Nova Books

Navratilova brings a level of authenticity to this book about the competitive world of tennis. And given that this was written a while ago, it still has echoes with the modern game. You can see Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Sharapova, Lucic, Dokic, Hingis, Davenport, Graf, Evert and Martina herself in bits of all the characters here. What is amazing of course is that many of the players I've named above weren't playing when the book was written.

The story revolves around 16 year old teen queen Audrey Armat who has a controlling family but exudes exterior calm. When her game inexplicably begins to fall apart she goes to the Springs' conditioning camp run by Jordan Myles, a former pro who had to give up the sport after injuring herself while hiking. I won't give any more story details away. But having been to Wimbledon, I must say that Navratilova fantastically captures the atmosphere at SW19. Also the pace never lets up, and she tackles a number of key issues in modern sports- the relationship between parent and child, the role of the promoters and the sponsors and so on.

There is one thing that stands out for me. The human face of the players. Navratilova doesn't use the players and the tennis circuit to tell a story. The players have their own foibles, but they are all human, and most of them are nice young women. It's a reminder that behind the world of glamorous tennis queens lies some troubled, but on the whole normal teenagers.

Ex-Tennis pro Jordan Myles is looking for answers. She travels to south Florida, Wimbeldon, and Flushing Meadows to find out just what has happened to Audrey Armat, the best female tennis players in the world. When Audrey turns up dead, Jordan is determined to expose the killer, or die trying.

A suspense-filled whodunnit that will keep you guessing up until the very end. Navratilova's extensive knowledge of tennis and tournaments make this an interesting read for enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Very similar to the "Brad Smith" tennis novels authored by Jack M. Bickham and just as enjoyable.

Looking forward to more courtside suspense from Nickles and Navratilova!

Along with my newly adopted mini poodle, I purchased three books on the breed. This one is by far my favorite for several reasons.

Number one, it was obviously written by a person intimately familiar with the poodle breed. Though it did cover some basics that would be great for any dog owner to keep in mind (such as potty and behavior training and a basic vet overview), it also delved into specific poodle concerns that I - as a new poodle owner - had never known. My concerns about grooming, feeding, special health concerns and training were all covered.

Another thing I loved about this book was its readability. I never felt overwhelmed or bored reading this, and I really felt prepared to take on the ownership of a breed of dog I'd never had prior experience with.

As an added bonus, it came with a neat training dvd that showed some basic training techniques in live action.

Probably my absolute favorite part about this book is that it covers how to ADOPT a poodle. I met my little buddy at the humane society, and most people are shocked to hear that when I tell them (he looks like he could be a show dog). You really can find a pure bred best friend at the pound. But don't let them overshadow all those adorable mixed breeds!!

This book is a descrition of some traditional dances and footwork. The authors went around interviewing elderly people and collecting their recollections of how dancing was done when they were young. These dances date back to the mid 1800's. This is a nice alternative to dances presented by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.

My husnand and I recently spent our honeymoon in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada and enjoyed very much many of the places recommended in Traveler's Eastern Canada Companion. Hotels, restaurants, points of interest: this guidebook helped to make our trip one that we will remember fondly for years.

Jennifer Petrela

A Traveller's Guide to Cape Breton is a tidy information-packed travelling companion for anyone who wants to discover Cape Breton as it deserves to be discovered.

Six different Travel Options to get you around the Island. Six different routes to a worry-free Cape Breton holiday.

Accomodations. Restaurants. Craft Shops. Studios. Service stations. Hospitals. Picnic Parks. Beaches. Walking Trails. Museums. Concerts. Celidhs.

It's all here. It's all up to date. And it's all user friendly.
--- from book's back cover

As a psychology clinician, my attention was naturally drawn to the following two of the eight chapters offered in this volume: "An Integrative Explanation of Binge Eating Disorder" and "Communication Skills of Anorexics."

"An Integrative Explanation of Binge Eating Disorder" offers an information processing perspective on the loss of executive control over binge-eating, abberrant-eating behavior. The chapter advances the following two hypothesis: immature PFC (prefrontal cortex) and/or cognitive overload (which would nicely account for the tendency to overeat when contextually distracted, e.g. when watching TV). This neurocognitive, information-processing perspective on the mind's struggle to inhibit/self-regulate behavior is a promising thesis for research and clinical practice. With these hypotheses in mind, it would stand to reason that attention/concentration/self-awareness cognitive rehabilitation (say, through mindfulness practice) would work to "rehab" the slacking inhibitory self-regulatory feedback mechanisms. The "cogntive" overload hypothesis works to support the age-old stimulus control strategies (of minimizing triggering and distracting stimuli, the infamous "people-places-things" trigger-trio) to enhance self-regulation and self-control.

"Communication Skills of Anorexics" chapter shares research on social skills deficits among anorexics and suggests a structured CBT social skills training protocol to rehabilitate assertiveness and communication skills for the anorexic clients with the rationale that doing so would the anorexic patients better navigate pathological psychodynamics of their familial environment that are thought to account for etiology and maintenance of the dysfunctional eating and restricting.

I have also liked the chapter on the role of dentistry in assessment and intervention of bulimia. The chapter offers a psychologically savvy, non-directive assessment approach to confronting clients re: possible bulimic etiology of their deteriorated dental health.

In sum, Editor Swain has done a nice job of compiling a diverse enough compendium of research trends, reflecting the multi-disciplinary complexity of the eating disorders.

Pavel Somov, Ph.D., Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, 2008)

This book is a great discovery for those interested not only in cooking, but also in gastronomic culture. In these pages, I enountered easy-to-prepare recipes, well explained, and using interesting and healthful ingredients. I also found a voyage to interesting parts of world culture. Reading and cooking out of the Trout Point Lodge Cookbook is an enirching experience for the soul and the palate.

Very practical advise for today's health care environment. I found the material helpful and validating. The format is easy to read and short enough to fit into a busy schedule. I would recommend this book to anyone in healthcare, but especially those on the "front lines."

Nothing has been as politically divisive in the United States since the civil rights movement as the policies of affirmative action. In his book, Understanding the Backlash Against Affirmative Action, Dr. Fobanjong examines the social and political forces that are responsible for this divide. He goes beyond addressing reasons that account for the backlash against affirmative action, to providing a historical overview of the role that was played by Democratic as well as Repbulican Presidents, including Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, in developing and implementing affirmative action programs. He develops a conceptual model that explains the inevitability of the backlash against affirmative action. It is the only book on affirmative action that goes beyond what is seen by many as a typically domestic controversy to looking at it from a cross-national basis. Using India, South Africa and the United States, he examines the similarities and differnces of affirmative action experiences on these three major continents.

The book provides an outstanding analysis of this very complex and rather sensitive subject. Irrespective of one's political affiliation (Democrat or Republican), one would find that the book is balanced, thoughtful, and very well researched. The book opens your mind to the various roles that the three branches of government have played in addressing the affirmative action debate.

"Understanding the Backlash Against Affirmative Action" is a must read for anyone interested in getting answers for this rather intractable public policy controversy.

David Mollet