Average customer rating:
- A challenging read that leaves the reader wondering about the characters
- A dark and lurid read!
- Ruthless Review
- a desert island book...
- A Modern Day William Faulkner
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Crawling at Night: A Novel
Nani Power
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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ASIN: 0802138845 |
Book Description
Hailed by The New York Times as a "formidable young writer ... one who unpacks her characters' emotions with a firm, graceful hand," Nani Power garnered impressive acclaim for her profound debut last year. A darkly lyrical, charged exploration of the double-edged sword of urban anonymity, her novel was deemed "daring" and "one-of-a-kind" by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Crawling at Night is a searing, unforgettable portrait of New York City and of the appetites and self-sabotaging patterns of its displaced inhabitants. Ito is a literate yet tongue-tied sushi chef who recites haiku in his head as he labors over shopping lists, which at once define and confine him. Alone, he dreams of Mariane, a lost alcoholic waitress who works with him at the Chelsea sushi bar. Ito can't help but live part of every waking day reliving the tragedy he left behind in Japan, and across town Mariane yearns for the baby girl she abandoned almost fifteen years before. In the spinning haze of two nights in Manhattan, Ito and Mariane find themselves careening on a downward spiral through the dark streets of the city. As they navigate a sea of alcohol, sex, and exotic food, we are taken inside the minds of other scarred people they encounter, whose paths, like the streets of the city itself, crisscross and overlap, skimming one another for some sort of connection. Crawling at Night is a dazzling evocation of the way people draw each other in to absorb the shock of loneliness, and how they then either drift out of orbit or are pushed away. With heartbreaking intimacy, Power shows that the dark side of the city and its struggling inhabitants is but an extension of the purest longings and intentions of those very same, very human people. "... profound and thrilling ... Crawling at Night will not only be a sensation of the season, it will also endure." -- Robert Olen Butler "A formidable young writer ... one who can put you in mind of both Mary Gaitskill and Denis Johnson." -- Dwight Garner, the New York Times Book Review "... an effective exploration of the lies we tell ourselves to help us handle the business of living." -- Jabari Asim, Washington Post Book World "[Power] has an astonishing talent ... deeply affecting...." -- Bookforum
Customer Reviews:
A challenging read that leaves the reader wondering about the characters.......2005-10-07
Another reviewer has already said it--the flashbacks in this novel make it a bit difficult to follow, at first. As soon as the reader gets involved, however, the flashbacks are essential to filling in the backstories of the sushi chef Ito, the alcoholic waitress Marianne, a Vietnamese boat refugee, and an exotic massage parlour worker. The entire novel takes place in two short nights, but the flashbacks constitute the core of the story, and the many American and Asian characters that make up this complicated and tragic tale.
As an American, the alcoholic waitress Marianne is the one I most closely identify with, as she lost her child to child protective services and moved to the city with big dreams (or delusions) of earning her way back into respectable life. I wonder how Japanese and Vietnamese immigrants feel about the portrayal of their heritage in this book.
This is a beautifully written tragedy, and for anyone who enjoyed this book, I highly recommend Andre Dubus III's The House of Sand and Fog.
A dark and lurid read!.......2003-03-28
Dark and lurid novels have always enhanced my reading experience, and the beautiful descriptions and passionate prose in Crawling at Night floored me from beginning to end.
Set in Manhattan, Crawling at Night is the story of Ito and Mariane -- a tormented sushi chef and the woman of his dreams. Painful pasts, loneliness and the cruel anonymity of the city nights bind these two together -- and the result is a powerful and literary tale of love and loss.
The characterization is flawless... Nani Power has created two protagonists that touch the reader's soul. Also, Manhattan is the perfect backdrop for this book, for it illustrates the darkness and piercing loneliness the characters endure. This is one of the best dark reads I've had all year. Nani Power is a wonderful new voice in fiction and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Ruthless Review.......2002-07-22
Courtesy of ruthlessreviews.com
The book jacket informs us, in the kind of bio all publicists dream of, that before she wrote this, her debut novel, Nani Power was a caterer in Manhattan, a sandwich seller on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, a chef in a Japanese restaurant, and a nanny to a family living in a trailer. All of these experiences seem relevant when taking into account Crawling At Night but one title is missing; sensualist.
Two discordant protagonists paint the narrative alive in this nihilistic and self-destructive tale of loss and decay. Ito is a Japanese sushi chef with a dark past who runs to New York City to escape his demons, but, as Walden once said, "you cannot run from your past. Wherever you may go, the giant goes with you." Mariane is a raging alcoholic with a similar attachment to her past failings who loses her job when her boss attempts, and fails, to rape her. Ito discovers that he cannot save Mariane from herself, and her past, where she longs to reclaim the daughter she gave up, and therefore he cannot forgive himself for abandoning his violent son.
Told largely in flashbacks blended with the present bitterness, Crawling At Night seethes with sexuality and desire, utilizing it as a means of temporary escape until reality comes crashing back in. Unfortunately, without the sex, and the naked woman on the cover, this story would have lost me in the first five pages. I particularly enjoyed the passages where Ito recalls his time in Japan spent in a whorehouse where he fell in love with a girl named Xiu-xiu while his wife was being eaten alive by cancer at home alone. It was there that I found Nani's real power coming through, in the subtle sifting of sex and death, which is what, at its core, all great literature is about.
ruthlessreviews.com
a desert island book..........2002-01-23
i love the way power uses flashblacks in this story; kind or reminds me of the movie " memento." she utilizes them to a point that she completely manipulates time. the characters are extremely compelling, especially ito and mariane...nani skillfully takes on the oriental and the poor white worlds and manages to shows each beautifully. the last 100 pages left me reeling. one you read mariane's story, you'll see just how much damage sexual abuse and alcoholism can do to a person....
A Modern Day William Faulkner.......2001-09-04
I haven't enjoyed reading about people so much in ages. And yet the themes and lessons that gel beneath the players' fits are spread like a web to catch the conscience. You haven't experienced New York City until you've read Nani Power's Crawling at Night. You didn't know what you were up to in the country and suburbs, but now, by reference, you will.
Average customer rating:
- quick and average read
- Variations on the "he rapes her and she loves it" theme
- I loved it!!!
- Terrible
- LOVED THIS BOOK
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Hawk O'Toole's Hostage
Sandra Brown
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Brown, Sandra | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Brown, Sandra | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0553297511
Release Date: 1997-10-01 |
Book Description
From the one and only Sandra Brown comes a searing novel of romantic suspense. . . as a beautiful young mother falls victim to a brazen crime. . . and a seductive captor. . . .
When her divorce was finally granted, Miranda Price thought the worst was behind her. Now she could get on with her life, far from the public scrutiny and private misery that went along with being Representative Price's wife. But when Miranda decides to take their young son on a vacation out West, she stumbles into a mother's worst nightmare. Snatched off a train full of vacationing sightseers, she and her son become the captives of an enigmatic stranger. Miranda knows she will do anything to save her child. . . even if it means fighting her own treacherous feelings for the man who holds her hostage. . . even if it means facing up to a shocking revelation that will make her question her past, her choices, and the woman she's become.
Customer Reviews:
quick and average read.......2007-04-01
My buddy gave me this book because she knows what a great fan I am of Sandra Brown. I think Sandra Brown is one of the greatest romance writers, but no matter how great, a writer that puts out as many novels as SB can't get a super romance every time...and this book proves it. The book is small and a quick read, but I'm used to better Sandra Brown novels. I'm a collector of all her books but this one was just a loaner, so I'll give it back and if I run across it somewhere else, I'll buy it just to add to my SB library, but it's not one of her better novels. I didn't care much for Hawk O'Toole, probably because of the way he treated Miranda more than anything else. And I didn't care much for Miranda's name getting cut off to Randy. If a writer picks up a pretty name, why change it in the story? Go figure.
Variations on the "he rapes her and she loves it" theme.......2006-05-31
First, I'm going to state for the record that I'm only giving this book one star because Amazon forces you to. There is no one star catagory available, or that's what this book would get.
I really enjoyed another of Sandra Brown's books TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY. So after that I went out and bought everything of Brown's that I could get my hands on. Now I'm starting to wonder if it was just a fluke that I enjoyed something by her so much.
HAWK O'TOOLE'S HOSTAGE was horrible! It was yet another "he rapes her and she loves it" book. He keeps forcing himself on her and she of course ends up loving it. Sick, sick, sick. This kind of trash should be banned. In fact, it should never have even been printed. I shudder to think of impressionable young minds reading this and getting warped views about sex. Rape is NOT romantic! It's a horrible, despicable, degrading crime.
Romantic Times is quoted on the back cover: "No one understand sexual fantasy better than Sandra Brown". Excuuuse me? I don't know about you, but rape is not something I fantasize about. It's something I have nightmares about! I certainly don't want to read about it as entertainment, and certainly not when it's portrayed as romantic.
I'll try a few more of Sandra Brown's books, but I'm going to be much more wary from now on. The lie of romantic rape seems to be a common one these days among "big name" authors (Elizabeth Thornton, Lisa Kleypas and Jo Goodman have all used this sick theme before) -- if only writers would realize that they alienate a good majority of their readers with this garbage.
So there you have it. If you like macho men who treat women like dirt (and rape them) and weak, pathetic women who not only take it but love it, then you might enjoy HAWK O'TOOLE'S HOSTAGE. But if you prefer romance heros to have a shred of decency, and romance heroines to have a shred of self-respect, then you'll want to skip this one.
I loved it!!!.......2006-02-18
This was a wonderful book! I love all of Sandra Brown's books, but this is a favorite. I really enjoyed reading it and got a glimpse into what a Native American Reservation is like.
Terrible.......2005-06-02
Okay, where do I begin? ...I hated this book. I had to keep looking at the cover to make sure I had the correct author. I couldn't believe Mrs. Brown wrote this. I still can't believe it. If I could, I'd give it 0 stars.
Let's start with the lead male character. HE WAS AWFUL! Because he was so mean, I found it hard to sympathize with the plight of him and his people. Nor could I accept that at some point in the story he and the lead female would fall in love. The level of Hawk's heartlessness was just over the top. Throughout the whole book, he is constantly spewing verbal abuse, not to mention being physically threatening. He was horrible. And the story line, the whole scenario seemed out of place for the time period its set in. Now the heroin. ...ugh. I hated her too. There's no way in the world any woman would warm to a man like this. He kidnapped her and her son, kept her son aware from her, abused her, and yet she still let him touch her. THERE'S JUST NO WAY! Like I said, I just could not believe it. Would not recommend that you read this book. I kept reading hoping that there would be something redeemable at the end. There wasn't. Needless to say I could have put those three hours to better use.
LOVED THIS BOOK.......2005-02-20
This was a very first book by Sandra Brown. I loved it. Hawk was jerk in the beginning, but ended up redeeming himself by the end. He was man tormented by many issues revolving around his native american heritage. If you like tortured heroes, you will love this book
Product Description
5 Massmarket paperbacks Romance Titles By Sandra Brown - Demon Rumm - Hawk O'Toole's Hostage - Tidings of Great Joy - Best Kept Secrets - A Whole New Light
Product Description
good reading for the mystery/romance reader
Average customer rating:
- Convoluted, splendidly-silly tall tales. 4.6 stars
- Renews your sense of wonder
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Numbers Don't Lie
Terry Bisson
Manufacturer: Tachyon Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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Bisson, Terry
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Anthologies
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ASIN: 1892391325 |
Book Description
Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction as the short stories "The Edge of the Universe," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "The Hole in the Hole," this inventive and quirky novel combines the stories, featuring the inspired adventures of Wilson Wu, a jack-of-all-trades who uses his eclectic background to solve a variety of wacky futuristic dilemmas. An Ivy League graduate, Wu is a rock musician, a Volvo mechanic, a trial lawyer, a camel driver, an aeronautics engineer, an entomological meteorologist, and, most importantly, a math wizard with a formula for every occasion. A godsend for his friends and the universe, Wu uses his eclectic skill set to prevent the imminent collapse of the universe, guarantee good weather for an Alabama wedding, and tow an abandoned lunar rover from the surface of the moon to a junkyard in Brooklyn. Irreverent and inventive, these adventures exemplify Bisson's smart, hilarious, and satirical style that has earned him Hugo and Nebula awards and comparisons to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut.
Download Description
For the first time, you can get Terry Bisson's three Wilson Wu novelettes in one place, including the Hugo-nominated "Get Me to the Church on Time." Everybody should have a friend like Wilson Wu. He's been a rock musician, an engineer, and a pastry chef; he got halfway into a medical degree and a math Ph.D.; he graduated law school and passed the bar on the first try. Combining meteorology and entomology, he helped on a weather-control project in Quetzalcan. (Don't ask.) And then there's his scholarship on desert caravans. Of course, he's not the main character. That would be Irv, another lawyer, who met him while they were working Legal Aid. Irv's got this talent for stumbling on strange phenomena. Wilson just crunches the numbers. A junkyard dedicated to Volvos conceals a rift in the space-time continuum. A beaded seat cushion in a vacant lot heralds the premature collapse of the universe. And when an airport baggage claim runs like clockwork ? (Shudder.) Check out the math! Bisson has scrupulously illustrated the stories with formulas, all of which have been reviewed for "elegance" by famed mathematician Rudy Rucker. Hey, numbers don't lie!
Customer Reviews:
Convoluted, splendidly-silly tall tales. 4.6 stars.......2006-09-17
This is a collection of the three Wilson Wu stories (first published in Asimov's, 1994-98), gathered into a nice little fixup 'novel'. The first, "The Hole in the Hole" introduces Wu and his Brooklyn pal Irving, as they search for an all-Volvo junkyard -- which, the author notes, really exists (or did) in the real Hole in darkest Brooklyn. Presumably the real Frankie's lacks the periodic incongruent neotopological adjacency (aka the lunar tire-dump) that is the centerpiece of this convoluted and very entertaining tall tale.. Which you may well have already seen -- it was a Hugo nominee, and has been reprinted several times. The other two stories aren't quite up to HOLE -- but they're still pretty darned good. Recommended.
The author's website, terrybisson[dot]com, is well worth a visit, and has several free stories, if you're new to Bisson.
Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
Renews your sense of wonder.......2006-08-06
This was the type of book that drew me into science fiction in the first place. It ranks up there with Heinlein's juveniles. And I mean that as high praise. The only thing juvenile about that famous series of novels was that they avoided sex and extreme violence.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Newsletter on Newsletters, published by Bradinal Communications on May 15, 2003. The length of the article is 761 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Numbers don't always lie. (DM Notebook).
Author: Fred Goss
Publication:
The Newsletter on Newsletters (Newsletter)
Date: May 15, 2003
Publisher: Bradinal Communications
Volume: 40
Issue: 9
Page: 7(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from San Diego Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on October 31, 2005. The length of the article is 666 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Numbers don't lie when it comes to state testing scores.(On The Point)
Author: Allen Polk Hemphill
Publication:
San Diego Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 31, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26
Issue: 44
Page: 50(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from San Diego Business Journal, published by CBJ, L.P. on September 18, 2000. The length of the article is 475 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Numbers Don't Lie. There Is A 'Credit Union Difference'.(Brief Article)
Author: Aaron M. Heier
Publication:
San Diego Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 18, 2000
Publisher: CBJ, L.P.
Volume: 21
Issue: 38
Page: 59
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Fairfield County Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on January 30, 2006. The length of the article is 912 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The numbers don't lie.(VIEWPOINT)(Column)
Author: Lawrence F., Jr. Cafero
Publication:
Fairfield County Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 30, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 45
Issue: 5
Page: 34(1)
Article Type: Column
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Robert Masters presents the wisdom of ancient Egypt through the perspective of contemporary research in psychology and religious studies in his profound study of The Goddess Sekhmet: Psycho-Spiritual Exercises of the Fifth Way. The fifth way refers to the Egyptian theory that humans consist of five bodies: the (most subtle) Spiritual Body (Egyptian: Sahu); and, after that, the increasingly less subtle: Magical Body (Khu); Shadow (Haidit); Double (Ka); and Physical Body (Aufu).
Also included are Sekhmet's myth, her hundred Sacred Names, as well as her rites of meditation, prayer and exercises in body movement, awareness, mind expansion, imagination and creativity. This book initiates readers into a direct experience of the lost feminine mysteries.
Book Description
This book celebrates the everyday act of cooking as a sacred, life- giving activity and reclaims the kitchen as a temple in the home. Its recipes and sample menus are organized by theme and interspersed among chapters that include tips on using feng shui to supercharge kitchen space, learning to work with the chi (life force) in foods, and incorporating cross-cultural celebrations into mealtimes to bring friends and family closer together. Readers will learn how serving guests can be a part of fulfilling their dharma, why washing dishes is actually a form of yoga, and how to use chopping vegetables as a technique for relaxation. They'll also learn how to create and serve a host of mouthwatering and enlightening dishes, from Jade Ecstasy Soup to Summer Solstice Salad to Create Your Own Reality Sundaes.
Customer Reviews:
Vegetarian "karma yoga" for the home kitchen.......2003-10-08
In this excellent book, Jon and Robin Robertson explore the sacredness of food preparation as taught in many different religions and cultures. They also give you plenty of good vegetarian recipes from around the world. Sprinkled thoroughout their book are quotations, prayers, and meditations from different Paths to help make your cooking experience a more spiritual one. Also included are well-written essays on how such mundane activities as chopping, slicing, and stirring your foods can become a form of meditation when done with focused intention and centeredness.
Regarding Jewish content, the book does include Judaism among its lists of quotes, as well as a section on the various foods used in the Passover Seder (pp.112-115). Disappointingly, however, there is no mention at all of the preparations and food rituals connected with Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath.) The Passover Seder is performed only twice a year (first and second evenings of Passover) but the Sabbath happens once a week -- 52 times a year -- and is on a higher spiritual level than Passover in the cycle of Jewish life. For an observant Jew, the Sabbath is the focus of the entire week, to the point that, if we find an especially nice fruit or vegetable, such as one that is just coming into season or difficult to obtain, we save it to serve in honor of the Sabbath. This makes the Sabbath a central part of food consciousness when we go shopping during the week.
The authors here do mention the Jewish "hamotzi" blessing over bread (p.42) but seems to have no idea that the most common time to say this would be over the two specially-braided loaves of bread (challah) served at each of the three sacred meals on the Sabbath. To be fair, the Robertsons are not the only writers to make this mistake -- other eclectic books of this type overlook the Sabbath also. I find myself wondering if this might not be the subconscious result of negative attitudes about the Sabbath in the Western gentile/Christian world (the Robertsons are not Jewish.) At any rate, they missed a major area of Jewish food symbolism here.
There is also a serious blooper on pp. 102-103 which states that "Moslems fast during the day and Jews fast in the evening." This is wrong. Most Jewish fasts, both public fasts and those for private vows, are from sunrise to sunset, exactly the same as the Muslim fasts. The only time Jews ever fast in the evening are on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Tisha B'Av (mourning for the Destruction of the Temple), both of which are 24-hour fasts that do begin at sundown. Jewish DAYS always begin at sundown (I'm not sure if Muslims are the same, or if they begin at sunrise) but our FASTS generally do not. Somehow, the Robertsons got this mixed up. For this blooper and the omission of the Sabbath above, I am docking the book a star, but it is still an excellent resource and well worth buying.
The Sacred Kitchen.......2002-03-29
Robin Robertson is a former restaurant chef, caterer, and cooking teacher who now writes cookbooks and food-related articles. Jon Robertson has spent more than twenty-five years researching spiritual growth, worked as writer and photographer, and taught at the college level. They've combined their skills and knowledge to produce The Sacred Kitchen: Higher Consciousness Cooking for Health and Wholeness, a "practical guidebook meant to inspire family and friends alike to once again pull together for their physical, mental, and spiritual nourishment, particularly at mealtimes."
Many people lead very stress-filled lives, and preparing a meal is often just one more thing that has to somehow be fitted into an already overcrowded schedule. The Robertson's emphasis is on turning the kitchen into an oasis of peace and tranquility, where meal preparation is a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. They say that "in sacred texts from all over the world, we learned about the secret energies of food and the hidden meaning behind the act of cooking itself."
All cooks transfer some of their energy to the food they prepare. A meal cooked with love in a stress-free kitchen has significant healing effects on those eating it. The Robertsons emphasize the importance of "mindfulness" in food preparation. Mindfulness is focusing on what you're doing as you're doing it, rather than thinking about something else. Mindfulness relaxes and energizes those who practice it.
Each chapter includes one or more recipes based on the information in that chapter. Additionally, one chapter is devoted to general information about specific foods, such as grains, followed by a collection of recipes. They also include time-saving tips and strategies with the thought that "just because you have a sacred kitchen doesn't mean you have to spend all day there!" There's also a section on menu-planning, with sample menus.
One appendix provides a listing of suggested pantry items to keep on hand; and a second appendix lists resources.
The Robertsons say "we believe that when you transform cooking from mechanical drudgery into a celebration of life, you can have a tangible healing effect on your health and the well-being of those who eat your cooking." Readers will find that Sacred Kitchen provides everything they need to know to transform their own cooking from drudgery to celebration. Most people will find buying several copies advisable--one for themselves, and extras for their friends and relatives.
All Kitchens should be Sacred.......2000-06-08
This book opened my eyes and my mind to what can truly be achieved through cooking. I have never really been one for cookbooks - but this is much more than that. This book contains not only recipes for the stomach, but recipes for the spirit as well. The sidebar quotes are inspirational - and I have now learned how to turn my eating space into a "Centered Dining Experience."
Thank you Jon and Robin for opening my eyes and my mind to experiences and wonderful tastes that I never would have imagined. I am looking forward to more "Sacred" books.
This book should be featured on Oprah.
A Handbook for Celebrating Life Through Food.......1999-07-06
I opened the pages of this title expecting to read an extraordinary cookbook, but I found much more: a handbook for conscious living and for celebrating life in the food energies that we take in as nourishment for body and soul.
How many of us realize that the thoughts we entertain in our minds and hearts while we cook have a direct, tangible effect on the nourishing potential of the food we prepare for ourselves and our loved ones, family, or friends? If we think of kitchen work as drudgery and grumble and groan over the chores of meal preparation, how can we expect such a meal to taste well and be easily digested? If, on the other hand, we consciously channel positive, loving energy through our hearts and hands into the foods that we cook, we will create a meal that not only tastes wonderful but also heals and regenerates those who eat it.
The authors, Robin Robertson, a professional chef, cooking teacher, food writer, and author of five cookbooks, and Jon Robertson, an accomplished writer, editor, author, and researcher of sacred literature and spiritual philosophies, have put together a comprehensive manual for reclaiming the sacred in the seemingly mundane process of food preparation. Too often, valuable energy is wasted when cooking and meal times are regarded as time robbers which prevent us from accomplishing what we believe to be more important tasks. Correspondingly, we try to cut corners with nutritionally deficient fast foods and meals eaten "on the run."
The Robertsons suggest that by changing our attitude toward food preparation and by allowing the process of cooking to become a flowing meditation exercise, we can rediscover the art of creating meals that are truly wholesome and healing. They maintain that a positive attitude, expressed as loving energy, is the "secret ingredient" of the best meals.
"The Sacred Kitchen" offers many practical suggestions for cultivating such an attitude and for creating an environment which naturally supports the cook's efforts by allowing "Chi", the omnipresent universal energy, to flow freely through the kitchen and eating areas. This is the principle behind Feng Shui, the ancient oriental art of placing furniture, appliances, and objects in a way that maximizes energy flow and prevents blockages. Many kitchens have design flaws because their importance and functionality were not considered by architects who built the kitchen as an "afterthought" in the space left over after other rooms in the house. Using the art of Feng Shui, the authors present helpful ideas for how such problems can be overcome by strategically placing mirrors, plants, or wind chimes to realign the flow of "Chi."
Other suggestions in the book include exercises for finding centeredness within, creating a sacred ambiance through such means as special lighting or candles in the dining area, and for consecrating a meal gathering to a meaningful purpose by saying a blessing over the food and those who will be eating it. "The Sacred Kitchen" draws on ancient traditions and spiritual rituals from around the world for suggestions for special holiday meals and celebration dinners.
A selection of enticing recipes, such as Dharma Burgers, Gaia Vegetable Pot Pie, and Global Pizza, offer the cook many creative ways to explore not only the connection between lovingly prepared, wholesome meals and personal well-being, but also the undeniable relationship between our food choices and planetary environmental health.
A truly unique and enlightened book, "The Sacred Kitchen" is essential reading for anyone who yearns to recreate the comfort and warmth of hearth and home in a world ruled by fast food and the microwave oven.
Making work in the kitchen spiritual.......1999-04-29
This book is so interesting to me because it includes the spiritual, as well as, the mechanics of cooking. It makes cooking a joy instead of a chore. Anyone who cares about making their kitchen sacred will love the the ideas presented in this book.
Book Description
Important and beautifully illustrated volume chronicles the explosive growth of the American locomotive from British imports to grand ten-wheelers of the 1870s. Over 240 vintage photographs, drawings, and diagrams tell the exciting tale. Introduction. Appendices. Index.
Customer Reviews:
White on the American Locomotive.......2007-06-14
The usual superb and scholarly effort we know and love from Mr. White, yet readable and benefiting from his enormous access to the best pictures.
Book Description
•Art quilting made easy
•Simple-to-use cutting tables
•Includes bonus multiview tool
Shift, trim, and sew. That's how easy it is to start making art quilts using Lorraine Torrence's approach. The quilter chooses a contemporary block design, sews a stack of them, then trims each one to create variations. Once joined, the blocks form exciting visual effects. The possibilities are endless—and the results are stunning.
Customer Reviews:
Make a different quilt.......2007-10-10
Love this book, it appears to be a difficult method but it is exceptionally simple - make a different look from a common block by recutting and sewing the blocks back together, have already made one and I am hooked. Would recommend to anyone who wants something different that looks so difficult, but is very easy.
Average customer rating:
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Sarvastivada Buddhist Scholasticism (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)
K. Matsuda
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9004102310 |
Book Description
77 stencil designs of hearts, birds, geometrics, and more to apply to almost any surface.
Customer Reviews:
a fine resource for border stencils.......2002-08-12
This is a terrific resource if you need border stencils. A two-page introduction gives you a list of instructions and the materials needed to complete your stencilling projects. There are 77 stencil patterns printed on medium-weight manila paper, and you will treat the paper with a linseed oil-turpentine solution before cutting out the pattern. There are many designs here -- rounded, square, wide, narrow, floral, geometric, Pennsylvania Dutch, simple and complex. Other books in the series are also very good.
These are beautiful borders........1998-05-05
The designs for borders are beautiful. They include Art Deco, Persion, American Country, and traditional floral designs. These stencils are a relief after viewing book after book of country (chickens, daisies, etc.). I found a better way of using the stencils. I had the stencils copied onto transparencies, then cut the transparencies. By using this method, if you make a cutting mistake the stencil is not ruined. Just make another copy and start over.
Amazon.com
This rich collection of 301 black-and-white photographs, published in time for the 50th anniversary of the integration of professional baseball in 1947, chronicles the life of Jackie Robinson, one of America's most beloved--and least-known--sports heroes. Robinson's stoicism allowed him to endure racist taunts and mistreatment as the first black major leaguer, but it also kept his fans, and even his family, from seeing beyond the quiet dignity that characterized his public persona. Robinson died prematurely at age 53, having admitted that "I had too much stored up inside." From these photos, and the text co-authored by Lee Daniel, a more full idea of Robinson, the man, emerges.
Amazon.com
This memoir by the daughter of one of America's most beloved sports heroes appears just in time for the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of major league baseball. Those expecting to find a darker side of the taciturn, dignified Jackie Robinson will be disappointed: Robinson, according to his daughter, was a devoted father and a civil rights activist whose messy rifts with more outspoken black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are barely mentioned here. Robinson was evidently a complex, deeply reserved man, and it seems likely that even his daughter, whose affection for her famous dad is obvious, did not know him well.
Customer Reviews:
The Robinson Home.......1998-07-30
I guess I went into this book with the wrong expectations. I thought this would be a book about Jackie Robinson. But it was almost exclusively about Sharon, his daughter. And though she had an interesting life, I feel like her book didn't go far beyond the surface.
I felt like she really didn't know her father all that well, or at least she didn't express that in the story. I have no doubt that Jackie Robinson was as great a man as the public believed him to be. However after reading this book, it seems like Sharon got parts of her life from reading articles from past newspapers. I don't feel like I understand the workings of her family any better than I would if I had simply watched old news clips.
I wasn't ever bored with the book and I am glad that the Robinson's were a functionsl black family amidst so much external societal strife. Sharon does do a good job of showing the rest of us the priveleages and the tribulations of being the child of a famous African-A! merican in the 1950's and 60's. She also shows that there are still racial conflicts even when blacks and whites are on the same economic level. Overall its a B+, Robinson was not only a premiere ballplayer, but an outstanding father!
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