October Publications

Nationally syndicated career columnist Kate Wendleton founded the Five O'Clock Club in 1978 to help job hunters, career changers and consultants. She's written books on targeting jobs, landing interviews and building resumes, and now offers Kick Off Your Career: Write a Winning Resume, Ace Your Interview, Negotiate a Great Salary to help recent college graduates find not just a job, but a career. With a 5.9% national unemployment rate for July of this year, job seekers need all the advice they can get, and Wendleton delivers stark, realistic tips and loads of case studies to illustrate her points. For example, her counsel "expect to be paid fairly" is fleshed out with the story of a man who, after being laid off, took a job that offered considerably more money than he was previously making, only to be fired within four months. Wendleton's point: the man wasn't worth such a high salary and should've realized that. She also thoroughly explains how to change careers, efficiently use job posting Web sites and follow up after an interview, even if there is no immediate job available. (Career Press, $13.99 paper 240p ISBN 1-56414-643-X)

Promising to help readers meet more people, build "finer relationships" and better nurture the ones they already have, motivational speaker Anthony C. Sciré presents The Power of 2: Win Big with People in Your Work and in Life. Sciré's recommendations hinge on the concept of the "high-touch" relationship, "a strong, mutually beneficial association of two people who are nice, kind, and good to each other as they do things together." Sciré suggests taking this approach to personal and professional relationships, and his book lists numerous positive, energetic tips to foster "high-touch" relationships, among them, "your attitude can get you gratitude," "contacts can make you contracts," "appreciate the people in your support network" and "motivate your TONY" (the "Talent of Networking Yourself"). A foreword by Michael Hottinger, who worked in the World Trade Center and survived the attack, underlines the importance of being "nice, kind, and good" to everyone one interacts with, setting the stage for Sciré's unflagging, bubbly words of advice. (Possibility Press [www.possibilitypress.com], $19.95 176p ISBN 0-938716-45-X)

September Publication

Eugene Linden, writer for Time magazine, revisits the territory of his Parrot's Lament, delving deeper into the animal world, and reemerges with The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity. From the observations of trainers and handlers as well as experiences in the wild, Linden presents anecdotes that illustrate the workings of the minds of both domestic and wild creatures—how they use tools, play games and adapt to change. In "When Elephants Cheat," Linden explores animal deception; in "The Starling that Charmed Mozart," the composer's bird is thought to have sung his music. Linden brings readers closer to an understanding of intelligence in general and an appreciation of these creatures with whom we share the earth. (Dutton, $23.95 256p ISBN 0-525-94661-6)