog ; photographs by Karen Pearson ; photostyling by Karen Schaupeter.
“Amy Herzog’s primary focus in writing this book is to teach knitters how to assess their own body shapes: top heavy, bottom heavy or proportional and then knit accordingly. The concept for the book began as a series of blog posts. Fans of the blog encouraged Amy to continue fleshing out this concept, so she went on to create ten tutorials that give knitters the tools and techniques they need to create flattering garments. And now she has combined her tutorials with more than 20 new patterns and turned it all into a book. In Knit to Flatter, Herzog provides guidelines for silhouettes and styles that work with each body shape along with three or four sweater patterns per shape category. She then provides patterns for 10 additional sweaters and guidelines for customising each one of them to flatter each body shape. Each pattern is written in up to ten sizes, and garments are photographed on models with a variety of body shapes to keep the whole presentation real. No smoke and mirrors here. Just real beauty!” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Cutest ever toddler knits : over 20 adorable projects to knit / Val Pierce.
“This is a completely irresistible collection of gorgeous knitted clothes and accessories for toddlers. These patterns will give great delight both to the knitter and to all who see the results on their children. There are traditional sweaters and cardigans as well as more funky patterns for hooded tops and funky hats. Although most of the projects are suitable for beginners there are some that use more complex techniques and include motifs in bright colours to appeal to any fashion-conscious toddler. Created with children from 18 months to 4 years old in mind, these will make fabulous gifts for favourite little loved ones” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Knit back in time : includes techniques for updating vintage patterns and Retro-styling moderns patterns / Geraldine Warner.
“Do you have a great new jumper pattern that doesn’t match your current obsession for Peter Pan collars? Or have you found an original 1950s pattern for a gorgeous knitted blouse only to realise it’s three sizes too small and the recommended yarns haven’t been around for at least 20 years? Don’t be limited by what is available on-line and in shops. This book shows you how simple it is to change lengths, take out waists, shorten sleeves, and substitute for yarns that are no longer in production. Knit Back in Time reveals two crucial secrets for knitting vintage-style projects: how to update a vintage pattern to suit modern sizes and yarns, and how to customise modern patterns to give them a vintage look. It also provides patterns for vintage-style elements, offering invaluable advice on mixing and matching sleeves, necklines, and collars to create your own designs. You can choose to add a bell-shaped, three-quarter, or ruffled sleeve to the same sweater body, depending on the look you want, or just give in and knit three different jumpers, all from the same basic pattern.” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

From the street to surrealism: an eclectic selection of amazing new art books for May 2013.

New street art / Claude Crommelin (ClaudeLondon).
“Street art is part of every cityscape. By street art, we mean the crazy and wonderful stencils, paste-ups, paintings and little sculptures that decorate our urban landscape, catching our eyes and surprising us with their beauty, humour or pithy comment on society. It is, however, ephemeral and the work can disappear very quickly or be damaged by the elements or vandalism. Through his website, ClaudeLondon has documented thousands of works by artists active in the city.” (adapted from amazon.com description)

Drawing Surrealism / Leslie Jones ; with contributions by Isabelle Dervaux, Susan Laxton.
“An exhibition catalogue for a show at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art and the Morgan Library and Museum, this volume features a text by LACMA curator Jones and two accompanying essays by Dervaux and Laxton. The publisher describes it as the “first large-scale loan exhibition to focus on drawing as a prevailing form of expression for surrealist artists.” …” (CHOICE) (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The books that shaped art history : from Gombrich and Greenberg to Alpers and Krauss / edited by Richard Shone and John-Paul Stonard.
“Written by some of today’s leading art historians and curators, this new collection provides an invaluable road map of the field by comparing and reexamining canonical works of art history. From Émile Mâle’s magisterial study of thirteenth-century French art, first published in 1898, to Hans Belting’s provocative Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image before the Era of Art, the book provides a concise and insightful overview of the history of art, told through its most enduring literature …” (adapted from amazon.com description)

Chagall : modern master / Simonetta Fraquelli ; with contributions by Angela Lampe … [et al.].
“Though his paintings of Russian village life, floating figures, flying cows, and roosters are instantly familiar, Marc Chagall (1887–1985) remains one of the least understood artists of his generation. Bringing together more than 60 paintings and a selection of works on paper, this lavishly illustrated book focuses on the artist’s time in Paris before World War I, his visit to Berlin and his exhibition there in 1914, and the years he spent in his native Russia around the time of the Revolution in 1917, all experiences that reinforced his highly personal visual language.” (adapted from amazon.com description)

Treasuring the gaze : intimate vision in late eighteenth-century eye miniatures / Hanneke Grootenboer.
“The end of the eighteenth century saw the start of a new craze in Europe: tiny portraits of single eyes that were exchanged by lovers or family members. Worn as brooches or pendants, these minuscule eyes served the same emotional need as more conventional mementoes, such as lockets containing a coil of a loved one’s hair. The fashion lasted only a few decades, and by the early 1800s eye miniatures had faded into oblivion. Unearthing these portraits in Treasuring the Gaze, Hanneke Grootenboer proposes that the rage for eye miniatures—and their abrupt disappearance—reveals a knot in the unfolding of the history of vision…” (adapted from amazon.com description)

What was contemporary art? / Richard Meyer.
“Contemporary art in the early twenty-first century is often discussed as though it were a radically new phenomenon unmoored from history. Yet all works of art were once contemporary to the artist and culture that produced them. In What Was Contemporary Art? Richard Meyer reclaims the contemporary from historical amnesia, exploring episodes in the study, exhibition, and reception of early twentieth-century art and visual culture…” (adapted from amazon.com description)

From demons to dragons, harems to battle fields, telepathy to physics, this selection from the latest Science Fiction and Fantasy novels has something for every reading preference. Also included is volume four in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb, titled Blood of Dragons.

The daylight war / Peter V. Brett.
“This is the third book in the Demon Cycle. Humanity has thirty days to prepare for the next demon attack, but one month is scarcely enough time to train a village to defend themselves, let alone an entire continent caught in the throes of civil war. Arlen Bales understands the coreling threat better than anyone. Born ordinary, the demon plague has shaped him into a weapon so powerful he has been given the unwanted title of saviour, and attracted the attention of deadly enemies both above and below ground. Unlike Arlen, Ahmann Jardir embraces the title of Deliverer. His strength resides not only in the legendary relics he carries, but also in the magic wielded by his first wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose allegiance even Jardir cannot be certain of. Once Arlen and Jardir were like brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies prepare, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all: those that lurk in the human heart.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

The city of silk and steel / Mike Carey, Linda Carey and Louise Carey.
“Once, in a city known as Bessa, there was a sultan named Bokhari Al-Bokhari, who was thrown down by the zealots of the ascetic Hakkim Mehdad. The sultan, his wives and children were put to the sword, while his 365 concubines were sent to a neighboring caliph as tribute, Hakkim having no use for the pleasures of the flesh. But a day after the caravan had departed from Bessa, Hakkim discovered the terrible secret that the concubines had hidden from him. His reaction was swift and cruel. Kill the women of the harem forthwith, along with their children and maidservants. Let not one survive. This, then, is the tale, or tales, of how a remarkable group of women fight together to survive both the fury of Hakkim and the rigors of the desert.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Forge of darkness / Steven Erikson.
“It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power, and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Blood of dragons / Robin Hobb.
“The fourth book of the Rain Wilds Chronicles. Tintaglia, the legendary dragon, has returned, but wounded by the Chalcedeans. These people are still seeking dragon body parts, but especially dragon blood, in an effort to save their despotic duke. To heal the dragon, the new Elderlings must find the elusive silver wells. The younger dragons have matured further, and their dedicated keepers, the new Elderlings, are beginning to gain deeper understanding of their roles.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Endurance / Jay Lake.Endurance
“Assassin and ex-courtesan Green has saved a city and birthed a god. Now she wants to move on, but she’s hunted by enemies from her past, the city council is mired in a power struggle and can’t provide much aid, and something is stalking goddesses, including the one Green serves.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The end specialist / Drew Magary. “2019. Humanity has witnessed its greatest scientific breakthrough yet: the cure for ageing. Three injections and you’re immortal, not bulletproof or disease-proof but you’ll never have to fear death by old age. For John Farrell, documenting the cataclysmic shifts to life after the cure becomes an obsession. Cure parties, cycle marriages, and immortal livestock: the world is revelling in the miracles of eternal youth. But immortality has a sinister side, and when a pro-death terrorist explosion kills his newly-cured best friend, John soon realizes that even in a world without natural death, there is always something to fear. John must make a new choice: run and hide forever, or stay and fight those who try to make immortal life a living hell.” (adapted from Amazon.co.nz)

Blood’s pride / Evie Manieri.
“Without warning, the warlike Norlanders invaded the lands of the Shadar, enslaving the people and reaping the profits from the black ore mined to make the enchanted swords of the Norlander warriors. Unable to defend themselves against the pale-skinned, undead conquerors, the Shadar nevertheless attempt a rebellion and hire a fierce mercenary known only as The Mongrel, a woman whose body bears the ravages of previous wars and whose temperament is both volatile and, some say, insane.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The silent dragon / Irene Radford.
“As the son of the Senior Magician and Chancellor of the University of Magicians and the witch woman Brevelan, Glenndon possesses powerful magic, but has never spoken a word, relying instead on his strong telepathy to communicate. When he receives a summons from King Darville to come to Coronnan City to become the successor to the throne of his true father, Glenndon becomes embroiled in a world where his magic is forbidden and, somehow, he must learn to break his silence.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

From the most recent additions to the Graphic Novel collection we have chosen a variety of titles that demonstrate diversity and depth of the collection. This month there are three new series featured, The Strain by David Lapham, Dicks by Garth Ennis, and Shinku. Volume 1, Throne of Blood by Ron Marz.

The strain. Volume 1 / script by David Lapham ; art by Mike Huddleston ; story by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
“When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Centres for Disease Control, fearing a terrorist attack, calls in Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of expert biological-threat first responders. Only an elderly pawnbroker from Spanish Harlem suspects a darker purpose behind the event, an ancient threat intent on covering mankind in darkness! Adapting the first novel from Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, this horrifying first chapter deals with an outbreak of diabolical proportions that puts a terrifying twist on the vampire genre.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Dicks. Volume 1 / story, Garth Ennis ; art & covers, John McCrea.
“Two unlucky, crude private detectives in hilarious and at times oh-so-offensive misadventures against crime lords, ghosts, and bar brawlers.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Shinku. Volume 1, Throne of blood / created by Ron Marz & Lee Moder ; written by Ron Marz ; pencils by Lee Moder ; inks by Matthew Waite.
“Bloody horror meets martial-arts mayhem. The last surviving member of a samurai family wages a one-woman war against a clan of vampires in modern-day Tokyo in the first story arc from the acclaimed new series.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

The girl with the dragon tattoo. Book 1 / adapted by Denise Mina ; art by Leonardo Manc and Andrea Mutti ; based on the novel by Stieg Larsson.
“The late Stieg Larsson’s slick potboiler is wildly popular in both movie and novel form; its tale-disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his unorthodox ally hacker/investigator, Lisbeth Salander, struggle to discover the truth behind the disappearance of Harriet Vanger decades before-is familiar to people around the world. Now it has been transformed into a graphic novel, this installment covering the events of the first half of the novel.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Flex Mentallo : man of muscle mystery / writer, Grant Morrison ; artist, Frank Quitely.
“Once he was Hero of the Beach and of the Doom Patrol. Now Flex Mentallo, the Man of Muscle Mystery, returns to investigate the sinister dealings of his former comrade, The Fact, and a mysterious rock star whose connection to Flex may hold the key to saving them both. This fast-paced tale twists super hero tropes, introducing one mind-boggling concept after another in a tour de force of innovative storytelling.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

The raven / Lou Reed , [Lorenzo] Mattotti.
“Back in 2003, Lou Reed paid tribute to poet Edgar Allan Poe with his sprawling album, The Raven. This gorgeous book of art and poetry, made in collaboration with Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, shares its title with that album and further explores Reed’s fascination with Poe’s work. Reed’s poetically streetwise sensibility and style works in surprising harmony with Poe’s dark chronicles of terror and despair, just as Mattotti’s vivid, abstracted and enigmatic paintings perfectly complement Reed’s haunting, contemporary interpretation of Poe’s vision.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Journalism / Joe Sacco.Journalism
“This volume of Sacco’s shorter pieces makes an outstanding companion to his acclaimed book-length works, which include Safe Area Gorazde and Footnotes in Gaza. The stories in this volume run from 1998 to 2011. Whether traveling to Hebron, Iraq, India, or his native Malta, Sacco’s great strength is in digging up dramatic individual stories that are illustrative of larger social or political problems.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Barack Hussein Obama / Steven Weissman.
“What does America mean today? Anyone who knows there isn’t really a right answer to that question will want to read Barack Hussein Obama, a book about Americans, about their country and about their president. Yet this is not really a graphic novel, nor is it a biography or an experiment, but rather a whole, fully-realised parallel America, a surrealistic vision that is no more cockeyed than the real thing; its weirdness no more weird, its vision of the world no more terrifying.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Days of the bagnold summer / Joff Winterhart.
“Sue, 52, works in a library. Daniel, 15, is still at school. This was the summer holidays Daniel was due to spend with his father and his father’s pregnant new wife in Florida. When they cancel his trip, Sue and Daniel face six long weeks together. Joff Winterhart perfectly captures the ennui, the tension, the pathos and even the affection of this mother-son relationship.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Blacklung / Chris Wright.
“In a night of piratical treachery when an arrogant teacher is accidently shanghaied aboard the frigate Hand, his fate becomes inextricably fettered to that of a sardonic gangster. Dependent on one another for survival in their strange and dangerous new home, the two form an unlikely alliance as they alternately elude or confront the thieves and cutthroats that bad luck has made their companions and captors.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

New books on Travel: ‘Mr and Mrs Dog’, ‘Laneways of Melbourne’ and ‘Amazing places cost nothing’ are three of this great mix of Travel books.

Overbooked : the exploding business of travel and tourism / Elizabeth Becker.
“Everyone needs a vacation, a time for carefree fun on a cruise, at a theme park, in a cultured city, or in nature. … What many do not realize is that with over a billion people now visiting foreign countries, travel and tourism have become an international force that seriously affects cultures, economies, and the environment. …Having spent more than 30 years as a correspondent for the Washington Post, New York Times, and other publications, Becker has seen tremendous change in foreign travel. In this timely and entertainingly personal report for serious travelers and policymakers, she features how tourism fares in France, Italy, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Dubai, Africa, China, and the U.S.–Roche, Rick Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Amazing places cost nothing : the new golden age of authentic travel / Herbert Ypma.
“In a world where package tours and international brands make the leading destinations begin to look alike, the thrill of discovery is in danger of disappearing from travel. Written by travel expert Herbert Ypma, who has traveled the globe, this book will change the way we envision the perfect vacation. Some 300 photographs capture thirty hidden gems from around the world. Ranging from a dusty working cattle ranch in Arizona to Brazil’s best deserted beach to a secluded island paradise off the coast of the French Riviera, these locations offer priceless adventure and beauty-especially because they are relatively inexpensive to visit. Often the best part of the trip is getting there, and Ypma tells engaging stories about how he stumbled upon each place.” (Syndetics summary)

France’s best trips : 39 amazing road trips / this edition written and researched by Oliver Berry … [et. al.].
“39 drives ranging from 1 to 10 days, and 140 maps- Extended coverage of the best unmissable routes- Road trip essentials on driving in France and useful phrases.” (Syndetics summary)

65 things to do when you retire / edited by Mark Evan Chimsky.
“…this new collection features 65 lively essays on a wide variety of fun and unusual travel opportunities for retirees, including eco-travel (to Brazil’s wetlands or the barrier reef off Belize), volunteering abroad (going on archaeological digs or helping to make a difference in developing countries), wine tourism (from Colorado to Croatia), international house-sitting, and taking a retirement “gap year.” In 65 Things to Do When You Retire: Travel, intrepid travel writers and notable retirement experts reveal their own personal adventures and offer practical advice about how to have the time of your life, whether traveling with a group, a spouse or partner, or on your own.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Mörön to Mörön : two men, two bikes, one Mongolian misadventure / Tom Doig.
“In July 2010, Tom Doig and his best mate Tama Pugsley cycled 1487 kilometres across Northern Mongolia from a small town called Moron to an even smaller town, also called Moron. Why? Because it was there.” (Syndetics summary)

Laneways of Melbourne / [Kornelia Freeman & Ulo Pukk].
“Melbourne’s unique laneways are a wonderful place of excitement and discovery and a mecca for people who love to explore, socialise, shop and eat & drink. Laneways of Melbourne is a visually stunning guide book to over 200 laneways, alleys and small streets of Melbourne’s CBD. A fold-out map on the inside cover will guide you to laneways from Ulster Lane off Spring Street to Captains Walk in the Docklands and the captions on each page will inform of each laneway’s fascinating history and name origins.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Paris to the Pyrenees : a skeptic pilgrim walks the way of Saint James / David Downie ; photographs by Alison Harris.
“An eclectic author of cookbooks, novels, and tourist guides, Downie embarks here on the genre of travel writing. His journey, which he completed on foot between the titular locations, in general followed the hallowed Christian pilgrimage route to Spain, le Chemin de Saint Jacques. France being France, history accompanied Downie as much as his walking companion, his wife, Alison. Their conversations were sparked by route-side sights, such as a centuries-old chateau that counted as young, and became enmeshed with Downie’s interior reflections about his reasons for undertaking the journey….Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)” (adapted fron Syndetics summary)

Mr. and Mrs. Dog : our travels, trials, adventures, and epiphanies / Donald McCaig.
“Sheepdog trainer and novelist, poet, and essayist McCaig (Eminent Dogs) takes more than a few detours en route to describing his experiences in the World Trial, the “only truly international” competition for sheepdogs, and he may well lose readers along the way…. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Argentina : a woman’s guide to traveling in Argentina / [authors, Erica Arvizu, Page Buono ; edtor-in-chief, Kelly Lewis].
“A travel guide designed for women traveling alone in Argentina. “The wine, the tango, the steak – there are a million reasons to fall in love with Argentina. Whether you’re here to see the turquoise glaciers, the penguins, the forests, or the majestic mountains, we’ll help guide you through all the corners of this meat-loving paradise safely. This is the essential guidebook for women traveling through Argentina. Find safe places to stay, get important information on women’s health, learn how to blend in like a local and navigate Argentine cuisine like a pro”–P. [4] of cover.” (Syndetics summary)

Quiet Paris / Siobhan Wall.
“Paris is a beautiful city with astounding architecture and world-famous museums and restaurants. Because of its many attractions, however, it often feels as if there is nowhere to escape from the crowds. Siobhan Wall, author of Quiet Amsterdam and Quiet London, has sought out hidden, tranquil places so that Parisians can find some respite from their busy lives.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Africa : eye to eye with the unknown / Michael Bright ; foreword by David Attenborough.
“…This lavish and unmissable companion to the BBC One series reveals the undiscovered side of Africa’s five unique regions. Inspiring photography captures unprecedented wildlife behaviour, mesmerising new creatures and magical landscapes that will astound and captivate, and will challenge what you think you know about Africa. This is a spectacular journey through a vast and diverse continent in all its beautiful and unexpected abundance.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

This month’s programme: Getting over our everyday anxieties & addictions, fighting our demons, big and small and getting fit and healthy. A very ambitious mission, but these selected books should provide us with the advice and support we all need on the way to health and happiness, in understanding ourselves better and making the most of life in general.

  
We start with a very smart, compact and to the point series of little books.
Your 12-week Guides to the Gym, to Running and to Cycling offer achievable step-by-step guides to help get an unfit person to a definable goal – a 90 minute workout in 12 weeks. These books outline how to get started, what’s needed and how to make that first step. Then using the week-by-week guide the reader works towards the target goal in very gradual steps with a weekly programme plus basic tips on nutrition, motivation, stretching and so on. The emphasis is on a very gradual approach towards achieving the goal so that the reader feels comfortable and there is constant reaffirmation of achievements as he/she works through the programme. There will also be sections for the reader’s own notes, which are important for that all-important feeling of success as he/she works towards the ultimate goal of looking better and feeling fitter. (Adapted from publisher’s description)

Is it me or my hormones? 
“One of the most common and agonizing problems women face today is hormonal imbalance. Sometimes it’s a nightmarish premenstrual syndrome—depression, cravings, bloating, weight gain, irritability, and even out-of-control rage for up to three weeks each month. Sometimes it’s periods so painful that you have to arrange your entire life around your cycle. Sometimes it’s a rocky passage into perimenopause that changes everything you know about yourself and your body. Luckily, you can resolve these hormonal issues—you just need accurate, actionable information to do so. In Is It Me or My Hormones?, Marcelle Pick, author of The Core Balance Diet and Is It Me or My Adrenals?, delves into the often misunderstood world of female hormonal imbalance. Sharing her personal struggles and her experiences with patients, Marcelle helps you understand how the right diet, exercise, supplements, herbs, and psychological support, occasionally complemented with bioidentical hormones, can free you from hormone disruption. After walking you through the basic science of how your hormones affect your body, mind, and emotions, Marcelle lays out an accessible, easy-to-follow, 28-day program—complete with schedules, exercises, supplements, meal plans, and recipes—that will stabilize your hormones in just one month and make you feel like yourself again. Unlike many medical professionals, Marcelle knows that your symptoms aren’t “just a normal part of being a woman” or “not that big a deal.” And in this book, she validates your experience of hormonal imbalance and opens your eyes to the power you have over your health. So join Marcelle on this journey to implement simple, natural changes that will help eliminate your cravings, depression, mood swings, and weight gain, and make you feel energized, sexual, and in command of your life!” (From amazon.com)

The Hormone Cure
“All too often women are told that feeling moody, asexual, tapped out, dried up, stressed out, and sleep deprived is just a part of being female. Or they’re led to believe that the answer can be found only at the bottom of a bottle of prescription pills. Dr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-educated physician and nationally recognized, board-certified gynecologist, refuses to accept that being a woman means feeling overwhelmed or that popping pills is the new normal. In The Hormone Cure, she shares the unique hormone-balancing program that she has used to help thousands of women reclaim wellness, verve, and optimal health.
Combining natural therapies with rigorous scientific testing and using an informative questionnaire to identify the common causes of hormonal imbalance, Dr. Gottfried provides an individualized plan in nonjudgmental and thoughtful language. Based on ten years’ study of cutting-edge medical research as a specialist in functional and integrative therapies, Dr. Gottfried’s three-tiered treatment strategy includes:
•Supplements and targeted lifestyle changes that address underlying deficiencies
•Herbal therapies that restore balance and optimize your body’s natural function
• Bioidentical hormones— most available without a prescription
The Hormone Cure is a groundbreaking book that demonstrates how balancing your hormones can cure underlying health issues and result in restored sleep, greater energy, improved mood, easy weight loss, increased productivity, and many more benefits. Dr. Sara Gottfried’s The Hormone Cure will transform your life.” (From amazon.com)

I quit sugar : your complete 8-week detox program and cookbook
“Sarah Wilson was a self-confessed sugar addict, eating over 30 teaspoons of sugar every day. She’d developed mood disorders, a weight issue, sleep problems and an overactive thyroid. She knew she had to make a change. In January 2011, she decided to quit sugar. What started as an experiment soon became a way of life, and she hasn’t looked back since. This book outlines the dangers of sugar, provides a step-by-step guide to kicking the habit, and provides 80 delicious sugar-free recipes, including baking and dessert recipes. Packed with great advice, fun tips, personal stories and gorgeous photography, this is a sensible, simple and accessible guide to losing weight and getting well.” (Syndetics)

 Eating Disorders, A Parents’ Guide
“Eating problems are common in children and teenagers. Yet myths about such problems abound and it can be very difficult to separate the facts from popular beliefs; unusual or disturbed eating patterns can be understandably bewildering and distressing for parents.
Whatever aspect of your child’s eating behaviour is causing you concern, this book will help you understand some of the more common reasons why problems arise, and will give you advice on what you and others can do to manage the situation.
Written by two experienced clinicians, this new edition of Eating Disorders: A Parents’ Guide is dedicated to clarifying the subject of eating disorders. Combining an accessible and straightforward introduction to the subject with practical advice, this book represents the first step towards recognising, understanding and dealing with the problem.
Case-studies are used to help parents understand their children’s experiences of this complex and challenging subject and sensitive advice is offered on a range of issues, including:
- how to identify a complete range of eating difficulties
- how to approach specific problems
- where to seek help and treatment.
This book will be welcomed by anyone who is concerned about the eating habits of their children and will be invaluable to professionals working with those suffering from eating disorders. “(From amazon.com)

Getting past your past : take control of your life with self-help techniques from EMDR therapy
“A totally accessible user’s guide from the creator of a scientifically proven form of psychotherapy for healing ailments ranging from PTSD to minor anxiety and depression. Whether we’ve experienced small setbacks or major traumas, we are all influenced by memories and experiences we may not remember or don’t fully understand. Getting Past Your Past offers practical procedures that demystify the human condition and empower readers looking to break free from emotional roadblocks. Shapiro, the creator of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), explains the brain science in layman’s terms and provides simple exercises that readers can do at home to achieve real change” Provided by publisher.

Flying with confidence : the proven programme to fix your flying fears

Welcome to May and our recent picks for Classical Music! This month features cross-genre books, with how music can help change your life, to how music is found in nature, a lovely new score with Karakia and Maori round-songs, and the skill of singing in choirs. I hope you enjoy the selection!

Your playlist can change your life : 10 proven ways your favorite music can revolutionize your health, memory, organization, alertness, and more / Galina Mindlin, Don DuRousseau, Joseph Cardillo.Your Playlist Can Change Your Life
“This distinctive book comes from the coordinated efforts of Mindlin (psychiatry, Columbia Univ.), Don DuRousseau (executive director, PEAK Neurotraining Solutions), and Joseph Cardillo (Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts), who propose that readers can use music to relieve anxiety, increase alertness, feel happier, and sharpen memory.  (Library Journal) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Porowhita = Circle songs : two new karakia and twelve new round songs in Māori and English for classrooms, choirs and communities / Sean O’Connor.
“These fourteen new compositions offer classrooms, choirs and communities a chance to rediscover ’round’ singing and its unique musical and social dynamic. Round singing invites equal participation, a balance of following and leading, and a development of heightened musical and social awareness through interwoven melody and rhythm, creating harmony. Weaving together Te reo and English with voices and movement, standing in the circle, singing of the circle of the year, and of proverbs, awakenings and karakia that carry simple but beautiful wisdom.”–Book cover. (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Sing with the choir for dummies / performance notes by Adam Perlmutter.
Want to sing along with the choir? Then this is the right book for you! This book/CD pack features 15 songs, fully arranged for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, and a professionally recorded choir on the CD. Pick your part and sing along! (Book cover) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

The great animal orchestra : finding the origins of music in the world’s wild places / Bernie Krause.
“This memoir of sonic investigation highlights the lessons learned from 40 years of listening to the world’s biophonies-the sounds of living organisms. Musician and naturalist Krause (Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World) uses the language of music to understand everything from birdsong, to ocean waves, to decimated habitats… Krause’s musical expertise allows him to hear the orchestral layering of different species in each biophony, an insight that explains group vocalization as an evolutionary survival mechanism rather than a purposeful chorus of noise. (Publisher Weekly) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Changing lives : Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the transformative power of music / Tricia Tunstall.“Gustavo Dudamel, the young and exuberant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, is the most famous graduate of El Sistema, the remarkable music education program in Venezuela, whose laudable purpose is to use the experience of orchestral playing as a means of giving new meaning to the lives of impoverished children. The twin goals of equal access and artistic excellence have resulted in dozens of outstanding youth orchestras that have captivated audiences and won international prizes. (Library Journal) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

And if you’d like to learn more about some of the shows on in May – Here’s a great place to start!

Madame Butterfly

Madame Butterfly [videorecording].
Story of a beautiful young geisha who sacrifices her family, her religion and, ultimately, her life for her American naval officer husband. (Courtesy of Syndetics)

And with Bryn Terfel’s concert that was on the 3rd of May, I offer this. We all know he’s the bad boy of Opera.

Bad boys [sound recording].
Bad Boys is a line up of some of the most unscrupulous, cynical, devious, roguish musical villains of the opera stage. Bryn Terfel calls them the “demonic misfits and malcontents of this wonderful music.” Internationally acclaimed star Bryn Terfel, a gentle man in real life, recruits a gang of “bad boy” characters from opera and musicals to electrify us with tunes from the sinister side of the bass clef. (amazon.com)

Enjoy!

Pentecostal spirituality, the latest Joyce Meyer, and studying Hinduism are featured in this April edition.

The Devil within : possession & exorcism in the Christian West, by Brian P. Levack.
“In this riveting, readable study, Levack (The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe), a history professor at the University of Texas, Austin, offers readers a comprehensive view of reports of demon possession and efforts to rid victims of it. Focusing on the years leading up to and including 17th century Europe, a period the author cites as “the golden age of the demoniac,” readers come away from this book amazed at the extent to which demon possession permeated a deeply superstitious Europe. … And while the role of exorcist is sufficiently well known in Catholic circles, readers will be surprised at how common they were in Protestant societies. This is must-reading for students of history, psychology and religion.” (drawn from Publisher Weekly, courtesy of Syndetics)

Discovering the city of Sodom : the fascinating, true account of the discovery of the Old Testament’s most infamous city, by Steven Collins and Latayne C. Scott.
“Despite the prevailing view among scholars that Sodom and Gomorrah were mythical, Collins maintains that the cities actually existed and reports on his search for them, eventually settling on a location, Tell el-Hammam, north of the Dead Sea in present-day Jordan. Although finely argued, Collins’s work originates from an unapologetically religious point of view, and his assumption of the historicity of certain biblical tales, for instance the Exodus, will prove controversial to many scholars and skeptics. … Collins’s work will be contested in the academy. Recommended for general readers, particularly those with an interest in archaeology or biblical studies. (drawn from Library Journal, courtesy of Syndetics)

Cosmic healing : a spiritual journey with Aaron and John of God, by Barbara Brodsky and Aaron.
“With the onset of sudden profound deafness at the age of twenty-nine, Barbara Brodsky set out on a path to understand the nature of illness and healing, examining the interrelationship of mind and body and our capacity to transcend limitation. A nationally known dharma teacher who first began meditating in the ’60s, Brodsky discovered an entirely new path on her healing journey when her channeling of the spirit Aaron began in 1989. Brodsky’s personal narrative is interspersed with Buddhist teachings, channeled material from Aaron, exercises for the reader, and an account of her experiences with the healer known as John of God (João Teixeira de Faria) at his teaching center, Casa de Dom Inácio, in Brazil. …. Book jacket.” (Syndetics summary)

The emergence of Islam : classical traditions in contemporary perspective, by Gabriel Said Reynolds.
“Gabriel Said Reynolds organizes his study in three parts, beginning with Muhammad’s early life and rise to power, showing the origins and development of the Qur’an with a distinctive, if unique, juxtaposition between the Qur’an and biblical literature, and concluding with an overview of modern and fundamentalist narratives of Islam’s origin…Includes chapter summaries, questions for review and discussion, photos, maps, suggested readings, glossary, and timeline” (drawn from the publisher’s description).

Heaven is real but so is Hell : an eyewitness account of what is to come, by Vassula Rydén.
“Internationally renowned speaker, author and mystic Vassula Ryden takes the reader into the supernatural world where she has experienced the hidden forces that affect every moment of our lives. It features her amazing encounters with both good and evil forces and reveals profoundly important messages for all humanity, largely hidden until now. Sometimes harrowing, but filled with hope, it answers many of the questions that people have been asking for thousands of years and at the same time offers a glimpse into God’s love and justice, and of what is soon to come.” –Publisher.

Cults : a reference and guide, by James R. Lewis.
“Examines the status of cults across the United States, Europe, and East Asia. Focusing on the principal controversial religions and movements that have attracted major media attention, the book also includes profiles of hundreds of minority religions, from Jesus People and Rastafarians to voodoo practitioners and the human-cloning Raelians. …Cults presents a comprehensive and authoritative reference, offering a balanced view of the controversy surrounding these new religious movements, assessing the movements themselves as well as the legal and governmental responses to them, including attempts to quantify membership.” (drawn from the publisher’s description)

Christian peoples of the Spirit : a documentary history of Pentecostal spirituality from the early church to the present, edited by Stanley M. Burgess.
“In this anthology, Burgess (Regent Univ.)…, provides readers with a compelling defense of his thesis, based on documented testimony, that Pentecostalism – defined as manifestations of spiritual gifts and Pentecostal-like worship and experience – has been an ongoing phenomenon throughout church history. … This collection – organized into the ancient, medieval, early modern, and contemporary periods – includes an eclectic and provocative selection of writings that eschew strict orthodoxy while emphasizing the witness to the presence of Pentecostalism. Thus, along with Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Wesley, and Pope Paul VI, readers encounter the Cathars, Shakers, E. G. White, Joseph Smith, and snake handlers. … overall the documents enrich and broaden understanding of Pentecostal experiences ….” (drawn from Choice, courtesy of Syndetics)

Firsthand : ditching secondhand religion for a faith of your own, by Ryan & Josh Shook.
An exploration in which “the brothers tell about growing up in church only to realize that ‘how things are supposed to be’ had stopped working for them. So they set out to find what makes a young person’s Christian faith stick – or not – and in the process, asked hundreds of other people, young and old, some really hard questions, like ‘If God is real, then why do I feel empty?’”–Dust jacket flap.

Making good habits, breaking bad habits : 14 new behaviors that will energize your life, by Joyce Meyer.
“In this work the author examines the nature of habits and provides guidance for listeners seeking to break bad habits. She argues that any immediate gratification gained from bad habits is outweighed by the spiritual toll they take on an individual. Here, she introduces fourteen fulfilling habits that she suggests using to replace the bad ones. She explains that by implementing the good habits, listeners will become spiritually fulfilled and will have no use for bad habits.” (Syndetics summary)

Studying Hinduism in practice, edited by Hillary Rodrigues.
“Drawing on personal experiences of Hinduism on the ground, this book provides a reflective context within which religious practices can be understood and appreciated. It conveys the rich realities of the Hindu tradition and the academic approaches through which they are studied. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including dance, music, performance, festival traditions, temples, myth, philosophy, women ’s practices, and divine possession. …. All the entries are accompanied by photographs and suggestions for further reading.” (Syndetics summary)

Astonished : a story of evil, blessings, grace, and solace, by Beverly Donofrio.
In the middle of her vibrant Mexican town, amid good friends, margaritas at sunset, salsa, yoga, mariachis, even before the rapist arrived, a midlife crisis had been brewing. Failed relationships, worn-out dreams, and wavering religious beliefs had tinged her life with despair, flat-lined it to gray. No longer sustained by the religious practices that had nourished her for years, she missed God and had been searching on the Internet for a monastery she might join. Now, as the worst thing imaginable happened, she turned to prayer. – drawn from the cover p.[2]

Our History selection is a bit of a mixed bag this month and includes books about The Great Depression, The American Civil War, North Korea, Haiti, Manhattan, a 1920s president of the United States: Coolidge, and a history of Ambition. Enjoy!

The Dust Bowl : an illustrated history / by Dayton Duncan ; with a preface by Ken Burns ; picture research by Aileen Silverstone and Susan Shumaker.
“Given our current drought and economic woes, the powerhouse team of Duncan and Burns (The National Parks, 2009) chose a sharply relevant subject, the Dust Bowl, for their latest book and documentary. This riveting, illustrated volume of vivid written and oral history extends the scope of the film (premiering on PBS in mid-November) and clarifies our understanding of the worst manmade ecological disaster in American history. The Great Plains, a land of little rain and perpetual wind redeemed by buffalo grass, experienced a rare wet spell in the 1920s, just as homesteaders were encouraged to farm, and technological advances made it possible to plow up millions of acres of sod, exposing the soil. When the rains stopped in the early 1930s, fierce winds generated massive, rampaging, otherworldly dust storms. From struggling with the invasive, smothering dust to the immense folk migration as families fled west to FDR’s attempts to mitigate the disaster, Duncan and Burns chronicle every harrowing phase of this decade of human pain and environmental degradation. The result is a resounding chronicle of why we must preserve Earth’s life-sustaining ecosystems.–Seaman, Donna Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Haiti : the aftershocks of history / Laurent Dubois.Haiti: The Aftershocks of History
“Stereotypes, errors, and prejudice swirl around Haiti like toxic fumes, but this riveting study helps dispel clouds of ignorance. Building on his landmark synthesis of revolutionary Haiti (Avengers of the New World, CH, Nov’04, 42-1742), Dubois (Duke) summarizes colonial slave society and the liberation era, then thoroughly covers poorly understood 19th-century developments. Ongoing tensions between ruling elites and rural citizens characterized this period. Elites hoped to restore the plantation regime’s coercive labor relations; peasants sought title to land for subsistence farming and local market production. Dubois persuasively argues that the resulting stalemate defines much of Haiti’s history, shaping political as well as agricultural life. The “counter-plantation” strategy, not laziness or incapacity, explains the supposed postindependence economic decline. In the 1900s, that viable option eroded along with Haiti’s soil and smallholder rights. Brutal authoritarianism and foreign interventions are longstanding plagues, but Haitians increasingly reassert national autonomy, cultural pride, and democratic rights. Perhaps brief coverage of the post-Duvalier years indicates a future third volume. Readers will welcome further work by this major historian of this “small country but big nation.” Summing Up: Essential. All levels/collections. T. P. Johnson University of Massachusetts, BostonCopyright American Library Association, used with permission.” (CHOICE) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Coolidge / Amity Shlaes.
“Reading perceived weaknesses as strengths and persistent setbacks as evidence of perseverance, journalist Shlaes (The Forgotten Man) glowingly portrays Coolidge as an unappreciated economic hero. Born in Vermont in 1872, Coolidge studied law in Northampton, Mass., married schoolteacher Grace Goodhue, and doggedly climbed the Republican political ladder. From governor of Massachusetts to vice president and then president of the United States, Coolidge distanced himself from the progressive elements of his party; he championed low taxes, small government, and commerce as the foundations of prosperity. Shlaes writes with crisp, engaging prose, and her keen eye for detail is rooted in a solid collection of source material. But the story’s unrelenting linear trajectory bounces between such disparate topics as tax policies, maple syrup, and aviation with little indication of the degree of importance. Shlaes’s reluctance to critically analyze Coolidge’s political policies and actions is especially evident in her avoidance of delving into what Coolidge may have known about the Harding scandals and about weaknesses in the economy. Shlaes successfully shows, through clear explanations of Coolidge’s fiscal policies, why modern-day conservatives should consider him an economic hero, but she fails to illuminate what it meant for all Americans to Keep Cool with Coolidge during the complex 1920s. 16-page b&w photo insert. Agents: Sarah Chalfant, Scott Moyers, Adam Eaglin, and Andrew Wylie, the Wylie Agency. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

Mapping Manhattan : a love (and sometimes hate) story in maps by 75 New Yorkers / Becky Cooper ; foreword by Adam Gopnik.
“”Maps are more about their makers than the places they describe. Map who you are. Map where you are. Map your memories.” Cooper, writer, cartographer, and a native New Yorker, carefully assembles a surprisingly intimate collection of life stories from her art project, mapyourmemories. Laboriously hand-printing blank maps of Manhattan, she walks the length of the island asking strangers to provide their own narrative of New York. When Cooper receives her illustrated Manhattans, she finds a barrage of personal memories: from humorous insights to confessions, lost loves and childhood reminiscences; the vignettes, through maps, become love letters offering tribute to New York past and present. The maps represent New Yorkers and visitors from all walks of life: MTA employees, students, can collectors, mail carriers, artists, and city planners side-by-side with well-known New Yorkers such as chef David Chang, Yoko Ono, and Harvey Fierstein. New York reveals itself as “simultaneously no one’s city and everyone’s city.” Relationships to the city by those who have lived and loved in New York are interspersed with Cooper’s own history, artful illustrations, and quotes from street encounters. Cooper’s beautiful project linking the lives of New Yorkers is one that will continue to grow. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.” (Publisher Weekly) (Courtesy of Syndetics)

The impossible state : North Korea, past and future / Victor Cha.
“Former White House official Victor Cha has written the definitive volume on North Korea, arguably the world’s most menacing and mysterious nation. In The Impossible State, Cha, a singular expert on the region, exposes North Korea’s veiled past; sheds light on its culture, economy, and foreign policy; and explores the possibilities of its uncertain future in the post-Kim Jong-il era. A timely and engaging insider’s look at a volatile, and isolationist Asian juggernaut, The Impossible State will carry readers far deeper into this frighteningly adversarial country than they’ve ever traveled before”. (Amazon.com summary)

Ambition, a history : from vice to virtue / William Casey King.
“From rags to riches, log house to White House, enslaved to liberator, ghetto to CEO, ambition fuels the American Dream. Americans are driven by ambition. Yet at the time of the nation’s founding, ambition was viewed as a dangerous vice, everything from “a canker on the soul” to the impetus for original sin. This engaging book explores ambition’s surprising transformation, tracing attitudes from classical antiquity to early modern Europe to the New World and America’s founding. From this broad historical perspective, William Casey King deepens our understanding of the American mythos and offers a striking reinterpretation of the introduction to the Declaration of Independence.
Through an innovative array of sources and authors—Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, the Geneva Bible, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, and many others—King demonstrates that a transformed view of ambition became possible the moment Europe realized that Columbus had discovered not a new route but a new world. In addition the author argues that reconstituting ambition as a virtue was a necessary precondition of the American republic. The book suggests that even in the twenty-first century, ambition has never fully lost its ties to vice and continues to exhibit a dual nature, positive or negative depending upon the ends, the means, and the individual involved.” (Syndetics summary)

Photography and the American Civil War / Jeff L. Rosenheim ; [edited by Anna Jardine].
“Six hundred thousand lives were lost between 1861 and 1865, making the conflict between North and South the nation’s deadliest war. If the “War Between the States” was the test of the young republic’s commitment to its founding precepts, it was also a watershed in photographic history, as the camera recorded the epic, heartbreaking narrative from beginning to end—providing those on the home front, for the first time, with immediate visual access to the horrors of the battlefield.
Photography and the American Civil Warfeatures both familiar and rarely seen images that include haunting battlefield landscapes strewn with bodies, studio portraits of armed Confederate and Union soldiers (sometimes in the same family) preparing to meet their destiny, rare multi-panel panoramas of Gettysburg and Richmond, languorous camp scenes showing exhausted troops in repose, diagnostic medical studies of wounded soldiers who survived the war’s last bloody battles, and portraits of both Abraham Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
Published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg (1863), this beautifully produced book features Civil War photographs by George Barnard, Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, Timothy O’Sullivan, and many others.” (Syndetics summary)

New non-fiction books: from dragonslayers to nature wars, this month’s selections are extremely varied…..

Fractured times : culture and society in the twentieth century / Eric Hobsbawm.
“Hobsbawm examines the conditions that both created the flowering of the belle epoque and held the seeds of its disintegration: paternalistic capitalism, globalisation and the arrival of a mass consumer society.” (Book jacket)

Dragonslayers : from Beowulf to Saint George / author, Joseph A. McCullough ; illustrator, Peter Dennis.
“With its fiery breath, scaly armour, and baleful, malevolent stare, the dragon became the ultimate symbol of evil and corruption in European folklore and mythology. Often serving as a stand-in for Satan, or the power of evil gods, dragons spread death and hopelessness throughout the land. Only heroes of uncommon valour, courageousness, and purity could hope to battle these monsters and emerge victorious. Those that did became legends. They became dragonslayers. …” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Nature wars : the incredible story of how wildlife comebacks turned backyards into battlegrounds / Jim Sterba.
“In his latest, journalist Sterba (Frankie’s Place: A Love Story) provocatively and persuasively argues that just at the moment when humankind has distanced itself irrevocably from nature, its behavior patterns have put people in conflict with a natural world that they don’t know how to deal with. …Replete with statistics and a historical understanding of the cycles of humankind’s interaction with nature, Sterba tells of forests being cleared and animals hunted to extinction (until the conservation movement stepped in to curtail the damage), and people, already disconnected from the land, sprawled out into new artificial living arrangements that allowed “nuisance” animals to thrive. …(Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Data, a love story : how I gamed online dating to meet my match / Amy Webb.
“In this insightful, funny journey through online dating, Webb, a compulsively organized journalist and digital strategist, tries to find the perfect man by putting herself in his shoes. …Webb’s advice for dating both on and offline is insightful (and data-driven), and her descriptions of meddling family members, bad dates, and worse profiles are hilarious and familiar to anyone who’s tried dating online. …The story of her own experiment is funny, brutally honest, and inspirational even to the most hopeless dater. Agent: Suzanne Gluck and Erin Malone, William Morris Endeavor. (Jan. 31) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Phantom hitchhikers and other urban legends : the strange stories behind tall tales / Albert Jack.
“Jack (Red Herrings and White Elephants) unearths dozens of urban legends, conspiracy theories, weird tales, and entrenched celebrity gossip in this fun, fast-paced collection. Pegging the Internet as the main perpetrator in fostering the culture of hearsay that allows tall tales to thrive, he settles once and for all questions of whether Walt Disney’s body really is cryogenically preserved (it isn’t; in fact, his body met the opposite end: cremation) and whether Adolf Hitler had only one testicle. He also hypothesizes that there were actually two Robin Hoods and claims Captain Kidd wasn’t a pirate. …” Agent: Robert Smith, Robert Smith Literary Agency (U.K.). (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly) (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The road to Wigan Pier / George Orwell ; with a foreword by Victor Gollancz.
“George Orwell’s observations on the appalling living conditions of the unemployed of northern England in 1937, includes evaluations of middle class prejudice and apathy, and a criticism of socialism.” (Syndetics summary)

The International Bank of Bob : connecting our worlds one $25 kiva loan at a time / Bob Harris.
“While on assignment in Dubai to cover the world’s most luxurious hotels, Harris got sidetracked by the stories of the indentured immigrant laborers conscripted to build these palaces of opulence. Determined to do something to help the families of the working poor worldwide, he signed up with Kiva, an organization that allows individuals to lend money via the Internet to people in developing countries by providing microfinancing loans to small family businesses… Not content with merely helping from afar, Harris volunteered to tour the world and meet some of the Kiva recipients, and this is where the story really begins. Traveling to challenging and often war-torn places like Peru, Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Beirut, Lebanon, he checks out the repair shops, furniture businesses, hair salons, yogurt makers, and livestock owners who have been made successful by the microloans, but, most important, he learns firsthand about their personal and political struggles and is deeply impacted by the lives of the new friends he makes along the way.–Siegfried, David Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Cancel the apocalypse : the new path to prosperity / Andrew Simms.
“The horsemen are galloping and there’s more than four. From climate change to financial meltdown, feral elites and social division, food crises and the peak and decline of oil, stressed water supplies and mass extinctions – it’s the age of the complex super system shock. Some sort of apocalypse seems inevitable. Can it be cancelled?These are real threats, but a great transition is in the air. History shows that human beings have an amazing ability to change and adapt. Once our basic needs are met, it’s not more voracious economic growth we need for quality of life, but a different way of organising our days, working lives and neighbourhoods. Cancel the Apocalypse shows how to put the ‘end times’ on hold and start really living.” (Syndetics summary)

Fundamentals of sustainable dwellings / Avi Friedman.
“Architect Friedman (McGill Univ., Canada) covers the principles of residential green buildings, addressing topics ranging from site location to building materials, heating and cooling systems, water efficiency, green roofs, and waste management. The author writes in a reader-friendly manner in layperson’s terms, includes many photographs and illustrations, and provides the basic principles that most architects and builders should know and hopefully follow. …. Each of the 13 chapters is punctuated with case studies relative to that particular topic. …. Summing Up: Recommended. Two-year technical program students, general readers, and professionals/practitioners. B. Rowe Michigan State UniversityCopyright American Library Association, used with permission.” (CHOICE) (adapted from Syndetics summary)

To save everything, click here : technology, solutionism, and the urge to fix problems that don’t exist / Evgeny Morozov.
“Our society is at a crossroads. Smart technology is transforming our world, making many aspects of our lives more convenient, efficient and – in some cases – fun. Better and cheaper sensors can now be embedded in almost everything, and technologies can log the products we buy and the way we use them. But, argues Evgeny Morozov, technology is having a more profound effect on us: it is changing the way we understand human society.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

A Good African story : how a small company built a global coffee brand / Andrew Rugasira.
“Since it was founded in 2003, Good African Coffee has helped thousands of farmers earn a decent living, send their children to school and escape a spiral of debt and dependence. Africa has received over $1 trillion in aid over the last 50 years and yet despite these inflows, the continent remains mired in poverty, disease and systemic corruption.” (Syndetics summary)

Plutopia : nuclear families, atomic cities, and the great Soviet and American plutonium disasters / Kate Brown.
“While many transnational histories of the nuclear arms race have been written, Kate Brown provides the first definitive account of the great plutonium disasters of the United States and the Soviet Union. In Plutopia, Brown draws on official records and dozens of interviews to tell the extraordinary stories of Richland, Washington and Ozersk, Russia – the first two cities in the world to produce plutonium. To contain secrets, American and Soviet leaders created plutopias – communities of nuclear families living in highly-subsidized, limited-access atomic cities. Fully employed and medically monitored, the residents of Richland and Ozersk enjoyed all the pleasures of consumer society, while nearby, migrants, prisoners, and soldiers were banned from plutopia – they lived in temporary “staging grounds” and often performed the most dangerous work at the plant. Brown shows that the plants’ segregation of permanent and temporary workers and of nuclear and non-nuclear zones created a bubble of immunity, where dumps and accidents were glossed over and plant managers freely embezzled and polluted. In four decades, the Hanford plant near Richland and the Maiak plant near Ozersk each issued at least 200 million curies of radioactive isotopes into the surrounding environment – equaling four Chernobyls – laying waste to hundreds of square miles and contaminating rivers, fields, forests, and food supplies. Because of the decades of secrecy, downwind and downriver neighbors of the plutonium plants had difficulty proving what they suspected, that the rash of illnesses, cancers, and birth defects in their communities were caused by the plants’ radioactive emissions. Plutopia was successful because in its zoned-off isolation it appeared to deliver the promises of the American dream and Soviet communism; in reality, it concealed disasters that remain highly unstable and threatening today…..” (adapted from Syndetics summary)