Birds in Brazil

Book Description

Here is a substantially revised and updated English-language version of the only comprehensive, scientific treatment of Brazil's 1635 bird species. Written by the then dean of Brazilian ornithologists and published in Brazil in 1985, it not only lists every individual Brazilian species and provides detailed accounts for most of them but also gives an extensive treatment of the characteristics of each bird family found in the country. In addition, it analyzes the composition of Brazil's avifauna and relates it to the country's geography.

Customer Reviews:

this is not a field guide.......2004-12-06

I read the other review and was deceived. The other reviewer made it sound like a field guide comparing it to Peterson. NO!!!! There are a total of 45 color plates covering less than 500 of the about 1500 Brazilian birds and some of these plates are black and white.

Birds in Brazil.......2000-10-16

Birds in Brazil is a big book, beautifully produced on quality paper. It is exhaustive but never exhausting on the topic of Brazilian birds . The color illustrations are beautiful, but unfortunately they are separate from the text about the birds. That is the book's only fault. The text is in smooth and enticing English, and where the same birds are to be found migrating to the United States, the information is quite comparable in completion and interest to the American field guides of Roger T. Peterson. That leads me to believe that the information about birds that we don't experience will be equally accurate. This book is captivating and well worth the price. It is a coffee-table style book that we will be proud to use and to display.

Germs Make Me Sick! (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) (Reading Rainbow book)

Average customer rating:

One of the best!
Love the cartoons, and I learned something too
When my kids were sick, this was one of two books we always read...
A missed opportunity to teach about hygiene
An untimidating, practical account of germs for young reader

Germs Make Me Sick! (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) (Reading Rainbow book)
Melvin Berger
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0064451542

Book Description

With Marilyn Hefner's new full color illustrations, bacteria and viruses have never looked so good! As packed with wit and good humor as with charts and diagrams, this book is still the best explanation of how your body fights germs. `An introduction to bacteria and viruses and how each of the two forms attacks cells and makes a person feel sick. The text mixes information with reassurance. . . . A nonthreatening first exposure, administered with a pleasant bedside manner.' 'K.

A Reading Rainbow Featured Selection
Best Children's Science Books 1995 (Science Books and Films)

Customer Reviews:

One of the best!.......2007-10-02

Germs Make Me Sick by Melvin Berger is one of the best books I've seen to educate primary grade children about viruses and bacteria and how they can make you sick -- and how you can make yourself well again. Sometimes, your Doctor will have to send a swab or a drop of your blood to a lab to see just the right way to make you well if your illness is caused by a bacteria or protect you from some diseases caused by a virus.

I am amazed at how well this scientific information is presented for young readers, and the follow-up with a section on The Rules for Good Health make this a must buy for parents.

Love the cartoons, and I learned something too.......2007-03-25

Every illustration in this book is a cartoon, and in many of the illustrations a cat, dog, lion, or some other animal will make some kind of random comment. This was pretty funny, but not quite as funny as the cartoons in another Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science book called Digging Up Dinosaurs.

According to this book, the sticky saliva in your mouth catches germs and prevents them from going inside your body to cause further damage. I didn't know that. Hope all the information is correct.

When my kids were sick, this was one of two books we always read..........2006-06-23

My children, now 19 and 17, loved this book. I guess they were about 6 and 4 when I got it. Whenever they were sick, we read this book and a Sesame Street book called "It's No Fun to be Sick." Reading these books became a comforting ritual, as well as an easy way to learn some basic science.

A missed opportunity to teach about hygiene.......2000-11-27

Although this book is thorough in describing the differences between viruses and bacteria, I think it misses an important opportunity to reinforce hygiene...wash your hands, cover your mouth etc. These are given a cursory review on the last page, with no accompanying illustration. I had hoped that this book would help my almost-4-year-old to understand how people get sick, how they get well, and how they can help prevent communicable disease to reinforce what I teach at home. I do not think that the authors did a very good job of meeting those expectations.

An untimidating, practical account of germs for young reader.......1998-11-20

My three-year old son really enjoys this book. The book's fairly simple, yet informative account of how viruses and bacteria can make us sick helps to make the abstract concept of germs more concrete for him. As an added bonus, the book gives a plug for handwashing, covering mouths when sneezing or coughing, and not sharing cups that most preschoolers can benefit from. I must also confess that, despite having read the Times Science section for years, I learned quite a bit about viruses and bacteria from this simple, well-illustrated book. A good buy, especially for parents who field a lot of factual queries every day. The Let's Read and Find Out series is a great way to let someone else do the explaining for a change.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet

Average customer rating:

Transform Your Home into a Peaceful Sanctuary
Detox Your Life
Declutter, paint and detoxify
Life-changing ideas
Fantastic book with tons of information

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet
Norma Lehmeier-Hartie
Manufacturer: Lingham Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Herbal Remedies | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Healthy Living | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0977963306
Release Date: 2007-01-01

Product Description

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, by Norma Lehmeier Hartie, is an indispensable reference book for anyone who cares about their health and well being and for the future of the planet. Hartie concisely covers a wide range of subjects and includes a comprehensive listing of advisory organizations, product and service resources. Part I of the book, Banish the Ugly from Your Life, is a blueprint for green, sustainable living. Discover how to replace toxic and unsustainable products from household cleaners to food (including recipes) to furniture to personal care products with safe, eco-friendly ones. Hartie is the tough but motivational Life Coach in her approach to cleaning, removing clutter and on organizing the home or office. Part II, Bring in the Beautiful to Create a Harmonious Environment and Self, includes a chapter on Earth-based spirituality and a fascinating look at the Four Elements (Earth, Fire, Air and Water) and the Medicine Wheel. The core of Hartie s philosophy blossoms in Chapter Seven, Applying Harmonious AdjustmentsTM: Using Feng Shui and Other Techniques for Powerful Results. Unlike other Feng Shui authors, Hartie has experience as a designer and her skills are apparent in this chapter and the following two. She has combined principles of Feng Shui, the Four Elements, color, energy, Vastu, and good design principles that create a unique and eclectic approach to home decorating. Finally, Hartie provides guidance on how to manifest personal or professional desires. In Part III, Putting the Pieces Together, Hartie skillfully integrates the many subjects of the book into a unified and cohesive whole. At its cover price of $19.95, Harmonious Environment is a value alone for the comprehensive green living product suppliers in the Resources section. What makes this book so truly ambitious, however, is what lies beneath the surface. In a sense, this book is only marginal

Customer Reviews:

Transform Your Home into a Peaceful Sanctuary.......2007-04-10

"The energy from flowers is so bright and strong that they can be put anywhere in the home and they will enhance your life." ~ pg. 217

Norma Lehmeier Hartie is a design consultant and Harmonious Adjustment practitioner who enjoys gardening and cooking. She created the practice of Harmonious Adjustments to give her clients the chance to reconnect with nature and to manifest their personal and professional dreams. Through her book she introduces ideas for detoxing and decluttering your home environment.

If you want a happier, healthier lifestyle that is more in harmony with nature, then Norma Lehmeier Hartie's book has a world of information to make this possible. She can help you:

Remove toxic products from your home and garage
Clean and organize your home
Buy environmentally friendly cleaning products
Organize your home for more peace and harmony
Find healthy personal care products
Grow plants that help to control pollution - A list of the Fifty Best Houseplants
Find the best choices in flooring
Figure out how to recycle larger items like a refrigerator
Cook more safely and use kitchen scraps for your garden
Formulate a plan to keep your house clean
Organize every room in the house
Decorate with Confidence

Reading through the list of harmful products gives you an idea of the ingredients to avoid in cleaners and how they can affect your health. For an antibacterial spray, the author suggests water and essential oils and for cleaning silver she also suggests more natural solutions like baking soda and vinegar. Using Borax and water is less dangerous than chlorine bleach fumes and you may want to try this in your shower. You may enjoy products by Seventh Generation.

Chapter three felt a little out of my personal range of expertise, although we know that thoughts can affect our environment and life and can move our life in a positive or negative direction. This chapter deals more with spiritual practices. Chapter 6 also delves into a deeper connection with nature, personality types and elemental powers. The list of Yin and Yang is helpful to create a balance of the two in your home. An entire chapter is also dedicated to plants, gemstones and crystals.

"If you are the average American woman, you expose yourself to over two hundred synthetic chemicals that are found in the products you use as you prepare yourself for the day. These products do not simply sit on your skin; approximately sixty percent of these ingredients get absorbed into your bloodstream." ~ pg. 91

Chapter four is especially informative and essential if you are trying to be healthier and want to find organic alternatives to products filled with synthetic chemicals. Why should you avoid petroleum and talc? Why is there lead in hair dye?

The section on an Eco-Friendly Kitchen is interesting and the chapter on natural and organic foods also gives ideas on how to save time in the kitchen. A few recipes are included:

Vegetarian Pasta Primavera
Fajitas
Risotto with Scallops or Shrimp
Lemon Rice
Grilled Vegetables

An extensive list of resources and a very handy index complete this well-researched and extremely helpful book. If you enjoy Feng Shui or decorating and organizing your home, there is a lot to enjoy and you may find the information in this book can also help with fatigue, anxiety and sleeping problems.

~The Rebecca Review

Detox Your Life.......2007-04-04

No matter what your goals are, this book has the starting point for you. Learn how to make your life less toxic and get a better relationship with Mother Earth.

Declutter, paint and detoxify.......2007-04-02

Using the principles of Feng Shui, you can create a harmonious home environment with this book as a guide.

Author Lehmeier-Hartie has you choose colors, elements and design based on your birthday. If you suffer from problems feeling disorganized or headachey at home, it could be your home is not organized properly or the flow of energy is impeded.

The author extends this tranquility to finding the right job and the right mate. Whether or not it is the alignment of elements in the home, focusing on clearing clutter in your life can only have positive effects. A very pretty book.

Life-changing ideas.......2007-02-02

Worried about what your family is being exposed to? Are you hoping to increase your wealth or find love this year? Trying to decide on the best color to paint your walls? If you answered "yes!" to any of these questions, then Harmonious Environment is a must read.

The goal of this book is to create positive energy both in your home and your life and to be kinder to the earth. Hertie is a design consultant, chef, gardener, and healer. She shares her professional and personal experiences with the readers, i.e., homemade earth-friendly cleaning products, tasty recipes for carnivores and vegetarians, etc. She recommends that after reading this book, you apply the process in the following order:

1. Remove toxic products from your home and garage
2. Clean, declutter, clear and organize your home
3. Buy/use environmentally friendly products
4. Learn how to use place objects (furniture, mirrors, etc.) to manifest change in your life

The relationship between people and the Earth is an important part of Harmonious Environments. To remind ourselves of this interconnection, Hertie recommends bringing the natural world into your home. Some ways to do this include displaying rocks and minerals and using houseplants as pollution busters.

Hertie uses Harmonious Adjustments (TM) that combines "the best principles of Feng Shui, the application of the Four Elements based on your birth date, color, Vastu, energy work and good design." I've read a few Feng Shui books in the past, but the author's clear instructions and enthusiasm has given me the confidence to actually try this at home.

I liked how the author reminded me to use this book as a guideline but to also trust my intuition. Do what looks and feels right for you. I also liked how the Resource section listed all the suppliers, organizations and further readings mentioned throughout the book.

Even if you aren't interested in Feng Shui, this book has valuable information about becoming an informed consumer and living a more eco-friendly life.

Armchair Interviews says read Harmonious Environment and get ready to change your life!

Fantastic book with tons of information.......2007-01-18

I got this wonderful book as we are moving our place of business, and wanted to make smart choices. From the first page, Ms. Lehmeier-Hartie shares her expertise in an organized, thoughtful way. The day after I got the book, I negotiated a much more logical and healthier ventilation system, and the section on colors was far and away the most organized and logical explanation I have ever seen.

Some aspects of our project are beyond our control, but I became a much more active participant. We anxiously await our new space, and know that the suggestions made here will add to the beauty and functionality of our space. I wish I could have rated this 10 stars!

HANDLING THE SICK: WOMEN OF ST LUKE'S AND THE NATURE OF NURSING, 1892-1937 (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE)

Average customer rating:

Handling the Sick

HANDLING THE SICK: WOMEN OF ST LUKE'S AND THE NATURE OF NURSING, 1892-1937 (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE)
TOM OLSON , and EILEEN WALSH
Manufacturer: Ohio State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Nursing | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0814209599

Customer Reviews:

Handling the Sick.......2004-07-22

This compact and unimposing book takes a major swipe at various assumptions in previous accounts of nursing history. Its irreverence is refreshing and the questions that it raises about nursing history (e.g. ?do nurses care??) are provocative and enlightening. ?Handling the Sick? is well worth the read.

Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!

Average customer rating:

Carolina's Story
An Amazing Turtle Rescue
Entertaining and informative!
A delightful introduction to one of nature's wondrous sea creatures

Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!
Donna Rathmell
Manufacturer: Sylvan Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0976494302
Release Date: 2005-06-15

Book Description

"Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick, Too!" is the photographic journal of Carolina, a critically ill loggerhead sea turtle, as she is nursed back to health at the Sea Turtle Hospital of the South Carolina Aquarium. Just like hospitalized children, Carolina experiences a variety of emotions and procedures during her care and recovery process.

When she first arrives at the hospital, she is too sick, weak, and confused to understand what is happening. She has blood drawn, x-rays taken, gets shots and is hydrated through an IV just as ill children may be.

Join her as she interacts with her many caregivers and her sick or injured roommate turtles and then celebrate the happy day she is released back into the open ocean--a healthy and happy turtle.

An educational "For Creative Minds" supplement in the back of the book includes teaching trivia, conservation issues, a make-your-own sea turtle craft, and sea turtle math games. "Learning Links" and "Teaching Activities" are also available on the Sylvan Dell website, so that educators can use the books even more easily in their lessons.

Customer Reviews:

Carolina's Story.......2007-09-21

JoAn W. Martin
2407 Kilgore Rd.
Baytown, TX 77520
281 427-2713

Rathmell, Donna. Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! Photographed by Barbara Bergwerf. Mt. Pleasant, SC. Sylvan Dell Publishing. 2005. 32 page Hardback. $15.95 Ages 4-8. ISBN 0-9764943-0-2

When distressed sea turtles are washed up on the beach, the Turtle Rescue Team springs into action. The team recognized that this turtle, Carolina, has "turtle flu," a life-threatening illness.
They washed and scraped barnacles off her shell, then applied antibiotics to her sores. She was so sick she didn't care what they did to her.
She began to feel better after receiving x-rays and shots. Carolina developed enough energy to resist being removed from her tank. She discovered how to play with water coming out of the pipes and splashed anyone who came near.
After four months of excellent care, Carolina was reloaded onto the truck and taken back to the beach where she'd been found. The staff and volunteers were sad to see her go, but they were proud they'd saved her life.
The author, Donna Rathmell's daughter suffered an accident and was taken to the hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery. Donna used that experience to write a heartwarming story that hospitalized children would enjoy about Carolina, a loggerhead turtle.
Barbara Bergwerf thought photographs rather than illustrations would help children to identify with a reptile that has to endure the same procedures at the hospital. Barbara was one of the first female photographer at the Chicago Tribune, but now she does wildlife photography and donates time and picture-taking skill to environmental and conservation organizations.
A hallmark of Sylvan Dell picture books is the sections at the end, For Creative Minds. It includes fun facts, math games, and craft projects for parents and teachers to extend the story into learning activities.

An Amazing Turtle Rescue.......2005-11-14

A sea turtle with turtle flu washes up on the Carolina shore and is lucky enough to be picked up by the Turtle Rescue Team. Carolina, as she is named, is taken to an animal hospital, where rescuers wash her sores, check her tongue, and hose her down. Kids will enjoy seeing this turtle who, much against her will, is forced to undergo a doctor's examination. "If Carolina could cry, she would cry and cry." She is placed on the X-Ray table, gets some shots, is put in a tank, and then begins to feel better. She plays with the water spout, learns to splash, comes eagerly to her dinner bowl, and makes friends with hospital visitors. Kids will enjoy the many themes explored in this book: it's normal to be scared in strange places; doctors can make you feel better; you can make yourself at home no matter where you are, but perhaps most significant: we need to care for and protect our wildlife. Carolina's story is told in on-the-spot photographs by Barbara J. Bergwerf. They capture Carolina's angst and frustration and the Turtle Rescue Team's calm determination. Author Donna Rathmell does not talk down to children. We learn that the turtle's shell is a "carapace," and that Carolina is covered with "barnacles," and that she will be treated with an "antibiotic." The typeface is large and bold, reminiscent of the text across the board of an elementary school classroom. At the end of the book are turtle facts and math games, and a sea turtle you can trace, cut out, and color. The lessons of "Carolina's Story" will be easily absorbed because children can all identify with Carolina.

Sandra Dutton is an artist, author and reviewer whose most recent book for kids is "Capp Street Carnival."

Entertaining and informative!.......2005-10-27

Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is an informative photographic journal of a sea turtle that is critically ill. The photographs and accompanying narrative journal the sea turtle from the time she is found, and as she is cared for and nursed back to health.

At the back of the book is a section titled, "Creative Minds," which includes turtle fun facts, math games, a craft project and photos.

Children will be enthralled as they hear Carolina's story and look at the pictures. And they will rejoice as Carolina, fully recovered, is released back into the ocean.

Armchair Interviews says: Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is a wonderful and educational addition to a child's library. Adults and children will enjoy the book and learn at the same time.

A delightful introduction to one of nature's wondrous sea creatures.......2005-09-14

With Donna Rathmell's simple, straightforward text suitable for children grades 1 to 3, and illustrated with the color photography of Barbara Bergwerf, Caronlina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is the true life story of the rehabilitation of a loggerhead turtle. Young readers get to see the inside of a turtle hospital, where sick and injured sea turtles are cared for and then released back into the wild when they are healthy. The final pages offer fun facts and a "make your own sea turtle" cutouts designs for photocopying and rainy day fun. A delightful introduction to one of nature's wondrous sea creatures.

Average customer rating:

An Impish Kind of Reverence
Writing and Nature and Wildness, Unplugged
The Antidote
Insights into both writing and nature.
Don't Let the Title Fool You

Sick of Nature
David Gessner
Manufacturer: Dartmouth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Authorship | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1584654643

Book Description

David Gessner's Return of the Osprey is "among the classics of American nature writing," said the Boston Globe. So why does this critically acclaimed nature writer now declare himself to be "sick of nature"?

In diverse, diverting, and frequently hilarious essays, Gessner wrestles with father figures both biological and literary, reflects on the pleasures and absurdities of the writing life, explores the significance of place for both his work and his sense of well-being, and rails at the confines of the nature genre even as he continues to find fresh inspiration for his writing in the natural world. In the end, he learns to embrace--or at least tolerate--the label he once rejected.

Whether kicking at the limits of his category or explaining why he was fired from his job as a bookstore clerk; whether recalling his youthful obsession with Ultimate Frisbee or recounting an adventure in the jungles of Belize; whether lampooning his own writerly envy of Sebastian Junger or raging at the over-development of Cape Cod or searching for solace in nature in the wake of September 11, Gessner ranges from the personal to the natural in lyrical reflections on writing, self, and society.

In a powerful concluding essay, Gessner moves from the arrival of coyotes in the suburbs of Boston to the birth of his first child in an extended meditation on his characteristic themes of wildness, place, and creativity.

Customer Reviews:

An Impish Kind of Reverence.......2007-03-27

Bravo to David Gessner for thumbing his nose at the hallowed genre of nature writing! I love the genre, and I believe Gessner does too. Still, I applaud anyone who helps to tip over sacred cows. Gessner expands the possibilities for other nature writers and loosens things up. He structures his book of essays around the tale of a prodigal nature writer. First he rebels against his self-assigned role as wise and straight-laced chronicler of plovers and other small beer (Return of the Osprey, A Wild, Rank Place). Then he strikes out into the territory of the personal essay to explore his relationships and his writing apprenticeship. Finally, he returns to nature writing, reinvigorated and willing to break the rules.

The book opens with a rant so clever, funny, and hyperactive that it dazzled me. I tried in vain to summarize what his complaint against nature writing was. I had to go back over the argument sentence by sentence to catch every insight. Gessner chafes against a sense of restraint, a standard of quiet gentility and decorum.Gessner rolls his eyes at what he sees as a habit of humorless, excessive earnestness. He complains about the narrowness of the genre and its tendency toward repetition. Then he admits that it is his own conformity that embarrasses and frustrates him more than anyone else's expectations.

Gessner is sick not just of nature writing, but of the marginal position of nature writers in society, of the skeptical inquiries about his job, of his own "eccentric costume of an English bird watcher." He worries, too, about the self-indulgence of the lonely philosopher on the shore. Perhaps most of all, Gessner hates the writer's helplessness. He groans at the contrast between his lofty aspirations and his inability to stop the destruction of the wilderness. He throws up his hands: "I have to admit that an essay is a much less effective method of protecting the land than a cudgel. In other words, I have to admit to impotence."

By the end of the introductory essay, though, he's back on his feet, trumpeting a new aesthetic. He makes a plea for wildness and honesty in nature writing, "for freedom. For sloppiness... for amateurism, variety, danger, spontaneity." By this time we can infer both directly and indirectly what figure he'd like to cut. The persona that attracts him is virile, wild, funny, sexy, irreverent, contrarian, a little cranky. He's got a touch of Edward Abbey's picaresque approach to our lovely earth. Gessner wants a nature writing that excludes no human truth, a nature writing that can include substitute teaching, TV and Al Qaeda if these affect our relations with nature. While Gessner may not be quite such a colorful lecher and prankster and messiah as Edward Abbey, he's more credible in the maturity department. Gessner is so self-reflective that we're not always sure whether he's commenting on nature writing or describing his personal trajectory. Fortunately, he makes both these projects revealing and appealing.

In "A Polygamist of Place," Gessner describes his alternate attachments to Cape Cod and Colorado. He points out that marriage to a place remains the dominant, unquestioned trope for American nature writing. Why should marriage be necessary? He sees its value, but it may not be for everyone. Gessner notes the virtues of distance; when we step away from a beloved place we can sometimes see it more clearly in the light of contrast and nostalgia.

Gessner feels a certain urgency about exploring his own defects. He complains that nature writing is "a strange Sunday School where I alternate between sitting in the pews (reading nature) and standing at the pulpit (writing nature)." In this book he refuses those pieties. He won't just preach and worship; he'll confess to the sins that give all humans vitality.

In the title essay, Gessner claims, "I'm willing to write manifestos, but I'd prefer having others act them out." I don't buy this. His final trilogy of essays, "Howling with the Trickster: A Wild Memoir," does act out his manifesto. In these essays, he moves to Boston, gets obsessed with urban coyotes, tracks one alone a concrete canal, supports his mentally ill brother, and watches his wife's belly swell as his own daughter grows. Gessner waxes earnest, emotional, inquisitive, lyrical, playful by turns. He braids together personal history, natural history, and philosophizing. When he sobbed at his daughter's birth, I started crying too.

Ultimately, it's liveliness that matters most to Gessner. Like Whitman, he looks for energy wherever it lurks. It lurks in the coyote by the trash heap as well as in the sublime irridescent "blue-grey juniper berries." In his deepest essays, his warmth and all-too-human honesty transport us. He seeks truth and an impish liberation in the profane; in the process he finds his way to the holy once again.

Writing and Nature and Wildness, Unplugged.......2004-09-19

At first glance, Gessner's newest volume appears to be a random collection of 17 very different essays. The assorted ruminations cover the genre of nature writing, overdevelopment of Cape Cod beaches, Ultimate Frisbee games and teams, the writing life, urban vs. rural life, family relationships, and a side trip to the jungle of Belize, all capped off with a coyote trilogy. But as the reader progresses from one selection to another, a unified theme becomes clear. This book is an exploration of all aspects of wildness -- in the author, in other humans, in animals, in habitats. Gessner poses the fundamental questions and struggles to provide reasonable answers. What is wildness? Where is it? Is it fair to study wild animals via an electronic scientific method? And is a wild turkey still wild if it struts along the back alleys of Boston?

Devout animal lovers, be warned: David Gessner puts realism into his nature writing and glosses over neither death nor decay. If you prefer your nature Disney-fied, rent a movie. Not to be missed in this book: the imaginary Nature Writers party on pages 4 and 5, and what might happen if Edward Abbey slipped alcohol into Thoreau's water glass.

These are thought-provoking essays that are recommended reading for nature lovers, nature writers, and memoir fans. At the very least, you'll start studying shadows for coyote shapes.

The Antidote.......2004-07-29

Gessner returns to the right blend of personal and nature that made his earlier works a sure sign of a budding artiste. While he may occasionally turn a phrase simply for the pleasure of seeing it in print, his writing is generally a non-stop stream of spot on insight that allows the reader to catch a ride on his journey of discovery.

Insights into both writing and nature........2004-06-27

Gessner is a master at piling up the self-deprecating humor until he arrives at a serious and thoughtful point. His argument with the prettified school of nature writing is well-taken, but his ruminations on the writing life are on target as well. Aspiring writers will find humor and comfort in his accounts of writerly envy, the frustrations of one's apprentice period, or his time as a bookstore clerk.

Don't Let the Title Fool You.......2004-06-09

A brilliant and funny examination of the literary, natural, and human world. Gessner's characters -- himself, especially -- are engaging, flawed and universal. His descriptions are unbeatable. His love of flora, fauna, and Cape Cod are palpable even through his most ironic musings.

A book that defies category, there's something in it for everyone. If you like to take walks on the beach, if you love your family, if you ever aspired to create art yourself. And most especially if you like to read, you'll love Sick of Nature.

Average customer rating:

It's a winner.

Makes Me Encouraged About the Future

Car Sick: Solutions for Our Car-addicted Culture
Lynn Sloman
Manufacturer: Green Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Mass Transit | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Cutting Your Car Use: Save Money, Be Healthy, Be Green!

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life

Critical Mass: Bicycling's Defiant Celebration

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back

An Inconvenient Truth

ASIN: 190399876X

Book Description

The twenty-first century is gridlocked. Mass motorisation has ruptured community ties, bankrupted a nation of family shops, and bred a nation of obese children and adults. Politicians stumble from one transport crisis to the next.
Lynn Sloman proposes a novel way forwardÂ—not through the big-bang civil engineering projects, but by getting people to think about their choices, rather than reaching for their car keys.
She shows how de-motorisation works: in place of traffic, it offers neighbourly streets and vibrant city centres. CopenhagenÂ's decision to create pedestrian streets in the city center has made it an outdoor theatre, filled with celebration and spectacle even in winter. From small towns like Langenlois in Austria, to the centre of London, de-motorisation is transforming urban surroundings. We do not need to get rid of cars altogether. What we do need is to change the way we think about travel.
Car Sick is a passionate, well-argued case for moving away from a car-centered to a people-centered society.

Customer Reviews:

It's a winner........2007-02-09

Lynn Sloman was Assistant Director of the environmental group Transport 2000 for ten years and now runs a transport consultancy business, helping the government and other groups find ways to cut down on traffic and car use, so her Car Sick: Solutions for Our Car-Addicted Culture comes not just from ideology but from one who has many practical years helping people through gridlock. From how to make a transition from car-oriented choices to alternatives to the larger picture of how less cars work in places of traffic, it's a winner.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Makes Me Encouraged About the Future.......2006-11-22

When I first saw this book I almost passed it by. The title, 'Car Sick' made me expect a book filled with the usual complaints about all the problems that the automobile causes. Then I noticed the sub-title, 'Solutions for our Car-Addicted Culture.' This made it at least worth picking it up.

People don't want to change their driving habits, but as gasoline continues to increase they will have to. $3 a gallon gasoline cause a bit of complaining, but no real changes. $5 a gallon gasoline in Europe causes a lot fewer SUV's. I don't know if it will take $10, $25 or $50 a gallon gasoline to make real changes but it will happen.

The encouraging thing in this book is that Ms. Sloman offers a number of solutions that have been implemented in various places and dramatically reduced the number of cars being used.

Two things she mentions:

The Walking Bus. Each morning a parent of the two children living the most distance from school puts on a safety vest, grabs a small wagon (excuse me Ms. Sloman is a Brit - it's not a wagon it's a trolley), and starts leading the two kids to school. Along the way other children join the parade. Their heavy backpacks or school bags go on the trolley, periodically another parent joins the parade. They walk the kids to school. They don't use gasoline, everyone gets exercise, it's a social event for the kids - and for the parents who wind up getting coffee (Ooooophs, England again, tea.).

Car Clubs. I drive a pickup, but I've organized my life that it only gets started a couple of times a week. (I drove it 2,000 miles last year, including a 700 mile trip.) The rest of the time it sits idle - depreciating, consuming insurance premium, etc. Car clubs are where a group of people buy a vehicle and share the expenses. For a look at a commercially set up car club go visit the FlexCar web site.

One of the most encouraging books I've read in years.

Home Safe Home: How to Make Your Home Environmentally Safe

Average customer rating:

Home Safe Home: How to Make Your Home Environmentally Safe
William J. Kelly
Manufacturer: National Press Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0915765705

Average customer rating:

Indoor Air: An Integrated Approach
L., Ed. Morawska
Manufacturer: PERGAMON PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Engineering | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Home & Garden | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0080419178

Book Description

Until recently the most common approach to monitoring, health risk assessment and management of indoor air quality was to consider each atmospheric pollutant individually. There is now the realisation that both the comfort and the combined health risk may depend not only on the concentrations of individual pollutants, but also on the complexity of the interactions between all the constituents in the air. In addition, any mitigation process aimed at one particular pollutant can affect other pollutants as well. Integrated management strategies should take these processes into consideration and aim at an overall upgrade of the indoor environment.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books