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The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos: 83 Composition Tools from the Masters
by Marc Silber&“This friendly book leads us clearly and gracefully from the basics to advanced techniques in photography composition . . . highly recommended.&” —Brian Taylor, executive director, Center for Photographic Arts There&’s a common misconception that composition is mysterious and that only certain people have that natural gift for the techniques involved. The truth is that composition involves a set of skills that you can master. Just as you can use cookbook recipes to make your favorite meal—you don&’t have to be a famous French chef—you also can take amazing photos by just following a recipe! Marc Silber has spent years studying the works of masters and interviewing some of the biggest names in photography. The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos puts at your fingertips ideas for improving your skills by giving you easy-to-follow &“recipes&” that will improve your photography right now! Composition is one of the biggest keys to creating photos that others will love. No matter what kind of camera or smartphone you&’re using, you can take your photography to the next level and beyond by learning composition tools and secrets known to the masters of the art. With this handy guide, you can flip to the look you want on the spot and follow the recipe for creating an image that inspires you. Use it when you&’re out photographing to get new ideas and inspiration. &“Buy it, read it and then apply what you have learnt from this superb new book . . . This is a complete must-have, a veritable cornucopia of wisdom gained over decades of experience.&” —Gray Levett, editor of Nikon Owner magazine
Power Your Life With the Positive: Life Lessons and Secrets for Success from Luminaries and Everyday Heroes
by Cyrus WebbReal-life people share their inspiring, true stories of life-altering success that prove the power of positivity, even when things are at their lowest.Drawing on his relationships with industry insiders and those in front of and behind the camera in the entertainment industry, author Cyrus Webb has compiled a compendium of encouragement. Power Your Life with the Positive is filled with stories of amazing life turnarounds from real people proves the importance of optimism in an often-negative world. As one of the world’s most positive people, Cyrus Webb is perfectly suited to remind readers that it is possible to find the silver lining in every cloud through the advice and insights in this book. Power Your Life with the Positive is pure inspiration that will lift hearts, open minds, and create a movement of pass-it-on positivity and happiness. In these times of economic uncertainty, civic strife and political turmoil, it more important than ever to offer people hope and ideas on how to believe that the best is yet to come.The notables featured in Webb’s book faced their own fears, believed enough in their goals and dreams to pursue them and reaped rewards by sticking to their guns and not allowing their own doubts and those of others to stop them, including: supermodel Tess Holliday, Grammy award-winning singer and actress Stephanie Mills, Prison Break creator Paul T. Scheuring, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton, as well as recording artist Keith Sweat, The Walking Dead’s Jeryl, actress Antonique Smith, The Dukes of Hazzard actor John Schneider, actor Dan Bucatinsky of Scandal and 24, bestselling authors Mary Higgins Clark and Wally Lamb, American Idol’s Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks, artist Aubrey O’Day, and many more.
Coincidence or Destiny?: Stories of Synchoronicity That Illuminate Our Lives
by Phil Cousineau“A delightful reflection of our communal experience of moments that defy rational explanation” from the bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker (NAPRA ReView).The pricking anticipation of a phone call seconds before ringing, the premonition dream of birth exactly nine months before, the chance meeting that opens a new career path, the eerie realization of a loved one’s death half a world away . . . From Jung to Einstein, across boundaries of culture and time, people have recognized the potential for synchronicity to reveal a hidden order to seeming random events, and to offer a glimpse of one’s destiny.In Coincidence or Destiny? bestselling author Phil Cousineau shares more than eighty stories of coincidence, some simple, and some so extraordinary they challenge our belief system. Coincidence or Destiny? threads together what the author calls “sly winks of fate” from ordinary individuals around the world, to well-known scholars such as Larry Dossey and Huston Smith to famous movies such as Casablanca, each story demonstrates how meaningful coincidences can profoundly change and guide people’s lives.“Many things happen to us in life that are fraught with meaning. Amazing coincidences that become turning points in the road. Happenstance events that suddenly become pieces of the puzzle of our lives. Put them together, and you may find an answer to why things are the way they are. [Coincidence or Destiny?] is a wonderful collection of such times.” —Gannett News Service
Double Jinx: Poems
by Nancy Reddy“Dark narratives about femininity . . . Reddy channels the vibe and energy of Plath and Sexton, but it’s her arresting language that’s the real draw here.” —Publishers WeeklyDouble Jinx follows the multiple transformations—both figurative and literal—that accompany adolescence and adulthood, particularly for young women. Drawing inspiration from sources as varied as Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the rewritten fairy tales in Anne Sexton’s Transformations, and the wild and shifting dreamscapes of Brigit Pegeen Kelly’s work, these poems track speakers attempting to construct identity.A series of poems depict the character of Nancy Drew as she delves into an obsession with a doppelgänger. Cinderella wakes up to a pumpkin and a tattered dress after her prince grows tired of her. A young girl obsessed with fairy tales becomes fascinated with a copy of Grey’s Anatomy in which she finds a “pink girl pinned to the page as if in vivisection. Could she / be pink inside like that? No decent girl / would go around the world like that, uncooked.”The collection culminates in an understanding of the ways we construct ourselves, whether it be by way of imitation, performance, and/or transformation. And it looks forward as well, for in coming to understand our identities as essentially malleable, we are liberated. Or as the author writes, “we’ll be our own gods now.”“Exquisitely crafted poems . . . an exploration of woman’s manifold selves.” —Rebecca Dunham, author of Cold Pastoral
Love
by Elizabeth von ArnimRomance between a middle-aged widow and a younger man scandalizes 1920s London society in this classic novel by the author of The Enchanted April.Although they thoroughly enjoy watching performances of The Immortal Hour, it is no longer the sole reason Catherine and Christopher continue returning to the theater in King&’s Cross. On Catherine&’s ninth visit, and Christopher&’s thirty-sixth, the two theater lovers finally strike up a conversation, and sparks begin to fly. Christopher is infatuated with Catherine and is relieved to discover that her marriage has dissipated. While Catherine appreciates the attention from the handsome, flame-haired gentleman, there is one complication: she is forty-seven years old, and Christopher is twenty-five. But she cannot resist his charms. Soon their public relationship will shock everyone, including Catherine&’s daughter and son-in-law—who is not much older than Catherine!
Shadowfane (The Cycle of Fire #3)
by Janny Wurts&“An action-packed and exciting finale&” to the classic science fiction/fantasy trilogy from the acclaimed author of Stormwarden and Keeper of the Keys (Fantasy Literature). Jaric, the Firelord&’s heir, has narrowly survived repeated attacks by the demons—psionically endowed beings—and evaded their attempts to enslave him. Now, on the Isle of Vaere, he trains for his final ordeal: mastery of the Cycle of Fire challenge that broke his father&’s sanity. In the dark court of Scait, Demon Lord of Shadowfane, a vicious adversary arises to a tainted destiny. Emien retains the shape of a man, but his warped snarl of hatred and passion are controlled by a ruthless master. He is recruited to seek out human children who possess latent talent for sorcery and suborn them to further Scait&’s conquest,. With Jaric&’s fate uncertain, Emien&’s own sister, Taen Dreamweaver, must stand on her own to defend humanity, unaware that the victims she spares are the innocent bait to lure her into the malignant thrall of Shadowfane&’s overlords. Praise for Janny Wurts &“Like the best of J.R.R. Tolkien, Ms. Wurts&’s worlds are bursting with the primal force, brimming with unforgettable characters, infused with magic both dark and glorious.&” —Eric Van Lustbader &“A gifted creator of wonders.&” —Raymond E. Feist &“Janny Wurts brings an artist&’s eye for detail and mood to the field of fantasy writing.&” —Robert Lynn Asprin
In Pursuit of Garlic: An Intimate Look at the Divinely Odorous Bulb
by Liz PrimeauThe author of Front Yard Gardens celebrates the joy of garlic—from its culinary history to advice on growing and cooking with the indispensable ingredient. Liz Primeau&’s love affair with garlic began when her teenaged boyfriend took her to an Italian restaurant for spaghetti served with heavenly garlic-laced meatballs, a sublime escape from the bland English dinners she was used to at home. Here, Primeau celebrates that culinary love, discussing garlic's central place in her kitchen and garden, as well as its role in history, art, medicine, and science. Primeau shares the pleasing ritual of beginning each dinner she cooks by chopping garlic, the secret of removing garlic's tight jacket with a confident smack of a knife, as well as her favorite garlic-centered recipes. Primeau also discusses the many varieties of garlic and gives invaluable tips for growing your own. She visits garlic fairs, where she tries to track down France's elusive L'ail Rose, and she explores the issue of cheap Chinese garlic, which has invaded the North American market to the exclusion of local varieties."Packed with fascinating facts, practical advice on growing, curing and storage, recipes and personal stories.&” —Winnipeg Free Press
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2011: The Best American Series (The Best American Series)
by Mary RoachThe New York Times–bestselling author of Packing for Mars presents fascinating essays by Jonathan Lethem, Jaron Lanier, Malcom Gladwell and others.Good science writing, as Mary Roach explains in her introduction, is a cure for ignorance and fallacy. But great science writing adds honey—in the form of engaging characters, stories, and wit—to make the medicine go down. This anthology reveals the essential humanity in our endless quest for knowledge and understanding.From a study of avian mating habits with unintended political implications to a sober exploration of the panic surrounding artificial intelligence, The Best Science and Nature Writing 2011 offers food for thought in a variety of flavors.The Best Science and Nature Writing 2011 includes entries by Deborah Blum, Burkhard Bilger, Ian Frazier, David H. Freedman, Atul Gawande, Stephen Hawking, Christopher Ketcham, Jill Sisson Quinn, Oliver Sachs, and others.
From Pugwash to Putin: A Critical History of US-Soviet Scientific Cooperation
by Gerson S SherThese firsthand accounts of US and Soviet scientists communicating across the Iron Curtain offer &“a stunning portrait of Cold War scientific cooperation&” (Physics Today). For sixty years, scientists from the United States and the Soviet Union participated in state-organized programs of collaboration. But what really happened in these programs? What did the participants and governments hope to achieve? And how did these programs weather the bumpiest years of political turbulence? From Pugwash to Putin provides accounts from sixty-three insiders who participated in these programs, including interviews with scientists, program managers, and current or former government officials. In their own words, these participants discuss how and why they engaged in cooperative science, what their initial expectations were, and what lessons they learned. They tell stories of gravitational waves, classified chalkboards, phantom scientists, AIDS propaganda, and gunfire at meteorological stations, illustrating the tensions and benefits of this collaborative work. From the first scientific exchanges of the Cold War through the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, Gerson S. Sher provides a sweeping and critical history of what happens when science is used as a foreign policy tool. Sher, a former manager of these cooperative programs, provides a detailed and critical assessment of what worked, what didn&’t, and why it matters.
"Right Makes Might": Proverbs and the American Worldview
by Wolfgang Mieder“A powerful and timely addition to the literature of rhetoric and folklore.” —ChoiceIn 1860, Abraham Lincoln employed the proverb Right makes might—opposite of the more aggressive Might makes right—in his famed Cooper Union address. While Lincoln did not originate the proverb, his use of it in this critical speech indicates that the fourteenth century phrase had taken on new ethical and democratic connotations in the nineteenth century. In this collection, famed scholar of proverbs Wolfgang Mieder explores the multifaceted use and function of proverbs through the history of the United States, from their early beginnings up through their use by such modern-day politicians as Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Building on previous publications and unpublished research, Mieder explores sociopolitical aspects of the American worldview as expressed through the use of proverbs in politics, women’s rights, and the civil rights movement—and by looking at the use of proverbial phrases, Mieder demonstrates how one traditional phrase can take on numerous expressive roles over time, and how they continue to play a key role in our contemporary moment.
Chaplain Turner's War: Life And Faith On The Frontlines With The U. S. Army In Iraq
by Moni BasuAn award-winning journalist portrays life and faith on the frontlines of the Iraq War through the experience of a US Army chaplain. The US mission in Iraq ended Dec. 18, 2011, as the last American soldiers climbed into trucks and headed south through the desert towards Kuwait. Nearly 4,500 American troops died in the Iraq war. More than 30,000 others were physically wounded. Countless others live with scars that can&’t be seen. While medics and doctors heal the physical scars of the wounded, the military employs a select few to heal the hearts, minds, and souls of soldiers—all of whom are changed forever by war. In January 2008, Atlanta Journal-Constitution international reporter Moni Basu began documenting life at war and at home with Darren Turner, a chaplain in the US Army. Chaplain Turner served as the emotional support system of U.S. soldiers more accustomed to toughing it out than opening up. For the first time ever, the entire series of Ms. Basu&’s articles on Chaplain Turner have been collected into one book. There have been few looks into one of this nation&’s most controversial wars that have been as honest, heartbreaking, and inspiring as Chaplain Turner&’s War. The experiences of the young men and women Chaplain Turner served speak with a clarity and force that is relatable to readers of any religion and of any opinion about the Iraq War. It is a story of people&’s lives who are so often taken for granted as steely warriors, and so rarely appreciated as heroes returning home with a lifetime of emotional weight.
October Suite: A Novel (African American Ser.)
by Maxine ClairThe debut novel by the author of Rattlebone. &“Told in a melody all its own, this story touches many lovely and unexpected notes.&” —Elizabeth Strout, #1 New York Times bestselling author It is 1950 and October Brown is a twenty-three-year-old first-year teacher thanking her lucky stars that she found a room in the best boardinghouse for Negro women teachers in Wyandotte County, Kansas. During an affair with an unhappily married handyman, October becomes pregnant. With job in jeopardy and her reputation in tatters, October goes back to Ohio to be with her family: her older sister, Vergie, and her aunts who raised the sisters after their mother was killed by their father. After giving birth, she gives the child to Vergie and her husband to raise as their own, then returns to Kansas City to rebuild her life. But something is missing—and, apparently too late, October realizes what she has done . . . The Midwest, the flourishing of modern jazz, and the culture of segregation form a compelling historical backdrop for this timeless and universal tale of one person&’s battle to understand and master her own desires, and to embrace the responsibilities and promise of mature adulthood. In October Suite, Clair &“has skillfully brought lyricism and word-play to her first novel, a family saga filled with secrets, redemption, and rivalry, as two sisters try to reclaim bonds forged in early childhood tragedy&” (Library Journal). &“Maxine Clair deserves our admiration for this beautifully written and humane novel.&” —The Washington Post &“A beautifully imagined novel that pulses with all the colors and sounds of the lives we live.&” —Marita Golden, author of The Wide Circumference of Love
Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the West
by Joshua M. Greene“Master storyteller Joshua Greene reveals the true, thrilling adventure story of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, a modern-day spiritual giant.” —Sharon Gannon, author and cofounder of Jivamukti YogaIn 1965, a seventy-year-old man—soon to be known as Prabhupada—set sail from India to America with a few books in his bag, pennies in his pockets, and a message of love in his heart. He landed in New York at the peak of the revolutionary counterculture movement of the ’60s, and went on to spark a global spiritual renaissance that led to the creation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which has changed millions of lives. Through the depiction of Prabhupada as both an enlightened luminary and a personable, funny, and conscientious individual, Swami in a Strange Land shows why cultural icons such as George Harrison and Allen Ginsberg incorporated Prabhupada’s teachings into their lives, and why millions more around the globe embarked upon the path of bhakti yoga in his footsteps. Carefully researched, skillfully crafted, and extraordinarily intimate, this narrative follows Prabhupada as he rises from an anonymous monk to a world-renowned spiritual leader. Set in locations as far ranging as remote Himalayan caves and the gilded corridors of Paris’s City Hall, Swami in a Strange Land traces the rise of Eastern spirituality in the West—and in particular, the rise of yoga culture and vegetarianism and the concepts of karma and reincarnation. A remarkable journey into the deepest dimensions of the human experience, Swami in a Strange Land shows how one man with a dream can change the world.“[A] story of timeless love.” —Radhanath Swami, author of The Journey Home
Every Garden Is a Story: Stories, Crafts, and Comforts (Gardening Ser.)
by Susannah SetonA cornucopia of gardening tips, recipes, crafts, gift ideas, stories, and more from the author of Simple Pleasure of the Kitchen. &“May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers,&” reads author Susannah Seton&’s garden plaque, and in Every Garden Is a Story, she teaches how to grow your own wildflower meadow and offers advice on how to keep all the fresh cut flowers from the meadow lasting even longer. She reminds us of a whimsical childhood with accounts of Ghost Gardens and the gathering of Fairy Bouquets, and she awakens us gently with the reminder to detoxify your garden and be kind to the giving Earth.Every Garden Is a Story shows us just how much we can learn from our gardens. From Seton&’s stories about her father&’s quest for a seven-headed sweet pea to tales cancer survival to magical portraits of moon gardens, this book takes us on our own journey down the garden path. Each passage offers something special, like details on how to care for ourselves and our loved ones by caring for our Earth, plus tips, recipes, crafts, and ideas for gifts that keep giving back. There&’s even an extensive resource section of garden centers, online seed catalogs, and recommended reading!
Simple Pleasures of the Home: Comforts and Crafts for Living Well (Simple Pleasures Series)
by Susannah SetonA room-by-room guide to creating domestic bliss.Home—it’s the place where we can let down our hair, loosen our clothes, put our feet up. It’s where those we love most share in the ordinariness and extraordinariness of our days. It’s where many of us spend lifetimes trying to get back to. As the proverb goes, it’s where our hearts are.Simple Pleasures of the Home is for everyone who has the nesting impulse—from passionate and accomplished home decorators to anyone who simply enjoys domestic downtime. Organized room by room, the book includes dozens of:Simple activities for bringing the family togetherCreative ideas for pampering yourself and loved onesEasy-to-follow instructions for making aromatherapy productsTips for candlemakingComfort-food recipes, and more
Hebrew Gothic: History and the Poetics of Persecution (Jewish Literature And Culture Ser.)
by Karen Grumberg&“Makes a persuasive argument&” that gothic ideas &“play a vital role in how Hebrew writers have confronted history, culture, and politics.&” —Robert Alter, author of Hebrew and Modernity Sinister tales written since the early twentieth century by the foremost Hebrew authors, including S.Y. Agnon, Leah Goldberg, and Amos Oz, reveal a darkness at the foundation of Hebrew culture. The ghosts of a murdered Talmud scholar and his kidnapped bride rise from their graves for a nocturnal dance of death; a girl hidden by a count in a secret chamber of an Eastern European castle emerges to find that, unbeknownst to her, World War II ended years earlier; a man recounts the act of incest that would shape a trajectory of personal and national history. Reading these works together with central British and American gothic texts, Karen Grumberg illustrates that modern Hebrew literature has regularly appropriated key gothic ideas to help conceptualize the Jewish relationship to the past and, more broadly, to time. She explores why these authors were drawn to the gothic, originally a European mode associated with antisemitism, and how they use it to challenge assumptions about power and powerlessness, vulnerability and violence, and to shape modern Hebrew culture. Grumberg provides an original perspective on Hebrew literary engagement with history and sheds new light on the tensions that continue to characterize contemporary Israeli cultural and political rhetoric.
The Book Class
by Louis AuchinclossThe author of Exit Lady Masham explores the lives of twelve members of a high society ladies’ book club in New York over the course of sixty years.“If I have a bias it is in my suspicion that women are intellectually and intuitively superior to men,” writes Christopher Gates, the narrator of this book. “But,” he adds, “I certainly never thought they were “nicer.” And I very much doubt that anyone could think so who was raised, as I was, in a society in which the female had so many more privileges than the male.” Thus, he describes the twelve women who—as debutantes— instituted his mother’s “book class” in 1908 and met every month for over sixty years to discuss a selected title, old or new.During their lifetimes, these women did not have any real political or economic clout comparable to that of the men of their day. Only Adeline Bloodgood had ever held a regular job, and only Polly Travers, as a State Assemblywoman, ever played a formal role in politics. For Georgia Bristed, “the hostess had largely consumed the woman,” and Leila Lee was “a beauty in a day when simply being beautiful was considered an adequate occupation.”Although most of them were surrounded by a staff of servants and had no discernible responsibilities, these women still lived with serious intent backed by a considerable and undeniable power that in no way derived from “the snares and lures of womanly wiles.” Within the protected discipline of their surroundings, their lives were filled with drama and challenge—moments of passion, of betrayal and loyalty, of sweet revenge and joyless conquest, of irony and illumination . . .
Pride and Joy: LGBTQ Artists, Icons and Everyday Heroes
by Kathleen ArchambeauA collection sharing stories of success, happiness, and inspiration from the LGBTQ+ community.In Pride and Joy, award-winning writer and longtime LGBTQ+ activist Kathleen Archambeau tells the untold stories from diverse queer voices around the world. Not like the depressing, sinister, shadowy stories of the past, this book highlights queer people living open, happy, fulfilling, and successful lives.Inside, learn why Tony Kushner quit cello and how Colm Toibin found his voice, why Emma Donoghue calls her experience a fluke and the best advice Bill T. Jones got was from his mother, and also how being an inaugural poet changed Richard Blanco’s life and how Ugandan activist “LongJones” escaped death threats and gained asylum.But you will also see other stories, like the bravery of a Uruguayan author who was rejected by her immediate family even as she began a family of her own. Be inspired by the audacity to fight for justice that motivates National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell, a Mormon who grew up in Utah. Learn how two couples transcend time and distance to finally be together and how one NBA sports executive summoned the courage to come out. Discover the message of love from the first openly lesbian United Methodist Church Bishop. Learn the secrets of a successful, out IBM executive based in London and the rewards of Ballroom Basix founder in Harlem. See how the Maori philosophy of whanau guided the MP who won marriage rights in New Zealand and how high expectations overcame disability and bullying for an acclaimed mezzo-soprano. Meet the professional violinist and composer impacted by family tensions and the Armenian Genocide. Read about the ballroom dancers and Hungarian activists on neo-Nazi “hit lists.”Pride & Joy shows why there is hope it gets better for everyone in the queer community, including:The transgender choreographer and dancer who continues to break rules and enlighten audiencesThe Dutch singer, songwriter and independent theater producer who breaks down stereotypesThe founder of an award-winning smoking cessation programThe California political director of the Obama re-election campaignThe Russian émigré award-winning computer scientist and the Chinese folk dancer
Let Him Go: A Novel
by Larry WatsonA retired sheriff and his wife go after their young grandson in “a fast-paced story of marital love, family violence and small-town justice” (Pioneer Press).It’s been years since George and Margaret Blackledge lost their son James, and months since his widow, Lorna, took off with their only grandson and married Donnie Weboy. Margaret is resolved to find and retrieve the boy—while George is none too eager to stir up trouble. Soon, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the entire Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight. The author of Montana 1948 returns to big sky country in midcentury America with a riveting novel pervaded with a sense of menace that “traces the desperate lengths families will go to in order to protect their own” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).“Watson evokes the deepest kind of suspense: that based upon the fact that humans are unpredictable and perhaps ultimately unknowable—even to their most intimate associates. This fierce, tense book is beautifully written, with spare and economical prose . . . A brilliant achievement.” —Alice LaPlante, New York Times–bestselling author of Turn of Mind“An outstanding work that is sure to expand Watson’s audience of devoted readers. Not to be missed.” —Library Journal (starred review)
A Pliocene Companion (The Saga of Pliocene Exile)
by Julian MayThe author of the acclaimed Pliocene Quartet offers an in-depth guide to a saga that &“has most closely matched J. R. R Tolkien's achievement&” (San Francisco Chronicle). With its richly imagined universe and large cast of finely-drawn characters, Julian May&’s Saga of Pliocene Exile has won devoted fans across the globe who find new layers, details, and ideas with each reading. In the words of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: &“Julian May has made a new and fresh masterwork in the genre and has irrevocably placed herself among the great of fantasy and science fiction.&” Covering all four novels—The Many-Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Nonborn King, and The Adversary—this reading guideoffers a plot chronology, the author's original maps, a descriptive listing of all the characters, and three delightful interviews with May herself. Beyond that, it gives the reader a chance to explore further the surroundings of a world six million years in the past. The glossary gives information on metapsychology, on the futuristic science of the Galactic Milieu, and on the exotic world of the Tanu and Firvulag. In all, A Pliocene Companion is a must for followers of the Saga.
Falling Through Space: The Journals of Ellen Gilchrist (Banner Bks.)
by Ellen GilchristFrom a Southern storyteller and National Book Award–winning author, essays on her childhood, influences, and thoughts on writing and life. Now, with this collection of essays, readers can explore the author of Victory Over Japan throughout her career. From the Mississippi plantation of her childhood to pieces featured in Vogue, Outside, New Woman, and The Washington Post Sunday Magazine, Gilchrist comes alive. With more than forty pictures, essays about Gilchrist&’s thoughts on writing, and a peek into the books, teachers, and artists that influenced her work, this is required reading for any fan.&“This book of &“journals&” is actually a carefully patterned quilt sewn of the author&’s NPR &“entries&” and a few assorted essays and speeches. Underlaid with a warm, subtle (sometimes precious) humor, these homey reflections on things near and far . . . manage, in their spare manner, to pare down to the deceptively simple truth of things. . . . This volume should provide welcome fare for Gilchrist fans.&” —Kirkus Reviews
Submerged
by Thomas F. Monteleone&“An epic thriller about a secret Nazi submarine and its mission . . . a tasty combination of Ken Follett and Clive Cussler&” from the award-winning author (The Novel Pursuit). Cruising from the sub pens of Trondheim under the cover of darkness—undetected by the sonar scans of Allied enemies—Kapitaenleutnant Erich Heinz Bruckner leads the experimental submarine U-5001 in a last-ditch effort for Nazi victory. But their sinister 1945 voyage ends mysteriously: Bruckner and his crew vanish, along with their classified weapon of mass destruction. Seventy years later, ex-Navy diver Dexter Bucklin stumbles upon an unknown vessel in the depths of the Chesapeake Bay and is consumed with the need to discover its original, terrifying mission—inadvertently alerting a worldwide cabal that knows all about the U-5001 . . . and the keys it holds to even greater secrets. A thriller in the tradition of Ken Follett and Robert Ludlum, Submerged follows both Bruckner and Bucklin in a narrative that spans generations of adventure and horror—Lovecraftian tales at their most strange. As these men&’s lives converge, a third element surfaces, influencing the Kapitaenleutnant and the ex-Navy diver to make increasingly desperate decisions, ones that will shape the future of civilization. Thomas F. Monteleone expertly blends history, fact, and fiction with a subtle dose of the supernatural in this Lovecraftian page-turner. Praise for Thomas F. Monteleone &“Monteleone has a dark imagination, a wicked pen, and the rare ability to convey an evil chill with words.&” —Dean Koontz, New York Times–bestselling author &“Tom&’s an expert storyteller.&” —F. Paul Wilson, author of The Keep and Deep as the Marrow &“A vastly entertaining novel of horror and suspense [that poses] difficult questions about the nature of man, God and the devil.&” —Los Angeles Daily News
Bärle's Story: One Polar Bear's Amazing Recovery from Life as a Circus Act
by Else PoulsenThe award-winning zookeeper and author of Smiling Bears shares her account of rescuing and rehabilitating a bear held in a Caribbean circus. When a nineteen-year-old female polar bear named Barle is rescued from the inhumane conditions of a circus in the Caribbean and flown to safety in Detroit, zookeeper Else Poulsen—renowned throughout the world for her work rehabilitating abused bears—is on hand to meet her and help her on the road to recovery and self-discovery. Thus begins Barle&’s gradual introduction into the world of polar bears. Slowly she forges relationships with the other bears in the zoo and eventually mates with a young male and successfully raises a cub. By living in a caring, enriched environment focused on her welfare, Barle is able to recover from the trauma she had suffered at the circus and develop skills that are important to thriving as a polar bear. As Poulsen documents, however, not all captive bears are so fortunate. Augmented with black-and-white photographs, Barle&’s Story provides a rich and moving portrayal of a remarkable bear and of the author&’s inspiring work to help her discover her true polar bear ways.Praise for Barle&’s Story &“This intelligent, stark, and gently humorous book makes one think that if all animals were listened to in the way that…Poulsen listens to bears, our children would inherit an infinitely kinder and safer world that the one they enjoy now.&” —Dr. Jill Robinson MBE, founder and CEO, Animals Asia Foundation &“At once deeply heart-wrenching, heart-warming, and heartful. Read this wonderful book and share it widely.&” —Dr. Marc Bekoff, author of Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed
Heal Local: 20 Essential Herbs for Do-it-Yourself Home Healthcare (Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living)
by Dawn CombsThe author of Sweet Remedies offers a straightforward, empowering guide to homegrown herbal remedies for illness injuries, and preventative health. Most of us understand the value of eating and buying local. Taking back our food, goods, and services from multinational corporations and sourcing them from small growers, producers, artisans, and entrepreneurs benefits our families, our environment, and our communities. Heal Local argues that &“100-mile healthcare&” can be equally valuable in terms of how we treat illness and injury and maintain wellness. This innovative guide demonstrates that by harnessing multifaceted whole plants, we can rely on homegrown or regionally produced herbs rather than importing exotics and non-natives. Based on the small apothecary model, author Dawn Combs explains how to: · Maximize the benefits of homegrown first aid, from increased freshness, potency, and effectiveness to community resilience and local economic growth · Make home herbal healthcare less intimidating and more attainable, by focusing on twenty herbs to effectively treat most common injuries and ailments · Implement a local medicine culture safely and sustainably, while protecting and respecting wild plant populations Many herbals overwhelm their readers, presenting a list of hundreds of herbs, each with a different purpose. Heal Local empowers readers by showing that you don&’t need to know everything about every herb on the planet to create a complete home apothecary. Anyone can be self-sufficient with their wellness, regardless of their previous knowledge, experience, or available space.Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living Recommendation&“An excellent reflection on integrating the western medicine model and local medicine communities.&” —Cheri Dinsmore, RN, BSN, president, Harmony Farm
Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going
by David KundtzLearn how to step back when life’s pace gets overwhelming in this insightful guide to mental balance and wellbeing.We are always on the go. Balancing work, family, friends, and everything in between is a never-ending cycle that can easily lead to burnout. It becomes easy to forget the beauty of the smaller moments. Sometimes we even forget ourselves. In Stopping, Dr. David Kundtz offers a simple yet powerful corrective to the manic pace of modern life.Stopping is a gift to yourself: a chance to breathe and regain a clearer vision of who and where you are. Stopping helps you find your inner balance and get a fresh perspective on your day, the challenges ahead, or your life overall. Kundtz tells you how and when to stop—whether it’s a momentary pause or a longer period of quiet and stillness—and gives you insights into the key questions you should be asking.With this valuable guide, you will learn to:Connect with the spiritual aspects of your lifeAcknowledge when you need to take a step backUse proper coping tactics to create healthier habits