Clubs Books

This picture book covers diverse themes. Poetry is interspersed between the photographs, and there is a section in the book which gives brief biographies of the women photographers of this book.

A section on humans includes the Tibetan man, Yi woman, Kuna woman, a winter solstice celebration, mountain monastery, and a ghost town. Most of the book, however, is centered on nature. There are photos of Monument Valley, Arizona, autumn reflection in a waterfall, minerals such as sandstone, etc. Plants photographed include the fleabane, sunflower, white spruce cones, and the flowering crab apple. Animal photographs include the African elephant, impala, bald eagle, python, elephant seal, and the lion. There's even a photo of a spider web with a captured fly.

I received this book as a gift from a friend several years ago and consider it one of the best gifts I have ever received. This book is a wonderful blend of photography with poetry and insight. The combination of words and pictures depicts nature, people, and everyday life in a way that you have never seen before. For nature lovers or photography buffs, I highly recommend that you purchase this book if you can locate it anywhere.

Now in a revised tenth-anniversary edition and edited by writer, photographer, naturopathic physician, and acupuncturist Judith Boice, Mother Earth Through The Eyes Of Women Photographers And Writers is a full-color compendium of stunningly beautiful photographs truly capturing the impressive and memorable splendor of the natural world, alongside brief yet moving essays and poems written in reverence of the earth's bounty. A vivid celebration of life itself, Mother Earth Through The Eyes Of Women Photographers And Writers is a especially attractive coffee table book and a fine addition to any nature lover's personal collection.

I loved this book! The main character, E.Z. Elias, a private detective is very funny and so realistic it seems as though you know him personally. The book was fun to read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good detective novel!

I found Murder In The Rose City to be riveting from the very start and never lets up. The lead character is a Portland, Oregon private investigator named Eric "E.Z." Elias. He is half-black, cool, funny, sexy, and knows how to go after the bad guys. He gets his chance when hired by the Deputy D.A. to track down a drug dealer named "Worm." Along the way, E.Z. is seduced by a beautiful blonde, framed for her apparent murder, and falls head over heels for a Whitney Houston lookalike!

The action, fun, and romance of this hard-boiled urban detective novel makes it a winner big time! See for yourself!

I truly enjoyed reading this book! E.Z. Elias is a humorous detective who gets involved in two different cases that really put him to the test. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book that I was able to read in only a couple of days! Good work, R. Barri Flowers!

This book piqued my interest as I kept seeing the ad for it in the back of other Del-ray manga.The concept of the series has been done, girl somehow gets involved with a group of hot, popular guys. But Morinaga's brand of random, comic hilarity and cast of characters that completely mock their stereotypical counterparts, bring a whole image to the sports and romantic comedy genres.

What drew me to actually get it was the character of Hana herself. Morinaga has very beautiful and interesting artwork especially regarding Hana who looks and behaves totally different from the standard bright- eyed, bushy- tail, energetic, cute girl you normally get in this genre. She's not sickenly naive or un-necessarily hot-headed (her reasons for getting mad at the boys are actually valid). She's lazy, irritable, gluttonous, and flawed, your REAL average girl. The way she interacts with the hot all-boy posse including her love interest, Izumi, is priceless. It's a real journey of her learning to get along the clueless and spoiled rich boys and coming to care for them (it's blatantly obivious at first that she could care less for any of them).

Hana Suzuki is a refreshing contrast to your average manga (and anime) heroine and if you pick up this title for any reason, it'll be to see her character evolve.

This book is really funny;. It also has really good art work. The last time I laughed this hard was when I read "Queens" and "Demom Diary"
The author really has a gift for doing things in a funny way plus there is plenty of romance, which we shoujo lovers enjoy. It's a very enjoyable read. I plan on getting the whole weries.

If you're expecting a sports manga, you're going to be dissappointed.
Very funny with similarities to the earliest parts of Kare Kano, but without any serious aspects.
Quite funny, nice artwork.

While Pasternak is known in the United States mainly for his novel "Dr. Zhivago" - or, more to the point, the film based on "Dr. Zhivago" - he was quite an accomplished poet. A better poet, I think, than he was a novelist. Although I've never read Mr. Rudman's translation - or, for that matter, any translation at all - "Sister of Mine-Life" keeps to its bosom a host of beautiful poems.

Rather than try to explain Pasternak's incredible gift for metaphor and detail, his absolute love of words - he was a decent translator of Shakespeare and others - I'll roughly approximate my favorite poem, from it's original Russian. It is untitled.

***

My friend, you ask, who ordered
That the holy idiot's speech should blaze?

***

Let us trickle words
As the garden drips amber and lemon
Absently and generous,
Gently, gently, gently.

And there's no need to explain
Why there is such ceremony
Of madder and of lemon
Scattering on leaves.

Who made pine needles rush
On a long stick, like music
Through the locks of Venetian blinds,
To the bookcase.

Who reddened the rug of mountain ash
Rippling beyond the door,
Written through with beautiful,
Quivering cursives.

You ask, who orders
That August be great
To whom nothing is small
Who lives in the finishing

Of maple leaves;
Who, since the days of the Ecclesiastes,
Hasn't left his post
And is hewing alabaster?

You ask, who orders,
That the September lips of asters and dahlias
Shall suffer?
That leaves
Should fall from stone caryatids
To the damp gravestones
Of autumn hospitals?

You ask, who orders?
--Omnipotent God of details,
Omnipotent God of love,
Of Yaigails and Yaidvigas.

I don't know, was it decided,
The riddle of the road to the afterlife,
But life, like the stillness
Of autumn -- is details.

I can't quite transmit the pine needles rushing through the Venetian blinds as boats through a sluice, but I'm sure Mr. Rudman could. Even through my approximate translation, it's possible to see what a man of detail Pasternak was. In my edition, the introduction begins: "With Pasternak, you must hurt" -- as great ideas are, the editor notes, painful.

Pasternak certainly took painful care of his words, his thoughts, his beauty. And "Sister of Mine-Life," one of his earlier collections - (the summer of 1917) - is beautiful, detailed and pained.

***

As a post script, I prefer "Sister of Mine-Life," to "My Sister-Life" because the construction "sistra maya" - rather than "maya sistra" stresses that she's my sister.

Also, because life and sister are both female in gender, "my sister" and "my life" are dually coupled in Pasternak's title. "My" could refer solely to sister, or it could be my life, as well.

Some of our strongest poets are those who energize the material things and concrete sensations of daily life in special ways. Objects set apart by poetic imagination and power become sacred and establish a bond between the reader as perceiver and the thing perceived. By extension the bond opens the reader to an entire universe of ensouled matter--a new way of looking at the world.

Such is the poetry of Boris Pasternak in this 1917 book written at the height of The Great War and on the eve of the October Revolution. Pasternak's spirited materialism predates William Carlos Williams's concept "No ideas but in things."

Pasternak sets many of these poems in concretely described locations where his magical materialism can go to work. In "The Flies of the Moochkap Teahouse,"

The spirit sweats--the horizon's
tobacco-tinged--like thought
Windmills image a fishing village
Boats and weathered nets.

This poet's world view of ensouled materiality provides a unique perspective on the new century just beginning. Each reader must decide for him or herself just how prescient or prophetic Pasternak's "The Definition of Soul" was to become.

It falls like a ripe pear into the storm
with a single clinging leaf
How faithful--it quits its branch--
reckless--it chokes in the heat.

We learn much about Pasternak from his later novel and the film (Dr. Zhivago) it spawned--but we don't experience his power as a poet. He was possibly the the most poetically powerful of figures in what is known as the Silver Age of Russian Literature, including Marina Tsvetaeva Selected Poems (Tsvetaeva, Marina) (Twentieth-Century Classics), Osip Mandelstam Selected Poems of Osip Mandelstam (New York Review Books Classics), Anna Akhmatova Anna Akhmatova (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets), and Nikolai Gumilyov The Pillar of Fire, among the most talented and brilliant poets of the twentieth century. They bore the brunt of the Soviet regime's ideological attacks and physical repression.

Here is poetic brilliance and talent of the first rank--the power of poetry of material things on display.

Pasternak's poetry is better than his prose. Why he is still often better known for the latter baffles me. I suggest this or any of his collected poems to the reader looking for creative, quality poetry. Pasternak certainly ranks as one of the greatest amongst the group of very talented Russian poets that emerged during the first quarter of the 20th centuary. His poems deserve just as much (if not more) recognition as his novels.

If you enjoyed Harry Potter, you will relish this...live it!...'Ancient cities, magical powers. Sages with extraordinary powers and bigger than life warriors.? This is a story of courage. A saga of fighting the odds. Of living a life of empowerment. Naked in a sandstorm will take you deep into your soul as you read. This is the story of great battles, mystery and truth. You will rediscover yourself as you follow the hero, Avhmon. He is like you. He is YOU!

You will learn to harness the powers of the metaphysical as you follow the great sages Moreihe, Ananda and Charaka. You will fight great wars with the brave Prabu, Kattaboman, Devtha, Avhmon and the 'Narashima warriors'-The celestial warlords.

Lust, love and sacrifice is part of human nature. Naked in a sandstorm is about those too.

Meet the terrible Kormi he will make you loathe him. And there is Apsara, you will cry with her. Get to know Kirtana, a woman with a burning passion and unbound love.

In a cave, five miles deep, in the bowels of the earth, you will discover what the future holds for you! And discover the mystery behind the sacred virgins!'

A fast paced action, psychological fantasy thriller that will enthrall and at the same time EMPOWER you!

Its THOUGHT PROVOKING and EMPOWERING!

I enjoyed the book so much, that i sent the author an email of appreciation, for a book well written! Here is the mail i sent! __________________

Dear Mohan,

I finished your book. It exceeded my expectations- though I didn't think that would be possible! It's not a book someone can only read once. There are so many thought provoking aspects that one soon realizes it's not just another book of fiction but a book filled with philosophical viewpoints coming from years of study, experience and deep thinking. Each merits contemplative thought to get the full impact. I'll be reading it again- slowly- so I can do just that.

Most fiction books are simplistic- a fast read- evoking little personal involvement from the reader. As I followed Avhmon's quest for spiritual growth- his questions became my questions- and his discoveries- my discoveries. Thank you.

Truly this is the book that has everything- just as you described on the back cover.

I could go on and on but won't- I'll spread it out in subsequent emails. Only one question this time- "Do you see auras?"

This book is- exceptional!

God bless and take care!

Phyllis

It exceeded my expectations - though I didn't think that would be possible! It's not a book someone can only read once. There are so many thought provoking aspects that one soon realizes it's not just another book of fiction but a book filled with philosophical viewpoints coming from years of study, experience and deep thinking. Each merits contemplative thought to get the full impact. I'll be reading it again - slowly - so I can do just that.

Most fiction books are simplistic - a fast read - evoking little personal involvement from the reader. As I followed Avhmon's quest for spiritual growth - his questions became my questions - and his discoveries - my discoveries.

Truly this is the book that has everything

Prepare yourself for an adventure such as you've never experienced before. An adventure that will transport you from an ancient mythical world to the most far reaching revelations of the world to come. Through the artful story telling of the author, you will become one with Avhmon on his quest for truth and spiritual enlightenment. Avhmon's adventures are many and you will share in his fears and triumphs. You will intimately come to know those people who most influence his life and growth. Avhmon's questions and discoveries will become yours and, in the process, many of your long held beliefs will be reexamined and forever changed. You will emerge enlightened, empowered and enriched. This is a must read!

Its a fiction/fantasy...set during ancient civalization. It is about one persons quest for self discovery. Along the way, meets with lots of adventure and action, love, lust, suffering and friendship. The setting for the story is different somewhat from other books. I found it refreshing. As i read, i could identify myself with the hero and the situations...A cozy read!

A complete and up to date guide to the Lifestyle. From the history of swinging to lists of clubs to worldwide conventions this directory has it all. An excellent resource for couples interested in the pursuit of sexual stimulation and satisfaction - from those just thinking about taking their first step to those with decades of experience.

Sexuality covers many variations, from celibate to celebatory (with more than one partner). For those couples for whom monogamy seems limiting to their relationship, the alternative is the swinging lifestyle. Where does one go for information concerning such intimacy? I always recommend the NASCA INTERNATIONAL'S DIRECTORY OF SWING CLUBS, PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS.

While neither graphic nor clinical, this latest directory contains a surprisingly comprehensive amount of information concerning the who, what, why and where's of this lifestyle. It certainly answers many questions of what swinging is, how it started, who swingers are and what they look like (like members of the gay lifestyle, many families also have swingers in them - they just look like regular people!).

The book provides sections on social etiquette, where to go and what to do. The largest section is devoted to a state-by-state listing of swinging clubs followed by an international club listing. Swinging magazine publishers have a listing along with many interesting swinging websites

Swinging conventions and resorts have sprouted up all over the country and the world and most of them are listed here.

I will say, as the editor in chief of one of the major swinging publications, Contact Publishing's Swingers Update, I find this directory an invaluable tool and source of information.

This is THE primary directory for any journalist or academic needing a starting point for a first hand examination of the grass roots sexual subculture known as "the lifestyle." For couples thinking about attending a lifestyle party, convention, or holiday, there is no better place to look for options than this volume. As for couples who are already in the swinging lifestyle and perhaps traveling across the continent or overseas, this book should be in your suitcase--right beside your Frommer's Guide. Hundreds of clubs in 47 states and 20 countries are listed, with detailed descriptions of each club, a contact phone number, and an Email address. In addition, there are separate sections on swing publications, events, and resorts, as well as a measured chapter that defines the subculture, gives its history, profiles its participants, and offers cautionary words about the necessity for strictly adhering to its etiquette. There are now millions of mainstream people who are "in the lifestyle," and most of them do follow that etiquette, believing they live in a certain STYLE that melds their conservative family values--matrimony, children, emotional monogamy--with the erotic cultivation of their marriages by attending the subculture's events. Nevertheless, roughly ten per cent of the couples in the lifestyle do not actually swing. They just like dressing for the beach or the harem and going to parties where Bacchic titillation is the norm. If you want to get a handle on how to meet some of the warm and walking people in the lifestyle--swinging or non-swinging--this is the book.

I've been a fan of National Geographic since I was just a little boy, the captivating photographs and well written articles of The National Geographic Society have never ceased to amaze me.
When I bought this book a week ago, I was reluctant to believe that I had made a wise decision in buying it. But after it arrived in the mail and I saw those wonderful photographs and read the articles of this book, I realized just how wrong I had been! I usually dont buy the newer publications of National Geographic due to the decline in the quality of the articles over the years. These days, the articles published in the pages of National Geographic magazine are sub-par when compared to the articles of the 80's & 90's. What ever happened to the writers whos articles inspired me to become a Journalist? Anyway, I was worried that this book would be lacking in the quality of it's articles, but I was glad to discover that I was wrong! This is one of the best National Geographic books that I have ever read! It contains some of the best writing that I've ever seen, not to mention the breath-taking photography that has always made National Geographic such an icon among books and magazines!
If you're a fan of National Geographic, then I highly recommend adding this book to your collection!
And if you're a fan of fine photography then I highly recommend buying this book! It's packed full of more than 400 full color and black & white photographs!
And at the price that they're selling it for, they're practically giving it away! Buy it now, you wont be disappointed!

Only National Geographic could chronicle the triumphs and the tragedies of mankind, as well as the awesome wonder of nature. This thick volume features award-winning photography combined with detailed accompanying text.

For those of us unable to travel to such exotic locations or live during the time periods profiled, this monumental book offers such an opportunity.

This purchase is money spent wisely.

A masterpiece collection from the masters of photography. A well compiled selection from the archives of NGM...this book is truly value for money. If you have espace on your coffe-table, buy this...

I found this book amazing because it helps you to organize ideas for any type of design. It allows you to use different elements like color, space, and light in a way that you can combine them with things that you may already have. After applying some of the ideas in my own home I noticed people would come in and feel different, I felt like I was somewhere else. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to little by little begin to redecorate or likes a change every now and then.

"A home is an extension of ourselves, expressing our interests and beliefs even when we aren't there."

If you love your home, you already know that a home plays a central role in you life. Each home reflects our individual tastes and can be a retreat from the stresses of our modern lifestyle.

This book contains over 500 color photographs to give you inspiring original ideas for every room in your home. There are sections on Space, Light, Color, Surfaces, Air and Sound to demonstrate the principles of successful interior design.

"While natural light is vital for life,
shade and shadows bring repose." pg. 50

Space - How do you think about space? Are you considering a minimalist lifestyle or do you want to order your clutter?

Light - Illuminate a room, use natural lighting or put up curtains to block light.

Color - The decorator's color wheel, explanation of color, using milk paint, an expression of yourself in earth tones.

Surfaces - Flooring, rugs, walls, tables & chairs, visual texture, patterns and stencils.

Air - Circulation, windows, plants & flowers, humidity, moisture.

Sound - Noise & echo, muffling noise, decorative textile hangings, pleasant sounds, wind chimes.

Home Comforts - How do you relax, entertain, cook, sleep, bathe, work?

20 Projects are included throughout the book. You might enjoy making a sunflower stenciled cloth, a double-sided screen, collectable shadow boxes, rolled beeswax candles, curtains, beautiful pressed flower candles, lampshades, cushions or an intoxicating rosemary wood polish. I imagine you could also infuse lavender. How about clove and honey soap you could give as gifts?

I love the "Glass Bead Door Curtain." Totally quaint! And then there is a section on entertaining where they use small rocks hanging on strings as table weights to keep the table cloth from flying away in the breeze.

Useful sections include:

Kitchen cupboard restoration
Painting techniques
Restoring garden furniture
A Resources Section
Easy-to-use Index

A book to read when you want to dream!

~The Rebecca Review

I just love this book. The evocative messages are an inspiration. Don't just look at the pictures - read this book!

This book is mandatory for any families facing possible transplantation. It's so uplifting and inspiring.
For those of us fortunate to not be facing these issues, these stories are just wonderful. It's amazing what is possible today that in our childhood was not.
The best feature of the book is how Violino captures the individual voice and tone of each person and each family's story.
Hospitals and doctors' offices should all have a copy on hand.

New Life is a heartwarming book about the life challenges of several transplant recipients. I especially enjoyed reading and visualizing the many trials and triumphs endured by these courageous individuals. The book is a powerful collection of uplifting and insightful lessons that make you trust in faith, appreciate your own "life" and feel happy to know that others have been granted a "New Life". A great book you're sure to enjoy!

Beautifully written by a transplant recipient who details the experiences of other transplant recipients, "New Life" describes the triumphs of body and spirit of everyday people who faced and conquered some of life's most difficult challenges. The lessons described in "New Life" apply to each of us who may be confronted with any sort of crisis and illustrate the role that positive attitudes play in bringing about successful outcomes to the most difficult problems. "New Life" is an easy to read book that is packed with the most profound examples of human courage. A great read!

You must read this book if you are interested in any type of self-improvement, personal development, or understanding of yourself and others. After reading the first chapter, I was going to buy a highlighter to start highlighting the important sentences in each chapter. I am glad I didn't. The entire book would be highlighted. Every sentence put me deeper and deeper into the understanding of myself and the world around me. I have read several best selling "self-improvement" type books and none came close to the affect this one had on me. This book should be read by everyone. It helped me understand my attitudes towards myself and others and what to do to correct and/or improve on them. I can't say enough about the book, except buy it! You will thank me.

Vincent Cole's book, The Next Step in Evolution, can be read for information or really used as a personal guide when one is going through transitional periods. I found it to be very informative and comforting at times. Not only is it affirming but it is also a great guide to taking the next step and evaluating where one has been. I have given it as a gift to a friend and plan to give several more copies to friends who are at cross roads in life. The old saying of " the teacher appears when the student is ready" is very apt in the case of this book for me. Honestly, I was ready for ho-hum and was very pleasantly surprised and gratified by the level of the concepts, explanations and writing style. It is a wonderful addition to our library on understanding the human condition ! Bravo to the author !

"Life on this planet, this place called Earth. this spinning sphere of joy and sorrow, of love and violence, of light and dark, is but a reflection of a greater reality" writes author and seeker Vincent Cole. Thus begins one of the most insightful, integral and wisdom-filled books this reviewer has seen in a long time.

The Next Step in Evolution was completed while the author was on a personal retreat in the desert resulting in his most spiritually satisfying experience, ever. The words channeled come from beings who came from God. The words are a simple message for your soul that can encourage, strengthen and enhance your understanding of reality. Mr. Cole writes, "The journey begins by looking inward...to glimpse even a small fraction of God will bring understanding of your own true nature".

The Next Step in Evolution offers more than a glimpse, though. Vincent Cole leads the reader to an understanding of who we are, who we can be, and how. He takes us, for instance, beyond ego to unity with Spirit. He takes us from, "I am a man, woman, democrat, republican etc. to I AM...and the reality of true self and true personality.

Mr. Cole takes us through and past the conflict between our ego-based fears and the power of Spirit, thereby enabling us to heed a new master. The result is totally wonderful, "...to grow into the person God created you to be: a child of light and love". This responsibility gives us strength, wisdom, knowledge and so much more.

The Next Step in Evolution is a doorway to enlightenment. And love, compassion, trust, peace and forgiveness. Vincent Cole has brought us the words of the messengers from God. "And we will always be with you, reminding you of its existence, reminding you there is more to life". Don't miss this one...it can change your life!