National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of North America by Bland Crowder

National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Trees & Shrubs of North America
by Bland Crowder [582.16 Cro] 

The first thing that grabbed my attention about this small, pocket-size, guide was the beautiful photo of the trunk of a majestic Sequoia on the cover. That was enough to make me browse this handy, helpful little tree guide. 95% of this book is dedicated to specific breeds or varieties of trees. The remaining 5% covers general tree-growing information, including charts showing growing zones throughout the U.S. and Canada.

But it is the tree identification pages that are the most fun to page through. Each tree gets a single page in the book, with one large photo of a sample of the tree, fully leafed out. At the top of each page is the tree’s scientific name and its common average height. Accompanying the photo in the middle of each page is a list of “Key Facts”, including info about the tree’s general appearance, the leaves, the flowers/fruits and the growing range (i.e. where in the country you’ll find this variety). The bottom half of the page features a more detailed description of the nature of the tree — things about its appearance, growing pattern, root system, etc., accompanied by artists’ renderings of samples of the leaves, seeds/nuts and/or blooms.

Admittedly, the small size of this volume means that there are not detailed full-length articles about each type of tree, but the libraries have plenty of other books that go into more detail. If you’re looking for a simple, portable guide, perhaps to take while on a leisure hike on a wilderness trail, this will help you identify the trees you encounter, with helpful clear illustrations.

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Freak Nation

Freak Nation
by Kate Stevens [306.1 Ste]

Equal parts fascinating and frustrating, this volume is a guide to over 100 odd or extreme American subcultures. The fascinating parts are some of the factoids that Stevens provides about odd groups, both big and small. Curious to see the basics about such well-known subcultures as Trekkies, Model Railroaders, Survivalists, Deadheads, Conspiracy Theorists, Tea Partiers and Hackers? Look no further -- each entry features information on each group about: "also known as", origins of the culture, "how to recognize", where the culture exists, who the "heroes" or figureheads of the culture are, most distinctive traits, "biggest controversy", "biggest misconception about", buzzwords of the culture, and what the signs are to identify minor fans, major fans and super fans of that culture. The "frustrating" part of this book, for me, is its organization -- it is NOT in alphabetical order, with entries instead being grouped by categories (Collectibles, Fashion, Art, etc.). The book does not feature an index at the back to cross-reference by "group name" or interests. While much of the content is presented non-judgmentally, the author does inject some rather snarky comments hear and there about some of the specific groups. There were also some fairly obviously subcultural groups which were not included, for no obvious reason. Despite my complaints, however, I enjoyed reading this book, picking profiled groups at random, and for readers looking for a relatively light and amusing way to learn about odd subcultures, this is a fun and quick read. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

by the National Geographic Society [778.71 Nat]

When I think of National Geographic photography I recall the gorgeous images that grace its books and magazines. I picked up this book as an opportunity to look at more great photos. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of down-to-earth advice. A chapter is devoted to cell phone photography. Robert Clark tells the story of his 50-day odyssey across the United States with his cell phone as his only camera. And the lessons that he learned about camera phone photography. Another chapter is devoted to the ubiquitous point and shoot camera. What all the settings mean and how to improve your compositions. Other chapters cover DSLRs and lens selection, macro and flash photography and reading histograms. These chapters are designed for people who view photography as a serious hobby. Still another chapter tells you how to tweak your photos in Adobe PhotoShop and PhotoShop Elements. Photographer John Healey condenses the multitude of technical information down to twelve tips. What do you do with all those images? There is a chapter devoted to photographic projects. The projects range from creating edible photos for celebration cakes to making calendars and greeting cards. How do you find the photos after you have downloaded them to your computer? National Geographic has some suggestions. A chapter talks about image management software available for PCs and Macs. This book is a comprehensive guide for improving your photography, storing your images and creating gifts for family and friends. -- recommended by Donna G. - Eiseley and Walt Branch Libraries

[ Publisher's page for The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.