Bookmarks

The following is a list of some recently released books that have crossed our desks.

HARDBACKS

"SAVED: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform," by Karin Winegar, photographs by Judy Olausen, Da Capo Press, 224 pages, $25.95 (nf)

Through real-life stories and photography, "Saved" is a tribute to rescued animals who have affected the people who saved them.

"HOLD MY HAND," by Serena Mackesy, Soho, $25 (f)

Bridget Sweeny and her daughter move to the country for the mother to take a residential job. They're looking forward to a new start with new names and hope for the future. The house Bridget is caretaking has secrets of its own, though, and their lives and the life of Lily, a 9-year-old East End child evacuated during the Great War, connect across the decades in a tale of murder and revenge on Bodmin Moor.

"NEUTRAL COLOR SCHEMES," by Alice Buckley, Firefly Books, 256 pages, 250 color photos, concealed wirebound, $29.95 (nf)

Buckley explains that neutral no longer means just whites or beiges. The modern neutral palate encompasses a wide range of shades, from the deeper hues of khaki, olive, gray, browns and even black, through lighter pinks, yellows and greens. Her guide shows how to achieve the right feeling for the room you're decorating.

"THE BOOK OF RUNES: 25th Anniversary Edition," by Ralph H. Blum, 160 pages, plus a set of runes, $35

The publishing of the "Harry Potter" series has brought about a new interest in the use of runes. Cultural anthropologist Ralph H. Blum introduced the modern world to runic oracles in 1983. The book explores the history behind the symbolism, dating back 2,000 years, and exploring the original meaning of the Oracle and how it has evolved over the years. According to the author, runes are not a way of getting a "yes or no" answer, but rather the runes will help you find the direction in which you will guide yourself.

"THE FIRE KIMONO," by Laura Joh Rowland, Minotaur Books, $24.95 (f)

Rowland is known for her historical thrillers. "The Fire Kimono" takes place in Edo in March of 1700. The discovery of a human skeleton by a priest near a Shinto shrine leads the Shogun to order Chamberlain Sano to investigate the mysterious skeleton. The skeleton harks back to a time when a Tokugawa clan member was killed in a great fire 40 years ago that killed tens of thousands and destroyed much of Edo. The evidence points to a burning kimono as the cause of fire, but it also implicates Sano's own mother.