| On the Shelves | Reviews New Books Becoming Multisensory: A Guide to Discovering and Trusting Your Inner Spirit, by Donna Guice, Trafford Publishing, 173 pages Donna Guice, long a part of the spiritual community in the Twin Cities, has taken big risks with Becoming Multisensory. She displays incredible courage by sharing her past challenges with alcohol addiction, her challenges with relationships and family, and much more. And in the end, if you can get beyond the "self-published" look of the book and ingest what it has to offer, Donna offers you a piece of her heart and invites you to share a little bit of yours with someone. More than just one woman's story, Becoming Multisensory is a template with which we all can begin the process of becoming real. Cocktails with god: A novel, by David Triemert, One Light Press, 160 pages David Triemert's novel, Cocktails with God, might cause more than one person to question the author's intent. It may incite a bonfire. On the surface, the story of Buddy's brush with Divinity via near-death experience may seem sacreligious, but the truth is, God doesn't care if you drink all 22 heavenly drink recipes included in the novel in one sitting, or not. We have free will. And in this age of shifting paradigms, a novel like Triemert's might just be what the angels ordered. Read it with a light heart and enjoy the coversations with God and Jesus -- and try not to take it all so seriously. God doesn't. Buddha, by Jon Ortner, with Sayings of the Buddha, Introduction by Jack Kornfield, Welcome Books, 240 pages, 155 color images Twenty-five years of stunning photography reflecting images of the Buddha, combined with powerful sayings by the Buddha, can serve to awaken something in us that is striving to be known. In partnership with an inner yearning, Buddha can take you places. Contemplate the colors, shapes and beauty of the photos and the words. Understand that this art can fill you with peace and serenity. And understand that your journey through this book is a journey through yourself. Are you willing to take that walk? "...Each encounter with the Buddha is a privilege, author and photographer Jon Ortner writes. "It is my fervent wish that these photographs unlock similar doors for all who see them." Mom's View: Children's Books | by Paula Behr Hush Little Baby, written and illustrated by Sylvia Long, Chronicle Books • Age Level: Baby to Preschool (and beyond) This charmer of a book is a favorite with my 4-year-old! One look at the crumpled pages of our copy at home tells of how many times this has been a storytime choice. Long blows a breath of fresh air into the classic "Hush Little Baby" lullaby. Out with the material version of buying things like a mockingbird and a diamond ring to soothe a little one and in with the comfort tools of Mother-Love and Mother-Nature: hummingbirds, the evening sky, a teddy bear, a banjo's tune, a lullaby and more. The doting Mother Bunny and her little one, done in pen and ink with watercolor, are snuggling and spending creative time together on each page. The stellar artwork really lets their bond shine through. This is definitely a warm fuzzy kind of book. I Am an Artist, by Pat Lowery Collins, Illustrations by Robin Brickman, The Millbrook Press • Age Level: Preschool and Beyond The simple, yet powerful, words and beautiful drawings in this book remind us that we are artists when we notice nature's wondrous details: the curve of an orange, pictures in raindrops, the feathers of a bird and the spinning propellers of a maple-tree seed. Nature and creativity are inextricably linked. I love reading this book to my daughter! When I hear the words I am reminded to slow down, be in the present moment and notice details-the gifts of the visual world. In that sense the book is more for me than for her since she lives in the wonder of the present moment already. This book's gentle suggestion that our inner creativity awaits us when we open our eyes and really see our surroundings is a welcome bit of wisdom in anyone's home. 2004 Calendars Make a Date with Buddha 2004 Calendar, by Beatrex Quntanna (with Michael Makay and Susaan Aram, designed and illustrated by Martin and Kate Thomas, Art a la Carte Publishing, www.make-a-date-with-buddha.com, $19.95 The 12th edition of this guide to the coming year is highly informative -- and intuitive. It contains yearly, monthly and daily energetic influences and affirmations based on Tibetan numerology, astrological information on the sun's movement, planetary retrogrades, moon phase and eclipse dates, information on how to best align with cosmic energies, listings for "global sensitivity" and "low vitality" days and inspirational photographs of Buddha statues from private collections in California and Minnesota. Designed by Martin and Kate Thomas of the Twin Cities, this calendar is a useful tool that integrates the wisdom of the Buddha with alignment by Tibetan numerology and the intuitive gifts of metaphysical teacher Beatrex Quntanna. As its creators say, this calendar "is a beautiful support system for those living in awareness." Prayer/Meditation 2004, by Truth Consciousness & Desert Ashram, Tucson, AZ, inspired by Swami Amar Jyoti, prayermeditationcalendar.com, $13 At a time in one's life when meditation is becoming more of a priority, this calendar appears. "Some traditions call prayer and meditation practices, but I prefer to call them a blessing," writes Sita Stuhlmiller in the calendar's introduction. "It takes some time and patience to enter the depths of Divine communion, but the more we partake of this eternal spring, the more it fills us with inner strength, peace and longing to go deeper and deeper." These blessings are captivatingly conveyed with beautiful full-color images...moments of stillness in community, in ritual, in solitary silence. Holiday Sounds Behold, by Trish and Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, The River's Voice Music, P.O. Box 785, Monticello, MN 55362, (763) 295-3745, www.riversvoice.com For this holiday season, a gift with depth and beauty comes to us in the form of Behold, the first recording by Trish and Richard Bruxvoort Colligan on their new River's Voice Music label. They share with us some Christmas standards ("O Come All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel") and surround them with some original sounds that take us far beyond tinsel and glad tidings. On this, the artists say, "This is not your father's (or mother's, for that matter) Christmas album. In fact, we took some risks with it. As important as Christmas is to us -- the celebration of Light coming into the world -- it has become equally important to us to recognize the darkest time of the year at Winter Solstice. So Behold contains themes of darkness, as well as lightness. We invite you to find a way to value darkness, to welcome all seasons of your life with their gifts. Something our fix-it-quick culture doesn't do so well." Enjoy the traditional and the new, the solo voicings and the choir, and behold the joy that created this gift. THE EDGE REVIEW POLICY As part of its regular content, The EDGE is launching On the Shelves, featuring reviews and descriptions of books, videos, CDs and DVDs, not so much to critique but to inform our readers of new releases. The EDGE offers two options for reviews: • Guaranteed Publication A maximum of 300 words in the form of a review, containing title of release, size in pages or length, and cost, will be published in The EDGE with the purchase of a display ad, appearing on a facing page from the review. The publisher, author, artist or agent must contact our sales representative and agree to buy a display ad. The review must be sent to the Editor of The EDGE by the 15th of the month. Reviews must be e-mailed as a text document to editor@edgenews.com or sent to: The EDGE, P.O. Box 25543, Woodbury, MN 55125. Ads are due on the 17th each month. Your ad is to be sent to us electronically as a .pdf file. For specifications, go to www.edgenews.com/submission.pdf or call Steve at toll-free 1 (800) 356-5804. E-mail ads to: edgeads@ edgenews.com. • Possible Publication Recent releases, chosen at the discretion of The EDGE staff, will be described and/or reviewed each month. Pub-lishers, authors, artists or agents may send new releases of books, videos, CDs or DVDs to The EDGE, but there is no guarantee of review and products will not be returned. Send items to: The EDGE, P.O. Box 25543, Woodbury, MN 55125. Contact Tim Miejan, editor, with any questions about getting books or other products for review to him at (651) 578-8969, toll-free 1 (888) 776-5687, e-mail editor@edgenews.com. Contact Cathy Smith, advertising sales consultant, with any questions about seeking guaranteed publication of a review, with a paid display advertisement at (763) 757-5665, toll-free 1 (888) 246-9221 or e-mail cathy@edgenews.com |
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