Recent Tempting Titles 200s - 400s

Tempting Titles are back! [And so is Taz, the Blog Dog] Click on any image or title link to place a hold via the online catalog.

You can also now see a full list of the books librarians have ordered in the last two months by clicking on the Coming Soon button on the left of any library web page or as a tab on the catalog page. (Not all are in the online catalog yet as these few selections are but they're on the way.)

The nonfiction books of Tempting Titles are arranged by Dewey Decimal order, just the way they would be arranged on the New Book Shelf. Here are today's offerings:

200s - Religion

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

by Jeff Sharlet

"Checking in on a friend’s brother at Ivenwald, a Washington-based fundamentalist group living communally in Arlington, Va., religion and journalism scholar Sharlet finds a sect whose members refer to Manhattan’s Ground Zero as "the ruins of secularism"; intrigued, Sharlet accepts on a whim an invitation to stay at Ivenwald. He’s shocked to find himself in the stronghold of a widespread "invisible" network, organized into cells much like Ivenwald, and populated by elite, politically ambitious fundamentalists; Sharlet is present when a leader tells a dozen men living there, 'You guys are here to learn how to rule the world.' As it turns out, the Family was established in 1935 to oppose FDR’s New Deal and the spread of trade unions; since then, it has organized well-attended weekly prayer meetings for members of Congress and annual National Prayer Breakfasts attended by every president since Eisenhower. Further, the Family’s international reach ('almost impossible to overstate') has 'forged relationships between the U.S. government and some of the most oppressive regimes in the world.' In the years since his first encounter, Sharlet has done extensive research, and his thorough account of the Family’s life and times is a chilling expose." (Publishers Weekly)

A Concise Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers

"Western interest in the many varieties of Buddhism continues to grow along with Americans' fascination with Tibet's exiled Dalai Lama and his nation's tangled history with China. Powers, a specialist in Indo-Tibetan philosophy and meditation theory (Ctr. for Asian Societies & History, Australian National Univ.; A Concise Encyclopedia of Buddhism ), has here condensed his well-received Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (2d ed. Snow Lion. 2007). ... Nevertheless, Powers's readable abridgment offers the curious general reader a thorough overview of important Buddhist doctrines as well as of Tibetan Buddhism's origins and particularities (e.g., Tantra, the four principle orders). Recommended ..." (Library Journal)

Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth As the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World by Robert Thurman [No image available]

"Thurman (Buddhist studies, Columbia Univ.; Inner Revolution ), the American Buddhist monk ordained by the Dalai Lama over 40 years ago, ... delves ... deeply into the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism, and adds some hopeful suggestions for finding a "middle way" in which the Dalai Lama's 'ethical and spiritual revolution' can be accommodated along with China's determination to modernize Tibet, adjustments that would improve China's sagging stature in the international arena. Thurman also points out Tibet's pivotal environmental position in Asia and suggests that preserving its natural features would improve those of China because several of China's watercourses begin in Tibet. Thus, Thurman posits Tibet as both a spiritual and a natural reserve." (Library Journal)

300s - Social Science

Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living

by Doug Fine

"[Fine] decides to eat locally, use less oil and power his life with renewable energy, but the following months test Fine's humorous resolve to ‘prove that green Digital Age living was possible’… Fine's funny struggle to become a better world citizen will entertain both the eco-aware, and those who doze peacefully in their home's formaldehyde fumes." (BookPage Reviews)

Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story by Abbe Smith

“The book's strength is Smith's openness about her life as a criminal defense attorney and her sophisticated thinking about the moral and ethical dilemmas criminal lawyers routinely navigate, such as how to represent the guilty, how far to go to ensure their clients' freedom and the ultimate question, what is their responsibility to the truth? Aspiring lawyers and anyone interested in the criminal justice system will benefit from reading Smith's account.” (Publishers Weekly)

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David A. Price

"Brisk history of an entertainment juggernaut that is also the history of computer animation…A heck of a yarn, full of vivid characters, reversals of fortune and stubborn determination: Pixar should make a movie out of it." -- (Kirkus Reviews)

400s - Language
Grammar Girl's quick and dirty tips for better writing by Mignon Fogarty.

"The founder of a popular weekly podcast shares comprehensive explanations for troublesome grammar rules that confound the most experienced writers, in a resource that is complemented by memory tricks, word-choice guidelines, and e-mail tips." (Publisher)