Clinical pharmacist and nutrition and metabolism expert LaValle (Cracking the Metabolic Code), who heads the company Life Time Fitness, offers a comprehensive guide to understanding blood tests in this useful volume. The book is divided into logical sections that reflect the blood test itself: “The Lipid Panel,” “The Basic Metabolic Panel,” “The Hepatic Function Panel,” “Complete Blood Count,” “Hormones,” and “Optional Tests.” In each section, LaValle clearly explains what the numbers mean, noting that “normal” does not necessarily translate into “healthy” or “optimal.” Arguing that blood tests should be read much like trends in the stock market, LaValle urges readers to probe deeply and examine the results, employing the blood test as a preventive-care tool that can help ward off such problems as diabetes and heart disease. The blood test, he asserts, should serve as a “blueprint” for present as well as future health. In each section, LaValle also thoroughly describes medication, lifestyle, and dietary changes that may be required to address issues uncovered by test results; readers can identify what the suggested medical treatment would likely be and also discover alternative methods for improving their numbers. This patient-empowering text will help readers decipher their blood test results, and, more importantly, it serves as a guide to preventive care. (July)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

In this latest volume of her popular Artist’s Way series, Cameron addresses parents. Using checklists and personal exercises, the book focuses on empowering parents to be creative under the premise that children will model their behavior on that of their parents, though many parents may have sacrificed their creativity when children came along. In addition to establishing the three daily habits of Morning Pages (journaling), Creative Expeditions (fun activities with your kids), and Highlights (reviewing the best parts of the day at bedtime), Cameron gives practical, but occasionally tired advice about providing creative space for children in the home, taking time for oneself as a parent, reducing clutter, and not being afraid to play or make a mess; she also includes reminders about proper diet, exercise, and sleep habits. The book is filled with anecdotes praising Cameron’s mother and self-congratulatory asides about the way Cameron raised her own daughter. A little humility would go a long way, as no parent can sympathize with someone who believes she has it all figured out. Some may find the repeated references to God off-putting, despite Cameron’s claim that she’s making a larger spiritual connection that isn’t necessarily Christian. Still, the reminders to look for joy and wonder may be revelatory for Cameron’s readers and their kids. Agent: Susan Raihofer, David Black Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

Jager-Hyman (Fat Envelope Frenzy), former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth and founder of College Prep 360 (a college-planning consulting organization), guides students (and their parents) through the college-admissions process, offering a wealth of insider advice. The author emphasizes that even in the highly competitive (and, according to the media, often “gloomy”) admissions environment, there is hope for kids who don’t have straight A’s and perfect SAT scores. Jager-Hyman covers the usual steps: developing a list of target, reach, and safety schools; writing essays; prepping for the college interview; taking the SATs; and demystifying financial aid. Drawing upon her experiences in college admissions, she offers such suggestions as being first in line for early admissions (before officers become bleary-eyed from reading essays); sending written thank you notes to individuals who conduct the interviews; and so forth. In clear, friendly prose, she helps students focus on their strengths as they calmly and confidently face this stressful process. Though there is plenty of information on the Internet about the college-application process, this insider perspective is a welcome addition to the toolkit. Agent: Laurie Abkemeier, DiFiore and Company. (July)

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In this approachable guide, Nichols offers practical advice to parents on everything from how to select a kindergarten program to how to write appropriate e-mails to your child’s teacher. Nichols, the director of the Parent Connection, a nonprofit parent education group, has extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of the early years of a child’s education. All parents will benefit from the early chapters providing specifics about the current generation of elementary schools, and suggestions for what parents can do to ensure their children’s success within the changing system. Nichols is well versed in both the budgetary and curricular strains on the system and current best practices in various subjects and classroom management. The final chapters run the gamut of parenting and education topics, from bullying to technology and even health, but each feels important and contributes to the larger framework. “Top Ten Takeaways” at the end of each chapter are provided for easy reference, and sample scripts for how to interact with teachers are particularly useful. Throughout, Nichols successfully balances her frustration with the system with heartfelt optimism regarding the role that parents can play in making their children’s school experience positive, claiming that “there’s never been a more challenging or more exciting time to do this.” Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary & Media. (July)

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Character actor Schirripa (who played Bobby Bacala on The Sopranos) brings a tough-guy approach to the challenge of raising daughters. Larger than life, and louder, too, he offers only three easy-to-remember Big Daddy Rules: “Be Present”; “Because I Said So”; and “Be Prepared.” Schirripa emphasizes the importance of saying “no” and giving kids something to rebel against. Even though mistakes will be made (“If you’re gonna be a dad, you still gotta be yourself”), fathers get only one shot at this child-raising business, so it better be good. In addition, when it comes to girls, “Dads are toast” and must deal with the four B’s: ballet, boys, bullying, and birth control. If this big guy can cop to being a “pussy” before getting “trained” by wife Laura, any dad can man up and say “My house; my rules” and outride attempts at negotiation with confidence. Much of this volume reads like a good stand-up routine, and once the point is made, the rest is entertainment, delivered in Schirripa’s inimitable, reliably profane comic patter, full of rants and stories from Da Bronx, Vegas, and life in “The Biz.” But let there be no mistake: raising “two incredible daughters” is his greatest accomplishment. Agent: Michael Harriot, Folio Literary Management. (June)

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Transforming our physical selves is intoxicating, and a driving force behind popular makeover shows like The Biggest Loser and our fascination with celebrity style. So it comes as no surprise that award-winning Hollywood hairstylist Paves―nearly as famous as his clients (including actress Eva Longoria, who contributes the book’s foreword) and behind many of those Loser makeovers himself―enters the beauty-book fray. What does surprise is his approach. Rather than offering a collection of hair tips and tricks (though there are plenty) illustrated by shots of celebrities, the styles are modeled by Paves’s friends and family, with the primary goal of “giv[ing] women a positive message about defining their own beauty.” It’s a sweetly disarming attitude that imbues this empowering book. As Paves writes, “It’s about being your own best friend, loving what you see in the mirror, and accepting how beautiful you are on the inside as well as the outside.” That the author respects and admires women is clear, and he appears overwhelmingly grateful for and delighted by the ones in his immediate orbit—especially his mother, Helen. That he has mastered his art (from bridal hairstyles to taking care of your roots) is also evident. While some suggestions are obvious (deep-condition damaged hair once a week!), overall, the book will serve all women’s hair―and souls―well. Photos. Agent: Nena Madonia, Dupree/Miller & Associates. (June)

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Nabhan, an ethnobotanist, cofounder of Native Seeds/SEARCH, and prolific author, draws on his longtime relationships with the land and people of the Southwest U.S., together with wisdom from farmers and gardeners in Egypt, Mexico, and other dry places, to suggest solutions for growing food and developing agricultural resiliency as climate change affects wider swaths of the planet. He discusses using hedge fences (he calls them “fredges”) to minimize flood damage; choosing ancient and traditional methods for water management; soil building using local materials; terracing for fertility and erosion control; creating polycultures with perennials and drought-hardy plants; and attracting and supporting native pollinators. This information, which includes detailed instructions and lists of plants and pollinators, will undoubtedly be useful to farmers and gardeners facing more volatile weather patterns. Their spirits may lift as well with the book’s somber but hopeful poetic tone, exemplified by Moroccan Sufi mystic and farmer Aziz Bousfiha, who is working to transform deserts into living oases: “It’s not just activism I am talking about... I am talking about something larger, deeper: participating in the creation—for that is the... expression of our love.” (June 20)

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Nursery catalogues sell more than seeds and plants; they also sell dreams and aspirations. In this examination of more than a hundred years of commercial garden catalogues, communications professor Mickey (Best Garden Plants for New England) describes how American gardeners were seduced by 19th-century English gardening aesthetics. The English influence was first felt during the Colonial period, when English and American enthusiasts exchanged plant material and landscaping treatises. In the 19th century, new technologies allowed American seed and plant merchants to mass produce and distribute illustrated sales catalogues. The English plant and design preferences that were pictured on these colorful pages quickly became the standard by which American gardeners planned their gardens. A quintessentially English garden, featuring a sweeping lawn, collections of flowering shrubs, and perennial borders, became the ideal that was widely sought after. This Anglophilia is still strongly felt in American horticulture and is reflected in the (nearly) homogenous suburban landscapes across the American continent. We can trace 21st-century lawns and annual beds in sunny California from the images in 19th-century advertisements. Mickey has thoughtfully woven together an American landscape design history with a critical examination of how commercial interests and mass media shape our preferences, even in our humble backyards. Color illus. throughout. (June)

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Colorful illustrations, plentiful and readable diagrams, and a well-executed chapter structure make this an indispensable resource for the serious organic farmer who did not major in organic chemistry. Lowenfels (Teaming with Microbes) has packed as much helpful information into this volume about how plants absorb nutrients as there are nutrients in a single plant cell—that is, lots. The book is weighty on the scientific level, but accessible. Each chapter builds on the previous one and concludes with a summary bullet-point section called “Summing Up.” (Some readers may benefit from reading the summary bullet points first.) Not all of the technical information presented here will be suited to every organic farmer, but every farmer will benefit from some element in the book—if nothing else, from Grandpa Al’s Can’t Fail Recipe for organic fertilizer. For organic farmers who take the book seriously, it will forever change the way they look at the “back forty.” (May 14)

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The second book by Brown (Ribbonwork Gardens) is a cornucopia of fancy stitches, which she has divided into four styles of embroidery: traditional; silk ribbon; raised and textured; and bead. Twenty or so stitches per style are carefully demonstrated in full-color photos of each step of stitching. Even experienced stitchers are likely to learn something new: for example, the Spiderweb Rose, or how to couch ribbon. Brown also provides a thorough overview of the ribbons, floss, threads, and tools likely to be needed, along with idiosyncratic advice taken from her many years of sewing. As a catalogue of possibility for stitching, this is a wonderful addition to a crafting library. The eight patterns included, and the general look of the book, however, aren’t as pleasing—the former are busy and the latter seems outdated. This book certainly provides a guide to what’s become the usual style of embellishment; but readers looking for a modern take on the craft will have to keep searching. Full-color photos. (June)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink