Ogden, Lauren Springer & Scott Ogden. Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for all Climates. Timber. 2011. 248p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781604691696. pap. $24.95. GARDENING 
The first step in creating a successful garden is choosing the right plants. Fortunately, for anyone trying to grow things in an area that experiences drought conditions at least once a year (or anyone who just wants a more sustainable type of landscape that places less water demands on the local environment), there is a new guide in town. This husband-and-wife team of landscape designers (coauthors, Plant-Driven Design) offer gardeners a bounty of botanical possibilities, including trees, shrubs, ground covers, annuals, and perennials, that will survive and thrive in low-water gardens. Each concise plant entry includes gorgeous color photos of the plant, growth details, the zones in which the plant grows best, special attributes, and design ideas. VERDICT While this doesn’t replace standard gardening references or regional resources, which offer more specifics on the actual process of designing and planting a garden, it is a terrific complement to the basic resources and would be a valuable addition to any library collection. New and veteran gardeners in USDA zones 3‚ 10 will find this colorful guide an excellent resource when it comes to selecting suitable plants for a sustainable landscape.‚ John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Broad, William J. (text) & Bobby Clennell (illus.). The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards. S. & S. Feb. 2012. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781451641424. $26. HEALTH
Yoga has come a long way from its sacred, ancient Indian origins to the commercialized, secular variations available today. But since its beginnings, yoga has been portrayed as an ultimate cure for life’s ills; its practice allegedly enables yoga masters to perform miraculous feats. Readers can’t help but wonder: Can yoga heal cancer? Do gurus really levitate and stop their hearts from beating? Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime yoga enthusiast Broad (senior writer, New York Times; Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War) examines the research that helps separate fact from fiction. Along with the proven health benefits of yoga, he also reveals inherent dangers that have been ignored or downplayed. VERDICT This is a must-read for yoga beginners and professionals. The firsthand accounts of injuries, though recounted with wry humor, also serve as cautionary tales. Broad’s unbiased presentation of yoga claims, supported or refuted by scientific studies, helps readers attain realistic goals and practice safely. Informative, entertaining, and highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 8/26/11.]‚ Ajoke Kokodoko, Oakland P.L.
Sweet, Victoria. God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Apr. 2012. c.384p. ISBN 9781594488436. $27.95. MED
This is a remarkable, poignant portrait of a committed physician on a quest to understand the heart, as well as the art, of medicine. Laguna Honda Hospital, the last remaining almshouse in the United States‚ a therapeutic community that houses and cares for the chronically ill or impoverished‚
offers veteran physician Sweet (clinical medicine, Univ. of California, San Francisco) a unique education in ministering to the body, heart, and soul. Her experiences there inspired her to study medieval physician, poet, and abbess Hildegard of Bingen’s alternative approach to medicine of advocating that the human body be nurtured like a garden. Ultimately, Sweet embraced the notion and practice of slow medicine, an approach at odds with the contemporary rush for efficiency, a misguided trend to which even Laguna Honda eventually succumbs. VERDICT A marvelous, arresting read for anyone interested in medical practice. Of particular appeal to aficionados of spiritual medical narratives such as Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. [See Prepub Alert, 9/29/11.]‚ Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA
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The following titles are reviewed in the January print issue. Visit our Reviews Center (Beta) for the full reviews.
Agriculture
Marohn, Stephanie. What the Animals Taught Me: Stories of Love and Healing from a Farm Animal Sanctuary. Hampton Roads. Feb. 2012. c.192p. photogs. ISBN 9781571746573. pap. $16.95. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
Ogden, Lauren Springer & Scott Ogden. Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for all Climates. Timber. 2011. 248p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781604691696. pap. $24.95. GARDENING
Pickeral, Tamsin (text) & Astrid Harrisson (photogs.). The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History. Barron’s. 2011. c.288p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780764164163. $35. PETS
Health & Medicine
Broad, William J. (text) & Bobby Clennell (illus.). The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards. S. & S. Feb. 2012. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781451641424. $26. HEALTH
Cizmar, Martin. Chubster: A Hipster’s Guide to Losing Weight While Staying Cool. Mariner: Houghton Harcourt. Jan. 2012. c.240p. index. ISBN 9780547559346. pap. $13.95. HEALTH
Gold, Robert S. Are Your Meds Making You Sick?: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Avoiding Dangerous Drug Interactions, Reactions, and Side-Effects. Hunter House. Feb. 2012. c.240p. index. ISBN 9780897935708. pap. $16.95. MED
Kassai, Kathryn & Kim Perelli. The Bathroom Key: Put an End to Incontinence. Demos. 2011. c.300p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781936303212. pap. $17.95. HEALTH
Rose, Mark Edmund & Cheryl J. Cherpitel. Alcohol: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment. Hazelden. (Library of Addictive Drugs). 2011. c.372p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781616491475. pap. $17.95. HEALTH
Sweet, Victoria. God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Apr. 2012. c.384p. ISBN 9781594488436. $27.95. MED
Talbott, Shawn M. The Secret of Vigor: How To Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy. Hunter House. Feb. 2012. c.264p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780897935739. pap. $14.95. HEALTH
Home Economics
Gascoyne, Kevin & others. Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties. Firefly. Jan. 2012. 272p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781554079377. pap. $24.95. BEVERAGES
Meade, Maggie. The Wholesome Baby Food Guide: Over 150 Easy, Delicious, and Healthy Recipes from Purees to Solids. Grand Central Life & Style. Feb. 2012. c.272p. index. ISBN 9780446584104. pap. $15.99. COOKING
Silver, Charlotte. Charlotte au Chocolat: Memories of a Restaurant Girlhood. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Feb. 2012. c.272p. ISBN 9781594488153. $25.95. COOKING
Sciences
Brown, Jeannette E. African American Women Chemists. Oxford Univ. 2011. 272p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199742882. $35. SCI
Burnett, D. Graham. The Sounding of the Whale: Science and Cetaceans in the Twentieth Century. Univ. of Chicago. Jan. 2012. c.728p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780226081304. $45. SCI
Ferguson, Kitty. Stephen Hawking: An Unfettered Mind. Palgrave Macmillan. Jan. 2012. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780230340602. $27. SCI
Haskell, David George. The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature. Viking. Mar. 2012. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780670023370. $25.95. NAT HIST
Krauss, Lawrence M. A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing. Free Pr: S. & S. Jan. 2012. c.256p. ISBN 9781451624458. $24.99. SCI
Pagel, Mark. Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind. Norton. Feb. 2012. c.384p. bibliog. ISBN 9780393065879. $29.95. SCI
Ross, Andrew. Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World’s Least Sustainable City. Oxford Univ. 2011. c.304p. illus. index. ISBN 9780199828265. $27.95. SCI
Schneider, Bonnie. Extreme Weather: A Guide to Surviving Flash Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Heat Waves, Snowstorms, Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters. Palgrave Macmillan. Jan. 2012. c.256p. index. ISBN 9780230115736. pap. $17. SCI
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