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Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:15:07 +0000

Product Description
In this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated “bard of Tuscany” (New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany’s people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle.

Frances Mayes offers her readers a deeply personal memoir of her present-day life in Tuscany, encompassing both the changes she has experienced since Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany appeared, and sensuous, evocative reflections on the timeless beauty and vivid pleasures of Italian life. Among the themes Mayes explores are how her experience of Tuscany dramatically expanded when she renovated and became a part-time resident of a 13th century house with a stone roof in the mountains above Cortona, how life in the mountains introduced her to a “wilder” side of Tuscany–and with it a lively engagement with Tuscany’s mountain people. Throughout, she reveals the concrete joys of life in her adopted hill town, with particular attention to life in the piazza, the art of Luca Signorelli (Renaissance painter from Cortona), and the pastoral pleasures of feasting from her garden. Moving always toward a deeper engagement, Mayes writes of Tuscan icons that have become for her storehouses of memory, of crucible moments from which bigger ideas emerged, and of the writing life she has enjoyed in the room where Under the Tuscan Sun began.

With more on the pleasures of life at Bramasole, the delights and challenges of living in Italy day-to-day and favorite recipes, Every Day in Tuscany is a passionate and inviting account of the richness and complexity of Italian life.

From the Hardcover edition.
Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life

The Life and Strange, Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner, As Related by Himself

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:30:36 +0000

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This reprint of the classic, Robinson Crusoe, by Focus on the Family’s “Classic Collection” is the incredible story of one man’s triumph over crippling fear, doubt, and loneliness, which resulted in an amazing revelation–God is always with us.
The Life and Strange, Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner, As Related by Himself

The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man?s Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:15:08 +0000

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In this beautifully crafted study of one emblematic life, Harrison addresses large themes in Chinese history while conveying with great immediacy the textures and rhythms of everyday life in the countryside in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Liu Dapeng was a provincial degree-holder who never held government office. Through the story of his family, the author illustrates the decline of the countryside in relation to the cities as a result of modernization and the transformation of Confucian ideology as a result of these changes. Based on nearly 400 volumes of Liu’s diary and other writings, the book illustrates what it was like to study in an academy and to be a schoolteacher, the pressures of changing family relationships, the daily grind of work in industry and agriculture, people’s experience with government, and life under the Japanese occupation.

The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man?s Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942

Rules, Britannia: An Insider’s Guide to Life in the United Kingdom

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:29:30 +0000

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How do you respond to a dinner invitation that said -Eight for eight thirty+? What might induce you to get off a London train at a place called Mud Chute? And why do the Brits keep saying -Who+s she, the cat+s mother?+ Rules, Britannia is an invaluable resource for Americans who want to make a smooth transition when visiting or relocating to the UK. It is an entertaining and practical insider+s guide containing scores of established do+s and don+ts from across the pond that only a Brit would know:¥ Showing two fingers doesn+t mean -peace+ in the UK¥ When driving, never turn on red and for heaven+s sake, keep left!¥ Don+t stress over the salad plate.Covering such essential topics as vocabulary, house or -flat+-hunting, business culture, child-rearing, and even relationship etiquette, this book will lessen the anxiety that comes with a trans-Atlantic move or extended visit, while giving the reader a leg up on the advanced communication ladder.
Rules, Britannia: An Insider’s Guide to Life in the United Kingdom

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:29:44 +0000

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Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces–and this series–with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:05:20 +0000

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Meet Fred.

In his powerful new book THE FRED FACTOR, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves. Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail – and sometimes watching over the houses – of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.

We’ve all encountered people like Fred in our lives. In THE FRED FACTOR, Mark Sanborn illuminates the simple steps each of us can take to transform our own lives from the ordinary – into the extraordinary. Sanborn, through stories about Fred and others like him, reveals the four basic principles that will help us bring fresh energy and creativity to our life and work: how to make a real difference everyday, how to become more successful by building strong relationships, how to create real value for others without spending a penny, and how to constantly reinvent yourself.

By following these principles, and by learning from and teaching other “Freds,” you, too, can excel in your career and make your life extraordinary. As Mark Sanborn makes clear, each of us has the potential be a Fred.THE FRED FACTOR shows you how.
The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:28:44 +0000

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“Life’s too short. I’m not.”

You might know her as a Tony Award-winning Broadway star, who originated the role of Galinda the Good Witch in the smash musical Wicked and won a Tony for 1999’s You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Or you may recognize her from her starring roles on TV — The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Sesame Street…oh, and her Huge Hit Sitcom Kristin on NBC. (Huge hit. L.A. breast-implant huge. Ask either of the people who watched it.) Or maybe you saw her sexy spread in FHM magazine? Or her appearance on Pat Robertson’s The 700 Club? Kristin is a wonderful collection of contradictions — but everyone who’s ever met her remembers her as the little girl with the big voice. At four foot eleven, Kristin Chenoweth is an immense talent in a petite but powerful package.

In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of show biz. The daughter of an engineer and a nurse, Kristin was singing in front of thousands at Baptist conventions by age twelve and winning beauty pageants by age twenty-two. (Well, actually she was second runner-up almost every freaking time. But, hey, she’s not bitter.) On her way to a career as a professional opera singer, she stopped in New York to visit a friend and went on a whim to an audition. Through a combination of talent, hard work, and (she’s quick to add) the grace of God, Kristin took Broadway by storm. But of course, into every storm, the occasional drizzle of disaster must fall.

Filled with wit, wisdom, and backstage insight, A Little Bit Wicked is long on love and short on sleep; it’s essential reading for Kristin’s legions of fans and an uplifting story for anyone seeking motivation to follow his or her dreams — over the rainbow and beyond.
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages

Believe It, Be It: How Being the Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:34:21 +0000

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When Ali Vincent was selected to be a contestant on the hit NBC show The Biggest Loser, her weight was at an alltime high of 234 pounds—and her life had reached an all-time low. Like millions of Americans, Ali struggled for years with poor eating habits, family problems, stress, and low-self-esteem. After years of being afraid, ashamed, and unhappy, she resolved to change her life, once and for all: to lose weight, get healthy, and pursue her dreams. Before she was even offered a spot on The Biggest Loser campus, Ali made up her mind that she was going to not only drop the weight— but win the competition.

In her bedroom at The Biggest Loser ranch, Ali rang a little bell she kept on her bedside table each night before she went to sleep and again when she awoke in the morning, repeating the phrase that had become her mantra: Believe it, be it. Seven months later, she emerged from the grueling competition as its first-ever female champion, claiming the title, the grand prize and, most of all—winning back her life.

In Believe It, Be It, Ali shares for the first time her intimate story of personal and physical transformation and provides a rare glimpse inside life at the famous

Biggest Loser ranch. Ali also shares the weight-loss strategies, eating habits, and workout tips that helped her lose—and keep off—more than 100 pounds. For anyone who has ever battled with weight loss or struggled to accept themselves for who they are, Ali Vincent’s story provides hope that a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life is within reach. It all begins with believing that it’s possible. Believe it, and be it.

Believe It, Be It: How Being the Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life

Brace for Impact: Miracle on the Hudson Survivors Share Their Stories of Near Death and Hope for New Life

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:45:11 +0000

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What Passengers of Flight 1549 Want Others to Know About Second Chances

“Brace for impact.” Three simple words that proclaimed to all 150 passengers on board US Airways Flight 1549 on that cold, crisp New York afternoon of January 15, 2009, that their plane was about to go down in the icy Hudson River. Three simple words that churned up their fear that the next two minutes would be their final moments on earth and spurred their most heartfelt, spontaneous prayers. We all know about the stunning tale of survival against all odds that followed.

But there is a different, more meaningful, and more timely story that has yet to be fully told. What happened to these passengers when they went home to their families, their homes, their jobs, and everything else familiar but somehow not the same? What has been the real impact, not of a disastrous crash but of a gift of a ‘new’ life? What can any of us learn from the honest and open sharing of ordinary people who came back from the brink of death?

Brace for Impact answers these questions and more by taking you inside the hearts, minds, and souls of twenty-five passengers and first responders and what life is like after near death.

Brace for Impact: Miracle on the Hudson Survivors Share Their Stories of Near Death and Hope for New Life

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:29:41 +0000

Product Description
After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer’s experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul’s letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community