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Book Bag features works of area writers and books of regional interest. Most of these titles are available at local bookstores or through online retailers.

"Managing from the Inside Out: 16 Insights For Overcoming Difficult Relationships With Staff"
By Jim Hornickel
Edited by Suzanne Guthrie
The Leading Edge Publishing Company

Jim Hornickel earned his bachelor's degree from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. This book reflects, he says, more than 25 years of experience managing and supervising more than 500 people, from small companies to large corporations.

Managers, he writes, "have just about the toughest job in the world. ... You have demanding expectations from above. And you have demanding expectations from below. You have to please customers, relate with vendors, work within company policies and navigate external regulations. You have to work within ever decreasing budgets while asked to do more with less."

By far the biggest challenge, though, comes from "the staff you manage," he says. "People challenges are indeed the most complex."

In each chapter, Hornickel addresses an aspect of those "people challenges." In one, for instance, he looks at acceptance, using a hypothetical example of a 39-year old middle manager returning to work after eight years as a stay-at-home mom. Karen, as she's called, has replaced a manager who was there for years and is having a hard time being accepted by her team of 14 people. And she, who had previously managed high-powered Type A workers, is having a tough time supervising a union shop where the pace and expectations are very different.

In his write-up, Hornickel discusses how blame and demeaning criticism - forms of non-acceptance - can often short-circuit improvement and change. Acceptance, on the other hand, gives managers the room to work with staff for better results. In work-book style, Hornickel offers clearly explained exercises to help managers become more aware of their interactions with staff and their impact on others. Subsequent chapters address such topics as conflict, empathy and values.

Hornickel, who lives in Easthampton, offers training programs and keynotes through his company, Bold New Directions, specializing in leadership, communication, resilience and teamwork. For more information, go to www.boldnewdirections.com.

"A Silent Cry"
By Gerald D. McLellan
iUniverse

This is the third novel from Gerald McLellan, a retired Massachusetts judge and lawyer. McLellan draws on his years in the law with a tale that involves Sicilian crime, the Chicago mafia, and a high-powered custody battle that plays out in court. Family feuds, courtroom drama and intrigue are all part of the mix.

During his legal career, McLellan was appointed to a judgeship in Probate and Family Court, serving in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties. A former resident of Amherst, he now lives in Osterville.

His two previous self-published novels were "Old City Hall" and "A Permanent Bond."

"The Druid Isle"
Ellen Evert Hopman
Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Set on an island off the coast of Scotland, this Celtic tale explores the spiritual mysteries of the Druids, offering glimpses of Druidic daily life, herbal lore and ancient rituals, along with a look at the Romans, Gauls and Britons.

Hopman, who lives in Belchertown, has been active in American Druidism since 1984. She is co-chief of the Order of the Whiteoak and a master herbalist. She is author of the previously released "Priestess of the Forest."

"The Singer's Gun"
Emily St. John Mandel
Unbridled Books

This novel is the story of Anton Waker, who travels to the island of Ischia, off the coast of Italy, to wait for what he does not know. Everyone he had known growing up is corrupt and he longs for a less questionable way of being in the world. As his life begins to fall apart around him, Anton is forced to choose between loyalty to his family and his desire for something different and better.

Mandel was born in British Columbia and now lives in Brooklyn. She will have a reading and book signing at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley on June 9.

"Neighborhood Watch"
Cammie McGovern
Viking

This novel is set in one of those idyllic-looking suburbs where all the interesting stuff happens just below the surface. It is the story of Betsy Treading, who is released from prison after DNA testing proves that she didn't murder her neighbor, Linda Sue Murphy.

Treading returns to her small suburban community and finds that, regardless of what the DNA evidence said, her neighbors aren't at all sure about her innocence. Treading embarks on an effort to clear her name and find the true killer, sorting through old evidence and tracking down leads. Along the way, she comes upon some of the buried secrets long kept by neighbors she thought she'd known well.

McGovern lives in Amherst. She is one of the founders of Whole Children, a resource center that runs after-school classes and programs for children with special needs. Her previous novel, "Eye Contact," was praised by People magazine as "an airtight thriller that illuminates the exhausting, isolating realities of parenting special-needs children."

McGovern will have a reading and book signing at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley on June 14.

To submit material for Book Bag, contact Suzanne Wilson at swilson@gazettenet.com.