Oprahs Favorite Things 2008 » Books

The Book of Awakening

admin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 23:11:28 +0000

The time when we walk in the shadow of death is, ironically, a time when we feel illuminated by life's true meaning. Poet and philosopher Mark Nepo has firsthand experience with this mystery--he had cancer. During his arduous recovery, he sought inspiration and guidance that would reflect his growing appreciation of life. Although this daybook is exactly what Nepo longed for as he struggled with a difficult disease, , it can be appreciated by all readers. This collection of essays, one for every day from January 1 through December 30, offers a poet's sensibility and sensuality and gives the reader Nepo's well-harvested wisdom. "Water reflects everything it encounters," Nepo writes in a May 5 essay. "This is so commonplace that we think water is blue, when in fact it has no color.... But the water, the glorious water everywhere, has taught me that we are more than what we reflect or love. This is the work of compassion: to embrace everything clearly without imposing who we are and without losing who we are." After each entry, Nepo offers a short list of suggestions or questions to help carry the essay into the day. There are many inspirational daybooks out there. What sets this one apart is the mature poet's voice rising from a seasoned soul. --Gail Hudson

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:21:42 +0000

The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.7 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and moreâ��all for only $189, and still with free 3G wirelessâ��no monthly bills or annual contracts.

Decoded

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 02:40:35 +0000

Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2010: Like its multi-hyphenate author, Jay-Z, Decoded is many things at once. At its core, Decoded is an eloquent and candid memoir detailing the story of a man who was born in a Brooklyn housing project, spent his teen years dealing drugs on the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up to be one of his generationâ��s most successful artists and businessmen. But Decoded is much more than a memoir: it is an intensely personal homage to hip-hop, as written by a man who so clearly adores the art form; it is a rare glimpse of the unexpectedly deep meanings behind the most recognizable rap lyrics of the last decade; and it is a truly moving collection of essays on topics ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the decline of the music industry. Unconventional type design, line drawings, and photographs visually emphasize the authorâ��s message that rap is a form that transcends and defies easy categorization. Thereâ��s not much in the way of celebrity gossip here, but what we get, instead, is a gritty and enormously compelling look inside the cultural phenomenon of rap, from one of the men who contributed so much to its shape. --Juliet Disparte Jay-Z on Decoded When you're famous and say you're writing a book, people assume that it's an autobiography--I was born here, raised there, suffered this, loved that, lost it all, got it back, the end. But that's not what this is. I've never been a linear thinker, which is something you can see in my rhymes. They follow the jumpy logic of poetry and emotion, not the straight line of careful prose. My book is like that, too. Decoded is first and foremost, a book of rhymes, which is ironic because I don't actually write my rhymes--they come to me in my head and I record them. The book is packed with the stories from my life that are the foundation of my lyrics--stories about coming up in the streets of Brooklyn in the 80's and 90's, stories about becoming an artist and entrepreneur and discovering worlds that I never dreamed existed when I was a kid. But it always comes back to the rhymes. There's poetry in hip-hop lyrics--not just mine, but in the work of all the great hip-hop artists, from KRS-One and Rakim to Biggie and Pac to a hundred emcees on a hundred corners all over the world that you've never heard of. The magic of rap is in the way it can take the most specific experience, from individual lives in unlikely places, and turn them into art that can be embraced by the whole world. Decoded is a book about one of those specific lives--mine--and will show you how the things I've experienced and observed have made their way into the art I've created. It's also about how my work is sometimes not about my life at all, but about pushing the boundaries of what I can express through the poetry of rap--trying to use words to find fresh angles into emotions that we all share, which is the hidden mission in even the hardest hip-hop. Decoded is a book about some of my favorite songs--songs that I unpack and explain and surround with narratives about what inspired them--but behind the rhymes is the truest story of my life.

A Course In Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 02:22:02 +0000

â��If your â��weighty thinkingâ�� does not change, then even if you lose weight youâ��ll retain an overwhelming subconscious urge to gain it back. Itâ��s less important how quickly you lose weight, and more important how holistically you lose weight; you want your mind, your emotions, and your body to all â��lose weight.â�� Weight that disappears from your body but not from your soul is simply recycling outward for a while but is almost certain to return. Itâ��s self-defeating, therefore, to struggle to drop excess weight unless you are also willing to drop the thought-forms that initially produced it and now hold it in place.â�� â�� Marianne Williamson Â What is the connection between spirituality and weight loss? Best-selling author Marianne Williamson is about to answer that question for you in her groundbreaking new book, bringing you 21 spiritual lessons to help you surrender your weight forever. These lessons form a holistic paradigm for weight loss, addressing the spiritual, emotional, and psychological elements involved in what Williamson refers to as â��conscious weight loss.â�� If you are a food addict, a compulsive eater, or someone who for any reason sees food as the enemy, this book is for you. A Course in Weight LossÂ addresses the true causal root of your weight-loss issues: a place within you where you haveÂ forgottenÂ yourÂ divine perfection. ThisÂ forgetfulnessÂ has confused not only your mind but also your body, making you reach for that which cannot sustain you . . . and reject that which does. As your mind reclaims its spiritual intelligence, your body will reclaim its natural intelligence as well. The 21 lessons in this book will take you on a deep, sacred journey. One step at a time, you will learn to shift your relationship with yourselfâ��and your bodyâ��from one of fear to one of love. And you will begin to integrate the various parts of yourselfâ��mind, body, and spiritâ��to become, once again, and in all ways, the beautiful and peaceful person you were created to be. As Williamson writes: â��When it comes to your enjoyment of eating, your best days are not behind you but ahead of you!â�� So get ready to begin a new relationship with food . . . and with yourself.