Eckhart Tolle Biography and Books

Eckhart Tolle Best Books

Spiritual Teacher and author was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Later, he began to work in London with individuals and small groups as a counselor and spiritual teacher. Since 1995 he has lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Eckhart Tolle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time.

Eckhart’s profound yet simple teachings have already helped countless people throughout the world find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.

Eckhart is a sought-after public speaker and teaches and travels extensively throughout the world. Many of his talks, intensives and retreats are published on CD and DVD. Most of the teachings are given in English, but occasionally Eckhart also gives talks in German and Spanish. In addition to The Power of Now and A New Earth, Eckhart has written a book designed for meditative reading entitled Stillness Speaks. A book consisting of selections from The Power of Now is also available, entitled Practicing the Power of Now.

Eckhart Tolle Best Books

Oprah biography and Oprah Book Club

Amazon's Oprah Book Club (updated list)

Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Oprah Winfrey was reared by her grandmother on a farm where she "began her broadcasting career" by learning to read aloud and perform recitations at the age of three. From age six to 13, she lived in Milwaukee with her mother. After suffering abuse and molestation, she ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention home at the age of 13, only to be denied admission because all the beds were filled. As a last resort, she was sent to Nashville to live under her father's strict discipline. Vernon Winfrey saw to it that his daughter met a midnight curfew, and he required her to read a book and write a book report each week. "As strict as he was," says Oprah, "he had some concerns about me making the best of my life, and would not accept anything less than what he thought was my best."

Oprah Winfrey's broadcasting career began at age 17, when she was hired by WVOL radio in Nashville, and two years later signed on with WTVF-TV in Nashville as a reporter/anchor. She attended Tennessee State University, where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts.

In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor, and in 1978 discovered her talent for hosting talk shows when she became co-host of WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking," while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter.

In January 1984, she came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," a faltering local talk show. In less than a year, she turned "AM Chicago" into the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to one hour, and in September 1985 it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Seen nationally since September 8, 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" became the number one talk show in national syndication in less than a year. In June 1987, in its first year of eligibility, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received three Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction. In June 1988, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and she herself received the International Radio and Television Society's "Broadcaster of the Year" Award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year history.

Before America fell in love with Oprah Winfrey the talk show host, she captured the nation's attention with her poignant portrayal of Sofia in Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple. Winfrey's performance earned her nominations for an Oscar and Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress. Critics again lauded her performance in Native Son, a movie adaptation of Richard Wright's classic 1940 novel.

Her love of acting and her desire to bring quality entertainment projects into production prompted her to form her own production company, HARPO Productions, Inc., in 1986. Today, HARPO is a formidable force in film and television production. Based in Chicago, HARPO Entertainment Group includes HARPO Productions, Inc., HARPO Films and HARPO Video, Inc. In October, 1988, HARPO Productions, Inc. acquired ownership and all production responsibilities for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from Capitol Cities/ABC, making Oprah Winfrey the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show. The following year, HARPO produced it first television miniseries, the The Women of Brewster Place, with Oprah Winfrey as star and Executive Producer. It has been followed by the TV movies There Are No Children Here (1993), and Before Women Had Wings(1997), which she both produced and appeared in. In 1998, she starred in the feature film Beloved, from the book by the Nobel Prize-winning American author Toni Morrison.

In 1991, motivated in part by her own memories of childhood abuse, she initiated a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child abusers, and testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection Act. President Clinton signed the "Oprah Bill" into law in 1993, establishing the national database she had sought, which is now available to law enforcement agencies and concerned parties across the country.

Oprah Winfrey was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time magazine, and in 1998 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Her influence extended to the publishing industry when she began an on-air book club. Oprah Book Club selections became instant bestsellers, and in 1999 she was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to books and authors.

She is one of the partners in Oxygen Media, Inc., a cable channel and interactive network presenting programming designed primarily for women. In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network began presenting a $100,000 "Use Your Life Award" to people who are using their lives to improve the lives of others. When Forbes magazine published its list of America's billionaires for the year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire.

Amazon's Oprah Book Club (updated list)

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron), Bret Witter

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron), Bret Witter

This book is for everybody. Whether you are a child or an adult, whether you like cats or not, even whether you like reading or not! It is a really heartwarming story that reads very easy and that will fill your heart with great affection. It is a story of an extraordinary cat, a librarian, and their lives in a small Iowa town.

It's a story that brought the little town of Spencer onto the world map. The Japanese television filmed Dewey, and after he died, his obituary ran in over 200 papers. But most of all, this isn't just another cat story; it's a story of survival, endurance, trust, and hope. Finally, it is a story about love and living a good life. You will understand all that after you read the final few chapters.

The Brass Verdict: A Novel by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller, who runs his legal practice from a car, is ready to get back to work after a year off recovering from a gunshot wound and an addiction to painkillers. But he gets more work than he wants when he inherits the caseload of a colleague, Jerry Vincent, who has been found dead. The cases include the forthcoming murder trial of film producer Walter Elliot, who seems strangely serene about his impending legal date.

Mickey has to discover what Elliot is so smug about, and all the while the police are trying to find out who killed Vincent. Could there be a connection? The author is one of the top American crime writers, and whether you pick up one of his celebrated cop novels or a legal thriller such as this, you can be assured of an intriguing plot, decent characterisation, excellent writing and an exciting ending.

Eat This Not That, David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding

Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding

Your Ultimate Guide to What To Eat When

Strip away fat in every situation and make sure that on-the-go eating doesn't end up on your belly! With hundreds of easy-to-follow secrets, you'll make the right choice-every time!

The smartest eating choices-made simple! The secret to looking, feeling, and living better than ever is not by depriving yourself of the foods you love. It's by making the best choices in a variety of real-life situations. Based on the most popular column in both Men's Health and Women's Health magazines, Eat This Not That is a comprehensive guide to what to eat at home, from the supermarket, even at a fast-food counter. Do you know why a hot fudge sundae is a good dessert option? Why potato chips are better than fries? And why Swiss cheese is three times healthier than Cheddar? With this simple, illustrated guide to hundreds and hundreds of foods-along with the nutrition secrets that lead to fast and permanent weight loss-now you will!

About the author:

DAVID ZINCZENKO, editor in chief of Men's Health magazine, is the author of the New York Times best-sellers The Abs Diet and The Abs Diet for Women. Once an overweight child growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Zinczenko has become one of the nation's leading experts on health and fitness. He is a regular contributor to the Today show, and has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and Primetime Live. MATT GOULDING is the food and nutrition editor of Men's Health. He has cooked and eaten his way across the world, touching down in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he divides most of his time between keyboard and stovetop.

First, I am a HUGE Vince Flynn fan. Second, unlike all the reviewers complaining that it is not a Mitch Rapp book, that is precisely why I give this 5 stars. While I have greatly enjoyed the Rapp series, I'm glad to see the author branch out from the main character.

To me, how much more can we read about the exploits of Rapp. Unlike other authors afraid to venture from their money making character (Clancy / Silva), Flynn has done a good job beginning the transition to allow him to write about others. Rapp still plays a significant role here, and is involved enough that Rapp fans should still enjoy the story.

About the author:

The fifth of seven children, Vince Flynn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1966. He graduated from the St. Thomas Academy in 1984, and the University of St. Thomas with a degree in economics in 1988. After college he went to work for Kraft General Foods where he was an account and sales marketing specialist. In 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officers Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program, due to several concussions and convulsive seizures he suffered growing up. While trying to obtain a medical waiver for his condition, he started thinking about writing a book. This was a very unusual choice for Flynn since he had been diagnosed with dyslexia in grade school and had struggled with reading and writing all his life.

Having been stymied by the Marine Corps, Flynn returned to the nine-to-five grind and took a job with United Properties, a commercial real estate company in the Twin Cities. During his spare time he worked on an idea he had for a book. After two years with United Properties he decided to take a big gamble. He quit his job, moved to Colorado, and began working full time on what would eventually become Term Limits . Like many struggling artists before him, he bartended at night and wrote during the day. Five years and more than sixty rejection letters later he took the unusual step of self-publishing his first novel. The book went to number one in the Twin Cities, and within a week had a new agent and two-book deal with Pocket Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint.

Term Limits hit the New York Times bestseller list in paperback and started a trend for all of Flynn's novels. Since then, his books have become perennial bestsellers in both paperback and hardcover, and he has become known for his research and prescient warnings about the rise of Islamic Radical Fundamentalism and terrorism. Read by current and former presidents, foreign heads of state, and intelligence professionals around the world, Flynn's novels are taken so seriously one high-ranking CIA official told his people, “I want you to read Flynn's books and start thinking about how we can more effectively wage this war on terror.”

October 2007 marked another milestone in Flynn’s career when his ninth political thriller, Protect and Defend, became a #1 New York Times bestseller. A few months later, CBS Films optioned the rights for Flynn’s Mitch Rapp character with the intention of creating a character-based, action-thriller movie franchise. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who previously launched the Harry Potter and Matrix films as head of production at Warner Bros., and Nick Wechsler (We Own the Night, Reservation Road) will produce the films.

Flynn lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children.

Works by Flynn include Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Separation of Power , Executive Power , Memorial Day, Consent to Kill, Act of Treason, and Extreme Measures.

Influences: Ernest Hemingway, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gore Vidal, and John Irving

Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz

Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz

Anyone who is a Twilight fan and cannot wait for the movie's release date will really enjoy this book. Many images are never before seen pictures from the movie. I was truly blown away by the amount and quailty of the images.

There are great pictures of stills of the movie and production shots, especially a number of great shots of Edward and Bella, along with the rest of the Cullen family.

I truly was able to grasp a better sense of the movie and how the filmmaker's created the world of Twilight. Many scenes of the film are shown throughout the book that I was very happy to see in the Twilight movie that I had not seen before in any trailers or previous movie stills.

Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

What better message could we send our leaders,especially as the election quickly approaches and we find ourselves wading through the murky waters of political spin and doublespeak?

These are just a few small examples of the wonderful words of wisdom and insight Angelou offers in Letter to My Daughter. At just 166 pages, this small volume is page-for-page one of the most valuable books I’ve read in a very long time and is the perfect selection for a rainy afternoon. Angelou has lived a long and interesting life, and I’m so grateful that she’s chosen to continue sharing her experiences with us. I hope this won’t be the last time.

Letter to My Daughter is also part of my celebration of Banned Books Week, as Angelou’s first memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is one of the ALA’s most frequently challenged books. And that’s because Maya Angelou is not afraid to expose and discuss the parts of life that are ugly and messy and unpleasant. But she does not revel in them—she pulls herself up, bringing us along with her, and uses the moment as motivation to move on and continue rising.

Letter to My Daughter gets a well-deserved 5 out of 5.

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow

Pausch spoke about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" living not only your dreams but enabling the dreams of others. This coming from a man who had just found out he was dying so he speaks of "seizing every moment" (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think") he really knew what he was speaking about.

"The Last Lecture" is not a book about dying, it is a book about living. The book is filled with warmth, humor, and was truly inspiring. Another book I really enjoyed reading is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane, a book of short stories about living in the moment. Both of these books
touched my heart.

About Randy Pausch

Randolph Frederick Pausch[2] (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Brown University in 1982 and his PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon in August 1988. Pausch later became an associate professor at the University of Virginia, before working at Carnegie Mellon as an associate professor.

He gave his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch conceived the lecture after he learned that his previously known pancreatic cancer was terminal.[3] The talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?" The talk was later released as a book called The Last Lecture, which became a New York Times best-seller.

Pausch delivered his "Last Lecture", titled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, at CMU on September 18, 2007.[17] Randy Pausch gave an abridged version of his speech on the Oprah show in October 2007.[18][19] The talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?" Before speaking, Pausch received a long standing ovation from a large crowd of over 400 colleagues and students. When he motioned them to sit down, saying, "Make me earn it," some in the audience shouted back, "You did!"[20]

During the lecture, Pausch was upbeat and humorous, alternating between wisecracks, insights on computer science and engineering education, advice on building multi-disciplinary collaborations, working in groups and interacting with other people, offering inspirational life lessons, and performing push-ups on stage. He also commented on the irony that the "Last Lecture" series had recently been renamed as "Journeys", saying, "I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it."[16] After Pausch finished his lecture, Steve Seabolt, on behalf of Electronic Arts—which is now collaborating with CMU in the development of Alice 3.0[21]—pledged to honor Pausch by creating a memorial scholarship for women in computer science, in recognition of Pausch's support and mentoring of women in CS and engineering.[3]

CMU president Jared Cohon spoke emotionally of Pausch's humanity and called his contributions to the university and to education "remarkable and stunning".[22] He then announced that CMU will celebrate Pausch's impact on the world by building and naming after Pausch a raised pedestrian bridge[23] to connect CMU's new Computer Science building and the Center for the Arts, symbolizing the way Pausch linked those two disciplines. Brown University professor Andries van Dam followed Pausch's last lecture with a tearful and impassioned speech praising him for his courage and leadership, calling him a role model.[22]

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

There's a rather unseemly TV commercial making the rounds, in which middle-aged men who ought to know better make fools of themselves pretending to play guitar while allegedly hot young women pretend to be interested in them. (Yeah. And it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.)

Reading Nelson DeMille's latest hernia-inducer, "The Gate House," I thought it must be intended for the same target audience as that commercial. OK, I realize the bestselling DeMille has a readership that extends beyond that segment of the population that has outgrown Maxim but is not yet ready for the AARP newsletter. But everything about "The Gate House," from the soapy, melodramatic plot to the cardboard characters to the airline-magazine depiction of what they used to call "the good life," has a dragged-out, tired-blood quality to it. Saddling yourself with the nearly 700 pages of this book is like tuning into an endless miniseries with a second-rate cast and just being too pooped to get up and change the channel. It's absorbing if you don't have anything better to do - like ironing or paying bills.

"The Gate House" is a sequel to DeMille's 1990 blockbuster, "The Gold Coast," in which a pricey Long Island tax attorney is fool enough to sign on to work for a Mafia don and finds his wife drifting into an affair with this hotshot goombah.

As "The Gate House" opens, family business has summoned that fool of a lawyer, John Sutter, back to the North Shore. Sutter has been working in London after (literally) sailing out of his former life. Susan wound up killing her mob lover and though she avoided prison, in "The Gate House" her dead lover's son is taking over the family business and is hot for revenge. Fueling Sutter's desire to protect Susan is the fact that the two of them are back together - the last development following some verbal foreplay that has all the dexterity of the Hindenburg landing.

For a guy with a reputation for page-turners, DeMille pads out nearly every scene. Each dramatic development goes on at least two or three pages after we've gotten the point. DeMille's might be called the Sharpie method of narrative unfurling: He doesn't dramatize as much as underline. When Sutter meets Goombah Jr. in a Chinese restaurant, Junior reels off three dumb Asian jokes in a row so we understand he's a mamaluke.

About the author:

Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille. He moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track.

DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

DeMille returned to the States and went back to Hofstra University where he received his degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and still lives on Long Island.

DeMille's earlier books were NYPD detective novels. His first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of The Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and American Mensa. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, and Wild Fire. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories, book reviews, and articles to magazines and newspapers.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea is a New York Times bestselling book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin published by Penguin in 2006.[1] The book describes Mortenson's transition from a mountain-climber to a humanitarian committed to reducing poverty and educating girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He did this by co-founding the "Central Asia Institute," which has built over 78 schools in the most remote areas of the countries.[2][3]

The book's title comes from a Balti proverb:
“ The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family...[4]

In 1993, Greg Mortenson, to honor his deceased sister Christa's memory, attempted to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain, in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan.[5] After more than 70 days on the mountain, Greg and three other climbers had their ascent interrupted by the need to complete a 75-hour life-saving rescue of a fifth climber. The rescue took too much out of Mortenson, forcing him to accept failure and descend the mountain. After getting lost during the descent, he became weak and exhausted, and by chance alone, instead of arriving in Askole, where his porters awaited, he came across Korphe, a small and unremarkable village built on a shelf jutting out from a canyon. He was greeted and taken in by the chief of Korphe, Haji Ali.[6]

To pay the remote community back for their compassion, Mortenson promised to build a school for the village. After a frustrating time trying to raise money, Mortenson was introduced to Jean Hoerni, a Silicon Valley pioneer. Jean, who climbed mountains in the region as a younger man, donated the money Greg needed for his school. In the last months of Hoerni's life, he co-founded the Central Asia Institute, endowing the CAI to build schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.[7]

Co-author Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson argues that extremism in the region can be detered through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls.[8]

Faced with daunting challenges of raising funds, death threats from enraged mullahs, separation from his family, and a kidnapping, Mortenson eventually succeeded in building more than 55 schools in Taliban territory. Award-winning journalist Relin recounts the slow and arduous task Mortenson set for himself, a one-man mission aimed particularly at bringing education to young girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.[9]

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman

The world is flat because of globalization--which is good, as ideas and practices can spread effectively. What is not so good is that our world population is exploding and countries like India and China are seeing an increase in wealth and subsequent buying power, which puts more strain on the world's resources and increases global warming.

Friedman begins the book with a discussion of how America has changed post 9/11. He uses the example of the US consulate built in 1882 in Istanbul. The consulate was built in the heart of the city: "it was an easy place for Turks to get a VISA, to peruse the library or to engage with an American diplomat."

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the building was closed and a nearly impenetrable consulate was built. This all but stopped visitors from visiting. Although the new building does protect against attacks, it isolates Americans and impacts on how we are viewed and how we see ourselves.

The United States of America, Mr. Freidman reminds us, is the biggest energy hog in the world, by far. But now other emerging countries like India & China are ramping up, also wanting to enjoy the consumer lifestyle as well. These events drive up energy prices worldwide and accelerate climate change. In the book Mr. Freidman quotes a politician he spoke with from a poor country who summed up our casual attention to the climate problems we have created- 'It's as if you (Americans)have a fine meal of hor'dovueres, entrees and desserts.

Then you invite us over for a little Coffee afterwards and now you want us to split the bill.' In the 2nd half of the book Mr. Freidman, articulates how we must reinvent ourselves, become world leaders in green energy policies, green manufacturing & green housing. People and companies are patting themselves on the back for being green now. This according to Mr. Freidman rings false. He asserts that we are having a 'green party' where it's all fun and enjoyable and everyone goes home happy(and no one has to clean up). No one has to give up anything.

What is needed however is a 'green revolution' where we fundamentally change how we govern ourselves, nationally and locally, how we consume energy, how we live. And that is going to take sacrifices by all of us. Mr. Friedman spoke with many energy experts around the world who all articulate new technology that could drastically reduce our use of fossils fuels(he refers to it as 'dirty fuels'). One expert says that the 'future is already here, it's just not in wide distribution.' We already have plenty of technology that can create fuel efficient vehicles, smart appliances and truly integrated power grids which we could employ to reduce our 'carbon footprint.' But who has the political will to put forward an energy plan that can move these innovations from promising experiments to widely adopted practices?

Flat Belly Diet (Hardcover) by Liz Vaccariello, Cynthia Sass

The Flat Belly Diet Program takes 32 days and it is divided into two parts - the Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart, and the Four-Week Eating Plan. These 32 days is just enough time for one to make appropriate dietary changes leading to a new lifestyle. After you learn the program and observe desired changes in your body, Liz gives you the tools to keep your belly flat for the rest of your life.

The program is not only about getting your body to fit your desired dress size, but it is also (and especially so) about feeling confident, powerful and proud of you body. Essentially Liz offers to her readers to adapt a new way of living.

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

One of the book's best features is the amount of detail it provides on many of Buffett's investments. From a bird's eye view (and from reading the existing histories as well as his letters to investors), you've heard that he bought Washington Post stock and that it turned into a multi-decade multi-bagger for Berkshire. Reality is a lot more complicated than that. Buffett created Kay Graham as an expert capital allocator and had hands-on (literally) involvement with the company. The same is true of GEICO. Buffett's greatest investments, therefore, have been those in which he has invested much more than just his capital.


About Warren Buffett:

Warren Edward Buffett (born August 30, 1930) is an American investor, businessman and
philanthropist. Nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha," Warren Buffett
has amassed an enormous fortune from astute investments, particularly through the company
Berkshire Hathaway, of which he is the largest shareholder and CEO. With an estimated
current net worth of around US$46 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the second-richest
person in the world, behind only Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. In June 2006, he made the
commitment to give away his fortune to charity, with 85% of it going to the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. Buffett's donation was the largest act of charitable giving in United
States history.



Despite his immense wealth, Buffett is famous for his unpretentious and frugal lifestyle.
When he spent $6.7 million of Berkshire's funds on a corporate jet in 1989, he jokingly
named it "The Indefensible" because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs.
He continues to live in the same house in central Omaha he bought in 1958 for $31,500, in
the Dundee neighborhood (although he also owns a summer house in Laguna Beach, California).
His annual salary of $100,000 is very modest by the standards of senior executive remuneration
in other S&P 500 companies, which averaged about $9 million in 2003. Recently he revealed that
his salary is tied to the price of Berkshire Hathaway Class A stocks, joking that this was
part of the reason why he chose to never split the stock.

Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange (Author), Anthony Bozza (Author)

Too Fat to Fish is a book written by comedian and Howard Stern Show co-host Artie Lange with author and journalist Anthony Bozza, published by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House. It will be available in hardcover, audio CD, and audio download format on November 11, 2008[1]. The book is a collection of short stories that happened throughout Lange's life, from his childhood to his recent USO trip to Afghanistan in July 2008. The foreword is written by Howard Stern[1], with Lange also dedicating the book to Stern. It is said that Lange writes about his "most personal revelation" somewhere in the book[2].

About the author:

Arthur Steven Lange, Jr., (born October 11, 1967 in Union, New Jersey), is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor. Lange is most notable for replacing Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show, and as a member of the original cast of the sketch comedy series MADtv. Lange's first book Too Fat to Fish is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2008.

Biography

[edit] Early life

Artie Lange was born and raised in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey. His mother, Judy (née Caprio), was a homemaker and his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. Two weeks after he was born, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money, but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son. His family identified themselves as Italian-Americans, despite having German ancestry on his father's side. During a segment of The Howard Stern Show, Lange provided a blood sample which was taken to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results indicated that Lange was approximately 25 percent American Indian. Lange said that his father's background "has always been a gray area."

During high school Lange excelled in baseball, becoming an All County third baseman, and spent his free time working with his father. Some time after Lange finished high school in 1985, his father fell from a roof and broke his neck, becoming quadriplegic. Money soon afterwards became an issue within his family and they contacted celebrities to donate items for them to auction, the only one who responded was Howard Stern, sending them an autographed jacket and mentioning on the air "do they think it's going to make him walk again," which he found funny. His father would eventually die from complications from the fall, although Lange has speculated that his father may have committed suicide through an overdose of medications (perhaps with the assistance of a third party).

After finishing school, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was only trying to impress a girl by passing the teller a fake holdup note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. However, the note included his name, and the teller took it seriously and triggered a silent alarm. As part of an agreement, his lawyer arranged for Lange to avoid jail time, along with two years of probation and 25 hours of community service.

Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987. Based on his work at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, Lange was offered a radio job in Wyoming.[1] Instead of taking the job, he stayed in New Jersey and took up work as a longshoreman to help support his family; it was around this time that, inspired by Richard Lewis, he first started doing stand-up comedy[2]. He eventually quit his job to focus full time on his comedy career. In 1995, he landed a role in the original cast of FOX's sketch comedy show MADtv.

[edit] MADtv

Lange was one of the original nine castmembers of MADtv when the series debuted in 1995. Lange had previous sketch comedy experience with the improv troupe "Live on Tape".[3] Around this time he became heavily involved with drugs, particularly cocaine. He has stated that his lowest point of cocaine use occurred during a shooting of the MADtv sketch "Babewatch" (a parody of Babe and Baywatch) in which he played Babe the pig as a lifeguard. Because the sketch involved going through hours of make-up to transform him into a pig, he snorted cocaine in his car in full pig make-up during a break in the shooting of the sketch. Upon returning from the shoot, he passed out in his hotel room, and awoke to find he had defecated in his bed. (The cast and fanbase of The Howard Stern Show now refer to this incident as "The Pig Story.") His tenure with MADtv came to a dramatic end when, during a cocaine binge, the police were called to the studio. Lange fled, running through a number of backyards and stores before being arrested. He was charged with cocaine possession, assaulting an officer, and possessing an open alcoholic container in his car, among other charges. Upon Lange's arrest, Quincy Jones, an executive producer of MADtv, intervened and arranged for him to continue on the show for a second season. Lange's sobriety did not last, however, and he was fired after two seasons.

Lange performed as a few recurring characters on the show, such as "That's My White Momma," but was mostly used for impressions. Among the people he imitated were Yassir Arafat, F. Lee Bailey, Roseanne Barr, George Clooney, Larry Csonka, Newt Gingrich, Ed Harris, Richard Karn, Wayne Knight, Rush Limbaugh, Ed McMahon, Rosie O'Donnell, Rob Thomas and Joe Pesci.

Lange appeared in an episode during the show's tenth season.

[edit] The Howard Stern Show

After Lange served a short jail term and successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on Mad TV, offered him a part in the 1998 movie Dirty Work. Although Lange frequently jokes about the film's failure with both critics and audiences (on his stand-up comedy DVD, It's The Whiskey Talkin', after a fan asks him to autograph a copy of Dirty Work, he does so then gives the fan "[his] ten bucks back," saying "you don't see Ben Affleck doing that for Gigli") he credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejeuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and a lucrative (though ultimately fruitless) TV development deal.

He joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season where he would remain until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point; he enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late and being in healthy physical shape as well as working with the cast, particularly his friend, Norm Macdonald, and Laurie Metcalf, whom he would call "a brilliant actress" and later cast as his mother in his self-written, self-produced film Beer League. However, he disliked the show itself, referring to it as "bad jokes with fake laughter" (which, he claims, MacDonald agreed with) and maintaining that it was the lowest rated network sitcom for most of its run. After its cancellation, Lange would take over Jackie Martling's chair when Martling left The Howard Stern Show in 2001; he had previously visited numerous times, the first of which was alongside Norm MacDonald to promote Dirty Work.

Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, his role in the poorly-received movie Dirty Work, and his lack of professionalism. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents; he had grown up listening to The Howard Stern Show and is a fan to the point of recalling obscure details from years ago on a regular basis since his joining. Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence; his mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment, he continually gorges himself on pizza and other fattening foods, and his past drunken binges are legendary among Stern fans.

In early June 2005, Lange began missing work at the Howard Stern Show, prompting concerns of a possible relapse of past substance abuse. The situation climaxed in Lange behaving incoherently and belligerently on-the-air. He infamously sneered at Stern and crew that: "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!" Stern later commented that this statement had scared him. Lange missed the entire week of work.

At the time, Lange's absence from the show went largely unmentioned and was written off as stress from doing the radio show and beginning production of his movie Beer League. The real reason for Lange's absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on the September 21, 2006 episode, on which Lange acknowledged that he was regularly snorting heroin from February to June 2005. Lange discussed past episodes of heroin use, beginning when he was a stand-up comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting. Lange detailed his painful withdrawal, which included common side effects such as cold sweats, shaking and vomiting. Lange recalled disconnecting the telephone to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover. Lange was threatened with legal action by the Beer League producers (whom he later described as having "waste management connections") if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting in June 2005, which led Lange to secure a home visit from a doctor who prescribed Lange with buprenorphine (Subutex) to alleviate his heroin dependency. Since starting the medicine, Lange has claimed to be free of any illegal substances, though he has gained almost 100 lb (45 kg) since quitting heroin.

In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio, Lange revealed that he and Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing him on terrestrial radio with their own show. Lange claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed to have never given the offer much thought.

Lange is known for doing many impressions on the show, among them are Rush Limbaugh, Ted Kennedy, Iron Sheik, Eric the Midget, Don Rickles, Katt Williams, Blue Iris, Johnny Fratto, Jeff the Drunk, Harry Caray, Brian Johnson, Mark the Bagger, Elliot Offen, Bigfoot, Crazy Alice, Henry Hill, Bubba the Love Sponge, The Notorious B.I.G. and others.

Due to his fame as Howard Stern's sidekick, Lange was invited by Playboy to be part of a special photoshoot as one of the Cyber Club's celebrity photographers. He chose Miss November 2001 Lindsey Vuolo as his model for the pictorial.

On April 10, 2008 Lange walked off The Howard Stern Show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy, resulting in a physical altercation.[4] Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

The last thing Lange said to Stern before his departure on April 10, 2008 was, "I’m not a good person...I gotta leave...I love you." Atypically, the show was not re-broadcast on Howard 100 that day (normally during the week the full 6 hours of The Howard Stern Show are replayed around the clock starting at 12 PM, 6 PM and 12 AM). Tim Sabean (Sirius Program Manager) when interviewed by the Howard 100 News program stated that they have not yet decided on the fate of Artie's future on the Howard Stern Show.

On April 21, 2008 Lange did in fact return to the Howard Stern Show. He apologized for his behavior and took full responsibility. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite the rocky relationship that they've had, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.

[edit] Personal life

Lange frequently discussed his on-again/off-again relationship with longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi after they began dating in early spring 2002. Most of the couple's problems stemmed from Lange's lifestyle. In mid-2006 Lange declared that the couple had officially broken up, for which Lange cited his heroin abuse as the primary reason, and claimed to have warned her that she would be "tortured" if they stayed together. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 Stern Show that he and Sironi were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007, but began dating again in December 2007. On January 29, 2008, Vinnie Favale from The Late Show with David Letterman accidentally emailed Dana the itinerary for the night of Artie's appearance. The email contained the details of the reservations Vinnie made for Artie and three Penthouse Pets at a hotel and the Penthouse club. They have since parted ways.

Lange remains very close to his family, which includes his sister Stacie, a successful corporate fashion designer[5], and his mother Judy, who retired in March 2007 from a secretarial career.[6] He considers comedian George Carlin to be the all time greatest and said "it's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first late night talk show appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.[1] Contrary to popular belief, he had not met comedians Norm MacDonald or David Spade prior to his making films with them (Dirty Work and Lost And Found respectively) though he has remained close friends with both in the years since.

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, pro gay rights (despite his notorious penchant for gay jokes) and pro-union since his time as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and voted for John Kerry in 2004; he is currently "leaning towards" Barack Obama (whom he voted for in the Democratic Primaries) for the 2008 Presidential Election. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited The Howard Stern Show in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films.

He has indicated that his favorite band is The Who, he is also a devotee of Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC. His favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces.

[edit] Health

During a Stern Show weight loss competition, Lange was the only contestant to actually gain weight. He has also been asked to appear on Celebrity Fit Club for each of four seasons, but has declined every time due to his commitment to "The Stern Show".

In May 2004, Las Vegas station KLAS-TV reported him dead. The story turned out to be a prank executed by Stern Show regular caller Captain Janks.

The website 'www.artielangedeathwatch.com was started to predict when Lange would die if he continues this lifestyle. Before discontinuing updates, the site projected that he would die at age 53[7]. The site resulted in Artie getting turned down for special life insurance, when the company came across it.[8]

Since quitting heroin, Lange has gained well over 100 lb (45 kg); on March 3, 2008, it was determined on The Howard Stern Show that he had reached 295 lb (134 kg).

Also in September 2007, Lange gave details of his experiences with sleep apnea. Lange claims that he has awoken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and has fallen asleep while sitting on the toilet.

Artie was tested by Jon Hein for Type-2 diabetes on October 24 while on the Howard Stern show and his blood sugar was at 238. The next day on the show Artie stated his mother took him to see a doctor and was tested for diabetes. The tests came back negative and he stated his blood pressure was normal. The doctor, however, was very concerned with the speed that Lange has gained so much weight and suggested he go on a diet to save his heart. Since this incident, Artie has begun a moderate diet. Staff members have already commented that he looks "less bloated."

On November 1, 2007, Lange revealed on-air that he had taken a tablet of Subutex and was feeling slightly high. Howard insisted it was because of his new diet. Less than an hour after feeling the effects of Subutex, Lange threw two objects, one of which being a CD case, in a fit of rage at cast member Sal the Stockbroker; the two were not on speaking terms after a heated argument that they had the day before along with Richard Christy. Artie became frustrated once Sal and Richard attempted to amend the situation with an apology he found to be "phony." Artie would soon afterwards apologize to Sal, admitting that he overreacted and "crossed a line [he] never thought [he] would" and would make up with Sal and Richard one week later on November 8.

A picture on November 7, 2007 was revealed on air from the previous day when Artie was photographed holding a McDonald's bag and drink. Artie had called in sick the next day -- blaming his "diet" for his illness -- and the cast teased him anyway.

On November 14, 2007, Lange added an additional revelation that in his early 20s, he contracted chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease. He said that it was likely from receiving oral sex from a prostitute at a bachelor party. His doctor felt it was possible that the prostitute reused a condom from another man who was infected with the STD. Lange described having to receive a shot to fight the infection.

On August 6, 2008 , Lange checked himself into an intensive outpatient rehab program, after missing the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.[9] On the August 11th airing of the show Artie admitted to having been back on heroin for the past 7 weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool-hall. He has started therapy on a daily basis to combat his recent relapse with a therapist recommended to him by a chance phone call from Richard Lewis, who he says inspired him to try stand-up comedy. As of the 11th, he stated that he was 8 days sober. Lange currently resides in New Jersey.

[edit] Present

In May 2008, Lange filmed a headlining set for an episode of HBO's Down and Dirty with Jim Norton. The four-part special features young comedians as well as several established headliners, including Patrice Oneal, Andrew 'Dice' Clay, Bill Burr, Jim Florentine, Sean Rouse, Andy Andrist, and Ari Shaffir.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Hardcover) by Eckhart Tolle (Author)

Eckhart Tolle is a brilliant human being. His ability to hold complex concepts in his mind about enlightenment, human nature and behavior while weaving in examples from the Bible, Buddhism, Taoism, as well as the world's greatest thinkers and artists, is impressive and illuminating. In addition to being a spiritual teacher, Tolle is also a scholar. The richness of his ideas and the way he presents and ties them all together reminded me of philosophy & religion classes I took in college (though none of those classes taught what Mr. Tolle is teaching!).

In "A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose," Tolle carefully and thoroughly describes all the facets of living your life with presence and awareness, rather than living out of the roles and inner thoughts by which we define ourselves. At first, I found his ideas difficult to follow because of the terminology he uses ("egoic dysfunction," "pain-body," "form" vs. "formless," etc.), but he always defines clearly what he means. Hanging in there to fully understand all of the lingo was worth it! In fact, I really enjoyed some unexpected, simple and beautiful explanations of concepts that are often hard to describe. For example, his explanation of a human being:

Human is "...the functions you fulfill, whatever you do--all that belongs to the human dimension". Being is "found in the still, alert presence of Consciousness itself, the Consciousness that you are." "Human is form. Being is formless. Human and Being are not separate but interwoven."

"A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" is an exciting and important book to read, not just for your own personal enlightenment, but for the implications it suggests for the world at large. If you are interested in both of these factors, then two other authors that are essential to read are Ariel & Shya Kane. Their books Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment and Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation dovetail Tolle's in a way that is so wonderful and congruous: the Kanes talk about very similar concepts, but in a very simple, clear and profound way that actually allows you to experience enlightenment and awareness. I strongly recommend reading the Kanes' books, in addition to Tolle's, to truly 'awaken to your life's purpose'!

About the author:

Tolle's non-fiction bestseller The Power of Now emphasizes the importance of being aware of the present moment as a way of not being caught up in thoughts of the past and future. His later book A New Earth further explores the structure of the human ego and how this acts to distract people from their present experience of the world. It is the feeding of the human ego that is thought to be the source of inner and outer conflict. Only in examining one's ego may people begin to see beyond it and obtain a sense of spiritual enlightening or a new outlook on reality.

In Tolle's view, the present is the gateway to a heightened sense of peace. He states that "being in the now" brings about an awareness that is beyond the mind, an awareness which helps in transcending the ego. The ego means here the false identification with forms and labels: body, mind, thoughts, memories, social roles, life-story, opinions, emotions, material possessions, name, nationality, religion, likes and dislikes, desires, fears, etc. If one is present, one recognizes oneself as the space of consciousness in which the thought or impulse arises. One doesn’t lose the self in thought, nor does one become the impulse. Being present is being the space, rather than what happens. He says that the mind is to be used as a tool, but not let the mind use the person.

In Tolle's view, the "pain-body" is the emotional component of ego; it is created by the accumulation of suppressed emotions, the suffering of non-acceptance of what is. The size of "the pain-body" differs from person to person; it originates in the person’s past conditioning, usually early childhood.

Tolle says that our true "identity" is the underlying sense of I Am, which is consciousness itself. Awareness of Being is self-realization and true happiness. He states that we people are very important, because we are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold.

In Tolle's view, all wanting implies that the future is more desirable than the present. As long as you want something, you are seeking to reach some point in the future that promises fulfillment. Thereby you are making the present moment, as well as other persons, into a means to an end. You don't need the future, or future lives, to find yourself, and you need to add nothing to you to find yourself.

Tolle believes that the New Testament contains deep spiritual truth, as well as distortions, which are due to a misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching. He teaches that when you are present, you access your inner knowing and you will sense what is true and what was added on or distorted.[6]

In Tolle's view, love comes into existence when you know who you are in your essence and then recognize the "other" as yourself. It is the end of the delusion of separation, which is created by excessive reliance on thinking.

In Tolle's view, this shift in consciousness for most people is not a single event, but a process, a gradual disidentification from thoughts and emotions through the arising of awareness.

[edit] Influences

Tolle is aligned with the teachings of an emerging religion which has been called interspirituality or New Age. In the book Dialogues with Emerging Spiritual Teachers by John W. Parker, he has acknowledged a strong connection to J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi and stated that his teaching is a coming together of the teachings of both those teachers, and it is a continuation of that. In addition, he states that by listening to and speaking with the spiritual teacher Barry Long, he understood things more deeply.[7]

At about the age of fifteen he received five books that were written by a German mystic, Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, also known as Bô Yin Râ. Tolle responded "very deeply" to those books.[1] He said the first texts with which he came in contact after the awakening and in which he found deep understanding were the New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching and teachings of The Buddha.[1] In The Power of Now, he mentioned the writings of Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, the Bible, mystical Islam, Sufism, and Rumi's poetry, as well as Zen Buddhism's Lin-chi (Linji in pinyin ) (Rinzai) school.

Books

* The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, New World Library, October, 1999 ISBN 1-57731-152-3 (HC) ISBN 1-57731-480-8 (PB)
* Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from The Power of Now, New World Library, October 10, 2001 ISBN 1-57731-195-7 (HC)
* Stillness Speaks: Whispers of Now, New World Library, August, 2003 ISBN 1-57731-400-X
* A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Dutton, October 11, 2005 ISBN 0-525-94802-3

Audio Books

* What is Meditation?
* Practicing the Power of Now
* Companion to the Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, June 2001
* Living the Liberated Life and Dealing With the Pain Body, October 2001
* The Realization of Being: A Guide to Experiencing Your True Identity, October 2001
* Know That "I Am", January 1, 2002
* Even the Sun Will Die: An Interview With Eckhart Tolle, September 2001
* The Eckhart Tolle Audio Collection, September 2002
* The Essence of Now, 2002
* Choose to Awaken Now, 2002
* In the Presence of a Great Mystery, 2002
* Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle, June 2003
* Entering the Now, August 2003
* Gateways to Now, September 1, 2003
* Whispers, January 1, 2004
* The Flowering of Human Consciousness, May 2004
* Living a Life of Inner Peace, October 10, 2004
* Practicing Presence: A Guide for the Spiritual Teacher and Health Practitioner, November 1, 2004
* Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, October 10, 2005
* Through the Open Door: Journey to the Vastness of Your True Being, January 30, 2006

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62) (Hardcover) by David Wroblewski (Author)

Loved the book. The kind that sticks with you afterward. Really got caught up in the Edgar character. Loved the way the story was told. My heart fell in love with Almondine. Great story. I got really hungry when Edgar was scrounging for food in nearby cabins. Had to go raid my refrigerator. Got a little confused on the ending, but ended it satisfactorily in my own mind. GREAT BOOK, GREAT ADVENTURE!

From Anton Chekhov's "Kashtanka" and Franz Kafka's "Investigations of a Dog," down through Jack London's "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang," and including Albert Payson Terhune's improbably massive canine oeuvre, right up to such iconic names as Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Old Yeller and John Steinbeck's Charley, stories in which dogs feature as significant characters largely have lent themselves to taxonomic classification as either juvenilia, divertissement, memoir, or genre work.

With David Wroblewski's meaty, masterly debut novel, "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle," easily the best work of fiction ever written about dogs (as well as the longest), such works are rendered not just moot, but moribund.

For one thing, the story resonates, if too explicitly, with many of the same dramatic elements found in "Hamlet," "The Odyssey," the parable of Cain and Abel and every coming-of-age novel of the magical-realism school. Although set in early 1970s northern Wisconsin, it is a timeless work of fiction.

For another thing, while breaking no new technical ground, the syntax, sensibility and approach of the book are nothing if not frankly adult. This is not just another boy's rollicking-but-poignant adventure tale starring a stalwart canine companion. It is, despite a jarring, apocalyptically over-the-top, if arrestingly written, ending, what we mean when we speak of Literature.

Edgar's story is long, though seldom long-winded. Nearly half the book assumes the form of a North Woods rite-of-passage journey that does not so much breeze along as it buoys and carries the reader inevitably onward by sure foot and steadier vision (despite all the pestiferous mosquitoes).

The titular Edgar is not a dog, of course, but the story's 14-year-old protagonist, the congenitally mute, precociously sensitive only child of a dog breeder obsessed with the esoterica of his profession, and a preternaturally gifted trainer.

It is Edgar's eccentric grandfather, John Sawtelle, who in the waning days of World War I, some 40 years before Edgar's birth, becomes besotted with the idea of applying his unorthodox, whimsically idiosyncratic principles to breeding a new line of uber-dog on his farm south of Ashland—the German Shepherd-esque Sawtelle.

Upon his retirement, the quixotic enterprise passes into the hands of his feuding sons, the rebellious and ungovernable Claude, who wants little to do with it, and Claude's older brother and Edgar's father, Gar, who with Edgar's mother, Trudy, not only makes it his life's work but his calling.

Reared among the uncannily responsive, nimble-witted dogs, voiceless Edgar learns to communicate with parent and canine using an improvised sign language understood most profoundly by one of the female Sawtelles, Almondine, who from birth has been Edgar's bosom friend and steadfast steward. It is chiefly around her that Wroblewski weaves some of the most moving prose about dogs ever committed to paper.

He channels Almondine without condescending to, sentimentalizing, or, most impressively, anthropomorphizing, her. And this is the book's major accomplishment. Almondine never utters a word, yet Wroblewski endows her with an evocatively rich interior life rife with thoughts and dreams and emotions that lend felt meaning to her every plausible gesture. In the end, she not only graces the page as an entirely credible, fully realized, autonomous character but as the emotional pivot and fulcrum of the story.

Shortly after Claude reappears, ostensibly to help out around the farm, Edgar's father meets an untimely end. This cripples the boy with insomnia-inducing guilt for having failed to do more to prevent it. In the wake of a late-night, postmortem visitation, however—and in one of the novel's most stunningly written passages—he becomes convinced that his father's apparent heart attack entailed foul play.

Materializing before his son in the midst of a downpour, water-sculpted of the storm's flurry of raindrops and spectrally illumined by the fan of the farm's yard light, Gar "set his hand flat against the center of Edgar's chest":

"A whispery splash on his skin. . . . [T]hen he brought his other hand forward and Edgar felt something pass into him, and his father made as if to cradle Edgar's heart. . . . [C]upped the thing in his hands as though it were a newborn pup. . . .

"The world grayed. Then memories flooded into Edgar in a cascade, . . . images seen by a baby, a toddler, a young man, an adult. All his father's memories given to him at once."

As Claude horns his way first into managing the dogs and then into Trudy's bed, Edgar, having become oddly estranged from Almondine while brooding on how best to revenge his father, bides his time training his own litter of Sawtelles. When the auspicious moment arrives, it goes so awry that Edgar is compelled to abandon the aged Almondine and flee on foot into the wilds of the swampy Chequamegon Forest—pursued for murder, he mistakenly believes, by the police—accompanied by 300 pounds of young Sawtelle.

Surviving hand-to-mouth, Edgar and the three dogs, absent map, compass, food and water, aimlessly navigate the vast, skeeter-infested bush for months—enduring any number of detours, dangers and desperate moments—including a Lake Superior-hatched tornado—before being providentially befriended.

Trapped in a lakeside cove, Edgar watches slack-jawed as Essay, the alpha female, attacks the howling funnel again and again:

"[D]rawn by her vision, her compulsion, whatever had made her race to meet the pillar that roared at them from out on the water. . . .

"[T]he wind blew her hind feet out from under her and she rolled . . . before scrambling up and facing the wind squarely again. . . .

"Now Essay tried to advance. . . . [A] hieroglyph of a dog, stripped . . . to her essence, insane and true all at the same time. . . .

"She had made this choice, he thought—what his grandfather had always wanted, what he'd wished for time and again."At last, summoned telepathically by Almondine—or her spirit—Edgar and Essay make it back to the farm where, in an orgy of violence consecrated by a final visitation, this time by Almondine, they are at once blessed and cursed with their freedom, and their fate.

"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is not a family saga, but it is an ambitious, accomplished, though not flawless work. The author too often lapses into Hemingwayese, or piles on three descriptive details where two would do, or indulges a moment of portentous foreshadowing, and there is a scene or three that might have been cut or trimmed to the narrative's benefit.

None of this, however, diminishes the incandescent power of a novel that can only be declared a critical success. Is it not, after all, the blemish in beauty that most enchants us?

Above all, the book is wise to a sage and hard-won truth. Not only, as Edgar's ordeal has instructed him, that, "Life was a swarm of accidents waiting in the treetops, descending upon any living thing that passed, ready to eat them alive," but a simpler, vastly more difficult one. Namely, that if we would only permit them, dogs would alert us to the better angels of our nature. That it is their existence that amplifies, augments and humanizes our own. That, at last, "it would be better to imagine how men might become more suitable for dogs and not the other way around."

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By David Wroblewski

Real Sex for Real Women (Hardcover) by Laura Berman

Making Time for Sex

How often have you collapsed into bed and fallen asleep exhausted—not from a night of passion but from a too-full day of running around trying to take care of everything you need to do? For women especially, achieving a fulfilling sex life is about finding time: time to be intimate with your lover, time for yourself, and time to think about what you want from your sex life. To reinvigorate your relationship, try reassessing your priorities and making time to let sexiness flourish in your life.

Doing it all
The trouble with women is that we pride ourselves on doing it all. Even though we excel at working a double shift—holding down a full-time job then coming home to housework, cooking, and raising children—we find it hard to relax and enjoy life. To make matters worse, we often refuse help because we believe only we can do it right. Even when given the opportunity to relax, we often choose to spend the time packing lunches, answering emails, or writing a mental to-do list.

Life-enhancing time off
It might not be your partner or children that are stopping you from making time for sex—instead, it might be juggling commitments at work, at home, and with friends. Time for yourself will reward you with greater productivity and improve your relationships with colleagues and friends. Whatever its source, lack of sleep, stress, and a busy lifestyle cause many women to experience fatigue, weight gain, moodiness, and low sex drive. So the next time you're running ragged all day, don't be surprised if you head to bed feeling as sexy as a turnip.

You might not be sure where or how discovering your sexuality is supposed to fit into
your busy life. But accept that you need time to rest and recuperate. If, like many women, you place sex at the bottom of your to-do list, it might be time to review your priorities and make time for sex. In order to have the best relationship and sex life possible, start by following the three Ds—delegate, decrease, and disengage—to overcome stress, and find time to enhance sex and intimacy with your partner.

Delegate: extend your time
Mounting, nagging to-do lists drive us—and our partners—crazy, and we aren't doing anyone any favors by trying to do it all. Our bosses and coworkers are deprived of a calm colleague, our kids of a relaxed mother, our partners and our friends of spending quality time with us. We are deprived of energy, liveliness, and rest.

Prioritize your tasks. If you have a to-do list that includes more than five or six items, it is time to take stock. Put dates against tasks, and stars against anything you cannot delegate. Cross out non-essential tasks.

Your delegation operation might involve a monthly cleaning service. Housekeeping services are quite affordable, so let go of the reins and hand over the mop. Meanwhile, you will have gained an hour of rest and recuperation, which will boost your mood and your libido.

Use technology to make your life easier. Order your groceries, birthday presents, and household items online. Save shopping trips for when you want to choose some sexy new underwear.

Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3) - Christopher Paolini

Brisingr or The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular is the third book of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, following the books Eragon and Eldest. It was released on September 20, 2008. The title means "fire" in the fictional Ancient Language of Alagaesia.

The book sold 550,000 copies on its first day of sale, the most ever for a Random House Children's Book,[2] and debuted at #1 on USA Today's top 150 bestsellers list.[3]

In this book, Paolini provides some clues that let the reader start guessing as to how the story will unfold. You learn a lot more about the characters' personalities and how they might react in a certain situation. There's lots and lots of suspense; I found myself holding my breath more than a few times while I was reading, and read for so long one day I couldn't really see when I took the book away from my face...I liked how all the sad parts were actually sad; I started crying when I read most of them which, in a weird kind of way, is sort of nice. All the characters are likeable and believable, even the villains. They're the kind of bad guys you love to hate.

Paolini weaves an intricate web of characters and plot lines, connecting everything so that you have to read the book two or three times before you can grasp everything within it. Brisingr is a rich, captivating and complicated book that holds your attention until the very last page. I absolutely suggest this series to anyone who likes to curl up with a blanket on a rainy day with a good book.

Development

The Inheritance Cycle was initially planned to be a trilogy. In an October 2007 press release, Paolini revealed that the third book would have been so large that it would need to be published in two volumes.[4] An April 11, 2008 newsletter sent out by Paolini said that this book was longer than either Eragon or Eldest.[5]

Paolini began providing hints about the plot with a March 2005 interview with Shurtugal.com. He suggested the next book would include whether Saphira ever finds a mate, and find the Varden shifting favor away from Nasuada as leader.[6][7] Paolini answered some questions for his fans on his official site in July and August 2006[8] and gave a video interview in December 2006 to promote the movie.[9] Paolini said the coming book would explain how Thorn, Murtagh's dragon, matured to rival Saphira despite their age difference, and the nature of the spirits that sorcerers summon. In February 2007, Paolini answered a letter from the Czech fan site Alagaesia.net and Eragon1.net, in which he hinted that the rest of the Inheritance Cycle would reveal information about Brom's lover, Ajihad and Arya's background, and about dwarf culture.[10]

[edit] Title and cover

Paolini said about the title: "'Brisingr' is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it's always felt right to me." As it is the first word in the Ancient Language that Eragon learns, it holds a particular significance for him.[1] "Brisingr" is the Ancient Language's word for "fire", used to summon and control fire by magic-users in the series, and it ends up being the name for Eragon's sword. Paolini revealed the subtitle, "The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular", in a July 1, 2008 newsletter from Alagaesia.com.

John Jude Palencar illustrated the cover featuring the golden dragon Glaedr. The content of the cover was one of the few things initially confirmed by Paolini. The cover was first to feature an emerald-green dragon looking to the right.[11] Paolini later indicated that this was affected by the expansion of the series to a four-book cycle, but did not explain the change at the time.[12]

[edit] Promotion

In March 2008, a spoiler was released on the cycle's homepage, Alagaësia.com, stating that "In Brisingr, Eragon will meet a god."[13] A second spoiler was released in May saying that, "Eragon will meet a terrifying new enemy; one who likes to laugh a lot, but not in a good way."[14] In July 2008, a third and final spoiler was released on Alagaesia.com, stating that "In Brisingr, one of the characters becomes pregnant."

An excerpt from the third chapter of Brisingr, "Light and Shadow" (now renamed "Assault on Helgrind"), was included in the Eldest deluxe edition and later released on the Fricaya network.[15] This excerpt features Eragon and Roran traveling to Helgrind, in an effort to save Katrina (Roran's betrothed) from the Ra'zac's lair.

Brisingr was released in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom on September 20, 2008,[1] with later releases in other countries.[16] More than 2,500 midnight party events were held for the September 20 release.[17]

The book sold 550,000 copies on its first day of an initial print run of 2.5 million copies. Both the initial print run and first-day sales were the largest ever for the Random House Children's Book division.[2]

During promotion of the book, at Seattle Town Hall, Christopher Paolini stated that his favorite line from the novel is "Die, puny human!"[18]

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Eragon

Eragon, Roran, and Saphira are traveling towards Helgrind, the dwelling place of the Ra'zac, where Roran's betrothed, Katrina, is being held prisoner. Eragon mends the wound that was inflicted on Roran by a Ra'zac in Carvahall as they are camping. Together they infiltrate the fortress and are ambushed by the Ra'zac. Roran kills one of the two Ra'zac, then rescues Katrina. Eragon then finds Sloan, Katrina's father and a traitor to Carvahall, imprisoned. Eragon decides to remain in Helgrind to kill the remaining Ra’zac and deal with Sloan. He tells Saphira to go back to the Varden with Roran and Katrina, which she does. Eragon finds and kills the last Ra'zac with ease. Eragon then leaves Helgrind with Sloan and, using Sloan's true name, commands him to travel towards the elves' domain, and Eragon heads back to the Varden. Meanwhile, Saphira arrives at the Varden's camp without Eragon, so Arya sets off in pursuit of him. Arya finds Eragon traveling back, and they return to the Varden together. At the Varden's camp, Eragon reverses the curse he accidentally set upon Elva. He also pays his debt to Gedric, from whom he stole hides for Saphira's saddle, and he then visits Jeod and gives his wife a gift as well.

Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn, attack the Varden shortly after Eragon’s return. Elven spell casters aid Eragon in his fight against Murtagh, forcing him and Thorn to flee. After the fight, Eragon binds Roran and Katrina together in marriage. Nasuada then orders Eragon to attend the election of the new dwarf king, insisting Saphira stay behind, which Eragon reluctantly agrees to. Among the dwarves, Eragon is reunited with Orik, the clan chief of Dûrgrimst Ingeitum. An attempt to kill Eragon is found to be the work of the clan Dûrgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, who are hostile toward Eragon. Orik presents evidence to the clan-chiefs, who banish the Az Sweldn rak Anhuin clan into exile. Having won the trust of the dwarves, Orik is elected the new dwarf king. At Orik's coronation, Saphira mends Isidar Mithrim, which Arya had shattered while rescuing Eragon from the Shade, Durza.

Eragon and Saphira decide to return to Ellesméra to continue their training. Eragon is told by Oromis and Glaedr that Morzan is not his father and that Brom is. The next day, Eragon is told the source of Galbatorix's power; an Eldunarí, or a heart of hearts, is a dragon's heart, which contains their consciousness and exists forever. Glaedr explains that Galbatorix controls hundreds of these, which are the source of his power. They discuss Eragon's need for a new sword as well. Eragon visits Rhunön, the elven blacksmith, whom he asks to forge a new blade for him. She agrees, only after he retrieves the material needed, brightsteel, and Eragon names the sword "Brisingr". When Eragon sets off to return to the Varden, he finds that Oromis and Glaedr are departing as well. Oromis explains that the time has come oppose on Galbatorix alongside Islanzadí. Glaedr gives his Eldunarí to Eragon and Saphira before they part.

Eragon and Saphira return to the Varden, who are engaging in a siege of the city of Feinster, and are reunited with Arya. Eragon and Arya find the leader of the city, Lady Lorana, but discover that her three magicians are attempting to create a Shade. Eragon and Arya race to kill the magicians, as they transform a man into a Shade. However, Eragon passes out as Glaedr's Eldunarí depicts Oromis and Murtagh fighting; Galbatorix takes control over Murtagh as Oromis suffers a seizure, and Eragon watches as Glaedr and Oromis are killed. As Eragon regains consciousness, he and Arya fight the Shade, Varaug, who falls to the duo. After the successful siege, Nasuada informs Eragon that the Varden plan to march to Belatona, then to Dras-Leona, then to Uru'baen, where they plan to kill Galbatorix.

[edit] Roran

Roran has set about training for upcoming battles. Nasuada calls him to her pavilion, and asks him to serve in the Varden's military forces, to which he agrees. However, he requests to be married to Katrina first, insisting Eragon perform the ceremony. Having his request accepted, Roran prepares for the wedding. On the wedding day, the Varden is attacked by the Empire, but the ceremony still takes place four hours later. After that, Roran is sent on his first mission as an official part of the Varden's military; he is to ambush a convoy of the empire's supply wagons.

Almost immediately after successfully completing his mission, Roran is sent on another; to ambush yet another of the Empire's convoys. This one, however, was guarded by soldiers who feel no pain, so Roran's unit suffer extreme casualties, and only nine return to the Varden, with the commander unable to serve after losing a limb, causing a new commander to take lead. After shortly returning home, and being encouraged by Katrina, Roran is sent on a mission to take back one of the Surdan cities that the empire conquered. The new commander's plan almost drives the soldiers to death, but Roran takes command when all seems lost, giving new orders. Despite saving the operation, and killing one hundred and ninety-three men on his own, Roran is charged with insubordination, and is relieved temporarily of his duties.

When they arrive back at the Varden, Roran is whipped for the charges against him. After many hours, Roran awakes to Nasuada entering his tent, who gives him new orders. She promotes him to commander and orders him to ambush another convoy, which is accomplished successfully. However, some Urgals were torturing a soldier, which Roran disapproved of. An Urgal challenges Roran for leadership, and Roran wins. Roran then returns to the Varden's campsite, and partakes in the siege of Feinster, which is successful.

[edit] Nasuada

Nasuada's leadership of the Varden is challenged by Fadawar, a nomad, through the Trial of the Long Knives. Nasuada emerges as the victor and maintains her leadership. Upon Eragon's return, Nasuada allows him to attend to any affairs he may want to tend to. Immediately afterwards, she orders Eragon to witness the crowning of the next dwarf king. For Roran, Nasuada offers him a place in her army. Following several successful missions, Roran disobeys direct orders and Nasuada decides he should be flogged for insubordination. Due to her injured arms, Nasuada takes a place at the back of the army instead of at the forefront during the siege of Feinster. Upon completion of the siege, Eragon tells her many of the secrets that had been revealed to him. She then recounts for Eragon her brief plans for capturing the remainder of the Empire's major cities.

[edit] Reception

David Durham of the Washington Post praises Paolini for his streamlined prose, but says the novel drags a lot in the middle. He says Paolini shows greater maturity during some of the quiet moments of the novel, although he notes these parts could bore younger readers. Durham finds that Paolini's new characters are original, and that he adds depth to characters from the previous novels.[19] In contrast, Sheena McFarland of the The Salt Lake Tribune says Paolini "hasn't learned how to create characters that readers can relate to," although she praises him for strong female characters in the book such as Arya and Nasuada. McFarland calls the last 50 pages "riveting", but says they are a "paltry reward for trudging through the 700 preceding pages".[20]

Cookbooks are so much fun to read. Every author will have different approaches and even provide differing recipes for the same dish. The comparisons are fascinating. Today, I'm marinating chicken in the old "fireman's barbecue" sauce. Over times, I've collected a variety of recipes for this single sauce, and it's fun to experiment, compare, and finally select the one I like best. Same with cookbooks. . . .

In essence, the author, Ina Garten, lays out her approach in the following quotations (both from Page 11): ". . .I don't see any reason why we can't buy perfectly good ingredients in a grocery store, cook them simply, and serve an absolutely delicious meal that will delight everyone at the table." And, "What truly fires my imagination is taking ordinary ingredients and cooking them--or pairing them--in a way that `unlocks' their true flavors." She also argues strongly in favor of cooking by the season, since different foods are at their most flavorful at different times. Earlier, I quoted her as saying that certain ingredients unlock flavor. Among the "unlockers," she says, are Reggiano Parmesan cheese, wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Pernod, coffee, cream, etc.

Throughout the book, Garten scatters "Top 10" lists, such as the "10 No-cook things to serve with drinks," "Top 10 Flavor Boosters," and "10 Things Not to Serve at a Dinner Party."

But let's take a look at some of the recipes. I enjoy Potato Leek Soup, and have tried out several different recipes (enjoying all). Garten adds a new one to my collection. One ingredient that distinguishes hers from others is the use of arugula. Delicious.

Her "Creamy Cucumber Salad" is another little treasure, featuring hothouse cucumbers, red onions, yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, dill, and black pepper. I have not yet made this, but find that it sounds delightful as a starter for a meal.

"Coq au Vin" is one of my favorite tried and true French recipes. Garten provides her recipe, basing it on a Beef Bourguignon (as her produce once said, triggering the experiment, "Well, [coq au vin] is just beef bourguignon with chicken." Boy, this sounds interesting, richer than the normal recipe that I use.

Finally, one more example, "Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli." I try out a lot of broccoli dishes, and varying how I prepare them, from steaming to grilling to stir frying. Her version features roasting broccoli with pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and basil leaves.

All in all, a fine cookbook. Garten lays out her views on cooking at the outset and then illustrates how to implement those views in her recipe collection. People who want to create tasty dishes without major hassles will find this a good cookbook to add to their collection.


About the Author:

Ina Rosenberg Garten (born February 2, 1948) is an American author and host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa. Known for creating fine cuisine foods with an emphasis on quality ingredients and timesaving tips, she has been championed by Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, and Patricia Wells as an authority on cooking and home entertaining.

Garten had no formal training; she taught herself culinary techniques with the aid of French and New England cookbooks. Later, she relied on intuition and feedback from customers and friends to refine her recipes. She was mentored chiefly by Eli Zabar, of Eli's Manhattan and Eli's Breads fame, and domestic maven Stewart. Among her hallmark dishes are cœur à la crème, celery root remoulade, pear clafouti, and a simplified version of bœuf bourguignon. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa; Garten parlayed this success into a string of best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded convenience foods, and a popular Food Network television show.

The consistent use of the original store name through Garten's books, television show, and product line has led fans to refer to her as simply "the Contessa".

Early history and career

Born Ina Rosenberg in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Garten was one of two children born to Charles H. Rosenberg, a surgeon specializing in otolaryngology, and his wife, Florence.[1] Strongly encouraged to excel in school, she showed an aptitude for science and often won top honors in local science fairs. Garten's mother, an intellectual with an interest in opera, refused her daughter's requests to assist her in the kitchen and instead directed her to concentrate on schoolwork. Garten described her father as a lively individual with many friends, and has commented that she shares more characteristics with him than with her mother.[2] At 15, she met her future husband, Jeffrey Garten, on a trip to visit her brother at Dartmouth College.[1] After a year of exchanging letters, they began dating. After high school, she attended Syracuse University with plans to study fashion design, but chose to change her major to economics. Shortly thereafter, she postponed her educational pursuits to marry.

On December 22, 1968, Rosenberg and Garten were married in Stamford, and soon relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She began to dabble in cooking and entertaining in an effort to occupy her time while her husband served his four-year military tour as a paratrooper during the Vietnam War; she also acquired her pilot's license, according to an interview she gave to the Raleigh News & Observer.[3] After completing his tour, the couple journeyed to Paris, France, for a four-month camping vacation that Garten has described as the birth of her love for French cuisine. During this trip, she experienced open-air markets, produce stands, and fresh cooking ingredients for the first time.[4] Upon returning to the U.S., she began to cultivate her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of Julia Child's seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.[4] Her weekly dinner party tradition began taking shape during this time, and she refined her home entertaining skills when she and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., in 1972.

In Washington, Garten worked in the White House and took business courses at George Washington University, eventually earning an MBA,[5] while her husband worked in the State Department and completed his graduate studies. Originally employed as a low-level government aide, she climbed the political ladder and was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for then-Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.[6][7]

Strained by the pressures of her work and the serious, high-power setting of Washington, Garten once again turned to cooking and entertaining in her free time, constantly arranging dinner parties and soirées at her home on the weekends. Meanwhile, she was buying, refurbishing, and reselling homes for profit ("flipping") in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods.[6] The funds from these sales gave Garten the means to make her next purchase, the Barefoot Contessa specialty food emporium.

Ina will host Saturday Night Live on November 22 with musical guest Beyonce.

Barefoot Contessa

[edit] Barefoot Contessa store

Garten left her government job in 1978 after spotting an ad for a 400-square-foot (37 m2) specialty food store in Westhampton Beach, New York. The store was named Barefoot Contessa. "My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she told The New York Times four years later.[8] She made a hasty decision to purchase the store after traveling to view it, and moved to New York to assume ownership and management. The store had been named by its original owner in tribute to the 1954 film starring Ava Gardner; Garten kept the name when she took over, as it meshed well with her idea of an "elegant but earthy" lifestyle.[9] (As of 2006[update], Garten has not seen the film.[10])

After a month of training with the original owner, she took over full ownership and management of the shop. Barefoot Contessa became extremely successful in short order, bolstered by Garten's sophisticated but simple dishes, her self-branded line of gourmet coffees (manufactured by Eli Zabar), and party catering services.
Storefront of Barefoot Contessa at 46 Newtown Lane in East Hampton, New York, now defunct

While doing much of the cooking herself, she employed local chefs and bakers as the business grew, including Anna Pump (who later established the Loaves & Fishes bakery and Bridgehampton Inn). Within a year, she had moved Barefoot Contessa across the street from its original location to a larger property. However, it soon outgrew this new location; in 1985, she relocated the store to the newly-vacated premises of gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca in the prosperous Long Island village of East Hampton. East Hampton was a year-round community in contrast to Westhampton's beach season atmosphere, and provided a larger, wealthier demographic.

At East Hampton, she expanded the emporium from its original 400 square feet (37 m2) to over 3,000 square feet (280 m2), over seven times its original size. In this new, larger space, the store specialized in delicacies such as lobster Cobb salad, caviar, imported cheeses, and locally grown produce. The store quickly became a landmark gathering place for the affluent New York town, to such a point that, in 2003, director Nancy Meyers chose to use the store as one of the settings for the Jack Nicholson-Diane Keaton film Something's Gotta Give.[11] The shop was also praised in the press by celebrity clientele such as Steven Spielberg and Lauren Bacall. In 1996, after two decades of owning and operating, Garten again found herself seeking a change; she sold the store to two employees, Amy Forst and Parker Hodges. Unsure of what career step to take after selling the store, she took a six-month sabbatical from the culinary scene and built offices above the shop. There, she studied the stock market and attempted to sketch out plans for potential business ventures. Her website, Barefoot Contessa, became high-profile at this time as she began offering her coffees and a few other items for purchase online.

The store was permanently closed in 2004, when the lease expired on the property and negotiations failed between Garten (the owner of the building in which Barefoot Contessa was housed) and the new owners.[12] It has been reported that her refusal to meet lease negotiations was actually a method of reclaiming control of the store after Forst and Hodges lost business to Citarella, a new competitor.[13] Ultimately, she did not reopen the shop, and instead retained the property for potential new tenants.

[edit] Barefoot Contessa cookbooks
Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Under the guidance of her husband, Garten reemerged in 1999 with her attention turned to the publishing industry. She carried on with the Barefoot Contessa name in her 1999 sleeper bestseller, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Filled with the recipes that made her store successful, the book far exceeded both Garten's and publisher Clarkson Potter's expectations. After an initial pressing of 35,000 copies, a typical number for a debut cookbook, it immediately required second and third print runs and eventually sold over 100,000 copies in its first year.[14] In 2001, she capitalized on her new-found fame and released Barefoot Contessa Parties!, which also produced high sales and garnered good reviews, and followed this with Barefoot Contessa Family Style in 2002. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Parties! were nominated for 2000 and 2002 James Beard Awards, in the Entertaining & Special Occasion Cookbooks category. Parties! was a surprise entry, as she was considered inexperienced and untrained to compete with fellow nominees, revered French chef Jacques Pépin and international wine expert Brian St. Pierre.

Her cookbooks depart from the usual encyclopedic format most culinary tomes follow, and are instead modeled after coffee table books. Filled with color photography, with a facing full-page picture for each recipe, detractors sometimes criticize this method as it leaves less room for recipes, particularly at the comparatively steep MSRP of $35 each. Nevertheless, her cookbooks have received overall positive reviews; fellow chef Giada De Laurentiis recently named Garten as one of her favorite authors.[15] As of 2004[update], Garten's first three cookbooks have sold over 1 million copies combined.[16] She has now published a total of five cookbooks, adding Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (2004) and Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again (2006).

[edit] Barefoot Contessa on Food Network

See also: Barefoot Contessa

After the success of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Garten was approached by Food Network with an offer to host her own television cooking show. She rejected this proposal several times, until the London-based production company responsible for the popular Nigella Bites was assigned to the deal. She acquiesced to a 13-show season, and Barefoot Contessa premiered in 2002 to a positive reception. The program focuses on hearty, guest-oriented food, and Food Network found a popular hostess in the "calm, Rubenesque" Garten.[17] The press began comparing her television presence to that of her mentor, Martha Stewart, but with a softer edge and more nurturing, comforting manner. Barefoot Contessa has approximately 1 million viewers tuned in per episode, and has posted some of Food Network's highest ratings.[1][18] In 2005, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Best Service Show.[19]

[edit] Barefoot Contessa Pantry
Barefoot Contessa Pantry

In 2006, Garten launched her own line of packaged mixes, marinades, sauces, and preserves, branded as Barefoot Contessa Pantry, in conjunction with Stonewall Kitchen. These convenience foods are based on her most popular from-scratch recipes, such as coconut cupcakes, maple oatmeal scones, mango chutney, and lemon curd. Pricing of these items is comparatively expensive (for example, the suggested retail price for a single box of brownie mix is ten dollars) and they are only sold through upscale cookware and gourmet shops such as Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, and Chicago's Fox & Obel Market Cafe. She plans to expand this brand in the near future if the first line of products is very successful.[20]

[edit] Influences and rise to fame

[edit] Martha Stewart and Eli Zabar

Stewart played a large role in the early development of Garten's career, championing her store, recipes, and home décor, going as far as to feature both Garten's home and one of her bakery confections on 1998 and 2001 covers of her popular magazine, Martha Stewart Living. After years of being friends and co-workers, however, the two women became bitter rivals when Stewart attempted to take credit for one of Garten's recipes. They have reportedly mended their relationship; Stewart wrote a foreword for The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and Garten penned several columns on entertaining and cooking for Stewart's magazine. Stewart's sister, Laura Plimpton, has also been featured as a party guest on Barefoot Contessa.

Garten has credited Eli Zabar with the inspiration of her main cooking method, in which "all you have to do is cook to enhance the ingredients."[21] Under his tutelage, she refined her signature style of using high quality ingredients to reinvent and simplify classic recipes, with an emphasis on the natural flavors of foods. Zabar is famed for his gourmet market, bakery, and restaurants on New York City's Upper East Side, along with his rooftop greenhouse gardening design. He often is seen as a guest on Garten's Food Network show. She frequently recommends his baked goods and produce to her viewers and has filmed a segment on location at his flagship store, Eli's Vinegar Factory. Throughout her cookbooks, she promotes his retail products and has even included her take on some of Zabar's most popular recipes, such as shortbread cookies.

[edit] Road to stardom

In 1997, celebrity chefs and television cooking shows began to rise in popularity, driven in part by the high-profile success of Emeril Lagasse and his Emeril Live. Around this time, Food Network began capitalizing on the renewed interest in gourmet foods and cooking, and extended its reach with new shows and tie-in products. Martha Stewart also launched her television shows and accompanying magazines, cookbooks, and product lines. Periodicals such as Gourmet and Bon Appétit saw a dramatic increase in subscriptions at this time. In this wave of renewed food appreciation, Garten quietly established herself with her cookbooks and appearances on Stewart's show, and then moved into the forefront in 2002 with the debut of her Food Network program.

When Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 on charges connected with obstruction of justice in a stock trading case, the press began singling out Garten as the rising grande dame of the domestic arts.[22] After much critical acclaim and high sales of her first three cookbooks, she went on to write the best-selling Barefoot in Paris and several columns for O, The Oprah Magazine. She also serves as the entertaining, cooking, and party planning consultant for the magazine. House Beautiful, a shelter magazine, features a monthly Garten column entitled "Ask the Barefoot Contessa." In this column, she doles out cooking, entertaining, and lifestyle tips in response to letters sent in by her readers.[23] She launched a small line of note cards and journals to complement her books, and wrote the forewords for Kathleen King's Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook and Rori Trovato's Dishing With Style. One of her signature recipes, lemon roast chicken with croutons, was featured in The Best American Recipes 2005–2006. Another of Garten's dishes was selected for Today's Kitchen Cookbook, a compilation of the most popular recipes featured on the daily news program The Today Show.

In 2005, she announced that she had signed a three-year contract with Food Network to continue her cooking show, and will release two more cookbooks following Barefoot Contessa at Home. Garten was reportedly awarded the most lucrative contract for a culinary author to date, signing a multimillion dollar deal for multiple books.[24] She has also been approached several times to develop her own branded magazine, line of furniture, set of signature cookware, and chain of boutiques (reminiscent of Stewart's Omnimedia), but has declined these offers, stating she has no interest in further complicating her life. Between 2004 and 2005, Barefoot in Paris sold almost 400,000 copies and rose to the #11 slot on the New York Times bestseller list.[25]

Her sporadic public appearances and book signings usually command large audiences, with her signings (usually held in upscale bookstores or cookware shops) garnering crowds of 500 or more.[6] When she launched her Barefoot Contessa Pantry product line in early 2006, the projected turnout was 300 people for the small Fox & Obel Market. Instead, close to 2,000 fans appeared hoping to sample the new line and meet briefly with Garten. In October 2006, Garten launched a book tour of 13 states in support of Barefoot Contessa at Home, her most expansive publicity effort to date.

[edit] Personal life

[edit] Politics and opinions

Garten served as hostess of the 16th Annual Hudson Peconic benefit for Planned Parenthood, an organization focused on reproductive issues and women's health. Some consider Garten to be a gay icon, as her Food Network show frequently features appearances by her openly gay friends and their partners. Though she has made no explicit statement regarding gay rights or the gay community in general, she did write in one of her books:

"...we all know that families now aren't necessarily like Ozzie and Harriet (it turns out Ozzie and Harriet's family wasn't all Ozzie and Harriet)... family has a traditional context, but today it's not as simple as two parents with 2.3 kids... it's about relationships... it's about people who are bound together by love and a sense of being responsible for one another... it's spouses with no children, like Jeffrey and me... it's a group of women who meet to cook dinner together once a month... it's a one-parent family with adopted children... it's two men who've made a life together... at the end of the day, all we have is love... getting love, but even more, feeling love..."[26]

Registered in New York as a Democrat, Garten has contributed to the presidential campaign funds of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Barack Obama.[27]

Garten also sits on the Design Review Board for East Hampton, a panel that grants building permissions and approves architectural and design elements of the village. The board seeks to protect the historical district and further the overall aesthetics of the area.[28]

[edit] Family, religion, and marriage

Garten is known to guard her privacy closely, giving few interviews and declining to take part in Food Network charities and activities. Her family of origin is shielded almost completely from the spotlight; unlike her friends and colleagues, they are not featured on Barefoot Contessa. However, her road to fame and personal life were recently explored in the Food Network series Chefography, an hour-long documentary similar to the A&E program Biography. The show featured candid interviews with her husband, close friends, and former clients. No members of her family of origin were interviewed for Chefography.

Garten is Jewish by birth and heritage, as is her husband, but rarely refers to her religion and ethnicity. It is showcased only through the inclusion of classic Jewish cooking in her television show and cookbooks, when she makes such dishes as rugelach, challah, and brisket. The level of influence that her Judaism plays in her life is unclear, although it is known that she does not keep kosher.

Her husband, Jeffrey Garten, went on to become the Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and dean of the Yale School of Management. He is now the Juan Trippe Professor in the Practice of International Trade, Finance, and Business at Yale. He can also frequently be spotted on her cooking show, assisting his wife with menial tasks or sampling the dishes she has created. They divide their time between Manhattan, East Hampton, and Paris.[4]

[edit] Works

[edit] Books

* The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)
* Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes For Easy Parties That Are Really Fun (2001)
* Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family (2002)
* Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (2004)
* Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again (2006)
* Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients (2008)