New Book List

February 2005

NONFICTION

The Age of Shakespeare    -    Kermode, Frank

Kermode's compact, erudite appreciation of the Bard is less about Shakespeare's private life and turbulent times than his theatrical milieu and the worlds he created for the stage. Quick summaries of the pressing political issues of the Protestant Reformation and the successor Queen Elizabeth are followed by up-to-date surveys of the debates over Shakespeare's possible crypto-Catholicism and his "missing" years. But Kermode hits his stride with the plays. His breakdown of Shakespeare's artistic development and mature achievement by the various acting companies and theaters he was associated with-from the Lord Chamberlain's Company to the renamed King's Men, from the Theatre and the Rose to the Globe and Blackfriars-proves a satisfying structure to match the swift pace. Kermode pleasurably shows how Shakespeare and his works were of their age and also transcended it. - Publisher's Weekly

Beethoven: The Music and the Life    -    Lockwood, Lewis C.

Pulitzer Prize Finalist.  Beethoven linked the Classical and Romantic periods in music. His early compositions reflected Mozart's influence and the example of the mature Haydn's work. Creativity, imagination, an acute mind, and a musical ear led Beethoven to explore new formal and harmonic structures, and his middle period includes most of his string quartets, piano sonatas, and symphonies--vehicles of his exploration. In his last period he produced his most romantic and grandest pieces. Lockwood relies upon Beethoven's sketchbooks, diaries, conversation books (used when he was very deaf), and letters to show how Beethoven developed his music. He provides background on historical and political events, including the French Revolution and rise of Napoleon, that influenced Beethoven. Along with some 50 music examples that are available on a Web site, Lockwood analyzes Beethoven's major compositions and shows how his musical thought grew. Coherent and eminently readable, this is a book that will complete anyone's understanding of one of the most innovative composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, who remains influential and popular today. - Booklist

Big Cotton: How a Humble Fiber Created Fortunes, Wrecked Civilizations, and Put America on the Map    -    Yafa, Stephen

Yafa lyrically tells a tale of slimy merchants, corrupt politicians and downtrodden farmers and workers upon whose backs huge fortunes were made. Coming from a Europe starved for cotton fabrics, Christopher Columbus exploited the American natives' mastery of the plant. The Puritans of New England entered into the slave trade to finance their insatiable need for cotton cloth. And in the American South an entire civilization was based on "King Cotton": a flourishing slaveholding civilization featuring ostentatious plantation houses stuffed with the goods of conspicuous consumption. The cruelty and reward, Yafa shows, continue to this day. Cotton farmers in Mali are impoverished due in large part to U.S. government subsidies to corporate agribusiness. But despite much fascinating information, the book disappoints. Yafa has jammed his narrative with too many wild characters, outrageous stories and goofy personal asides. Some may tire quickly of the details of warp and weft and the workings of the spinning jenny. Yet for all the flaws of the single-lensed view of history, Yafa tells a tale that covers a wide, dramatic swath. - Publisher's Weekly

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed    -    Diamond, Jared

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning, million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel (Call number: 303.4 DIA), Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society's apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide? - from the publisher

Contents:   Prologue : a tale of two farms -- pt. 1: Modern Montana. Under Montana's big sky -- pt. 2: Past societies. Twilight at Easter -- The last people alive : Pitcairn and Henderson Islands -- The ancient ones : the Anasazi and their neighbors -- The Maya collapses -- The Viking prelude and fugues -- Norse Greenland's flowering -- Norse Greenland's end -- Opposite paths to success -- pt. 3: Modern societies. Malthus in Africa : Rwanda's genocide -- One island, two peoples, two histories : the Dominican Republic and Haiti -- China, lurching giant -- "Mining" Australia -- pt. 4: Practical lessons. Why do some societies make disastrous decisions? -- Big businesses and the environment : different conditions, different outcomes -- The world as a polder : what does it all mean to us today?

The Confident Hope of a Miracle: The True History of the Spanish Armada    -    Hanson, Neil

The English defeat of the Spanish armada has all the elements of grand drama: the gallant, supposedly overmatched island kingdom, which is led by an indomitable queen, against the mighty Spanish empire that is led by a monkish, repressive autocrat. The reality, of course, was more complex but just as compelling. Furthermore, as this brilliant account illustrates, the importance of the English victory was immense for the subsequent development of both the British Isles and Spain. Hanson's fast-moving narrative captures the rush of events while the author keeps his eye on the broader political and cultural environment of two very different societies. Hanson offers interesting portraits of the prominent military and political players, but he is at his best when describing the grinding daily life of ordinary sailors. The actual destruction of the armada is recounted in gripping, even gruesome detail while dispelling much of the mythology surrounding the event. This outstanding work of popular history covers a true turning point in world history. - Booklist

Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition    -    Olson, Steve

Geometric figures and equations are relatively few and far between, the nonmathematically inclined may be relieved to know, in this elegant, balanced survey of competitive high school math which chronicles the progress of the six-member American team that participated in the 2001 Olympiad held in Washington, D.C. In between character sketches, the author examines such issues as whether "genius" is something you're born with (drawing parallels with musicians, he argues that it's those who practice the most who tend to do the best), why certain ethnic groups or nationalities do better than others (traditional rote problem-solving has handicapped U.S. students) and why girls are underrepresented in the field. Six problems taken from the Olympiad will challenge math buffs, who will also appreciate a joke about the waitress with a surprising knowledge of calculus. Contrary to the nerd stereotype, Olson portrays the young math whizzes as normal, well-adjusted kids. - Publisher's Weekly

Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America , 1754-1763    -    Fowler, William

Blame it on George Washington: a war that spilled from the Appalachian backwoods onto battlefields around the world. The French and Indian War, known in Europe as the Seven Years War even though it lasted for nine, was one of the bloodiest episodes in the centuries-long war between England and France. At stake was which power would have dominion over the world beyond Europe. Indeed, the war was played out eventually in Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as in the Caribbean and North America. That outcome may have been in the cards anyway, but it was hastened along when George Washington, then a 22-year-old major in the Virginia militia, unwittingly presided over a massacre of French prisoners who'd been seized by England's Indian allies. Or so he later explained, though Fowler sensibly adds that "It remains an open question to why Washington felt compelled to attack a sleeping camp without warning at a time when the two nations were at peace." Soon British and French fleets were sailing, and the conflict shifted from the Appalachians to eastern Canada. Fowler's narrative moves forward partly through thoughtful character sketches of some of the principal participants, from the justly ignored (the larcenous governor Francois Bigot, "a particularly clever and imaginative bookkeeper") to the honored-for-all-time (the Marquis de Montcalm, buried with full military honors only in 2001, and his fellow victim at the siege of Quebec, James Wolfe). Well crafted and well paced, the narrative reveals some of the political complexities of the war, among them the controversy surrounding Wolfe's appointment by the untested William Pitt and the crown's enforcement of peace on the frontier, the latter being one of the things that would soon turn the American colonies against the mother country. An accessible treatment of a war often viewed through the lens of the revolution that followed, though much more complex than only that. - Kirkus

Have Board, Will Travel: The Definitive History of Surf, Skate, and Snow    -    Brisick, Jamie

Whether on water, pavement, or fluffy white powder, the history of surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding is a landscape filled with rugged personalities, exotic locales, wild innovation, and most of all the united dream of becoming one with the oceans, streets, and mountains.   Have Board, Will Travel shows the intricate connection between all three sports. Their histories act as the grand foundation, the images serve as divine inspiration, and each page is filled with enough side-stanced glory to summon even the laziest couch potato to pick up a board and ride. - from the publisher

How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, From the Pilgrims to the Present    -    Dilorenzo, Thomas

In this history of U.S. capitalism, DiLorenzo (economics, Loyola Coll.) argues that capitalism has been key to this nation's development. He explains that the early colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth were failing under communal ownership until they introduced private property and, with it, capitalism to give the colonists the incentive to work harder and ultimately prosper. He goes on to cite numerous examples of government interference that went wrong, claiming, for instance, that California caused its own recent electricity crisis by deregulating the prices utilities paid for electricity while capping what they could charge customers. Throughout, DiLorenzo attacks the critics of capitalism, arguing that they have either fabricated their evidence or blamed capitalism for something really caused by an interfering government. The text is extreme but consistent and well reasoned, which makes it worth reading. Highly recommended. - Library Journal

The Joy of Digital Photography    -    Wignall, Jeff

This volume is glossy enough to be a coffee-table book yet packed with information useful for anyone interested in digital photography, from parents who simply want to e-mail photos of their new babies to aspiring photographic artists. Technology and artistry are both addressed: clear explanations of pixels, jpeg and tiff formats, types of digital cameras, and how to use a camera together with a personal computer, among other topics, are nicely balanced with suggestions for composing attractive shots, enhancing images, and adding special effects. Numerous clear, bright full-color photos provide attractive examples of techniques and results discussed in the text, which is suitable for beginners yet detailed enough for those more familiar with technology, photography, or both. Unfortunately, black-and-white photography is given short shrift here, except for a brief section on retouching old photos that have been scanned. A glossary, index, and list of Web sites round out this complete, well-designed guide. - Booklist

The Last Monarch Butterfly: Conserving the Monarch Butterfly in a Brave New World    -    Schappert, Phil

Overview of both eastern and western monarch butterflies, including their life cycle and migratory patterns. The impact of natural disasters and increasing residential and industrial development on monarch butterfly populations is also discussed. - from the publisher

The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History    -    Fagan, Brian M.

During the Little Ice Age approximately the 14th to the mid-19th centuries the climate of northern Europe turned volatile and markedly cooler. As Fagan (archaeology, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) explains, while this did not directly cause major historical events, it catalyzed significant social, political, and economic changes throughout the region. Widespread reliance on subsistence farming meant that bad weather and shortened growing seasons led to food shortages, even famines. Hunger, in turn, along with disease, war, crime, and economic forces, provoked widespread sociopolitical upheaval, including the collapse of Norse settlements in Greenland, the French Revolution, and the Irish Famine. - Library Journal

The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization    -    Fagan, Brian M.

Anthropologist Fagan engagingly presents an abundance of geological and archaeological evidence supporting the idea that human civilization has been shaped by significant climate change to a greater extent than previously thought. Fagan cushions his scientific data with absorbing historical narrative. The "long summer" of the title is the Holocene warming trend of the last 15,000 years, which has coddled humanity throughout recorded history. While scientists have always known that cycles of cooling and warming within this era have affected humans, only in the last part of the 20th century did they have detailed ice and sediment cores to provide evidence for specific events. Fagan uses the new information to authoritatively walk readers through the major climatic changes in human history, including droughts that led to the formation of the first cities, rainfall increases connected to the spread of bubonic plague, and volcanic eruptions that triggered disastrous cooling trends. Although often repetitive, these examples serve to prove without a doubt that humans have been increasingly vulnerable to climate change ever since we left a nomadic lifestyle for an agriculture-based one. Part cautionary tale and part historical detective story, this book encourages readers to appreciate the increasingly clear links between great weather changes and human society, politics and survival. - Publisher's Weekly  

Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation    -    Price, David A.

This sparkling book retells a beloved tale in modern terms. Journalist Price's subtitle suggests that the book might be only about John Smith and Pocahontas--who "crossed into one another's cultures more than any other Englishman or native woman had done"-- as well as about Pocahontas's eventual husband, John Rolfe. Fortunately, the book ranges more widely than that. Price relates the entire riveting story of the founding of Virginia. Smith is of course at the center of the tale, because rarely did a colonial leader so bountifully combine experience, insight, vision, strength of character and leadership skills to overcome extraordinary odds. But no one will come away from this work without heightened admiration also for the natives, especially Chief Powhatan, and greater knowledge of the introduction of a third people, African slaves, into the Chesapeake. The book's leitmotif is the interaction of differing cultures and men, like the British gentry, whom Smith scorned for refusing to adapt to hard colonial labor, and the wily Indians, who resorted to starving out the colonists and in 1622 massacred many of them. Virginia was for all participants a place, at the start of the nation's history, of danger, horror and death. This is a splendid work of serious narrative history. - Publisher's Weekly

The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon    -    Whitaker, Robert

Booklist starred review.   Only an exceptional life could connect the Enlightenment salons of Paris with the tribal villages of the Amazon jungle. Peruvian-born Isabel Grameson lived such a life, and now a prizewinning science writer has retraced its improbable course in a riveting narrative. That story begins with eighteenth-century physicists debating theoretical issues that only observers positioned in South America can resolve. But the French academics who set out to make these observations soon leave behind the empyreal world of pure formulas: only by traversing unmapped rivers, scaling Andean peaks, enduring vexatious insects, and pacifying murderous Peruvians do these resolute savants obtain the longitudinal data they seek. Ultimately, though, these scientific adventurers endure the disappointment of seeing their work validate a British rather than a French paradigm! Finally, too, the expedition sees all its scientific valor eclipsed by the heroism of one beautiful young Peruvian woman--Isabel Grameson--who marries one of the group's cartographers. For it is this woman who--when cruelly separated from her husband--braves perils far beyond those faced by the scientists. Readers can only marvel at how Isabel survives a rain-forest journey (personally repeated, afoot and afloat, by Whitaker) that claims the lives of all of her companions and leaves her stranded and presumed dead. A rare story, taut with intellectual controversy, romantic passion, and harrowing danger. - Booklist

Mars on Earth : The Adventures of Space Pioneers in the High Arctic     -    Zubrin, Robert

If the space program had not been aborted after the Moon landings, we could have gone to Mars as early as 1981. In this inspiring account of human ingenuity and determination, "children and grandchildren of Apollo" set out to put humans back on the path to space-not through political action, but by "[launching] a science project." Zubrin shares the inside story of the formation of the Mars Society and the pursuit of its ambitious goal. His passion for the project creates a sense of immediacy and draws readers in as he relates how the group chose Earth locations to serve as Mars analogs, built habitats there, and carried out experiments that tested the performance of equipment and people in Mars-like conditions. These "sims" yielded many unexpected and often fascinating insights into mission technologies, exploration tactics, and "human-factors design," preparing the way for actual missions. Zubrin explains the science and describes the people with humor and enthusiasm, revealing warts, setbacks, and successes. Diagrams and excellent color photographs help readers to visualize key individuals, equipment, and events. After the Arctic station was established, two more independently funded Mars analog stations were created, in the Utah desert and in Iceland, where volunteers continue to explore "Mars on Earth"; students can follow their adventures on the Web. Those still asking, "Isn't a Mars expedition too expensive/dangerous/irrelevant?" or "Why do we need to look for life/do this when we have problems at home/send people when we can send robots instead?" will find stimulating and compelling answers here. - School Library Journal

The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code    -    Newman, Sharan

Dan Brown's mystery thriller The Da Vinci Code plays fast and loose with history, posing puzzling riddles while challenging beliefs in the canon of Scripture, the Church, and Christianity. Newman, a medievalist and award-winning novelist, has taken up the challenge to consider what the book suggests and separate legend from fact. Did Da Vinci paint Mary Magdalene in The Last Supper and omit the apostle John? Was Mary also identified as the wife of Jesus and a prostitute in the Nag Hammadi text of the Gospel of Phillip? What is the history of the Templars? Are there hidden meanings in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and his drawing Vitruvian Man? Newman has arranged her discussion of the people, places, and events of The Da Vinci Code in an encyclopedic format, creating a books that is both accessible and fun to read. - Library Journal

Shakespeare Is Hard, But So Is Life: A Radical Guide to Shakespearian Tragedy     -    O'Toole, Fintan

O'Toole, a drama critic for the Irish Times and New York Daily News and author of numerous books of literary criticism, contends that the Victorian approach to interpreting Shakespeare turns the tragedies into unintelligible mush. Here he offers a new approach, recommending that we abandon three concepts beloved by the Victorians: all tragic heroes must have a tragic flaw, the tragic hero eclipses all other characters, and the soliloquy represents the character speaking privately to him/herself. Shakespeare did not use these concepts to construct his plays, argues O'Toole; instead, he reflected the turmoil and uncertainty of his time by depicting characters struggling to resolve contradictions between feudal and mercantile value systems. Offering new interpretations of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, O'Toole's study will serve best as an introductory text for students and teachers. - Library Journal

A Time to Die: The Untold Story of the Kurst Tragedy    -    Moore, Robert

Moore's impressive account reveals the lengths to which the Russian navy went in trying to conceal the truth about the sinking of the submarine Kursk in 2000. After hope for the crew was relinquished, it emerged that two dozen sailors had survived the initial explosions that sent the warship to the bottom of the shallow Barents Sea, making all the more tragic the delays that beset the rescue operation. Whether the survivors could have been saved is impossible to say, but Moore's comprehensive narrative indicts the admirals' instinctual secrecy as a hindrance to requesting help from the world's tiny submarine-rescue community. This misplaced pride enraged relatives, as revealed in a surreptitious recording Moore describes of President Vladimir Putin trying to placate them. Moore's explanations of what caused the catastrophe (a defective torpedo) and of the rescue's difficulties are as lucid as his narrative is tense. Built largely from interviews with participants, Moore's story will hold readers rapt while giving a rare glimpse into the life of Russian submariners. - Booklist

The Tipping Point : How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference    -     Gladwell, Malcolm

Why did crime in New York drop so suddenly in the mid-90s? How does an unknown novelist end up a bestselling author? Why is teenage smoking out of control, when everyone knows smoking kills? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? Why did Paul Revere succeed with his famous warning? In this brilliant and groundbreaking book, New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell looks at why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Ideas, behavior, messages, and products, he argues, often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a few fare-beaters and graffiti artists fuel a subway crime wave, or a satisfied customer fill the empty tables of a new restaurant. These are social epidemics, and the moment when they take off, when they reach their critical mass, is the Tipping Point. Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends, the people who create the phenomenon of word of mouth. He analyzes fashion trends, smoking, children's television, direct mail and the early days of the American Revolution for clues about making ideas infectious, and visits a religious commune, a successful high-tech company, and one of the world's greatest salesmen to show how to start and sustain social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an intellectual adventure story written with an infectious enthusiasm for the power and joy of new ideas. Most of all, it is a road map to change, with a profoundly hopeful message--that one imaginative person applying a well-placed lever can move the world. - from the publisher

The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation : From the Louisiana Purchase to Today    -    Ambrose, Stephen E.

The Mississippi River valley and the enormous region that drains into it form much of the American heartland. The history of this region is the history of much of our country, and its presence is prominent in much of our literature and culture. National Geographic's last book on this important area was published in 1971, and this update by popular historians Ambrose and Brinkley (who both traveled the river's 2,353 miles for the project) is a welcome addition to the literature on the region. This title is well illustrated in the tradition of National Geographic publications, and yet the text is informative and substantial enough to make this more than another coffee-table book. This work, which tells the river's story from the time of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase onward, promises to appeal to a wide range of readers. - Library Journal

Weather: A Visual Guide    -    Buckley, Bruce

A comprehensive academic resource with information and glorious color photographs on virtually every aspect of weather. Although written by three different meteorologists, the text flows seamlessly from one topic to another. Grouped in broad subject areas, spreads cover what makes weather, weather extremes, watching the weather, and current and changing global climate. The thoroughly labeled photos show seemingly every type of weather on every continent and the Earth from outer space. Clear, colorful graphics clarify concepts that cannot be shown in photographs, such as the energy cycle or types of lightning. Approximately three-fourths of this volume is devoted to these outstanding images. The print is small, providing more information than one might expect. The content goes beyond simple weather to include a discussion of climate and its effect on the flora and fauna of a region. An excellent resource. - School Library Journal

Renoir : Paintings,Drawings, Lithographs and Etchings

32 color and 29 plain plates selected and with an introduction by Nigel Lambourne.

A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen    -    Jenkyns, Richard

Jane Austen's work was a true triumph of the comic spirit--of deep comedy, rising from the heart of human life.   Focusing largely on Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park , and Emma , but with many diverting side trips to Austen's other novels, Jenkyns shines a loving light on the exquisite craftsmanship and profound moral imagination that informs her writing. Readers will find, for instance, a wonderful discussion of characterization in Austen. Jenkyns's insight into figures such as Mr. Bennett or Mrs. Norris is brilliant--particularly his portrait of the amusing, clever, always ironic Mr. Bennett, whose humor (Jenkyns shows) arises out of a deeply unhappy and disappointing marriage. The author pays due homage to Austen's unmatched skill with complex plotting--the beauty with which the primary plot and the various subplots are woven together--highlighting the infinite care she took to make each plot detail as natural and as plausible as possible. Perhaps most important, Jenkyns illuminates the heart of Austen's moral imagination: she is constantly aware, throughout her works, of the nearness of evil to the comfortable social surface. She knows that the socially acceptable sins may be truly cruel and vicious, knows that society can be red in tooth and claw, and yet she allows the pleasures of comedy and celebration to subordinate them. - from the publisher

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Needlework    -    Kooler, Donna

Comprehensive enough to be valuable for expert and novice alike. Over 40 pages are devoted to needlepoint alone, and with close-up photos of threads, frames, samples and canvas, the options are easy to understand. Practical tips, such as proper use of a magnifier or combining threads from different dye lots, are discussed in a straightforward manner, and author Donna Kooler manages to be authoritative without severity or condescension. Also discussing techniques for embroidery, candlewicking, hardanger, blackwork, pulled thread, counted cross stitch, and silk ribbon embroidery, everyone can find a new style to learn for combining thread and canvas to create unique works of art. Absolute beginners will appreciate the definitions, conversion chart, and painstaking detail taken in every stitch explanation, while advanced needleworkers will be glad to find the stitch index at the end of the book--you'll never get "stuck" in the middle of a new pattern again! Photos accompany the written history of each of these techniques, enabling novices to finally discover the proper name for those unusual pillow covers your granny stitched. Even the most experienced stitchers are sure to uncover a style they haven't experimented with yet, and with each stitch laid out clearly with illustrations, simple instructions, and suggestions for use, you'll be wanting to try them all. Most techniques have a companion pattern or two, so you can start playing with your new knowledge instantly. - Amazon.com

Illustrated Book of Needlecrafts    -    Toth, Cecilia K.

Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, quilting, and rug making made easy by the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Precise, step-by-step instructions will help transform even the most unseasoned novice into a skilled needle artist in no time. 600 photos. Each chapter opens with a brief description of the craft and the many enticing ways it has been used -- and fresh, new ways of enjoying it. Next comes an illustrated guide to the necessary equipment and materials, followed by techniques and step-by-step instructions. In addition to the how-to pages, each chapter contains attractive, practical projects (with complete instructions) that let you put your new skills to good use immediately You'll also find valuable tips for finishing, washing, and caring for handmade items. Finally, each chapter contains a detailed glossary of the most important stitches, giving you a virtual encyclopedia of needlecraft techniques that will serve as a handy reference long after you've mastered the basics. - from the publisher

FICTION

The Broker    -    Grisham, John

John Grisham delivers another legal thriller of unparalled suspense. With fourteen years left on a twenty-year sentence, notorious Washington power broker, Joel Blackman, receives a surprise pardon from a lame-duck president. He is smuggled out of the country on a military cargo plane, given a new identity, and tucked away in a small town in Italy. But Blackman has serious enemies from his past. As the CIA watches him closely, the question is not whether he will be killed, but rather who will kill him first. - from the publisher

Murder by Magic: Twenty Tales of Crime and the Supernatural    -    Edghill, Rosemary

These 20 stories, by names both big and small, feature otherwordly crimes and supernatural solutions. Carole Nelson Douglas writes about a stage magician who meets a real magician; Diane Duane introduces us to a detective who solve crimes with the help of the dead; Laura Resnick (in the delightfully titled "Dopplegangster") writes about mobsters who are dying after seeing someone who looks just like them. The stories plunge us deep into history and fling us far into the future. The fantasy elements may put off mystery fans of the never-mix, never-worry variety, but readers who don't mind mixing things up a little, crossing over genres and back again, should have a very good time indeed. - Booklist

The Ruling Class    -    Pascal, Francine

When she moves to an upscale Dallas neighborhood, 16-year-old Twyla Gay becomes the target of bullying so ferocious that she considers dropping out of school: "If this kind of pain were physical, I'd be bleeding to death." Instead, she takes on her tormentors--members of an elite clique of girls, the Ruling Class, led by wealthy, gorgeous, and zit-free Jeanette Sue. Pascal's latest novel, narrated in multiple teens' voices, joins the many recent titles that unerringly probe the "mean girl" phenomenon. A few characters read as caricatures, particularly ruthless, superficial Jeanette Sue and bigoted, painfully naive Myrna, who aspires to join the clique. But many teens will recognize the spot-on brutality and subtleties of female bullying: the victims' denial and rage, the tormentors' fragile balance of power, the hysteria of rumors fueled by homophobia and prejudice. The designer labels and music references will date quickly, but readers will want to talk about the questions, especially how to overcome a bully. - Booklist

Icarus Hunt     -    Zahn, Timothy

Independent space shipper (i.e., smuggler) Jordan McKell accepts a contract to deliver a sealed cargo to Earth aboard a ship of unknown origin and dubious quality. After the suspicious death of a crew member and several attempts to "acquire" his cargo, McKell realizes that he has become the center of a conspiracy that pits him against a powerful race of aliens who control galactic trade and aspire to even more. Features fast-paced action; a tight, no-frills plot; and a quick-thinking, resourceful hero. - Library Journal

REFERENCE

The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference    -    Wagner, Margaret E.

This work's highly credentialed editors and contributors were able to draw on the vast and rich Civil War resources of the Library of Congress, which include unpublished letters from soldiers and nurses, Union and Confederate maps, speeches by Frederick Douglass, photographs by Matthew Brady, and well over 50,000 published books and pamphlets. The resulting work is not arranged alphabetically; instead, the 13 chapters cover broad topics or themes, including military intelligence, medicine, prisoners of war, wartime politics, the home front, war on the water, battles and battlefields, and weaponry. Additionally, topics appear here that are not usually detailed in overviews of the Civil War, such as antebellum America, the Civil War in literature and the arts, researching the war, preservation, and Reconstruction, giving the actual years of conflict a broader context. Selected sources end each chapter. Although the book can be read as a narrative, the identification and location of specific information can be easily found through the index, the detailed subheadings in the table of contents, or the extensive cross references within the articles. Time lines in the opening chapter and elsewhere guide readers through the era's defining events. The eminently browsable text is profusely illustrated with charts, photographs, maps, drawings, and portraits. As a bonus, leading historian James M. McPherson provides the foreword. This resource is certain to be the definitive one-volume Civil War encyclopedia. Highly recommended. - Library Journal