The Sport of Schutzhund

Authors: B.J. & Peter Spanos
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: BJ Spanos Ink
ISBN: 1-884330-09-6
Price: $25.00

Author’s website

The Sport of Schutzhund is a book for dog lovers, but especially for those who have an affinity for German Shepherds. Schutzhund means “protection dog” in the German language, but it also refers to a specific breeding program “aimed at creating the ultimate working dog to serve mankind.” The modern goal of Shutzhund is to develop the German Shepherd breed to its fullest potential through a series of exercises called a trial.

The trial consists of three parts: tracking, obedience, and protection. Those dogs fortunate enough to successfully complete the exercise and obtain the coveted title join a very elite class of breeding animals. Schutzhund is for people of all ages and “offers the opportunity for dog owners to compete with each other for recognition of both the trainer’s ability to train, and the dog’s ability to perform as required.”

The Sport of Schutzhund is not meant to be a training book. Rather, it is an introduction to the sport as it is represented in the United States. Labeled a “photographic essay” the book features full-color images showing dog and trainer in every light. It is as close as you’ll come to the sport without attending the event yourself. Each chapter begins with a brief explanation of its content followed by a series of photographic descriptions. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the images in the book speak volumes.

I highly recommend The Sport of Schutzhund for anyone – especially dog lovers who enjoy good healthy competition.

Reviewer: Gene Berger

Living the Law of Attraction

Author: Rich German & Robin Hoch
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Self Improvement
ISBN: 978-0-595-47411-0
Pages: 296
Price: $19.95

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You’ve seen The Secret, which tantalized you with its infinite possibilities. You know the Law of Attraction is real, and you want to use it in your own life, but you still have questions or doubts. Maybe you just need to see examples of how it has worked in other people’s lives. Living the Law of Attraction shares these stories with us.

In the true spirit of attracting exactly what they needed, Robin Hoch and Rich German invited those who’ve enjoyed success utilizing this Law to submit the accounts of their experiences. This book is a collection of these stories, grouped into categories: Health and Wellness, Business and Career, Everyday Miracles, Happiness and Relationships.

It’s impossible to read this compilation of truly uplifting stories without being inspired to make positive changes in your own life, using the Law of Attraction. Many of the stories brought me to tears of joy as I delighted in reading about the authors’ successes. I highly recommend this amazing book that shows the Law of Attraction in action.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Sisters of Misery

Author: Megan Kelley Hall
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-0-7582-2679-2
Pages: 308
Price: $9.95

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Maddie Crane doesn’t always feel like she fits in with the wealthy girls she hangs out with, but they’ve always been her best friends. And until her cousin Cordelia shows up in town, she doesn’t give it much thought. Cordelia is different – magical, ethereal and unimpressed with the other girls – and she creates instant enemies. But Maddie is drawn to her, and starts to wonder what she sees in her supposed friends.

The Sisters of Misery, as they call themselves, won’t put up with Cordelia’s attitude, and they decide to teach her a lesson on Halloween. When their plans go awry, Maddie is determined to find out what really happened on that fateful evening.

As she digs deeper into the mystery of Cordelia’s fate, she’s drawn into the web of small-town deceptions. But the biggest shock comes when she finds out even her own family is living a lie.

Spell-binding, suspenseful, and shocking, Sisters of Misery will hook you right from the opening scene, and pull you into the drama as Maddie tries to find the answers to her burning questions. And when it seems that Maddie has found out all she needs to know, the last answer will chill you to the bone. Now, finally free of Cordelia and her home-town, Maddie learns that Cordelia isn’t through with her, leaving a whole new set of questions that must be answered in the sequel.

Though at times I found it disturbing in its sheer brutality, Sisters of Misery is an enjoyable and gripping read that will keep you glued to the page. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Scarecrow Finds a Friend

Author: Blume J. Rifkin
Illustrator: Carl W. Wenzel
Publisher: Whirlpool Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9796948-0-6
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Tally is a good witch and loves to grant wishes. When she meets Scarecrow, she grants him a special Halloween wish. But when Scarecrow sees her again at Thanksgiving, something is terribly wrong. Tally is having trouble flying.

Scarecrow is worried about her, so he comes up with a plan to help her regain her ability to fly, involving the wishbone from the family’s Thanksgiving turkey. At this point, I would have liked Tally to find the wishbone for herself. Instead, it falls out of Scarecrow’s sleeve, flying out of his straw when a gust of wind blows. Scarecrow has promised her his plan can’t fail – and he’s right. Tally flies away happily, never to lose her powers again.

Illustrator Carl W. Wenzel brings Tally and Scarecrow to life amidst a colorful background of fall watercolors. A heart-warming story about friends who look out for each other, Scarecrow Finds a Friend would make a nice addition to any child’s library.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Woman’s Field Guide to Exceptional Living

Author: Corrie Woods
Publisher: Morgan James
Genre: Self-help / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-1-60037-395-4
Pages: 179
Price: $14.95

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“Wake up! Don’t miss another minute of your life! Live it! Love it!” Corrie Woods writes, in the introduction to The Woman’s Guide to Exceptional Living. If you feel you’ve been sleep-walking through your life, her message is for you.

This delightful book is set up in three sections, which don’t need to be read in any particular order. In the first set of readings, the reader is invited to love and appreciate herself for the unique woman she is. The second part contains exercises in play and self-discovery. And the third group allows her to learn from the past in creating an exciting future.

All of the readings have “field notes” — discovery questions designed to help you get to know yourself better. There is also a study group guide, if you’d like to use this book in a group setting. And bonus materials are available on the author’s website.

Corrie Woods is a Professional Life Coach and Women’s Retreat Leader. The Woman’s Guide to Exceptional Living shares some of her best ideas on how to make your life sizzle with possibility.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Suddenly Single

Author: Shana Burton
Publisher: Urban Christian
Genre: Romance
ISBN: 978-1-60162-953-1
Pages: 354
Price: $14.95

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Finding herself jilted at the altar has left Vashti Hunter depressed and feeling unworthy of love. With her friend Monique’s help, she finally lifts herself out of her funk and attempts to date again, determined to wed within the year. But is she looking for love in all the wrong places?

Throughout her string of failed relationships, one man stands in the wings, watching and waiting for her to come to her senses. Will she ever realize she’s worthy of being treated like a queen, and let this man be her king? Vashti finally makes the decision to let herself be happy and her quest to be married is complete.

Vashti is a troubled lady, getting into situations and relationships she has no business being in. But there is one predicament that causes her the most difficulty, and ultimately leads to her self-destructive path. Although Vashti never tries to defend herself from his actions, I found Pastor White’s behavior immoral, unethical and most likely illegal, and it was sad that no one in the story blamed him for any of it – they simply pointed fingers at his innocent victim.

Suddenly Single is a self-discovery novel about Vashti’s struggles with finding herself and a husband, but I would have enjoyed getting to know the man she ultimately marries a little more. I’d also have liked to see more development throughout the story of their relationship growing and evolving into something more.

A disturbing book in some ways, Suddenly Single clearly shows the ways women mess up their lives, looking for true love, when they’d be better off treating themselves as a precious human being and expecting the same from their men. But at least Vashti is finally able to find happiness in the end.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Painter From Shanghai

Author: Jennifer Cody Epstein
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Genre: Biographical Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-393-06528-2
Pages: 416
Price: $24.95

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Pan Yuliang, one of China’s finest and most controversial painters, lived in the early part of the 20th century. Forced into prostitution when her uncle sold her to pay for his opium habit, she is later unexpectedly rescued by a man who comes to love her and make her his second wife. Though she is only a concubine, he treats her with love and respect, and encourages her to study painting, both in China and in France.

“…no matter how we long for the past, we are rooted in the present,” Pan Yuliang tells her husband, Pan Zanhua. Jennifer Cody Epstein brings this concept home to us in her use of present tense in telling Yuliang’s story. Based on the limited knowledge of the painter’s life, she has captured this turbulent time period in China, and some of the experiences she imagined Yuliang may have had.

The Painter From Shanghai pulls the reader into Yuliang’s life, sharing the horrors of Hall life, the joy in discovering her ability to paint, and the hunger and loneliness of her life in France. Though most of the public never understood her need to paint nudes, Epstein suggests her monsters were what produced her art. In creating beautiful female bodies on canvas, she may have been able to deal with the memories of offering her body in a way no fourteen year-old girl should.

Haunting, compelling, and masterfully written, The Painter From Shanghai invites the reader into Pan Yuliang’s world. Although this a work of fiction, you’ll feel you’ve had a glimpse into the life of this intriguing and talented woman.

Reviewer: Alice Berger