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ROSE'S BOOK REVIEWS COFFEE TABLE BOOKS What’s the highest compliment you can pay a book, other than buying it? Don’t just read it. Display it with pride in your living room, using that book to show off your taste. Coffee table books inform everyone who visits your home what you value. Books like the following will do you proud. The Introvert Advantage How to Thrive in an Extrovert World Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. 330 pg., $14.95 Workman Publishing, ISBN: 0-7611-2369-5 Available in bookstores
Chances are one in four that you belong to the much maligned Introvert Club. Personally, I don’t, being an Outie as much as an Innie, according to the self-assessments in this fabulous how-to. Even so, the book was a revelation. It has taught me more about my husband and myself than anything else I’ve read in the past 10 years! Keep it on your coffee table to save the psychic lives of friends who are all- or part-introvert. Information includes a history of how introverts came to be maligned by psychologists (of all people!), discussion of how temperament works, and an account of the different ways that brains can be wired for introverts and extroverts (including science explained so clearly that even I could understand it, no small feat). Most valuable of all, the psychologist-author gives extraordinarily valuable insights for those who have introvert tendencies. I can’t resist quoting a sample, from page 52:
Can you relate? Then you’ll love this book. And imagine, if you keep a book this perceptive on your coffee table, what wonderful guests might be attracted to your living room! Nature's Palette Art Through a Photographer's Eyes Michael Thomas Impellizzeri 160 huge pages with 148 full-color photos, $27.95 IM Publishing, 3855 Cape Cole Blvd. Punta Gorda, FL 33955 ISBN: 096584272X
You and I are spoiled, visually. Beautiful images bombard us through the media, thousands of them every day. Then there’s the little matter of reality, with all the gorgeous things it could show is, if we were to stop and pay attention. Michael Thomas Impellizzeri has managed to combine both categories. His
images and accompanying text are more than gorgeous. They’ll start you seeing
things differently.
Even the redoubtable Georgia O’Keeffe,
if she lived today, might learn something from the melting golden hues in
Impellizzeri’s flower photo called “Floral Paint.” And “Preening Time” displays one of the best-dressed ducks you’ve ever seen in Annapolis. (Seriously, the picture is both visually arresting and funny, as waves break up the reflection of a duck’s grooming ritual. If I had a teenage girl, I’d be tempted to frame this plate from the book and hang it in her bathroom, just to help her lighten up about the self-beautification process.) Actually, you might want to buy two copies of this fabulous book. Keep one to rip up. Frame a dozen of the photos to redecorate your home. Then place the other book on your coffee table to entertain and inspire your visitors. This photographer’s vision turns out to be more contagious than pinkeye.
Fun Foods for Kids and Grownups Linda Davis Kyle Blueberry Press, ISBN 0-9673651-1-2 124 pg., $17.95 + $3.95 shipping Spiral bound, gorgeous color photos Portion of profits donated to Prevent Blindness Texas 11900 Metric Blvd., Ste. J, Pmb 122 Austin TX 78758-3117 www.blueberrypress.com or order this book from Amazon
Another art book, this one combines gorgeous photos, healthy recipes and sumptuous ideas about good nutrition. If you’ve ever tried to get your child to eat fruit and veggies without McJunk, this book is for you. Davis Kyle, a nutrition writer with creative ideas galore, has cooked up a fascinating batch of recipes. They carry names like “Pepper Treasure Chest” and “Kiwi Flying Saucers.” Part craft project, part foodie’s delight, part nutritional reference book and part game, Fun Foods on your coffee table will make you look good in more ways than one. Soul Sisters: The Five Sacred Qualities of a Woman's Soul Pythia Peay 242 pages, $16.95 Penguin Putnam ISBN 1-58542-162-6 Local writer Pythia Peay really did write what her book is called on the cover: “An Inspirational Workbook for Women.” Those words turned me off initially. I thought, “Here we go again. Another crass attempt to capitalize on the need so many women feel for true spiritual community.” Was I ever wrong. Peay’s book is a labor of love, filled with quotes and stories that this appealing author has clearly spent years researching. And what a looker her book is, too! As someone who just finished the four-month labor of typesetting my latest book, I must compliment the book designer. Few books today are put together this beautifully. An enormous amount of care, skill and (one suspects) love went into the making of this how-to. No wonder I’m recommending it as a coffee table book. You’ll even find suggestions for starting your own Soul Sister Circle. Take one evening a month to form what Peay calls “an emotional ‘ecosystem’ that nurtures women, their loved ones and society.” Sound good to you, ladies? Think of the fascinating new friends who could gather with you around… your coffee table.
Local authors, send Rose press releases about your new publications. No calls, please. Let your writing speak for itself; she’ll let you know if your book strikes her as something she might possibly review. Beware: books sent without a go-ahead have slimmer chances of review than those introduced with a press release. E-mail to rose@rose-rosetree.com or send snail mail to Rose Rosetree,116 Hillsdale Dr., Sterling, VA 20164. Good news for face readers and aura readers! Rose has gone mainstream in a series of articles for Twist, a major mag for teens. Also she’s started to publish Reading Life Deeper, a free monthly e-zine which contains photos and readings, as well as articles. To subscribe, send an e-mail to rose@rose-rosetree.com. Meanwhile, congratulations, you’re among the first to know about Rose’s new book for 2003, nine years in the making, Wrinkles Are God's Makeup: How You Can Find Meaning in Your Evolving Face. Wait ‘till you see it! And then will you ever see you!
For the latest information about all of Rose’s books, classes, party entertainment readings and personal sessions, check out her website. Or call us at 703-404-4357.
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