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The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
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Pub: National Geographic
Date: March 25, 2008
ISBN-10: 1426202741 ISBN-13: 978-1426202742 Health & Wellness
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With the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are that you may live up
to a decade longer. What's the prescription for success? National
Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the
best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the
world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full
lives. And in this dynamic book he discloses the recipe, blending this
unique lifestyle formula with the latest scientific findings to inspire
easy, lasting change that may add years to your life.
Buettner's
colossal research effort, funded in part by the National Institute on
Aging, has taken him from Costa Rica to Italy to Japan and beyond. In
the societies he visits, it's no coincidence that the way people
interact with each other, shed stress, nourish their bodies, and view
their world yields more good years of life. You'll meet a 94-year-old
farmer and self-confessed "ladies man" in Costa Rica, an 102-year-old
grandmother in Okinawa, a 102-year-old Sardinian who hikes at least six
miles a day, and others. By observing their lifestyles, Buettner's
teams have identified critical everyday choices that correspond with
the cutting edge of longevity research-and distilled them into a few
simple but powerful habits that anyone can embrace. |
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Why is God Laughing?: the Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism by Deepak Chopra
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Publisher: Harmony
Date: Jun 3 2008
ISBN-10: 0307408884 ISBN-13: 978-0307408884 Philosophy & Spirituality
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Meet
Mickey Fellows. A successful L.A. comedian, he's just a regular guy,
with his fair share of fears, egocentricities, and addictions. After
his father's death, Mickey meets a mysterious stranger named Francisco,
who changes his life forever. The two begin an ongoing discussion about
the true nature of being. Reluctantly at first, Mickey accepts the
stranger's help and starts to explore his own life in an effort to
answer the riddles Francisco poses. Mickey starts to look at those
aspects of himself that he has hidden behind a wall of wisecracks all
his life. Eventually Mickey realizes that authentic humor opens him up
to the power of spirit-allowing him to finally make real connections
with people.
After taking the reader on a journey with Mickey,
Chopra then spells out the lessons that Mickey's story imparts to us:
ten reasons to be optimistic, even in our challenging world. Chopra
believes that the healthiest response to life is laughter from the
heart, and even in the face of global turmoil, we can cultivate an
internal sense of optimism. Rich with humor and practical advice, Why Is God Laughing?
shows us without a doubt that there is always a reason to be grateful,
that every possibility holds the promise of abundance, and that
obstacles are simply opportunities in disguise. In the end, we really
don't need a reason to be happy.
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Audition: a Memoir by Barbara Walters
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Publisher: Knopf
Date: May 6 2008
ISBN-10: 030726646X ISBN-13: 978-0307266460 Biography & Memoir
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Barbara Walters's perception of the world was formed at a very early
age. Her father, Lou Walters, was the owner and creative mind behind
the legendary Latin Quarter nightclub, and it was his risk-taking
lifestyle that gave Barbara her first taste of glamour. Through her roller-coaster ride of a childhood, Barbara had a
close companion, her mentally challenged sister, Jackie. True, Jackie
taught her younger sister much about patience and compassion, but
Barbara also writes honestly about the resentment she often felt having
a sister who was so "different" and the guilt that still haunts her. All
of this-the financial responsibility for her family, the fear, the
love-played a large part in the choices she made as she grew up: the
friendships she developed, the relationships she had, the marriages she
tried to make work. Ultimately, thanks to her drive, combined with a
decent amount of luck, she began a career in television. And what a
career it has been! Against great odds, Barbara has made it to the top
of a male-dominated industry. Barbara Walters has spent a lifetime
auditioning: for her bosses at the TV networks, for millions of
viewers, for the most famous people in the world, and even for her own
daughter, with whom she has had a difficult but ultimately quite
wonderful and moving relationship. This book, in some ways, is her
final audition, as she fully opens up both her private and public
lives. In doing so, she has given us a story that is heartbreaking and
honest, surprising and fun, sometimes startling, and always
fascinating. |
Passion on the Vine: a Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italyby Sergio Esposito
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Publisher: Broadway
Date: April 22 2008 ISBN-10: 0767926072 ISBN-13: 978-0767926072 Biography & Memoir / Food & Drink
Check AvailabilityAt a young age, Esposito and his family move from Naples, Italy, to
Albany, N.Y., where he first falls in love with wine in the basement
dining room of his uncle's house. Even as he reflects on the poor
quality of those first sips, he understands he was consuming the sense
of family and the spirit of his crazy yet adored uncle. After opening a
store in Albany, he moves to Manhattan to work as a sommelier in the
early 1990s. There he partakes of haute cuisine and affluent wine
collections, while learning the hierarchy of international wines. While
French wines are considered the pinnacle of the industry and
Californian wines are gaining interest, there are very few Italian
wines of note. With a fiery passion, he determines to bring
appreciation of the wines of his homeland to America and opens Italian
Merchant Wines, where he continues today to import highly selected
Italian wines. His writing is exuberant, and his wine descriptions
evocative. A bottle of Ribolla reminds him of staring at a cracked
painting of a beautiful woman from long ago. For lovers of wine, this
is a full-bodied read about one man's passion and the many delectable
moments along his journeys. |
The Second Plane: September 11 - Terror & Boredom by Martin Amis
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Publisher: Knopf Canada
Date: April 1 2008 ISBN-10: 0676977855 ISBN-13: 978-0676977851 Current Affairs / OpinionCheck AvailabilityA master not only of fiction but also of fiercely controversial
political engagement, Martin Amis here gathers fourteen pieces that
constitute an evolving, provocative and insightful examination of the
most momentous event of our time. At the heart of this
collection is the long essay "Terror and Boredom," an unsparing
analysis of Islamic fundamentalism and the West's flummoxed response to
it, while other pieces address the invasion of Iraq, the realities of
Iran and Tony Blair's pallid departure from Downing Street. Amis's
reviews of pertinent books and films, from The Looming Tower to United
93, provide a wide-ranging survey of other responses to these
calamitous issues, which are further explored in two short stories:
"The Last Days of Mohammed Atta," and "In the Palace of the End,"
narrated by a Middle Eastern tyrant's double whose duties include epic
lovemaking, grotesque torture and the duplication on his own body of
the injuries sustained by his alter ego in constant assassination
attempts. Whether lambasted for his refusal to kowtow to
Muslim pieties or hailed for his blunt common sense, Amis is
indisputably a great pleasure to read-informed, elegant, surprising-and
this collection a resounding contemplation of the relentless, manifold
dangers we suddenly find ourselves living with.
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Declassified: 50 Documents that Changed History by Thomas B. Allen
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Publisher: National Geographic
Date: May 20 2008 ISBN-10: 1426202229 ISBN-13: 978-1426202223 History / Espionage
Culled from archives around the world, the 50 documents in Declassified
illuminate the secret and often inaccessible stories of agents,
espionage, and behind-the-scenes events that played critical roles in
American history. Moving through time from Elizabethan England to the
Cold War and beyond, noted author Tom Allen places each document in its
historical and cultural context, sharing the quirky and little-known
truths behind state secrets and clandestine operations. Each of seven
chapters centers on one particular theme: secrets of war, the art of
the double cross, spy vs. spy, espionage accidents, and more. Through
support and access provided by the International Spy Museum in
Washington, D.C., this lively history contains never-before-published
and hard-to-find documents-printed from scans of the originals wherever
possible. These include The Zimmerman Telegram, which led America into
World War I; letters from Robert Hanssen to his Soviet spymaster,
marking the start of his devastating career as a mole; and papers as
recent as the Presidential Daily Brief that announced that Bin Laden
was determined to strike the U.S.-delivered in August 2001. The
public interest in state secrets and espionage has been piqued by our
current international conflicts, and this engrossing book-well priced
and engagingly written for the general reader-will definitely feed that
fascination. |
Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks From Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West by Shannon McKenna Schmidt & Joni Rendon
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Publisher: National Geographic
Date: May 20 2008 ISBN-10: 1426202776 ISBN-13: 978-1426202773
It's often said that a good book takes us somewhere we've never been
before, and here's the proof: a book-lover's Baedeker to more than 500
literary locales across the United States and Europe. Novel Destinations invites
readers to follow in the footsteps of much-loved authors, discover the
scenes that sparked their imaginations, glimpse the lives they led, and
share a bit of the experiences they transformed so eloquently into
print. If you're looking to indulge in literary adventure, you'll find
all the inspiration and information you need here, along with
behind-the-scenes stories such as these:
After Ernest Hemingway
survived two near-fatal plane crashes during an African safari, he
perused his obituaries and sipped champagne on a canal-side terrace in
Venice.
Washington Irving's wisteria-draped cottage in the
Hudson Valley was once occupied by members of the Van Tassel family,
immortalized in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
A
mysterious incident at a stone tower near Dublin made such a vivid
impression on James Joyce that he drew on it for the opening scene of Ulysses.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle consulted on the mystery of Agatha Christie's
1926 disappearance before she resurfaced under an assumed name in
northern England.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables was inspired by a seaside manse in Salem, Massachusetts, infamous witch trials in which his ancestor played a role.
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| Belle Moral: a Natural History by Ann-Marie MacDonald |
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Date: May 13 2008
ISBN-10: 0307397246
ISBN-13: 978-0307397249
Ann-Marie MacDonald's love of the fabulous is in full force with this multi-layered reworking of her earlier play, The Arab's Mouth.
Following her father's death, amateur scientist Pearl MacIsaac struggles to discover the secret of her family's past, which her father had been kept hidden with the help of the family doctor. Set in Scotland in 1899, this dark and redemptive gothic comedy is a story of family secrets that have come to life and of the birth and evolution of ideas-and truly a play of morals. Reaching out in two directions to reconcile the extremes of rationalism and romanticism, Belle Moral embraces a complex range of turn-of-the-century thought including Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, contemporary medical beliefs and the concept of eugenics. |
Books: a Memoir by Larry McMurtry
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Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: Jul 8 2008
ISBN-10: 1416583343 ISBN-13: 978-1416583349 In a prolific life of singular literary achievement, Larry McMurtry has
succeeded in a variety of genres: in coming-of-age novels like The Last Picture Show; in collections of essays like In a Narrow Grave; and in the reinvention of the Western on a grand scale in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove. Now, in Books: A Memoir,
McMurtry writes about his endless passion for books: as a boy growing
up in a largely "bookless" world; as a young man devouring the vastness
of literature with astonishing energy; as a fledgling writer and family
man; and above all, as one of America's most prominent bookmen. He
takes us on his journey to becoming an astute, adventurous book scout
and collector who would eventually open stores of rare and collectible
editions in Georgetown, Houston, and finally, in his previously
"bookless" hometown of Archer City, Texas.In this work of
extraordinary charm, grace, and good humor, McMurtry recounts his life
as both a reader and a writer, how the countless books he has read
worked to form his literary tastes, while giving us a lively look at
the eccentrics who collect, sell, or simply lust after rare volumes. Books: A Memoir is
like the best kind of diary -- full of McMurtry's wonderful anecdotes,
amazing characters, engaging gossip, and shrewd observations about
authors, book people, literature, and the author himself. At once
chatty, revealing, and deeply satisfying, Books is, like McMurtry,
erudite, life loving, and filled with excellent stories. It is a book
to be savored and enjoyed again and again. |
Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science by Richard Preston
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Publisher: Random House
Date: May 27 2008
ISBN-10: 1400064902 ISBN-13: 978-1400064908 Science / Medicine
Check AvailabilityBizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable
ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries
and save lives. From The Hot Zone to
The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston's bestselling
works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds
of nature they never dreamed of. Panic in Level 4 is a
grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard
Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to
leave one's mind. Here are dramatic true stories, including: · The phenomenon of
"self-cannibals," who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by
one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew
their own flesh-and why everyone may have a touch of this disease. ·
The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden
somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into
the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror. · The
brilliant Russian brothers-"one mathematician divided between two
bodies"-who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order
parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (π). In
fascinating, intimate, and exhilarating detail, Richard Preston
portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are
currently roiling and reordering our world.
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No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach by Anthony Bourdain
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Publisher: Bloomsbury US
Date: Oct 30 2007 ISBN-10: 1596914476 ISBN-13: 978-1596914475 An illustrated, behind-the-scenes travel journal of Anthony Bourdain's global adventures. More than just a companion to the hugely popular show, No Reservations
is Bourdain's fully illustrated journal of his far-flung travels. The
book traces his trips from New Zealand to New Jersey and everywhere in
between, mixing beautiful, never-before-seen photos and mementos with
Bourdain's outrageous commentary on what really happens when you give a
bad-boy chef an open ticket to the world. Want to know where to get
good fatty crab in Rangoon? How to order your reindeer medium rare? How
to tell a Frenchman that his baguette is invading your personal space?
This is your book. For any Bourdain fan, this is an indispensable
opportunity to hit the road with the man himself. |
The Holmes Inspection by Mike Holmes
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Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Date: May 27 2008 ISBN-10: 1554680433 ISBN-13: 978-1554680436 House & Home
Check AvailabilityMike Holmes is on a mission. Now that he's helped Canadian home
renovators with his mega-selling Make It Right, Canada's most trusted
contractor offers his expertise and passion for excellence to anyone
with plans to sell or buy a home. In The Holmes Inspection, Mike shows
us how to sell smart and buy smart so there'll be no surprises when it
comes to the single largest investment most of us will ever make. Homebuyers
today are in a bind. Before signing on the dotted line and handing over
their hard-earned cash, they need advice about the product itself: the
house they've got their eye on. But to get that good advice, says
Holmes, it often takes more than a single call to a "professional" home
inspector. He tells readers what a home inspector can and can't do, and
what options are open to prospective homebuyers who need to know what
they're getting. Holmes deconstructs the often mystifying and downright
scary process of buying and selling a house, walking readers through,
into and around the average house so they can see past the tasteful,
neutral decorating scheme. Using real case studies, "red flag"
sidebars and hundreds of photographs, The Holmes Inspection shows
readers how to spot problems that could be expensive or even
catastrophic, giving them the information they need to judge a house
wisely. From the mechanicals (furnace, electrical and plumbing) to the
"envelope" (floors, walls, doors and windows) to issues of location and
siting, this book alerts readers to the ugly realities behind the
"lipstick and mascara" that many vendors use to cover up problems when
selling their homes. |
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