Latest Book Reviews

Reviews for 01/03/11

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone
We've all been there: We know we must confront a coworker, store clerk, or friend about some especially sticky situation--and we know the encounter will be uncomfortable. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through the confrontation. Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, offers advice for handling these unpleasant exchanges in a manner that accomplishes their objective and diminishes the possibility that anyone will be needlessly hurt. The authors, associated with Harvard Law School and the Harvard Project on Negotiation, show how such dialogues actually comprise three separate components: the "what happened" conversation (verbalizing what we believe really was said and done), the "feelings" conversation (communicating and acknowledging each party's emotional impact), and the "identity" conversation (expressing the situation's underlying personal meaning). The explanations and suggested improvements are, admittedly, somewhat complicated. And they certainly don't guarantee positive results. But if you honestly are interested in elevating your communication skills, this book will walk you through both mistakes and remedies in a way that will boost your confidence when such unavoidable clashes arise. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Bringing together the insights of such diverse disciplines as law, organizational behavior, cognitive, family and social psychology and "dialogue" studies, Stone, Patton and Heen, who teach at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Negotiation Project, illustrate how to handle the challenges involved in effectively resolving "difficult conversations," whether in an interpersonal, business or political context. While many of their points are simplisticAdon't ignore your feelings, consider the other person's intentions, take a break from the situationAthey're often overlooked in stressful moments. Most useful are the strategies for disarming the impulse to lay blame and for exploring one's own contribution to a tense situation. Also of value are specific recommendations for bringing emotions directly into a difficult discussion by talking about them and paying attention to the way they can subtly inform judgments and accusations. If these recommendations aren't followed, the authors contend, emotions will seep into the discussion in other, usually damaging, ways. Stone, Patton and Heen illustrate their points with anecdotes, scripted conversations and familiar examples in a clear, easy-to-browse format. While "difficult conversations" may not have the intrinsic appeal of the Harvard Negotiation Project's previous bestseller, Getting to Yes, this book is a cogent resource for those who see the sense in preparing for tough talks in advance. Agent, Esther Newberg. Ad/promo; author tour. (Apr.) FYI: Patton is the co-author of Getting to Yes.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Creative Mind and Success by Ernest Holmes
A spirited guide to mental and business economy, this inspirational book was written by the founder of the Religious Science movement. A simple, direct manual for understanding the nature of the universe and the mind's creative power, this classic explains how "right thinking" can help achieve independence and prosperity.
--This text refers to an alternate edition.
Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (1887-1960) was the founder of a movement known as Religious Science, also known as "Science of Mind," a part of the New Thought Movement. He is well known as the author of "The Science of Mind" and numerous other metaphysical books, and as the founder of Science of Mind magazine, in continuous publication since 1927. His books, radio broadcasts and recordings continue to reach an audience of thousands of people world-wide, and the principles he taught as his Science of Mind have inspired and influenced many generations of metaphysical students and teachers. Ernest Holmes was born the youngest of nine boys on January 21, 1887 on a small farm near Lincoln, Maine. He received his education in rural schools, first in Lincoln, and later at Gould's Academy in Bethel, Maine. He said: "I quit school when I was about 15 and didn't go back except to study public speaking." From 1908 to 1910, working in a store to pay his way, he attended the Leland Powers School of Expression, an acting and public speaking academy in Boston, MA. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Living Without Fear by Ernest Holmes
A concise yet life-transforming work that will help many people move past the crippling fear that has stopped them from living their destined life.

Does fear stop you from living your life to the fullest? In Living Without Fear, Holmes brilliantly navigates the reader through and away from anxiety, despair, and stress and toward the path to a richer experience in living. Learn to think constructively and creatively and to liberate yourself, finally, from all limitations so you can lead a life of greater health, happiness, and abundance.

Living Without Fear is your guide to a life of peaceful selfactualization, free from the fear of what you don't want in your life, as well as from the fear of not receiving what you do want. This courageous, luminary book puts the power back into the reader's hands. Here is the end of fear.
Ernest Holmes was an internationally recognized authority on religious psychology and the founder of the Religious Science movement, which has hundreds of centers nationwide and around the world. His inspirational books include the renowned classic The Science of Mind, This Thing Called You, Love and Law, The Art of Life, 365 Science of Mind, The Hidden Power of the Bible, and Creative Mind and Success.

Willis H. Kinnear was renowned for his work as editor of Science of Mind magazine, as well as for his coauthorship of several books with Dr. Holmes.
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Art of Life by Ernest Holmes
The inspiration of Ernest Holmes has reached hundreds of thousands of readers through his classic works, many of which are just now becoming available in paperback.

Originally published in the first half of the twentieth century, these meditative, concise volumes have never previously appeared in paperback. Whether a newcomer to the philosophy Holmes founded or a veteran reader, you will find great power and practicality in the words that render Holmes one of the most celebrated and beloved mystical teachers of the past hundred years. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) was an internationally recognized authority on religious psychology and the founder of the Religious Science movement. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking on The Grand Design

How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? Over twenty years ago I wrote , to try to explain where the universe came from, and where it is going. But that book left some important questions unanswered. Why is there a universe--why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why are the laws of nature what they are? Did the universe need a designer and creator?

It was Einstein’s dream to discover the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything. However, physicists in Einstein’s day hadn’t made enough progress in understanding the forces of nature for that to be a realistic goal. And by the time I had begun writing A Brief History of Time, there were still several key advances that had not yet been made that would prevent us from fulfilling Einstein’s dream. But in recent years the development of M-theory, the top-down approach to cosmology, and new observations such as those made by satellites like NASA’s COBE and WMAP, have brought us closer than ever to that single theory, and to being able to answer those deepest of questions. And so Leonard Mlodinow and I set out to write a sequel to A Brief History of Time to attempt to answer the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The result is The Grand Design, the product of our four-year effort.

In The Grand Design we explain why, according to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence, or history, but rather that every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously. We question the conventional concept of reality, posing instead a "model-dependent" theory of reality. We discuss how the laws of our particular universe are extraordinarily finely tuned so as to allow for our existence, and show why quantum theory predicts the multiverse--the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. And we assess M-Theory, an explanation of the laws governing the multiverse, and the only viable candidate for a complete "theory of everything." As we promise in our opening chapter, unlike the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life given in the , the answer we provide in The Grand Design is not, simply, "42."

(Photo © Philip Waterson, LBIPP, LRPS)


Starred Review. The three central questions of philosophy and science: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why this particular set of laws and not some other? No one can make a discussion of such matters as compulsively readable as the celebrated University of Cambridge cosmologist Hawking (A Brief History of Time). Along with Caltech physicist Mlodinow (The Drunkard's Walk), Hawking deftly mixes cutting-edge physics to answer those key questions. For instance, why do we exist? Earth occupies a "Goldilocks Zone" in space: just the perfect distance from a not-too-hot star, with just the right elements to allow life to evolve. On a larger scale, in order to explain the universe, the authors write, "we need to know not only how the universe behaves, but why." While no single theory exists yet, scientists are approaching that goal with what is called "M-theory," a collection of overlapping theories (including string theory) that fill in many (but not all) the blank spots in quantum physics; this collection is known as the "Grand Unified Field Theories." This may all finally explain the mystery of the universe's creation without recourse to a divine creator. This is an amazingly concise, clear, and intriguing overview of where we stand when it comes to divining the secrets of the universe. 41 color illus. throughout, 7 b&w cartoons.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Circles of the Sacred Feminine by Susanne F. Fincher
Coloring the circular designs known as mandalas is a relaxing, meditative activity enjoyed by adults and children alike. The mandalas in this book are specially designed to provide a creative encounter with the Divine as a feminine presence. The archetypal imagery of the circle—appearing in the form of organic shapes of nature, the curves of the female body, the womb and childbirth rituals, the circular turning of cosmic rhythms, or geometric designs conveying the primal energy of the Goddess—celebrates the full range of the sacred feminine, from gentle and motherly to fierce and challenging.

An introductory essay traces the stream of the sacred feminine from prehistoric sources through modern spiritual traditions and the work of contemporary scholars of psychology and religion. Mandalas for coloring include designs based on ancient European artifacts, traditional Hindu yantras, and contemporary art. Full-color illustrations provide inspiration, and instructions for drawing your own geometric mandalas add to the creative possibilities. Coloring Mandalas 3 will appeal particularly to individuals and groups who wish to explore spirituality as a pathway to deeper meaning and personal growth.
Susanne F. Fincher, MA, is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Board Certified Art Therapist, and an internationally known expert using mandala-making for self-exploration. Through her workshops on creativity, people are able to engage their inner resources for insight, healing, and self-expression. Visit her web site at www.creatingmandalas.com.  
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The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
A stuffed toy rabbit (with real thread whiskers) comes to life in Margery Williams's timeless tale of the transformative power of love. Given as a Christmas gift to a young boy, the Velveteen Rabbit lives in the nursery with all of the other toys, waiting for the day when the Boy (as he is called) will choose him as a playmate. In time, the shy Rabbit befriends the tattered Skin Horse, the wisest resident of the nursery, who reveals the goal of all nursery toys: to be made "real" through the love of a human. "'Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'" This sentimental classic--perfect for any child who's ever thought that maybe, just maybe, his or her toys have feelings--has been charming children since its first publication in 1922. (A great read-aloud for all ages, but children ages 8 and up can read it on their own.) --This text refers to the edition.
Quiet, graceful illustrations accentuate the classic tale's nostalgic tone. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Nature Spirits by Sulamith Wulfing
From Sulamith Wulfing's vast selection of paintings with Nature Spirits, thirty images were selected to be included in this book. Well-known images were selected as well as images that have never before been published in a book. They are accompanied by true stories and fiction about Nature Spirits: most of them have been written by well-known authors such as Dora Kunz-Van Gelder and Flower Newhouse. The stories are all based around nature - how humans can interact with nature beings, the influence of nature beings on animals, and the tasks that nature beings have in nature. This book is wonderful to look at as well as providing interesting insights into the world of Nature Spirits as a whole. It will give the reader a fresh appreciation for the topic and enhance one's love for nature.
Internationally acclaimed artist Sulamith Wulfing was born in 1901 in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany and had her first exhibition of paintings there in 1923. During WWII, she was forced to flee the Nazis with her son and mother, and the family experienced a number of tragic events before they were reunited at Christmas 1945. (She was convinced that only the spiritual support of her teacher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, kept her from the concentration camps.) The years after the war were filled with intense artistic activity and publishing. She died in March 1989 at the age of 88.
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The Spirit of the Dancing Warrior: Asian Wisdom for Peak Performance in Athletics and Life by Jerry Lynch
This brilliant yet simple book is always within my reach. I rely on it to keep me on track for being at my best, not just in gold but in my life. Great Stuff! --Vijay Singh, PGA Tour Champion
Warriorship is a journey from ordinary to extraordinary. By opening your heart to the special connection between physical and the spiritual whether in the gym, on the field, practicing Tai Chi, or riding your bike, Spirit of the Dancing Warrior shows you how to expand and improve your experience and performance - and your relationship with all physical activity. Using a meditation program based on 52 warrior virtues, this book presents a program of everyday spiritual training, a soulful path of wisdom, inspiration, and motivation for athletics, fitness, and life. Coauthors Jerry and Chungliang share a life-long passion for helping others discover the warrior's path of living a fully engaged life. They also share an understanding that athletics and fitness can serve as vehicles to transport us to a more sacred space. Together, they have written Spirit of the Dancing Warrior to assist you on this path, filling it with information on practical spirituality and how to use it to achieve peak capacity in all your physical work and play. They are co-authored of five other popular and best-selling books on the marriage of eastern wisdom and peak performance, including The Way of the Champion and, Thinking Body, Dancing Mind. Amber Lotus Publishing is proud to announce it will be publishing the sixth book from this unique and inspiring pair in April of 2010, titled Spirit of the Dancing Warrior: Asian Wisdom for Peak Performance in Athletics & Life.
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Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up by James Hollis
The midlife crisis is familiar enough, but as in previous works, Hollis (The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning at Midlife), brings a Jungian perspective to it that goes deeper than the idea of finding mere self-fulfillment. That feeling that you've been living the wrong life, that you're lost and confused, is "an insurgency of the soul," he says poetically, which "overthrows the conscious conduct of our lives." This mental suffering presents an opportunity to embark on a journey transcending expectations foisted on us by others, such as parents, and to find true self-knowledge. Hollis offers not a simple how-to on facing this crisis, but rather a deep Jungian exploration of individuation, the process of becoming the person one was meant to be. Sprinkling his discussion with references to prose, drama, poetry and popular culture as well as examples from patient histories, Hollis recommends working toward a mature spirituality by being true to personal experience and embracing the mystery of life. This spirituality is a reconnection to the voice of the soul, dramatized by images that appear to us in dreams. Hollis is humane and compassionate regarding the human condition, and his focus on the underlying meaning of life will resonate for many, though they may not respond to his somewhat mystical, god-laden language. (May 1) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world? We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck— commonly known as the “midlife crisis.” Jungian psycho-analyst James Hollis believes it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning. In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us, revealing a new way of uncovering and embracing our authentic selves. Offering wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of adult development. BACKCOVER: “…offers insight into the process of finding true meaning later in life… challenging… earnest.”
—The Houston Chronicle

“Nourishing… Like a master chef, James Hollis knows that good food for the soul cannot be ordered to go.”
—The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

“…a deep Jungian exploration of individuation…humane and compassionate…Hollis’ focus on the underlying meaning of life will resonate for many…”
—Publishers Weekly

“Everyone seems to be obsessing about the monetary cost of the graying of the American population, but there’s very little talk of the soul. James Hollis, one of the foremost Jungian analytical psychologists in the world, has plenty to say about the soul in Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life…erudite and cultured but also accessible.”
—The Portland Tribune

“How to find your way out of the woods (figuratively)…what’s at stake is what Hollis calls the biggest project of midlife: reclaiming one’s personal authority…”
—More magazine

"Midlife is a time when people can lose their way and flounder. Jungian analyst James Hollis knows this terrain, describes it well and asks the important questions that can lead to clarity, maturity, and meaning"
—Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman

"The Search for Meaning in the Second Half of Life contains the writing of a gentle and insightful soul who does not bog down in analytical dryness, but speaks to and teaches from the heart. A combination of genuine vision and genuine humanity is a rare and valuable gift, and readers will find both in this work."
—Clarissa Pinkola Estés, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves

“James Hollis is the most lucid thinker I know about the complexities and complexes that interfere with living a full life. His broad background in literature, philosophy, and Jungian psychology is everywhere present in this important book, which, as it strips away illusions, posits the soul-work that's necessary for the difficult task of making our lives meaningful. He's one of our great teachers and healers.”
—Stephen Dunn, Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet

“James Hollis’s new book is a work of soul-making. It brings solace and wisdom to those of us who finds ourselves in a dark wood, in the second half of life.”
—Edward Hirsch, author of How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry
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The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush by Andreas Moritz
In this revised edition of his best-selling book, formerly The Amazing Liver Cleanse, Andreas Moritz addresses the most common but rarely recognized cause of illness - gallstones congesting the liver. Twenty million Americans suffer from attacks of gallstones every year. In many cases, treatment merely consists of removing the gallbladder, at the cost of $5 billion a year. But this purely symptom-oriented approach does not eliminate the cause of the illness, and in many cases, sets the stage for even more serious conditions. Most adults living in the industrialized world, and especially those suffering a chronic illness such as heart disease, arthritis, MS, cancer, or diabetes, have hundreds if not thousands of gallstones (mainly clumps of hardened bile) blocking the bile ducts of their liver. This book provides a thorough understanding of what causes gallstones in the liver and gallbladder and why these stones can be held responsible for the most common diseases so prevalent in the world today. It provides the reader with the knowledge needed to recognize the stones and gives the necessary, do-it-yourself instructions to painlessly remove them in the comfort of one's home. It also gives practical guidelines on how to prevent new gallstones from being formed. The widespread success of The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush is a testimony to the power and effectiveness of the cleanse itself. The liver cleanse has led to extraordinary improvements in health and wellness among thousands of people who have already given themselves the precious gift of a strong, clean, revitalized liver. Andreas Moritz is a Medical Intuitive and practitioner of Ayurveda, Iridology, Shiatsu and Vibrational Medicine. Author of The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation, Lifting the Veil of Duality and It's Time to Come Alive. Founder of the innovative healing systems, Ener-Chi Art and Sacred Santèmony - Divine Chanting for Every Occasion.
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New Complete Book of Tarot: A Step-by-Step Guide to Reading the Cards by Juliet Sharman-Burke
For over twenty years, The Complete Book of Tarot has been one of the most popular and most used guides for the art of reading and understanding the tarot. Now, for the first time, Juliet Sharman-Burke has revised and expanded the original text, and the book has been reillustrated throughout with the Sharman-Caselli tarot.  The resultant book, The New Complete Book of Tarot, will guide a new generation through the cards to a working knowledge of the history, the meaning, and the use of the tarot.
Written by trained therapist and expert tarot teacher Juliet Sharman-Burke, The New Complete Book of Tarot takes the reader through the cards, uncovering clues to the historical, mystical, and psychological spirit of this ancient system of revealing past, present and future. Whether the reader wants to interpret the cards for others or use them to gain a deeper understanding of their own self, they will find The New Complete Book of Tarot both instructive and inspiring.
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