| "Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and 
            Delicious Recipes." Giada De Laurentiis, Clarkson Potter, 2005, 
            256 pages. Riding the crest of 
            her hit television program, "Everyday Italian," Giada De Laurentiis' 
            new book, "Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes," is 
            the companion to her program on the Food Network. Unlike many gourmet-cooking books on 
            the market, this book focuses on mouthwatering meals that are simple 
            to prepare. One of the features of this book is the fact that the 
            recipes are based on actual items you might carry in your 
            refrigerator or pantry -- no "mail-order ingredients" are required 
            to make these dishes. De Laurentiis has included an 
            extraordinary collection of recipes that are guaranteed to satisfy 
            the most discriminating palate. There are instructions for a variety 
            of Italian culinary favorites, including antipasti, sauces, pastas, 
            risotto, entrees, contorni (vegetable side dish) and dolci 
            (dessert). The directions are easy to 
            understand, and the photography of the finished dishes is 
            spectacular. De Laurentiis wants you to "have fun 
            with this book." She says: "Italian cooking is the most fun of all. 
            It's about passion. It's about taste and smell and touch." This book is recommended to anyone 
            who enjoys cooking or is interested in exploring new dishes in 
            Italian cuisine. 
            
             * * * "Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot? and 
            Other Unsolved Mysteries of Baseball." Paul Aron, John Wiley & 
            Sons, 2005, 232 pages. No sport 
            has more legends, stories, myths and controversies associated with 
            it than Major League Baseball. Now the best of those stories are 
            recounted in an entertaining book titled "Did Babe Ruth Call His 
            Shot?" Author 
            and news reporter Paul Aron has assembled a fascinating collection 
            of baseball's most fabled stories and controversies and attempts to 
            set the record straight as to what actually happened at the episode 
            in question. The 
            controversies chronicled by Aron represent a who's who of baseball's 
            greatest players. Included in the book are such moments as: Aron does a great job of getting to 
            the bottom of these and other disputes in baseball history. 
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            this article] | 
             At the conclusion of each chapter he 
            includes a bibliography of sources so the reader can further 
            investigate the controversy. This book is recommended for any 
            sports fan or baseball fan. By the way -- did Ruth call his shot 
            at Wrigley Field against the Cubs? Read the book and find out the 
            surprising answer. * * * "She Can Coach! Tools for success 
            from 20 top women coaches." Cecile Reynaud, editor, Human 
            Kinetics, 2005, 269 pages.  In her new book, "She Can Coach!" 
            editor Cecile Reynaud writes, "Our society encourages girls and 
            women to compete in athletics and provides enlightening messages to 
            help them experience the joys, benefits, rewards and challenges that 
            come with competition; now we need to do the same for females who 
            are in, entering or considering the coaching profession." In support of this ideal Reynaud has 
            assembled some of the greatest women coaches from 13 different 
            sports and asked them to share their thoughts and experiences on the 
            four fundamentals for becoming a successful coach. Those 
            fundamentals include developing a professional foundation and code 
            of conduct (ethics, professionalism, leadership and 
            competitiveness); a commitment to personal investment and 
            self-direction (motivation, decision-making, focus and 
            self-discipline); implementing and managing a successful program 
            (organization, mentoring, team management and athlete recruitment); 
            and building relations and promotional activities (team cohesion, 
            parent-athlete-coach relationships and marketing-media). The list of contributors includes 
            Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt, the first woman's coach to 
            reach 800 victories; Illinois Central College basketball and 
            softball coach Lorene Ramsey, with seven national championships; and 
            Old Dominion field hockey coach Beth Anders, with nine national 
            championships. These women and the other contributors offer their 
            insights, experiences and motivations on what it takes for a woman 
            to become a successful coach in any sport or at any level of 
            competition. This book is recommended to any 
            female considering coaching in sports or as a tool for motivation 
            and direction. [Richard Sumrall,
            Lincoln Public 
            Library District] |