Well, here’s something I am delighted to report. My book, Warning Signs has been published and you are invited to read it! It is a collection of some of the best columns (of the same name) I have written on behalf of The National Anxiety Center in recent years. These columns, written from a moderate, conservative point of view, are widely excerpted on many news and opinion sites on the Net, reaching an estimated 40 million readers. The topics discussed range from the United Nations, environmentalism to education, energy to animal rights, immigration to Islam. If you enjoy fact-filled and provocative points of view, you will enjoy my new book. Send a check ($15.50) to The Caruba Organization, 9 Brookside Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040 (includes shipping) to get your copy. Want it autographed, too? Just ask!

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We humans are fascinated by, guess what? Humans and, in particular, the origin of humans. A very interesting "bird’s-eye view of world history" is offered in The Human Web, written by William and J.R. McNeil, a father and son team, ($27.95, W.W. Norton). Together they focus on the intricate web of connections between people and groups, from chance encounters to friendship and rivalry, the exchange of ideas and goods, political cooperation and military competition. They begin at the beginning when the first Homo sapiens stood upright, began to develop language, and then spread all over the earth some 10,000 years ago. From that point they move forward in an easy to read history of the world through the concept of the way people formed connections with one another. If you like reading history, you will enjoy this book.

Similarly, William C. Burger, Curator Emeritus of the Field Museum of Natural History, has penned a very interesting book about the rise of humans in Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We? ($29.00, Prometheus Books). As he points out, the Earth, out of the entire galaxy, is the only planet that is situated not too close or too far from the Sun so as to be a perfect place for life. He notes how the sudden die-off of dinosaurs after a hundred million years of ruling the Earth provided the opportunity for the rise of Homo sapiens whose rudimentary brains tripled in size over a relatively short time. He has written an intriguing story of how humans evolved to rule the Earth, noting the remarkable coincidences that permitted this to occur. By contrast, I would advise against reading The Life and Death of Planet Earth ($25.00, Times Books/Henry Holt) by Peter D. War and Donald Brownlee. This is the typical doom and gloom scenario based on the widely disputed "sustainable development" theory that says the Earth is running out of its capacity to feed and maintain human life. And that humans are to blame. There is ample evidence that this is not true. I have been reading such books since the 1970s and their claims have always been proven to be scientifically inaccurate.

If you ever wondered how archaeologists pieced together the story of man through his bones, you will enjoy Written in Bones: How Human Remains Unlock the Secrets of the Dead ($35/$24.95, Firefly Books, hardcover and soft.) Edited by Paul Bahn, the book represents the contributions of sixteen top scientific experts offering 38 case studies, along with 350 color photographs, that bring the past to life again. This is a far cry from the usual dry scientific texts about this subject. It’s like a great detective story. This one is a keeper! The same can be said of The Great Pyramid ($19.95, Firefly Books Ltd.) by Kevin Jackson and Jonathan Stamp. Four and a half thousand years after it was built the Great Pyramid of Khufu still stands. The book is a companion volume to a BBC television series on the Discovery Channel this month, but unlike the TV show, this lets you hold it in your hands and enjoy its facts and photos at your leisure. The work that went into building the pyramid staggers the imagination.

Ross King has written a superb book, Michelangelo & the Pope’s Ceiling ($28.00, Walker & Company) that tells the story of the four-year effort to create the Sistine Chapel frescos. The reader is immediately swept up in the story of one of the world’s greatest sculptors, commissioned by Pope Julius II to do a fresco for the chapel. Michelangelo did not consider himself a painter and had little or no experience with frescos. Saying no to the Pope was really not an option and so, reluctantly, he signed on for the job. Ross tells the true, full story of this triumph. This is real drama based on real lives and the turbulent times in which they lived. See below for information about the audiobook edition.

History is well served in James Macdonald’s book, A Free Nation Deep in Debt, ($30.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) but be warned, this is a book for deep thinkers. The author explores the connection between public debt and democracy in the broadest terms. Considering that the US now is facing big deficits again, this is a very timely book for anyone who wants to understand how debt affects a nation. What will come as a surprise is that, by the eighteenth century, it was commonly accepted that public debt and political liberty were intimately related. Macdonald takes us way back in history, starting with the question, why do governments borrow? Along the way he explains how bond markets came into being. An investment banker by profession, the author has written an excellent book that explains, not just the past, but the present as well.

America didn’t just spring into being. First its independence had to be won and then it had to be mapped! By the time of the Revolution, the original thirteen colonies had been carefully surveyed, but the real work began on September 30, 1785 in East Liverpool, Ohio, just across the Pennsylvania border. What started there would forever shape America, physically, culturally, and emotionally. Measuring America by Andro Linklater ($26.00, Walker & Company) tells one of the great untold stories; how the land survey that ultimately spread west to the Pacific Ocean, south to the Mexican border, and north to Canada, created, in the author’s words "a structure of land ownership unique in history." It is land, property, on which our economy is based and new Americans knew they could own the land they claimed and worked. Mapping America made that possible. It’s a great story!

The Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 108 Congress ($20.00, Cato Institute) is the perfect book for anyone interested in the issues of our times. Cato, a conservative think tank, has produced a thick compendium that addresses the need to reduce federal spending and control the burgeoning deficit. It looks at issues that include tax cuts, Social Security choice, and Medicare reform. Ideal for the policy wonk who wants to get the nitty-gritty data on these issues. Of particular interest is the look this book provides at the government’s unprecedented anti-terrorism initiatives that threaten civil liberties. If you or someone you know is passionate about liberty and the government the Founding Fathers had in mind, this is the book for you.

Americans are hungry for books that explain what they perceive to have gone wrong with the nation. We know that government is too big. We know it takes too much of our income. We know its wastes money. Many of our freedoms are disappearing. Et cetera. Part of the popularity of media personalities who hold forth on these topics is based on this discontent with what America has become. And then there are the ultra-conservatives writing books that cater to this mood. One of them is Joseph Farah, the founder of WorldNetDaily.Com. He has written Taking America Back ($19.99, WND Books) and, it’s not that he’s wrong about the issues, but that the tone of the book is "over the top." In his passion about the issues, the facts get lost amidst the heated rhetoric. If you like your meat raw, you will enjoy his impassioned plea for a new revolution to save America, but if you prefer a more moderate approach, heck, buy my book!

You might not think that I would be interested in interior decorating and, well, frankly, I normally give little thought to it, but I sure did when I looked through Innovative Interiors by Vinny Lee ($35.00, Watson-Guptill Publications), a gorgeous, coffee table book with over 200 color illustrations gracing its 208 pages. Officially due out next month, April, this book will thrill anyone who loves to make and re-make a home or apartment into a place of gracious living. It is quite inspiring as it takes one through all manner of design options. It has an excellent text to go with the opulent photos.

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For anyone who has searched for information on health and other topics on the Internet, it quickly becomes obvious that one can access thousands of sites, but how can you narrow your search for maximum results? The answer is to be found in a unique series of books by Paul Krupin. His guides called Magic Search Words are filled with excellent advice on how to find a specific item on the Internet, cutting your research time by entering a string of words that allow you to click around categories and sub-categories to quickly arrive at the information you’re seeking. Among the topics covered by his guides are jobs, scholarships, and health. These guides will prove to be invaluable to writers, researchers, and others. To learn more about these guides, visit www.magicsearchwords.com or call 1-800-457-8746.

Richard J. Manley would not call himself a courageous person, but I would. First, he was courageous in facing a life-threatening case of cancer and, second, he was courageous in sharing his experience in A Portrait for Healing ($23.95, Writer’s Showcase, iUniverse.) Manley’s book is interesting for the way he opens himself up emotionally and spiritually to the reader. He is a National Certified Counselor who teaches in a community college and his passion is to help others achieve optimum health through both lifestyle changes and holistic methods. Indeed, his book tells how he took a holistic approach to curing the cancer. He didn’t ignore physicians. In fact, he went through more than twenty of them, plus an herbalist, an astrologer, a nutritionist, and anyone else who could provide the knowledge he needed. What he did not want or need were the traditional forms of dealing with cancer that often harm the body’s natural immune system. I think anyone facing a comparable challenge would benefit from reading Manley’s journey back to health. To learn more, visit our Featured Book section.

As often is the case, another book concerning a similar topic of Manley’s arrived at the same time. Caroline M. Sutherland has written The Body "Knows": How to Tune into Your Body and Improve Your Health ($13.95, Hay House) in which she demonstrates through many case histories why our bodies are telling us about our emotional and other components through things like headaches, loss or gain of weight, digestive problems and other common symptoms. The author is not a physician, calling herself a "medical intuitive", but she was a trained allergy technician and it was during this time that she concluded that the body tells us a lot if we learn to listen to it. I was prepared to be skeptical of this book, but I think it contains a lot of good advice and information.

James DeSena is an authority on alcohol and drug addiction who has come to the conclusion that there are healthier and more effective alternatives to the tradition Alcohol Anonymous and 12-Step treatments. Based on his personal experience and research, he has written an excellent book, Overcoming Your Alcohol, Drug and Recovery Habits ($12.95, See sharp Press, Tucson, AZ). "Bad medicine and faith healers have harmed vulnerable people for ages," says the author, and he cites the way too many addiction treatment providers often have their addicted patients returning time and time again without success. He says, though, any addict can quit for good and do so without therapists and others. Studies clearly show that nearly 80% of people who quit alcohol and drug addictions did so on their own. His book takes a hard look at the addiction treatment industry and, at the same time, charts the path for those who want to quit. I heartily recommend this book.

An inspiring story of survival is told by Kathy Buckley in If You Could Hear What I See: Triumph over Tragedy Through Laughter $14.00, Plume). Buckley came to national fame as a comedian, but one could hardly imagine her life would prepare her for that. Schoolteachers diagnosed her hearing loss as mental retardation. She was molested, run over by a jeep, and stricken with cervical cancer all before the age of thirty. Refusing to let herself be consumed by grief, fear or anger, she discovered the healing power of humor, surviving to become a top female comic, the star of a one-woman show, and a highly regarded motivational speaker. Buckley experienced every kind of pain and limitation you can imagine and writes about it, but she also found a way to overcome it. If you are experiencing problems of your own or know someone who is, this book should be required reading.

Americans, despite all the health scare campaigns telling us that everything we eat, drink and breath will kill us, are living longer, frequently healthier lives, than ever before. For this reason alone The Johns Hopkins Medical Guide to Health After 50 ($39.95, Rebus) is a terrific book to have in the household library. It addresses more than a hundred major medical concerns of people over 50 with recommendations from specialists at this famed medical center. It’s designed for easy reading and filled with full-color illustrations. Its section on disease prevention alone is worth the price of this excellent reference. It has fact-filled sections on exercise, diet, weight control, how to quit smoking, alcohol’s risks and benefits, screening tests for early detection of problems, et cetera! With great references like this available, you can extend your life expectancy by accessing the best information available, plus find valuable support groups you may need.

Last month I devoted an entire section to books about pregnancy and they naturally were devoted to what expectant mothers should know. Since then, Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be ($13.95, Perseus Publishing) by Dr. Glade Curtis, MD, and Judith Schuler, MS, has arrived and it addresses the fact that expectant fathers often have few sources of information to turn to regarding this topic. Their book does a terrific job as it focuses on the father’s concerns, enabling him to take an active role in the months, weeks, days and hours leading to the birth of his child. It is filled with excellent advice on all aspects of the new parent’s relationship, preparing financially with health and life insurance, getting the nursery reading, selecting a car seat, and countless more things. There’s also a section on common pregnancy problems, a glossary of pregnancy-related terms and so much more. There is, of course, another aspect of pregnancy. One in every five pregnancies ends in miscarriage. More than 800,000 women experience this loss every year and, for them, Miscarriage, Why it Happens, and How Best to Reduce Your Risks ($16.96, Perseus Publishing) by Dr. Henry Lerner, an obstretician/gynecologist, with contributions by Dr. Alice Domar, Ph.D., an authority on emotional and psychological issues involving women’s reproduction, is the book to read to learn the reasons for miscarriage, what information diagnostic tests can provide and, of course, how to avoid it. Know someone who’s pregnant. Tell them about this book.

The Perfect Smile by James Doundoulakis, DDS, and Warren Strugatch ($15.95, Hatherleigh Press) is a guide to achieve a bright, shining smile by covering all the treatments and products available today for today’s consumer. It also discusses the financial and insurance considerations, duration, and risks involved. The book includes topics such as tooth whitening, bleaching, bonding, porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges, among others, as well as how to choose a dentist and the new technologies available. It is due off the press in April. In these nervous times, The Book of Survival by Anthony Greenbank ($15.95, Hatherleigh Press) is sure to sell well when it comes off the press in July. It is filled with advice on how to survive dangerous situations from fending off a mugger and escape a terrorist gas attack. Originally published in 1967, it has been in print ever since, updated with the changing times, for this third edition.

Prostate and Cancer ($17.50 Perseus Publishing) by Dr. Sheldon Marks, MD, is now in its third edition as a family guide to diagnosis, treatment and survival. More than 189,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002 and over 30,000 of them died that year as the result of the disease. It is the second leading killer of men. In this book you will find the answers to the most commonly asked questions, plus all the information you need to make an informed decision regarding this disease, including early detection and treatments that include non-surgical options and others. The new edition includes hormone therapy. The best way to deal with this disease is to know as much as you can about it and this book is an excellent way to do that.

Staying Connected While Letting Go: The Paradox of Alzheimer’s Caregiving ($21.95, M. Evans & Co.) should be must reading for those caring for the four million Americans afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Most are cared for at home by family and friends. It requires caregivers to let go of the loved one’s they once knew while still caring for them physically. Sandy Braff, M.F.T. and Mary Rose Olenki have written a terrific book for the caregivers who will come away understanding their own emotions, being less anxious, less guilty and more at peace with the heartrending situation in which they find themselves. As someone who cared for an aged, increasingly ailing parent, I would recommend this book to anyone caring for someone with this dread disease.

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Fans of John Grisham are in for a treat because his new book, The King of Torts, is available ($27.95) as a simultaneous release with the Doubleday hardcover. Read by Dennis Boutsikaris in the abridged, short version, it is also available in an unabridged edition read by Michael Beck ($49.95). It is a taut, increasingly tense narrative about that breed of aggressive, tough-skinned lawyers who go after corporations they allege have done something wrong. When they win, they collect huge fees. Ironically, the story begins with a burnt-out public defender working the Washington, DC courts. When an offer comes to help defend a large pharmaceutical company the lawyer quickly earns $15 million and the money continues to roll in before the whole rollercoaster ride begins to come to an end. Grisham uses the story to take us into the world of the tort lawyers and does, as always, a great job.

From Audio Editions come three terrific books on cassette. Michelangelo & the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King ($29.95) tells the story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel and how power politics and personal rivalries swirling around the great artist, already along in age, and plagued by illness, financial and family problems. Read by Alan Sklar, it is a compelling story of an artistic wonder. I am a great fan of Rex Stout and his detective creation, Nero Wolfe, so naturally I was delighted to receive Plot It Yourself as read by Michael Prichard ($24.95) that tells the story of a New York literary world terrorized by plagiarism and murder. Wolfe skillfully analyzes writing styles to solve the mystery. Agatha Christie continues to entertain new generations with her mysteries and Ordeal by Innocence is presented unabridged ($25.95) as read by Robin Bailey. When a stepson is convicted of murdering his stepmother, he dies behind bars, but her family is not eager to learn that the killer may still be at large.

Regrettably, some books aren’t as entertaining as their titles and The Sweet Potato Queen’s Big Ass Cookbook by Jill Conner Browne ($25.95, Random House Audio) is one of them. Read by the author, it strives for laughs as she relates her philosophy of life, financial advice, and views on behind a woman these days. I have no doubt feminists may enjoy this, but even with recipes thrown in, it didn’t work for me. Happily, Random House Audio has also released Lando by Louis L’Amour, the great writer of westerns ($25.95) and Star Wars: The New Jedi Order by Shane Dix and Sean Williams ($19.95), both of which will provide hours of wonderful listening.

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Also from Kids Can Press, for older readers, there’s John Wilson’s In the Morning ($16.95), the story of a 15 year old who thinks war is a glorious adventure. He records his thoughts when his father goes off to battle in World War I. When his father is killed in action, he learns that war is a serious decision for individuals and nation. Some useful history is provided in this story. The younger set, ages 8-12) will enjoy the story of one of the great men of the last century who fled Europe because of the gathering war clouds of WWII and because of anti-Semitism. Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius by Elizabeth MacLeod ($6.96) tells the story of a life whose contributions to mankind will last forever. A similar, clever book is Inventions FAQ by Valerie Wyatt and Matthew Fernandes ($6.95) that explains how inventors invent. For more information on these and other terrific new books, visit www.kidscanpress.com.

The 2^nd edition of Successful Business Planning in 30 Days by Peter J. Patsula ($29.95, Patsula Media) has just been published. It is a top seller on Amazon.Com and was recommended by me when it first came off the press. It is a step-by-step guide designed for entrepreneurs who are thinking about or planning to start a small business. It provides the essentials of writing a business plan and starting one’s own business. The second edition is enhanced with a model 15-page sample business plan and 64 pages of new content. To learn more about it, visit www.smallbusinesstown.com.