Reviews for 12/05/09
Love Soup, Anna Thomas
Delicious recipes for vegetarian soups from the author of "the most influential cookbooks in the history of modern vegetarian cuisine" (Chicago Sun-Times).
With its title and a kitschy illustrated bright cover with hand-drawn lettering, along with all vegetarian recipes, it's hard not to think the blandly healthy vibe of the 1970s, but Thomas (of the Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks) presents 160 new and enticing recipes that may just charm even a die-hard carnivore. Soups are organized by season and range from hearty selections like rustic leek and potato, and minestrone for a crowd, to lighter summer options including tomato and fennel soup with blood orange and sweet corn. A deconstructed hummus soup, along with pickle soup, make the collection anything but tired. Inspired by a temporary housing move that included a kitchen less than seven feet wide, the author knows what it takes to make a recipe manageable and doesn't skimp on advice when it comes to time- and space-saving tips like freezing, doubling and garnishing. Recipes for breads, dips and spreads, salads and a collection of desserts, as well as sample menus at the start of each chapter, make it easy to plan a full meal. (Sept.)-Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier
Anna Thomas is the author of The Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks and a screenwriter. She lives in Ojai, California.
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New Seeds of Contemplation, New
Directions Paperbook Ser., Thomas Merton
One of the best-loved books by one of the great spiritual
authors of our time, with a new Introduction by best-selling author Sue Monk
Kidd.
New Seeds of Contemplation is one of Thomas Merton's most
widely read and best-loved books. Christians and non-Christians alike have
joined in praising it as a notable successor in the meditative tradition of St.
John of the Cross, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the medieval mystics,
while others have compared Merton's reflections with those of Thoreau. New
Seeds of Contemplation seeks to awaken the dormant inner depths of the
spirit so long neglected by Western man, to nurture a deeply contemplative and
mystical dimension in our lives. For Merton, "Every moment and every event of
every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind
carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of
spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of
men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not
prepared to receive them: for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere
except in the soil of freedom, spontaneity and love."
A much-enlarged and revised version of Seeds of Contemplation--one of the late Father Merton's most widely-read and best-loved works--New Seeds of Contemplation seeks to awaken the dormant inner depths of the spirit so long neglected by Western man and to nurture a deeply contemplative and mystical dimension in our spiritual lives. (Philosophy)
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) entered the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, following his conversion to Catholicism and was ordained Father M. Louis in 1949. During the 1960s, he was increasingly drawn into a dialogue between Eastern and Western religions and domestic issues of war and racism. In 1968, the Dalai Lama praised Merton for having a more profound knowledge of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. Thomas Merton is the author of the beloved classic The Seven Storey Mountain. Sue Monk Kidd was born in Sylvester, Georgia. During her thirties, she became deeply influenced by the work of Thomas Merton and C. G. Jung, which would impact her writing in the years ahead. She is the author of When the Heart Waits (1990), The Dance of the Dissident Daughter (1996), The Secret Life of Bees (2002), which sold 4.5 million copies worldwide, The Mermaid Chair (2005), and Firstlight (2006).
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Yoga for Arthritis, Loren Fishman
A comprehensive, user-friendly medical yoga program designed
for management and prevention of arthritis, with over 400
illustrations.
Arthritis restricts movement; yoga increases range of
motion: these two were made for each other. Arthritis is the leading cause of
disability in this country, limiting everyday activities for more than seven
million Americans. Drugs, surgeries, and steroids can alleviate some of the
discomforts, but study after study has shown that exercise is most beneficial to
most forms of arthritis, specifically low-impact, flexibility-enhancing
exercises—hence, yoga. In this comprehensive and thoroughly illustrated guide,
Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall, who between them have seven decades of
clinical experience, help readers understand arthritis and give a spectrum of
exercises for beginners and experts. Broken down into chapters focusing on each
major joint, there are 100 classical yoga poses and numerous imaginative and
physiologically sound adapted poses, all with step-by-step instructions and
easy-to-follow photo demonstrations. The authors welcome readers into the
philosophy and principles of yoga and show how to use yoga to find lasting
relief from arthritis. Over 400 illustrations. -Elaine M. Lasda Bergman
<P>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal
Fishman (medicine, Columbia Univ.) and yoga instructor/massage therapist Saltonstall combine their respective expertise to good effect in this useful, instructive book providing essential information about the practice of yoga and how yoga's concepts relate to the condition of arthritis. In this way, they arm arthritis sufferers with the knowledge necessary to begin the proper practice of yoga. The authors start with an easy-to-understand explanation of the affected anatomy and a brief history of yogic philosophy. They then clearly describe various asanas, or poses, meant to enhance flexibility and range of motion. After some general-purpose "All-Star" poses, remaining poses are organized anatomically (e.g., hands and wrists, knees, spine), with some repeated in other chapters. Modifications appear for various levels of ability, and photographs and illustrations clearly depict proper alignment. The physiological details and many features of the pose instructions (e.g., purpose, contraindications) make this one of the more thorough and well-written yoga guides currently in print. Highly recommended for public and academic/medical libraries.
Loren Fishman, M.D., is a professor at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Ellen Saltonstall is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist. Both authors live in New York City.
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Story of the World, Story of the
World, Susan Wise Bauer
This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 3: Early Modern Times weaves world history into a story book format. Who was the Sun King? Why did the Luddites go around England smashing machines? And how did samurai become sumo wrestlers? The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 3: Early Modern Times is the third of a four volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.
Susan Wise Bauer is a novelist and educator. She is the author of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had and the co-author of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. She teaches at the College of William & Mary.
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Born to Be Good, Dacher Keltner
People like to think of themselves in terms of lines: individuals progressing from birth to death; evolution (and social history) starting at point A and moving continuously forward. While constructs like these may serve our need to situate ourselves in understandable narratives, science keeps confounding the impulse. New research into who we are, and why we do what we do, would seem bent on proving that we are better represented by concentric loops and mind-blowingly intricate feedbacks of brain chemistry, biology, linguistics, elements from the primate past, and more. In just the past decade, a growing list of popular science books has made it possible for the general reader to peer inside the stupendously overdetermined organism that is the human -- and to feel a woozy thrill on learning that such vertiginous complexity lives in each one of us.
"A landmark book in the science of emotions and its implications for ethics and human universals."-Library Journal, starred review
Keltner uses a broad range of jokey, playful examples to illustrate an intriguing central thesis: that laughing, blushing, touching, teasing, loving, empathizing and other not-very-scientific-seeming subjects can be methodically analyzed in terms of their importance to our survival…a bright, entertaining book that need not strain for liveliness or charm. In ways that suggest Mr. Keltner must be a highly amusing teacher (and a generous one, since he so freely credits students and colleagues who played roles in laboratory experiments), this book identifies the adaptive benefits of each emotion, thumbs its nose at the hardhearted (Ayn Rand, Machiavelli) and makes its case for the biological functions served by physical expressiveness. There are elements of social science, neuroscience, clinical psychology and cheerleading to Mr. Keltner's methods.
Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, director of the Greater Good Science Center, and co-editor of Greater Good magazine. His research focuses on pro-social emotions, power, and moral reasoning. He is the author of Born to Be Good.
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Soapmaking, The Self-Sufficiency
Series, Sarah Ade
Make your own luxurious, beautiful soaps at home-with all-natural ingredients.
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Native Healing, Wayne F. Peate
Alternative medicine, holistic health, and spiritual healing are promoted as recent innovations in modern medicine, yet all have been practiced by native peoples for thousands of years.
Native Healing: Four Sacred Paths to Health is unique among health-related books. Native healers explore and promote the powerful effects of family and community, as well as spiritual and traditional treatments, on personal health. Today they are beginning to be integrated into the health care system, and this book shows how you too can benefit from their wisdom.
In words and photographs, Dr. Peate draws on his personal experience to describe native healers' holistic approach to healthcare, from sings to sandpaintings to chants and cures.
Author Biography: W. F. Peate has lived and worked with native peoples and healers in east Africa and South America, and in the reservations and barrios of the Southwest as a physician and professor of community medicine. Dr. Peate is a native of the Southwest whose maternal grandparents were affiliated with the Mohawk and Onondaga tribes. His writing has appeared in Newsweek and several articles and books including On the Serendipity Road.
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2012, J. Allan Danelek
Is 2012 the end of the world as we know it?
From 2012 to global warming to worldwide epidemics, our society's fascination with doomsday is as strong as ever. Do any of these apocalyptic scenarios pose a real risk? Why does our modern culture embrace these bleak beliefs?
Divorcing hype from truth, J. Allan Danelek scrutinizes the ancient Mayans' 2012 end date, in addition to a wide array of doomsday beliefs from biblical prophesies to biological warfare. With piercing logic, he objectively explores each apocalyptic threat . . . and reveals startling insights about what kind of future—dire or dazzling—awaits humanity.
Perhaps the fretting over the coming cosmic dustup has faded, but the world will end in December 2012—or so say certain interpretations of ancient Mesoamerican calendars and dubious readings of Christian and Chinese traditions. Three recent publications take up the 2012 question without fear. Theologian Hitchcock (The Late Great United States: What Bible Prophecy Reveals About America's Last Days) dismisses the prophecies of doom as unreliable and un-Christian, although he embraces the notion of Apocalypse on God's timetable, not available to the mortal eye. Think-tank founder and prolific author Laszlo (Quantum Shift in the Global Brain: How the New Scientific Reality Can Change Us and Our World) simply uses the notion of the 2012 breakdown/breakthrough as a vehicle for the transformation of the world. Danelek (UFOs: The Great Debate; Mystery of Reincarnation) adopts his usual moderately skeptical stance and his characteristic intelligence to show that prophecies are worse than unreliable and that there is as much reason to greet the future with guarded optimism as millennial panic. VERDICT None of these books will feed the frenzy of the fearful. Hitchcock's title will attract a conservative Christian audience, while Laszlo and Danelek will appeal, respectively, to earth-conscious readers and readers in (and debunkers of) the paranormal.
A native Minnesotan who currently resides in Colorado, Jeff Allen Danelek
has been working as a graphic artist and technical illustrator since leaving the
Navy in 1984. While he has been writing as a hobby for fifteen years, it is only
in the last few years that he began pursuing it as a full-time vocation. Besides
writing, his hobbies include military history, religion and spirituality,
numismatics (coin collecting), general science and things like Bigfoot and other
mysterious beasties, Atlantis, UFO’s and anything that goes bump in the night.
An avid reader and careful researcher, he enjoys presenting alternative theories
on increasingly popular subjects dealing with the strange and inexplicable world
around us.
Danelek has been published in Fate magazine and has
also been interviewed by Erskine and Hilly Rose for their radio programs.
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Psychic Empowerment for Everyone,
Joe H. Slate
Surging within us all is a limitless wellspring of psychic power. Open yourself to spiritual enlightenment, personal enrichment, and lifelong empowerment by tapping into this incredible resource.
Llewellyn's own Carl Llewellyn Weschcke has teamed up with parapsychologist Joe H. Slate to write this comprehensive guide to the psychic realm. Exploring the link between psychic phenomena and the paranormal, they map inner and outer psychic dimensions and explain how to access them. Easy techniques in self-hypnosis and dream work demonstrate how to expand your consciousness, navigate psychic planes, and communicate with the spirit realm and your higher self. Featuring a seven-day psychic empowerment plan, this exciting path to self-discovery will help you develop vast psychic skills to enrich your relationships, enhance your career, grow spiritually, fulfill your life purpose, and prepare for 2012.
Carl Llewellyn Weschcke (Minnesota) is the owner and chairman of Llewellyn Worldwide, the world's oldest and largest metaphysical publisher. He played a seminal role in the rise of Wicca and Neo-Paganism in the 1960s and 1970s and has been called "the father of New Age" for his public sponsorship of occult subjects.
Joe H. Slate is a Licensed Psychologist in private practice with a Ph.D. from
the University of Alabama and postdoctoral studies in hypnosis and psychosomatic
medicine at the University of California. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychology
at Athens State University and Honorary Professor at the University of
Montevallo.
His research interests include health and fitness,
rejuvenation, pain management, reincarnation, astral projection, and the human
aura. His research has been funded by the U. S. Army, the Parapsychology
Foundation of New York, and numerous private sources.
He is a member of
the American Psychological Association and a Platinum Registrant in the National
Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. He is founder of the
International Parapsychology Research Foundation and author of several books
including Beyond Reincarnation; Psychic Vampires; Aura
Energy for Health, Healing & Balance; and Rejuvenation.
He has appeared on numerous talk shows and TV programs including
Sightings and Strange Universe.
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Homesteading, Abigail R. Gehring
The companion to the bestseller Back to Basics for country, urban, and suburban folks.
Abigail R. Gehring is the editor of Back to Basics and Homesteading. She's practiced living simply since her childhood in Vermont, helping build a log cabin, home-canning jams and jellies, and enjoying natural crafts. She lives in Edgewater, New Jersey.
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The Wisdom of Your Dreams, Jeremy
Taylor
Discover how the hidden messages in your dreams can change your
life.
A renowned expert on the subject of dreams, Jeremy Taylor has
studied dreams and has worked with thousands of people both individually and in
dream groups for more than forty years. His discoveries show us how dreams can
be the keys to gaining insight into our past and our conflicts, as well as
excursions into the fantastic realm of creative inspiration.
An expanded
and updated edition of his classic guide to understanding your dreams-Where
People Fly and Water Runs Uphill-The Wisdom of Your Dreams provides readers
with specific, hands-on techniques to help them remember and interpret their
dreams, establish a dream group, and learn the universal symbolism of dreaming.
Full of case histories and featuring a revised introduction by the author and a
new chapter about dreams as clues to the evolution of consciousness, this is a
life- changing and potentially world-changing work.
Jeremy Taylor, an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, has worked with dreams for more than forty years, blending the values of spirituality with an active social conscience and a Jungian perspective. He is the author of The Living Labyrinth: Exploring Universal Themes in Myths, Dreams, and the Symbolism of Waking Life and Dream Work. Taylor is also a published poet and a prizewinning screenwriter. With his wife he leads Myth and Dream tours all over the world.
If the Buddha Married, Charlotte
Kasl
If the Buddha Married is filled with
the same highly practical, spiritually sound guidance that so clearly touched a
chord with readers of If the Buddha Dated. Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., is renowned
for her ability to speak with depth, wisdom, and humor on important matters of
the heart.
In this new book, Kasl inspires us to create fulfilling and
vibrant relationships through a commitment to awareness and truth. Combining key
teachings of Buddhism with elements of psychology, If the Buddha Married becomes a wise and trusted guide through the joys and thickets of relationships
that last and grow.
Author Biography: The author of several books including Finding Joy, Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., a practicing therapist and nationally recognized workshop leader for more than twenty years, has had lifelong connections to feminism, Buddhism, Quaker practice, and Reiki healing.
Last year, psychotherapist Charlotte Kasl explored the first flushes of romance in If the Buddha Dated; now she takes the next step in If the Buddha Married: Creating Enduring Relationships on a Spiritual Path. There is some strong, wise marital advice here, but how Buddhist is it? One glaring fact that Kasl never so much as mentions is that the Buddha did have a wife and child, whom he abandoned in the quest for enlightenment. A more interesting book would have investigated the tensions between the demands (and joys) of marital relationships and the individual's need to embark on the spiritual journey. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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Plato and a Platypus Walk into a
Bar..., Thomas Cathcart
Here's a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course
through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers.
It's Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this heavy stuff too
seriously. Some of the Big Ideas are Existentialism (what do Hegel and Bette
Midler have in common?), Philosophy of Language (how to express what it's like
being stranded on a desert island with Halle Berry), Feminist Philosophy (why,
in the end, a man is always a man), and much more. Finally-it all makes
sense!
"I laughed, I learned, I loved it!" Roy Blount Jr.
Tom Cathcart and Daniel Klein pursued the usual careers after majoring in philosophy at Harvard. Tom worked with street gangs in Chicago and dropped in and out of various divinity schools. Dan wrote jokes for comedians, including Flip Wilson and Lily Tomlin, designed stunts for Candid Camera, and continues to pen thrillers. Each lives with his wife in New England
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If the Buddha Dated, Charlotte Kasl
In this practical, playful, yet spiritual guide, Charlotte Kasl, author of the highly successful Finding Joy: 101 Ways to Free Your Spirit and Dance with Life, shows you what it would be like to have the ancient wisdom of the Buddha to guide you through the dating process.
Kasl brings a compassionate understanding to the anxiety and uneasiness of new love, and helps readers discover their potential for vibrant human connection based on awareness, kindness, and honesty. She approaches the dating process as a means for awakening, reminding us that when we live by spiritual rules, we bring curiosity and a light heart to the romantic journey.
Filled with quotations from Zen, Sufi, and other wisdom traditions, and informed by the experiences of people from all walks of life, here is a relationship book that will appeal to readers looking for more than a Venus-meets-Mars solution to the complex affairs of the heart.
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48 Liberal Lies about American
History (That You Probably Learned in School), Larry Schweikart
A historian debunks four-dozen PC myths about our nation's
past.
Over the last forty years, history textbooks have become more and
more politically correct and distorted about our country's past, argues
professor Larry Schweikart. The result, he says, is that students graduate from
high school and even college with twisted beliefs about economics, foreign
policy, war, religion, race relations, and many other subjects.
As he did
in his popular A Patriot's History of the United States, Professor
Schweikart corrects liberal bias by rediscovering facts that were once widely
known. He challenges distorted books by name and debunks forty-eight common
myths. A sample:
• The founders wanted to create a "wall of separation"
between church and state
• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation only
because he needed black soldiers
• Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima to
intimidate the Soviets with "atomic diplomacy"
• Mikhail Gorbachev, not
Ronald Reagan, was responsible for ending the Cold War
America's past, though
not perfect, is far more admirable than you were probably taught.
Textbooks have long served as a main battlefield in the culture wars and the latest salvo comes from Schweikart, a history professor at the University of Dayton (A Patriot's History of the United States), who examines leading American history texts and other books that he sees as purveying "a distinctly slanted view of American history-one that portrays the United States as oppressive, imperialistic, and evil." Each "lie" is deliberated in a brief essay. A chapter on the notion that FDR knew in advance that the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor focuses largely on countering Robert Stinnett's Day of Deceit.The belief that Columbus was responsible for killing millions of Indians ("drivel") is, he says, based on faulty statistics. In examining the belief that Richard Nixon sent burglars into the Watergate office complex, the author accepts G. Gordon Liddy's account of events over John Dean's. Regarding the Rosenbergs, Schweikart cites Soviet documents proving they were indeed spies. Schweikart marshals an arsenal of statistics and scholarly studies, and while his own biases will limit his reach, he offers an object lesson in the need for scrupulous balance in the writing of history textbooks. (Sept. 4) -opyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Larry Schweikart is the coauthor of A Patriot's History of the United States and the author of America's Victories. A professor of history at the University of Dayton, he has written more than twenty other books on national defense, business, and financial history.
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Zen and the Art of Making a Living,
Laurence G. Boldt
First published in 1991, Zen and the Art of Making a Living is the life-changing book that helped revolutionize the career planning field by offering a new vision of work. This new edition has been updated throughout with up-to-the minute contact information and hundreds of new biographical and internet resources. Guiding listeners to discover and find -- or create -- their dream job, the author gives support and encouragement with inspiring stories, how-tos, and tips from sages of every stripe. A book that goes far beyond other career guides, Zen and the Art of Making a Living brings creativity, dignity, and meaning to every aspect of the work experience.
For career consultant Laurence G. Boldt, everyone is the artist of his or her own life. In this comprehensive, useful, and potentially life-changing book, he guides readers on how to widen possible horizons--and then focus in to make the ideal real. Illustrations and worksheets throughout.
Laurence Boldt is a nationally known writer and career consultant.
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The Macrobiotic Way, Michio Kushi
The third edition of the "bible" of the macrobiotic movement.
Originally published in 1985, The Macrobiotic Way is a classic in
its field. It is the definitive guide to macrobiotics, an approach to diet and
lifestyle that promotes both inner peace and harmony with others and the
environment. Now updated, it covers not only the central dietary principles,
nutrition, and foods but also cooking techniques, essentials for a macrobiotic
kitchen, menus and recipes, along with exercise, life philosophy, home and
lifestyle, and the role of macrobiotics in healing.
Michio Kushi studied macrobiotics with the founder of the macrobiotic movement, George Ohsawa, and is one of the world's leading exponents of the macrobiotic lifestyle. He is the founder of two internationally acclaimed educational organizations, the East West Foundation and the Kushi Institute, and has written widely on macrobiotics and related topics.
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If the Buddha Got Stuck, Charlotte
Kasl
Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl's If the Buddha Dated and If the Buddha Married have inspired readers with their empowering blend of spiritual and psychological insights. Her latest, If the Buddha Got Stuck, is a wise yet lighthearted book that will speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life and wanted to break free. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and warm heart, Kasl presents readers with seven steps that tap into life's bigger picture: Notice Where You're Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others; Move From Thought to Action; and Let Go. Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of attachments to events and things, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life.
"Buddhism offers a gentle... understanding of being stuck and getting unstuck," writes Kasl (If the Buddha Dated), referring to a variety of stubborn problems that can interfere with life, including feeling intractably "bored, scared, protective, petty, exhausted, afraid or unfulfilled." In 60-plus brief chapters featuring discussions and therapy-type strategies deeply rooted in Buddhist teachings, Kasl guides readers on a journey of self-discovery. She begins by inviting them to notice where they are stuck, and then asks them to simply "show up" to life with a sense of "fascination and curiosity." She implores them to be mindful and to trust in the power of engaging reality directly without interpretive lenses (acknowledging difficulties in a relationship, for example, instead of making excuses). She then explores the importance of connecting with others, of acting on insights and the "ultimate step" of letting go the temporal self, an act that brings "abiding happiness." Throughout, she intersperses exercises to help readers engage the lessons more personally. Kasl's approach is compelling: her discussions are simple but never simplistic; her tone is warmly inviting but not obsequious; and her insights are both penetrating and accessible. Occasionally her supporting illustrations veer into the cheesy, but overall Kasl offers a challenging, practical and disarmingly effective approach to getting out of life's ruts. (Jan. 4) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.—a practicing therapist, workshop leader for 25 years, and bestselling author—has had lifelong connections to feminism, Buddhism, Quaker practice, and Reiki healing.
Little Polar Bear Finds a Friend,
Little Polar Bear Series, Hans de Beer
Lars, the little polar bear, finds a new friend in a very unlikely place in this sturdy lap-sized board book.
While looking for a friend, a little polar bear is caught in a trap and takes a long journey before finally finding his way back home.
K-Gr 3-- First introduced in Little Polar Bear (1987) and Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear (1988, both North-South), the frisky cub, Lars, is now captured while searching for a playmate and is placed in an airplane cargo-hold full of animals destined for a zoo. He frees himself and the other animals, traveling back to his Arctic home with a walrus and a small brown bear. The would-be adventure story is so understated that little excitement is generated, and each event is described so briefly that the drama of Lars's capture, escape, and long trek home is downplayed. Instead, the emphasis is on friendship and cooperation, as each animal makes a special contribution to the journey's success. De Beer's subtle promotion of positive relations among races is marred by the bear's feeling that her brown color will make her unacceptable. The overall effect is gently didactic, but not overbearingly so. The large watercolors are appealing and certainly show more energy and emotion than the text. The animals' faces are expressive and slightly comical, and the little round bodies of the cubs are endearing. The size of the illustrations reflects the grandness of the events, and makes them particularly suited for group sharing. --Danita Nichols, New York Public Library
Hans de Beer was born in Muiden, a small town near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. He studied illustration at the Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam. Hans de Beer's Little Polar Bear books enjoy great international success. They have been published in 18
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Saving Jesus from the Church, Robin
R. Meyers
Countless thoughtful people are now so disgusted with the marriage of bad theology and hypocritical behavior by the church that a new Reformation is required in which the purpose of religion itself is reimagined.
Meyers takes the best of biblical scholarship and recasts these core Christian concepts to exhort the church to pursue an alternative vision of the Christian life:
- Jesus as Teacher, not Savior
- Christianity as Compassion, not Condemnation
- Prosperity as Dangerous, not Divine
- Discipleship as Obedience, not Control
- Religion as Relationship, not Righteousness
This is not a call to the church to move to the far left or to try something brand new. Rather, it is the recovery of something very old. Saving Jesus from the Church shows us what it means to be a Christian and how to follow Jesus' teachings today.
In a progressive rather than negatively critical mode, in strong contrast to much of Far Right Protestantism, pastor/NPR commentator Meyers (philosophy, Oklahoma City Univ.) suggests with typical elegance that a recovery of true Christianity emphasizes compassion over condemnation, blessing over sin, and equity over individual prosperity. Highly recommended.
For over twenty years, Robin R. Meyers has been pastor of Mayflower Congregational, an "unapologetically Christian, unapologetically liberal" church in one of the most conservative states in the country. He is a professor in the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University, a syndicated columnist, and an award-winning commentator for National Public Radio. Meyers has appeared on NBC's Dateline, ABC's World News Tonight, and the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and writes regularly for The Christian Century. The author of four books, Meyers and his wife, Shawn, have three children.
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The Best Birthday Party, Serena
Romanelli
Adorable little touch and feel board book celebrating birthdays written and illustrated by Hans de Beer and Serena Romanelli!
Serena Romanelli was born in Florence, Italy. She studied illustration at the Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam, where she met Hans de Beer. Romanelli especially loves drawing for children because fantasy and imagination play such important parts in a child's world-a world she has not forgotten.
Hans de Beer was born in Muiden, a small town near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. He studied illustration at the Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam. Hans de Beer's Little Polar Bear books enjoy great international success. They have been published in 18
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Little Polar Bear, Little Polar Bear
Series, Hans de Beer
The bestselling series of books about Lars, the Little Polar Bear, will soon be a movie from warner Bros. To celebrate, Lars appears in a range of titles and formats, based on his film adventures. Full color.
While hunting with his father, Little Polar Bear drifts out to sea and ends up in a jungle where a friendly hippopotamus helps him return home.
``It was a big day for Lars''-bigger than he imagined, in fact, as the polar bear cub gets separated from his father and embarks on a fanciful journey. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Scott Peterson is an award-winning San Francisco-based photographer. His work has appeared in many cookbooks including Pizza, and magazines such as Bon Apptit, Sunset, and Health.
Hans de Beer was born in Muiden, a small town near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. He studied illustration at the Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam. Hans de Beer's Little Polar Bear books enjoy great international success. They have been published in 18
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The Rainbow Fish Bath Book, Rainbow
Fish Series, Marcus Pfister Herbert
Make a splash with this appealing bath book edition--which
features the same foil-stamped scales that fascinated young children in the
original picture book. Sure to be a favorite tub toy, this soft but sturdy
little book with its message about sharing is perfect for the very youngest
child--at bath time, bed time, beach time, anytime!
Marcus Pfister is the author of the phenomenally successful Rainbow Fish series, as well as many other books for children. He has worked as a graphic artist, a sculptor, a painter, and a photographer as well as a children's book creator. Pfister lives with his family in Berne, Switzerland.
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A Woodland Christmas Advent
Calendar, Bernadette Watts, Calendar
Woodland animals beneath a glittering tree
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