Science & Technology

The naming of roses continues to be an engrossing topic. Throughout history, roses have been named for historical figures, presidents, celebrities, fictional characters, food, and even an automobile (Chrysler Imperial). Molly Glentzer's beautiful book Pink Ladies & Crimson Gents explores the legends of the namesakes of 50 old-fashioned roses. Now, garden writer Brenner and Scanniello, the former rosarian at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, delve into similar territory but cover a broader expanse of rose history, back to 16th-century roses such as Rosa Mundi and forward to modern introductions like the hybrid tea named for Barbra Streisand. Each chapter profiles a specific rose and lists various other roses within the same category of naming. All classes of roses are included, from the Gallica roses of yesteryear to modern hybrid teas. Descriptions and characterizations are discussed, but this is not a horticultural how-to book; it is mainly concerned with the naming histories. This captivating compendium of historical miscellany will appeal to rose lovers as well as history buffs. Includes a glossary. For public libraries.—Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence

The answer to the intriguing title question as well as others can be found in this carefully researched work on feline natural history and evolution. Page, a former editorial director of Natural History magazine and a prolific author of nonfiction (e.g., Do Dogs Laugh?) and mysteries, traces cats from the time they first adapted their feline form about 20 million years ago. He gives readers a cat's-eye view of why cats hunt even when they are full, why territory is so important, and why no self-respecting cat would eat vegetables. The result is a convincing case for an all-meat diet. To help explain various theories, hypotheses, and speculations as to why cats are such amazing creatures, Page offers numerous anecdotes of his own cats along with personal observations. As in Stephen Budiansky's The Character of Cats, there is solid science content that will help readers recognize we should let cats be cats and what a darn good job they have done of domesticating us. Appendixes on types of cat food and health problems by breed are helpful. For popular science collections in medium to large public libraries and large academic libraries.—Eva Lautemann, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Clarkston

Stockton, a professional photographer, cookbook author (Eating Gluten Free), and blogger, recounts the first year of her life with an orphaned coyote. While riding from San Francisco to New York on her Vespa, Stockton falls in love with Wyoming. After giving East Coast city life a try, she returns to the small town of Ten Sleep and moves into a tiny log cabin. She becomes romantically involved with a rancher, who brings her a coyote pup whose livestock-threatening parents were killed. She commits to keeping this wild canine, Charlie, although she knows nothing about raising even domestic dogs. Stockton began a daily diary of her challenges and a photographic record of Charlie's growth and turned them into a successful blog, which is the basis for this book. Much more than an explanation of canine training methods, Stockton's unique book gives a glimpse of rugged life in the West and its harsh and beautiful landscape. Also demonstrating the human-animal bond and its unexpected consequences, this work could have been subtitled "Wild Creature Teaches Wanderer To Settle Down." The book's color photos were not seen by this reviewer, but the online photos at the author's blog (www.dailycoyote.net) are gorgeous. Recommended for public libraries.—Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY

Whether to try a dietary intervention is a question parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with because of the lack of definitive scientific research into its efficacy. Aitken, a psychologist and expert on ASD and diet, has written a comprehensive and detailed review of dietary treatments being advocated for use in helping those diagnosed with ASD. He takes great care to explore the role of diet in behavior and why diet may help symptoms of ASD from a scientific viewpoint. Each chapter highlights a different diet, explaining the plan, evidence supporting its use, whether it works, and possible problems that may be encountered as well as listing resources for further information. Aitken devotes a large section to the Simple Restriction Diet. He also includes forms, a glossary, and ASD contacts. A great resource for parents of children with ASD as well as school or medical professionals working with individuals with ASD. Recommended for public libraries with developmental disability collections.—Lisa M. Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., KS

At a time when parents wonder whether vaccines are safe and worry about the impact of video games on their children, Ditchek (pediatrics, New York Univ.) and Greenfield (director, Carolinas Integrative Health) offer a welcome new edition of their childcare guide, first published in 2001. They believe that conventional and alternative medicine are complementary and that both offer tools for promoting health. This revised edition contains the latest information on immunization, nutrition, stress management, and dealing with popular culture. The doctors emphasize the importance of good nutrition, exercise, and protection from environmental hazards. They discuss the proper use of antibiotics, treatment for specific conditions such as asthma, digestive disturbances, and skin conditions, and the use of alternative therapies (e.g., massage, Chinese medicine, guided imagery, and botanicals). Their sound advice and supportive tone, along with their useful resource guide, will help parents care for their children in a complex world. Highly recommended for public and consumer health libraries.—Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.

Monti (psychiatry & emergency medicine, Jefferson Medical Coll.), a relationship psychologist, and Bazzan (medicine, Jefferson Medical Coll.), an internist, examine the three most common sources of midlife relationship problems: sex, weight, and mood. All of these relate to the changes of both the male and the female bodies during this period. These changes are described along with their common results, i.e., weight gain, muscle loss, mood swings, increased stress levels, and sexual dysfunction. Monti and Bazzan recommend the judicious use of hormones as well as improved diet and exercise techniques to minimize these effects and, thereby, to help restore the couple's sex life. All of these subjects have been discussed in other books, but this is the first to combine advice for men and women in one volume. Includes menus, recipes, and exercise routines to do together or separately. Buy for demand.—Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH

Though the bagel is a diminutive food, its impact on culture, culinary arts, philosophy, and politics has been considerable. Balinska, a journalist and documentary filmmaker, traces the history of the bagel from its mysterious beginnings through several centuries of Polish history, the Holocaust, and American labor history, to its emergence into popular culture and current ubiquity across the world. Balinska seamlessly transitions from the serious to the frivolous, taking the reader from the Jewish ghetto of German-occupied Warsaw to the madcap marketing extravaganzas of Lender's Bagels—including a mock wedding of bagels and cream cheese held in the 1970s in upstate New York. Entertaining and engaging, this title gracefully and energetically reveals how the bagel, once clearly identified with eastern European Jewish life, became a cultural touchstone—which now has been firmly integrated into the everyday American experience. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Courtney Greene, DePaul Univ. Lib., Chicago

Inspired by Sonoma County's organic farms and local distilleries in northern California, bar manager Beattie confers an innovative flair to classic bar fare in this collection of 50 recipes with gorgeous full-color photos. He also profiles wine country farmers and Bay Area distillers he works with, for a nice touch. In creatively named recipes such as Meyer Beautiful (like "My, you're beautiful"), Beattie conveys his passion and commitment to using seasonal ingredients and top-of-the-line spirits that combine flavors and aesthetics to create mouthwatering concoctions. He does an admirable job explaining his recipes and providing tips and techniques, such as proper pickling ice cube making. Finding Rangpur limes, Charbay Meyer lemon vodka, or edible flowers may prove challenging, but Beattie's recipes will appeal to the adventurous soul who desires to explore a new approach to cocktail making. Recommended for public libraries and specialized collections.—Christine Holmes, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA

This collection presents an interesting, primarily vegetarian, mix of approximately 65 "recipes," focusing on grains, legumes, and organic products, with a few shrimp and fish dishes. Many have a Southwestern or Asian feel. The idea of the book is appealing—cooking without recipes sounds easier and less restraining. However, Johnson, a cultural historian, seems to take a lot of knowledge for granted, such as how to sprout wheat berries, how to steam amaranth cereal, and how hot an oven to use to roast vegetables. In effect, this book doesn't need to have recipes, as long as the reader has other resources that provide these kinds of details. Overall, most of the recipelike suggestions include combining ingredients into soups, salads, or similar dishes, where proportions aren't critical. There is good information about ingredients and variations on combining them. For someone already familiar with cooking these types of foods who would like to branch out, this could be a useful work. An optional purchase for most libraries.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. of Ohio Libs., Oxford

Award-winning culinary writers Page and Dornenburg believe cooking has undergone a revolution from being based on geography (e.g., French, Japanese, etc.) to being based on flavor. After writing about classic flavor matchups in Culinary Artistry and about how to combine food with drink in What To Drink with What You Eat, the authors here return to their idea of creating dishes based on flavor and taste. The authors first discuss the four basic tastes and the roles played by weather, the season of the year, and other environmental factors in cooking. The rest of the book is an extensive alphabetic guide to different culinary ingredients. Each entry includes information on the ingredient's taste and the best cooking techniques as well as a list of other foods that work well with it. In addition, a range of award-winning American chefs contribute their valuable insights on using selected ingredients and ideas for different dishes. Rather than just another collection of recipes, this is a unique resource that both beginning cooks and serious chefs will find wonderfully inspiring and immensely useful. Highly recommended for all public library collections.—John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ

Most home cooks tend to be protective of their knives and often claim to be highly knowledgeable of the knife world. This book from Sur La Table and food writer Jay is slightly obsessive; it goes into shocking detail about each type of knife from the few countries that produce the best of the best. There is the obligatory section, "A Blade for Every Purpose," that describes each type of knife and its possible uses, which is the best part of the book. Another helpful portion addresses how to buy a knife, which has comprehensive explanations on such weighty points as blade anatomy and blade material. The lay reader will like the simple sections on how to chop, peel, and dice a variety of foods. The recipes that are included are basic for the most part and slightly uninspiring (e.g., mango-cucumber salsa). Recommended for academic libraries with a large collection of culinary arts materials.—Claire A. Schaper, Morgantown, WV

November 2008 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and Coyne's (Univ. of Chicago) excellent volume offers a crystal clear presentation of the evidence for evolution with no polemics, unnecessary technicalities, or undue epistemological speculation. His prose is not fancy but compelling in its clarity. This is Coyne's first book for a general audience; he has been doing distinguished research on speciation for many years and has written magazine articles on evolution and related topics. The author brings his extensive knowledge of evolution to his writing but is spare with details of his own work, concentrating on explaining all the independent lines of evidence for evolution. These include the fossil record, vestigial organs, embryology, makeshift design, biogeography, direct and indirect observations of natural and sexual selection, and observations of speciation itself. He addresses the perennial counterarguments with effective dispatch without being insulting. Many recent writers, from Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins through Sean B. Carroll and Neil Shubin, have made wonderful contributions to the public understanding of evolution, but Coyne has done the best job of simply laying out the evidence. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA

With Wood as a family name and a great-grandfather who owned a timber yard, it is not surprising that British nature writer Deakin felt as strong a tie to the forest as to water, which he chronicled in his first book, Waterlog. From his school days of taking ecological surveys in a nearby forest to his adult years as a woodworker, trees have played an important role in his life. In this posthumous work, Deakin, who died in 2006, takes the reader on nature forays throughout his native England and beyond, where he meets an eclectic host of people including artists and scientists who live and work with trees. During his travels, he visits such places as a Jaguar factory, the dusty outback of Australia, the birthplace of apples in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan, and a dismal World War II-ravaged region of Poland. Liberally sprinkled with literary allusions, forest lore and myth, and instructions on forestry practices such as coppicing trees, this memoir, travelog, and natural history work will find a comfortable place in public libraries.—Maureen J. Delaney-Lehman, Lake Superior State Univ. Lib., Sault Ste. Marie, MI

This book was written and published to help save Yasuní National Park in Ecuador's Amazon Basin from oil development. Currently, there is an intense struggle taking place between those trying to protect this unique rain forest and the corporations desiring to exploit its low-quality but abundant oil reserves. Yasuní, with more than two million acres, is one of the most biodiverse places in the world and home to three different indigenous peoples who live harmoniously and sustainably with their environment. Most of the book depicts the astounding biological and cultural diversity of the region through remarkable, full-color photographs. It also illustrates the devastation and pollution caused by oil development. Although the Ecuadorian government has protected this region in the past, it is now willing to suspend oil development only if the "international community" compensates Ecuador for its loss of oil revenue. While commending the government's desire to preserve the park, the Yasuní Green Gold campaign focuses on the need to save the region regardless of compensation. With its wonderful photographs and passionate writing, this inexpensive coffee-table book would be an excellent addition to both public and academic libraries, especially those with natural history or environmental collections.—Ilse Heidmann, Washington State Lib., Olympia