Bookmarks: Recently released books

Here are some books that have crossed our desks recently.

HARDBACKS

"SECRET JOURNEYS OF A LIFETIME: 500 of the World's Best Hidden Travel Gems," National Geographic, $40, 320 pages (nf)

With nine categories — from Last Wilderness to Spiritual Havens and City Secrets – "Secret Journeys of a Lifetime" includes photos, descriptions and other pertinent information (when to go, how to find it, planning and websites) for each place. Utah is mentioned a couple of times. The "World with a View" chapter mentions Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab for those with a geology obsession and Solitude's The Yurt made the No. 1 spot on the "Top Ten Tea and Coffee Shops with a View." The other nine include places in Bolivia, French Polynesia, India, Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Morocco.

"THE THINKING LIFE: How to Thrive in the Age of Distraction," by P.M. Forni, St. Martin's Press, $21.99, 192 pages (nf)

With cell phones, email, the Internet and constant updates, there is a constant demand on time and attention. With all of the little blips of information available, P.M. Forni says that it leads to not having time for deeper, critical thinking and reflection. He offers ways to maximize time and still have time for thinking, especially before posting anything online or speaking.

More hardbacks recently released:

"THE NEW KIDS: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens," by Brooke Hauser (nf): At Brooklyn's International High School, which teaches English to recently-arrived immigrants, there is a melting pot of students from 45 countries who speak more than 28 languages and each has a story of how they got here from a Tibetan boy who spent 24 hours in a suitcase during his journey here and others who have been disowned or have travelled across deserts or mountains.

"BRIGHT, NOT BROKEN: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism — Why Twice-Exceptional Children are Stuck and How to Help Them," by Diane M. Kennedy, Rebecca S. Banks and Temple Grandin (nf): Explores ways to identifying exceptional children with disabilities and ways to help with diagnosis and ways to help them achieve their potential.

"WHAT YOU WISH FOR: A Book for Darfur" (nf): Eighteen writers, including R.L. Stine, Meg Cabot, Ann M. Martin, and Gary Soto, have contributed poems and short stories to this effort to raise fund for a libraries in African refugee camps.