Welcome to...

the May 7, 2008

edition of...

Self-Growth.

Gerry Cueto presents Finding a Meaningful Career Gerry Cueto posted at Finding a Meaningful Career.

Charles H. Green presents What's Your Trust Quotient? posted at Trusted Advisor Associates, saying, "Do others trust you? Should they? Take the trust test, find out, and learn how to become even more trustworthy."
failureblogger presents Teaching Yourself VS Having A Teacher posted at FailureBlogger.
education

Terry Dean presents 7 Step Easy Writing System posted at Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean.

Shawn Driscoll presents How Do I Maintain Energy, Focus, Motivation and Drive? posted at Shawn Driscoll.

mental health

gia combs-ramirez presents How to Immediately Eliminate the Effects of Stress posted at The Science of Energy Healing, saying, "With one simple, fun and immediate technique you can improve your immune system, lower your blood pressure, release endorphins and reverse the aging effects of stress."

Matthew Spears presents The flame of blame posted at Loving Awareness, saying, "By assigning responsibility to anyone or anything for a given result, you are assigning blame. It is the need to look for a cause for an experience that is the major factor in blame. So if you want to let go of the blaming process, you must let go of a need to assign responsibility."

BeFreinds presents BEST - HELPFUL, UNIQUE AND SELECTED VIDEOS ARE HERE!: SELF HELP VIDEOS posted at BEST - HELPFUL, UNIQUE AND SELECTED VIDEOS ARE HERE!, saying, "Good list of videos available with text to read. Get help using NLP, YOGA AND HYPNOSIS"

iMagxz presents Ultimate Stress Relief Guide posted at LifeJelly.org.
philosophy

Gerry Cueto presents A Skeptic's Approach to Personal Development Gerry Cueto posted at Finding a Meaningful Career, saying, "my personal introduction to self-growth from a skeptical point of view"

Jirel presents Dr. Joe Capista- successful life, total success and new book posted at Positive and Successful Life Style tips.

Avani presents Better Sorry Than Safe posted at Food For Mind.
psychology

Silveral presents Celebrities as Role Models Celebrity News, and Gossip posted at Celebrity News, and Gossip.

Dorian Wales presents How to Fortify Your Job: 10 valuable (and challenging) Tips posted at Personal Financier, saying, "10 invaluable skills which are even more crucial today"

garry presents Dream the Dream, Then All You Have To Do Is Believe, Achieve, Succeed posted at 2 Million Dollar Bills.

Michael Law presents The Psychology of Real Life Casinos posted at Online Casino Blog.

Dr Martin W. Russell presents “I Can Make You Thin” by Paul McKenna - A Review posted at Dr Martin W. Russell.

GreatManagement presents The 4-Hour Work Week: What Would Excite You? posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "If you could reduce your working week and had unlimited money, what would you do? What excites you?"

spiritual

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents The Law of Attraction and the Key of Transmutation posted at itakeoffthemask.com, saying, "The law of attraction states that objects of similar vibration attract one another (like attracts like). But the problem is this-HOW can you ever CHANGE your vibration in order to attract that which you desire? The answer is in the key of TRANSMUTATION, that ancient process from alchemy that dares to change ordinary metal into gold, that dares to seek the elixir of life to cure all diseases and to restore even the aged back unto eternal youth."

Phil B. presents Humanity's Responsibilities « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "It does not matter if God created man or if man created God."

Jenn Givler presents Are you invisible? posted at Create a Thriving Business, saying, "We all need help. We can't go it alone. And when we stop ourselves from being vulnerable, we cut ourselves off from the exact connection that we need."

Piotr Stepien presents Ascended Masters posted at we overstep, saying, "Two examples of ascended masters - people who went beyond."

Kathleen Gage presents Spirituality and work posted at Daily Awareness, saying, "Our spiritual life is reflected in all we do. There is no separation. Everything we do either moves us closer to our spiritual core or further away. Building a business is most certainly an aspect of spiritual discipline. Yet, many people make a very definite separation of work and spirit. As with your spiritual practices, when you stick with your business journey, are not dissuaded, you are more likely to achieve your desired outcome. Often what can happen is when someone doesn’t see obvious results they tend to give up on whatever it is they are trying to achieve. Would you give up on your spiritual beliefs simply because not all is evident in the timeframe you believe appropriate?"

Karen Murphy presents LightSpring Transformations - Drive that karma posted at LightSpring Transformations, saying, "Many of you hold karmas (or "karmic threads" anyway) to situations that have already been resolved and these are things that you can simply allow to let go. Now, you can also choose if you have karmas that have not been balanced yet, to let them go for this lifetime. If they are not serving you within the context of this lifetime - in in other words, it is not being utilized to assist you with various issues which are examining, or utilized to assist you with the perspective that you are building for this lifetime - if it is not serving you then you can choose to let them go for this lifetime and you will simply pick it up again later on."

Tim Gary presents Habits and Success - Bad Driving… An Experiment (part 1) posted at Internet Success Bites.

Crystal presents 7 ways to live in harmony with your coworkers posted at Christian in the Corporate World.

Gary Evans presents Visualizing For Manifestation Yields NO Results! posted at Good To Feel Good.

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That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to

the next edition of self-growth using our

carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on

our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

self-growth, blog carnival.

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Welcome to the...

Apr 30-2008 edition

of ...''Self-Growth''

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( Next Edition...May 7-2008 )

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Arin Vahanian

presents How to Get Rid of Excuses NOW and Start Living the Kind of Life You’ve Always Wanted posted at Super State.

Joshua Seth

presents Your Mind Body Connection posted at Joshua Seth Blog.

Tim Gary

presents Have You Been “six-packed” by Your Thinking? posted at Internet Success Bites.

education

Jesse Roulette

presents What is Motivation? posted at Jesse Hooper - One at a time.

Dave Cohen

presents How To Be Excellent (Or, Principle vs. Technique) posted at Experience Designer, saying, "Some principles for gaining skills FAST and excelling in the long run. Used for learning languages, martial art, growing my business, and generally having a blast in life. Enjoy."

GreatManagement

presents “I’ll Start Tomorrow” posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "“I am struggling to make progress to meet my goals. How do you suggest I make the right progress?”"

Kathleen Gage

presents Why most training programs don't work and what you can do about it! posted at Street Smarts Marketing & Promotions, saying, "Have you ever talked to someone who took a training course and complained because the course “just didn’t work”? Or maybe you took a class, but didn’t feel you got much out of it. Was it that the course was no good or maybe you had some part in why you got so little value out of the money and time invested?

I contend there are always two sides to the story. Primary reasons why training courses, whether they be teleseminars, webinars or events where trainer and participants are all in the same room, don’t work are varied."

meditation

Roger Baillargeon

presents Insight Meditation ( Cource Description ) posted at The Book Reviewer Fan Club, saying, "-A 240-page Insight Meditation workbook: This workbook is designed as a complete self-guided curriculum. Organized into nine lessons, your workbook features more than 75 step-by-step mindfulness exercises, question-and-answer sections, glossaries, and photographs illustrating correct meditation postures."

mental health

Alvaro Fernandez

presents Brain Research Interview Series posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "Check out these interviews with leading neuroscientists and psychologists on a variety of topics: brain health, happiness, trading psychology, weight loss, memory..."

Sam Zoranovich

presents Unapologetic Genius - Modeling Reality posted at Unapologetic Genius, saying, "An article on constructing mental models as a spiritual growth practice."

philosophy

Raymond

presents Trading Hours For Dollars Money Blue Book posted at Money Blue Book.

The Change Carnival

presents Finding the Path to a Meaningful Existence posted at The Change Blog.

Charles H. Green

presents Warren Buffett, Confidence and Leadership posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Buffett seems one of those content to look past the complexity and see eternal patterns replaying themselves. He’s a big fish who treats big ponds just like the little ones he came from.

Yet pure confidence absent some grounded view of the world is just a self-con job. The Rules of the World are simple: but that doesn’t mean they’re easy."

psychology

Gerry Cueto

presents Reversing My Sleep Schedule Gerry Cueto posted at Finding a Meaningful Career.

Stephen Martile

presents Love the Climb posted at Stephen Martile, saying, "Hi Roger,

I thought you might enjoy this article. It’s short and sweet.

When it comes to obstacles, challenges and getting knocked down, I realize that there are only two options
- go back where I came from or love the climb.

Enjoy,

Steve"

spiritual

Gary Evans

presents Trusting Your Inner Guidance posted at Good To Feel Good.

Jessica Jones

presents The Intentional Family posted at Practical Nourishment, saying, "Spiritual parenting."

Akemi Gaines

presents True Life Purpose Goes Beyond The Illusion Of Self posted at Yes to Me.

Chris

presents Qi Dao – Tibetan Shamanic Qigong: Book Review posted at Martial Development.

Gary Evans

presents Law of Attraction 101 posted at Good To Feel Good.

That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of
self-growth using our
carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

self-growth, blog carnival.

Insight Meditation ( Cource )

Book Description

Join Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein -- two of America's most respected instructors -- for a step-by-step course in Insight Meditation. Learn at home, at your own pace, with this complete curriculum.

The course includes:
-A 240-page Insight Meditation workbook: This workbook is designed as a complete self-guided curriculum. Organized into nine lessons, your workbook features more than 75 step-by-step mindfulness exercises, question-and-answer sections, glossaries, and photographs illustrating correct meditation postures.

-Two 70-minute compact discs: Six meditations teach you these cornerstone practices in the Insight tradition.

-Twelve Insight study cards: Reinforce your practice with these daily reminders of the fundamentals of meditation in a convenient, portable form.

About the Author
Sharon Salzberg has been a student of Buddhism since 1970, and has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. She teaches both intensive awareness practice (Vipassana or Insight Meditation) and the profound cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion (the Brahma-viharas). She is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Forest Refuge, a new project for long term meditation practice. Sharon is the author of LOVINGKINDNESS: THE REVOLUTIONARY ART OF HAPPINESS and A HEART AS WIDE AS THE WORLD, by Shambhala Publications; LOVINGKINDNESS MEDITATION (audio) by Sounds True; and coauthor with Joseph Goldstein of INSIGHT MEDITATION, AN IN-DEPTH CORRESPONDENCE COURSE, also from Sounds True. She recently edited VOICES OF INSIGHT, an anthology of writings by vipassana teachers in the West, published by Shambhala. Sharon is currently writing a book about the spiritual quality of Faith.

Joseph Goldstein is a senior teacher of Insight (Vipassana) and Lovingkindness (Metta) Meditation. He studied with many leading Buddhist teachers in India, Burma, and Nepal and has led retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a cofounder and guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and The Forest Refuge, a new project for long term meditation practice. Joseph's books include THE EXPERIENCE OF INSIGHT; INSIGHT MEDITATION: THE PRACTICE OF FREEDOM; and SEEKING THE HEART OF WISDOM (with Jack Kornfield), published by Shambhala Publications. He is also coauthor with Sharon Salzberg of INSIGHT MEDITATION, AN IN-DEPTH CORRESPONDENCE COURSE (audio), published by Sounds True. Joseph is currently writing a new book, ONE DHARMA, on the integration of different Buddhist teachings and traditions.

More About this Book at...

Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate

... Blog Carnival...

Welcome to the...

May 7, 2008

edition...

healthy food

and diets.

Ben Johnson presents
Green Tea Weight Loss posted at Weight Loss Sky.

Fenny presents
latest-beauty-tips.com • View topic - Nutrient that is needed daily by the body. posted at Fenny Lopez, saying, "Protein is a nutrient that is needed daily by the body. These nutrients are essential for health and must be provided in the foods eaten. We are here to give you an idea of the amount of protein you can find in certain foods, check out."


Linda W. presents
Eating Well On Your Budget Vacation posted at The Eclectic Female, saying, "Eating out cheaply while on vacation can be tough, but is definitely doable."

Claudine presents
Wednesday Weigh In posted at Vacation Tips Blog.


Phil B. presents
Most Juices are Apple Juice « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Most 100% juices are made from primarily apple juice."


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Timothy Yordy presents
Dandelion Jelly posted at Get Out of the Rat Race Self-Employment Self-Sufficient Life, saying, "Thank you in advance for considering the inclusion of my article in your carnival."


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Dr Martin W. Russell presents
“I Can Make You Thin” by Paul McKenna - A Review posted at Dr Martin W. Russell.


Mark Schauss presents Smog and Premature Death - Science Has Linked Them, The White House Denies It posted at Toxic World Blog - Detoxify and Heal Your Body.

NAOMI presents
BRITISH KIDS SAY NO TO VEGETABLES posted at Diary From England, saying, "Good luck with your carnival. Here's a great recipe to encourage kids to eat more vegetables. Delicious and healthy too!"


Lovelyn presents
Ginger and Lemon Tea posted at The Art of Balanced Living.
Manjula Jain presents Punjabi Chola posted at Manjula's Kitchen, saying, "These cholas are best compliment with baturas. The combination is known as chola batura. This is a mouth-watering dish."

Lisa Spinelli presents
The 100 Mile Diet Greener Pastures: Personal Finance posted at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance, saying, "How a novice comes to terms with eating locally with the 100 Mile Diet."


Craig Harper presents
The Non-Optional Stuff. posted at Renovate your life with Craig, saying, "Q. Why do so many of us who want to get in shape (whatever that means for us individually) fail to do so, even though we know exactly what to do, and why we should do it?"

Chef Erik presents
Roasted Parsnip Fries posted at Chef Erik, saying, "This has to be one of my favorite recipes. I came up with this recipe for health reasons. Roasting, as we all know, is so much healthier for us than frying. Trust me when I tell you, you will not notice the difference."

That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition
of healthy food and diets using our...
carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found
on our blog carnival index page.


Technorati tags:

healthy food and diets, blog carnival.

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The Blog Carnival ...

( Healthy Food and Diets )

April 30-2008 Edition

( Next Edition May 07-2088 )

Dereck

presents A Diary Of A Seven Day Fast – Day 1 posted at I Will Not Die.

food

Linda Jo Martin

presents Ug99, the Destruction of Wheat Crops, and Prices In Our Local Supermarkets posted at Country Kitchen Pantry Herbs, Spices, Recipes, Cooking.

Bobby

presents Grilled Salmon Recipe posted at Free Online Recipes Free Recipes, saying, "it's great!"

healthy diet

Aparna

presents Beauty and Personality Grooming: Yogic diet posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming, saying, "Are you what you eat…. or is it the other way round? Whatever it be, there is no denying that food habit plays the most important part in the constitution of our body. Ancient Yogic texts as well as modern research have time and again confirmed the fact that food governs mind and thoughts."

Shaun

presents Chutney Chicken Salad posted at Onelite Recipes.

healthy food

Ishtar

presents » Baking an omelet in the solar oven Esther Garvi: aka Ishtar News posted at Esther Garvi.

Krista Burdine

presents Best New Recipe posted at Common Cuisine, saying, "A great discovery, carrot french fries, my favorite recipe of the year"

Christine

presents Open Air Market in Barcelona posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France.

Lane Wright

presents Chana Masala - Best Vegan Recipe posted at Vegan Bits.

Sara Ost

presents Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and a DIY recipe posted at Sara Ost.

Amanda Harris

presents Food, the Natural Happy Pill posted at eFamilyBlogger.

healthy food diet

Jessica Jones

presents Our Low Carb Lifestyle posted at Practical Nourishment.

That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of
healthy food and diets using our ...
carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

healthy food and diets, blog carnival.

Anne of Green Gables


Book Description

The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts.

Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of historical settings and characters. Christina is a theater set and costume designer and contributed advice on the period clothing for the illustrations.Scott created these drawings in scratchboard ­ an engraving medium which evokes the look of popular art from the period of these stories. Scratchboard is an illustration board with a specifically prepared surface of hard white chalk.

A thin layer of black ink is rolled over the surface, and lines are drawn by hand with a sharp knife by scraping through the ink layer to expose the white surface underneath. The finished drawings are then scanned and the color is added digitally.One thing’s for certain, no house that Anne’s in will ever be dull.” That’s what Marilla Cuthbert says about Anne, the lively red-headed orphan she and her brother Matthew adopt. For decades, girls have agreed, eagerly reading every book in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s series that chronicles Anne’s coming of age.

Comments
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) -

In 1985 when I stumbled upon Kevin Sullivan's wonderful production of "Anne of Green Gables" with Megan Follows as Anne, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla, and Richard Farnsworth as Mathew, it was my introduction to the Lucy Maud Montgomery's red-headed orphan.

Like millions of others, I fell in love with the production and then proceeded to read this novel, the other seven books in the Anne Series, and then "The Chronicles of Avonlea," "The Story Girl," the "Jane of Lantern Hill" books, and every other thing written by Montgomery that I could get my hands on (and this was before all of those paperback collections of Montgomery's short stories were published).

In 1904 Montgomery had written down an idea for a story in her notebook: "Elderly couple apply to orphan asylum for a boy. By mistake a girl is sent them." In what must be heartening for many would be authors, Montgomery's manuscript for "Anne of Green Gables" was rejected repeated by publishers before it was finally accepted. The book was a bestseller from the moment it was published in June 1908 (I have a 19th impression printed in September 1910), although a critic in "The New York Times" complained that, "there is no real difference between the girl at the end of the story and the one at the beginning of it." Readers of the book would quite happy with that fact, because the reason we love this story is not that the talkative, red-haired orphan girl with her big green-grey eyes changes during the story, but that Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert, the elderly sister and brother who wanted to adopt a boy and got a girl instead, have changed profoundly.

Mark Twain described Anne Shirley as "The dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice," and nobody has been able to top that statement. Supposedly Montgomery's description of her famous literary creation was based on a photography of Evelyn Nesbit, the notorious American beauty who was the mistress whose husband, Harry K. Thaw, shot and killed her love, Stanford White, in the first scandalous murder trial of the 20th century.

I suppose there is something archetypal about stories about orphans, that allows young readers to identify with such characters and explains why generations of children have responded to such stories. But what sets Montgomery's creation apart is her ability to provide of laughter and tears, what with her vivid imagination and her great desire to be loved. You laugh over Anne's over wrought apology to Mrs. Rachel Lynde and how her introduction to Gilbert Blythe ends with her breaking a slate over his head.

But then there are the wonderfully touching scenes when Marilla apologizes for refusing to believe Anne about her broach, when Mathew goes to town to get Anne a dress with puffed sleeves, and when the Reaper whose name is Death comes to visit Green Gables. There are just so many wonderful moments in this novel, which is the best in the series.

When you read the rest of the books in the series, this is the one you will keep coming back to again and again to read once more your favorite parts (I just did). I have two daughters and despite my best intentions I have never been able to persuade them to read "Anne of Green Gables." But given how long it took me to get around to them they still have at least a decade to beat me to the punch in relative terms, and I have the Sullivan productions on DVD so that I can use the same hook that worked so well one me.

Once they do I am sure they will be just as captivated by all of the others who love the Anne-Girl and who have traveled to Prince Edward Island to see all of the sites that Montgomery translated into the world of Anne Shirley.

My favorite memory is when we went to "Green Gables." You go in through the front door and follow the way around the first floor and then up the stairs to the second floor. As I was at the bottom of those stairs the young woman watching the door had momentarily stopped the line entering the site.

In this case that person who had to wait was a young Japanese girl, who looked to be about eight years old, and who was shivering in delight at the fact that she was standing on the threshold of Anne Shirley's Green Gables. That is how beloved Lucy Maud Montgomery's creation is almost a century after she was first set down on paper.

Comments
By Kathleen ( FaceBook Member )
I would recomment it to friends, in fact I have recommended it time and time again. Some people do not want to read it seeing the book as youth lit. But it is much more than that.

It's the tale of Anne, an orphan and how she arrives at Green Gables and how she wins the heart of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert (sister and brother and owner of Green Gables)even though they had "ordered" a boy. It's a tale of friendship, and love and resilience. Sometimes it's sad, mostly it's funny and very touching. I really love that book.
You can View Kathleen's Profile...here

More about this Book at...
Anne of Green Gables (Unabridged Classics)

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The Blog Carnival ...

Healthy Food and Diets
Official Start Up...April 23-2008

-----------------------------------------------

(1)--Honey & Bee Products presents...
Honey, Royal Jelly, Pollen, Propolis, Beehive products from USA
posted at ...
Honey, Royal Jelly, Pollen, Propolis, Beehive products from USA.



(2) Nichole Halsey presents
Eat something good tonight (black beans and rice edition)
posted at...
Bad Human! Don't take chemicals from strangers!.



(3)--Surfer Sam presents
Coffee and Espresso. A Really Good Cup ! Surfer Sam
posted at...
Surfer Sam and Friends.

P.S.Submit your blog article to the next edition of ...

''Healthy Food and Diets'' using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our...

blog carnival index page.

***
The Blog Carnival

Self-Growth
Official Start Up...April 23-2008

--------------------------------------------

(1)-- Gerry Cueto presents ----
Finding a Meaningful Career Gerry Cueto
posted at...Finding a Meaningful Career.



( Spiritual )
(2)--itakeoffthemask presents
The Law of Attraction and the Key of Transmutation
posted at... itakeoffthemask.com,

(3)--Phil for Humanity presents
Humanity's Responsibilities <<>
posted at... Phil for Humanity.

P.S.Submit your blog article to the next edition of ...

'' Self-Growth'' using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our...

blog carnival index page.

Twilight...


Book Description
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat." As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst.The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction.(Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell 10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Stephenie Meyer Q: Were you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Angel? What are you watching now that those shows are off the air? A: I have never seen an entire episode of Buffy or Angel. While I was writing Twilight, I let my older sister read along chapter by chapter. She's a huge Buffy fan and she kept trying to get me to watch, but I was afraid it would mess up my vision of the vampire world so I never did. I don't have a ton of time for TV, and my kids get rowdy when I have on "mommy shows," but I do have a secret fondness for reality shows (the good ones, at least in my opinion). I always TiVo Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America's Next Top Model. Q: What inspired you to write Twilight? Is this the beginning of a series? Why write for teens? A: Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream, which is fairly faithfully transcribed as chapter thirteen of the book. There are sequels on the way--I'm hard at work editing book two (tentatively titled New Moon) right now, and book three is waiting in line for its turn. I didn't mean to write for teens--I didn't mean to write for anyone but myself, so I had an audience of one twenty-nine year old (and later one thirty-one year old when my sister started reading). I think the reason that I ended up with a book for teens is because high school is such a compelling time period--it gives you some of your worst scars and some of your most exhilarating memories. It's a fascinating place: old enough to feel truly adult, old enough to make decisions that affect the rest of your life, old enough to fall in love, yet, at the same time too young (in most cases) to be free to make a lot of those decisions without someone else's approval. There's a lot of scope for a novel in that. Q: What is your favorite vampire story? Fave vampire movie? A: I guess my favorite vampire story would be The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice, simply because it's one of the only ones I've ever read. I keep meaning to pick up Bram Stoker's Dracula, because I get asked this question so often and I should probably start with the classics, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Again, I'm afraid to read other vampire books now, for fear of finding things either too similar, or too different from my own vampire world. Ack! I can't even answer the movie question. I can't remember ever seeing a single vampire movie, outside of clips from Bela Lugosi movies on TV. I don't like true horror movies--my favorite scary movies are all Hitchcock's. Q: What other young adult authors do you read? A: My favorite young adult author is L.M. Montgomery I also enjoyJ.K. Rowling (but who doesn't?), and Ann Brashares. As a teen, I skipped straight to adult books (lots of sci-fi and Jane Austen), so I'm rediscovering the world of teen literature now. Stephenie Meyer's List of Books You Should Read Anne of Green GablesRomeo and JulietDragonflightTo Kill a Mockingbird The Princess BrideSee more recommendations from Stephenie Meyer Amazon.com's Significant SevenStephenie Meyer graciously agreed to answer the questions we like to ask every author: the Amazon.com Significant Seven. Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?A: The book with the most significant impact on my life is The Book of Mormon. The book with the most significant impact on my life as a writer is probably Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card, with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier coming in as a close second.Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?A: The CD is easy: Absolution by Muse, hands down. It's harder to give myself just one movie, but the one I watch most frequently is Sense and Sensibility--the one with the screenplay by Emma Thompson. One book is impossible. I'd have to have Pride and Prejudice, but I couldn't live without something by Orson Scott Card and a nice, thick Maeve Binchy, too.Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?A: My lies are all very, very boring: "No, you really look great in hot pink!" "My children only watch one hour of TV a day." "I didn't eat the last Swiss Cake Roll--it must have been one of the kids." That's the best I've got.Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.A: It's late at night and the house is silent, but I'm still (miraculously) full of energy. I have my headphones in and I'm listened to a mix of Muse, Coldplay, Travis, My Chemical Romance, and The All-American Rejects. Beside me is a fabulous, and yet mysteriously low in calorie, cheesecake....Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?A: I'd like it to say that I really tried at the important things.I was never perfect at any of them, but I honestly tried to be a great mom, a loving wife, a good daughter, and a true friend. Under that, I'd want a list of my favorite Simpsons quotes.Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?A: I'd love to have a chance to talk to Orson Scott Card--I have a million questions for him. Mostly things like, "How do you come up with this stuff?!" But, if he wasn't available, I'd settle for Matthew Bellamy (lead singer of Muse).Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?A: I'd want something offensive, rather than defensive. Like shooting fireballs from my hands. That way, you're really open to going either way--hero or villain. I like to have choices.

About the Author
Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature, and she lives with her husband and three young sons in Arizona.
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...click on ...Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

TIKITIAN IMPRINTS
by author Hatem El Eishi

Common Interest - Philosophy

Description:

Tikitian Imprints is the title of a novel authored by Hatem Eleishi and published in August 2007 by Goose River Press.

It is an autobiography of Man or a psycho-analysis of the human race.

Its main theme is that humans, regardless of the time when they existed or the place where they lived basically remain the same person with the same set of inner fears and stresses, same dliemmas and inner conflicts and the more or less same reached compromises.

It is the story of Habi and Sheeba, a couple that lived thousands of years ago in Tikita in Kenya. It is through their story that we come to know the origins of love, friendship, jealousy, envy, faith, justice, morality and many other issues.


WHAT "TIKITIAN IMPRINTS" IS ABOUT.....

Tikitian Imprints is about THE REAL REASONS THAT LIE BEHIND THE GOOD REASONS that we give to others and more importantly to our own selves for things we think, say and do….

Tikitian Imprints is about why even intimate friends can sometimes feel envious of each other sometimes….

Tikitian Imprints is about women who happen to be the real boss here on this planet and who are smart enough to still assign men "the boss title" so that they can concentrate on their the bossing business in peace…

Tikitian Imprints is about why men tend to have a natural tendency to seek the company of more than one woman while women tend to have a natural tendency to be with only one man…

Tikitian Imprints is about whether lovers give unconditionally or they only give with the expectation of the love and care that they get from their lovers in return...

Tikitian Imprints is about relationships and whether is they are in essence basically physical or basically emotional...

Tikitian Imprints is about why we spend a lot of time in social codes of conduct and etiquette which makes life more complicated rather than easy and spontaneous...

Tikitian Imprints is about self-esteem, a weird term that forces humans to strive and work hard to achieve social acceptance and recognition. It's about how and when in human history that thing happened….

Tikitian Imprints is about human use and misuse of power. It's about why the stronger person or clan or country tends to overpower the weaker rather than give them a helping hand.

Tikitian Imprints is about the earliest human concepts of a Creator for the universe. It's about the paradoxical failure of many humans to live and act according to their faith in God after His message is at last delivered to them by His prophets…

Tikitian Imprints is about how the fact that humans know that they will eventually die someday is affecting their everyday life in ways they would have never realized had they not read that book…

Tikitian Imprints is about almost anything in your life and some things in your afterlife….


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hatem Eleishi was born in Cairo in 1967. He is an assistant professor of rheumatology at Cairo University school of Medicine and is currently working as a consultant rheumatologist at one of the major private hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Review by ...Zahraa ( FaceBook Member )
Generally speaking I like reading historical romance and popular fiction, am not into deep reading. I like happy endings and novels are my escape that's why I prefer reading light hearted novels, where the ending is known and anticipated... and they lived happily ever after.. Tikitian Imprints was my first serious and deep reading.. I liked it very much, it put me in a thinking mood for a while.
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The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo and Timothy Basil Ering
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Description
"Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul-stirring as it is delicious." — BOOKLIST (starred review)Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, with twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering. This paperback edition pays tribute to the book's classicdesign, featuring a rough front and elegant gold stamping.

Review ....
For someone in their early 20s. working 30-40 hours a week and have pretty much outgrown fairy tales, this is something that will definitely make you feel like a child reading a fairy tale book. Plus, it's very cute, great illustration, great feel for an old book just found in the basement or attic and I could NOT get my hands OR my eyes off this book!

This Review by... Tidarut Hansub-Udom ( FaceBook member )

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More on this book... click on the following link

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread (Tale of Despereaux)

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Beautiful Lies ...by Lisa Unger

"I think Lisa wrote wonderful well written about love mystery scence on both books"
__Terrie Hudson, Face Book Member

“A stunning, powerful novel! Lisa Unger’s taut prose grabs the reader from word one and never lets go. In this tantalizing tale of family suspense, beware of who you trust and be forewarned about what might happen next.” —Lisa Gardner, author of Alone

“A tense exploration of what lies beneath the white picket fence of ordinary life. Harlan Coben has a new rival for his thriller crown.” —John Connolly, author of The Black Angel

“Beautiful Lies is a heartfelt thriller full of twists, turns, and truths. . . . Lisa Unger writes with precision and insight—she’s a welcome new voice in suspense fiction.” —Jeff Abbott, author of Panic

“At last, a riveting suspense novel filled with psychological insight and amazing wisdom. Lisa Unger is a literate, savvy writer, and Beautiful Lies is a find! Read it now!” —Margaret coel, author of Eye of the Wolf

“Suspenseful, sensitive, sexy, subtle . . . The best nail-biter I have read for ages. Highly recommended.” —Lee Child, author of One Shot


Product Description.
If Ridley Jones had slept ten minutes later or had taken the subway instead of waiting for a cab, she would still be living the beautiful lie she used to call her life. She would still be the privileged daughter of a doting father and a loving mother. Her life would still be perfect—with only the tiny cracks of an angry junkie for a brother and a charming drunk with shady underworld connections for an uncle to mar the otherwise flawless whole. But that’s not what happened. Instead, those inconsequential decisions lead her to perform a good deed that puts her in the right place at the right time to unleash a chain of events that brings a mysterious package to her door—a package which informs her that her entire world is a lie.Suddenly forced to question everything she knows about herself and her family, Ridley wanders into dark territory she never knew existed, where everyone in her life seems like a stranger. She has no idea who’s on her side and who has something to hide—even, and maybe especially, her new lover, Jake, who appears to have secrets of his own.
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This Book is a Recommandation of Terrie Hudson
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The Bad Beginning

(A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble. While it's true that the events that unfold in Lemony Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl (remember James and the Giant Peach and his horrid spinster aunts), Charles Dickens (the orphaned Pip in Great Expectations without the mysterious benefactor), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies). There is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the Baudelaire children in The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." So cautions Snicket, the exceedingly well-mannered narrator of these two witty mock-gothic novels featuring the misadventures of 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and infant Sunny Baudelaire. From the first, things look unfortunate indeed for the trio: a fire destroys their home, killing their parents along with it; the executor of their parents' estate, the obtuse Mr. Poe (with a son, Edgar), ignores whatever the children have to say; and their new guardian, Count Olaf, is determined to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. But by using their individual gifts (Violet's for inventing, Klaus's for reading and researching and baby Sunny's for biting) the three enterprising children thwart the Count's planAfor now. The author uses formal, Latinate language and intrusive commentary to hilarious effect, even for readers unfamiliar with the literary conventions he parodies. The peril in which he places the Baudelaires may be frightening (Count Olaf actually follows through on his threats of violence on several occasions), but the author paints the satire with such broad strokes that most readers will view it from a safe distance. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over; readers eager for more misfortune can turn to The Reptile Room, for an even more suspenseful tale. Exquisitely detailed drawings of Gothic gargoyles and mischievous eyes echo the contents of this elegantly designed hardcover. Age 9-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Grade 4-6-This series chronicles the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire children: Violet, 14; Klaus, 12; and the infant, Sunny. In Bad Beginning, their parents and possessions perish in a fire, and the orphans must use their talents to survive as their lives move from one disastrous event to another. Surrounded by dim-witted though well-meaning adults, the Baudelaires find themselves in the care of their evil relative, Count Olaf, a disreputable actor whose main concern is getting his hands on the children's fortune. When Olaf holds Sunny hostage to force Violet to marry him, it takes all of the siblings' resourcefulness to outwit him. Violet's inventive genius, Klaus's forte for research, and Sunny's gift for biting the bad guys at opportune moments save the day. However, the evil Count escapes, only to return in The Reptile Room just as the children are settling into a far more pleasant life with their new guardian, Uncle Monty, who is promptly murdered by Olaf and his cohorts. Though the villain escapes again, and beloved Uncle Monty is dead, the children are safe...for now. While the misfortunes hover on the edge of being ridiculous, Snicket's energetic blend of humor, dramatic irony, and literary flair makes it all perfectly believable. The writing, peppered with fairly sophisticated vocabulary and phrases, may seem daunting, but the inclusion of Snicket's perceptive definitions of difficult words makes these books challenging to older readers and excellent for reading aloud.
Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The follwing is a combined review with THE REPTILE ROOM.]--The three Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, have recently joined the world of children's literature made hospitable by a wizard named Harry. Their miserable lives, an unrelenting series of catastrophes, have become the source of grins and giggles among elementary and middle-grade readers. And who better to read the serialized melodrama than the multitalented Tim Curry, master of multiple voices and deadpan delivery? Fabulously funny, the first two volumes afford Curry, as the deeply sorrowful, omniscient narrator, an opportunity to display his enormous talents--in Mr. Poe's chronic, wheezing cough; Sunny's squawking, incomprehensible gibberish; Count Olaf's sinister and malevolent arch villainy; and Uncle Monty's lisp. An added bonus on The Bad Beginning is a wildly funny interview between Leonard Marcus and Daniel Handler (who is actually suspected to be the author, Lemony Snicket!) that will have kids longing for more. To extend the fun, each audiobook is decked out with an appropriate theme song by the Gothic Archies. Listeners should be prepared to settle in for some serious frivolity! T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
The Baudelaire childrenViolet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunnyare exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who ``is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.'' The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun." -Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Imagine tales so terrible that as many as fifty million innocents have been ruined by them – tales so indelibly horrid that the New York Times bestseller list has been unable to rid itself of them for seven years. Now imagine if this scourge suddenly became available in a shameful new edition so sensational, so irresistible, so riddled with lurid new pictures that even a common urchin would wish for it. Who among us would be safe?

Begin at the beginning – evenif it is a bad one – with the first in A Series of Unfortunate Events, now even more disposable in paperback!

Card catalog description
After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover
"Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun." -Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author Lemony Snicket is the author of all 170 chapters in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Despite everything, he is still at large.
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