Book Reviews by Judy Wexler from Conservation Magazine.
Books Reviewed:
1. Elephants on the Edge
What Animals Teach Us about Humanity
By G.A. Bradshaw
Yale University Press, 2009
2. Hope for Animals and Their World
How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink
By Jane Goodall with Thane Maynard and Gail Hudson Grand Central Publishing, 2009
3. No Impact Man
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process
By Colin Beavan
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009
4. The Jaguar’s Shadow
Searching for a Mythic Cat
By Richard Mahler
Yale University Press, September 2009
5. Climate Change:
Picturing the Science
By Gavin Schmidt and Joshua Wolfe
W.W. Norton, 2009
6. Nature’s Ghosts
Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology
By Mark V. Barrow, Jr.
University of Chicago Press, 2009
7. Extinction in our Times
Global Amphibian Decline
By James P Collins and Martha L.Crump
Oxford University Press, 2009
For reading reviews of all the abov ebooks just click below:
Conservation Magazine » Blog Archive » Book Reviews, Fall 2009
Posted using ShareThis
Grateful thanks to Judy Wexler, Conservation Magazine and ShareThis.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Daily Reads-2: November 19, 2009
Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume VII
Though this book is in my Daily Reads collection, I find I am not actually read it daily - so many distractions, disturbances and demands on my time. What to do! However, today I could read it. I generally read only a page or two and savour what I have read.
From today's reading, the following passage impressed me most and hence I am excerpting it here.
"The greatest sin is to think yourself weak. No one is greater: realise you are Brahman. ... Stand up and say, I am the master, the master of all. We forge the chain, and we alone can break it."
Though this book is in my Daily Reads collection, I find I am not actually read it daily - so many distractions, disturbances and demands on my time. What to do! However, today I could read it. I generally read only a page or two and savour what I have read.
From today's reading, the following passage impressed me most and hence I am excerpting it here.
"The greatest sin is to think yourself weak. No one is greater: realise you are Brahman. ... Stand up and say, I am the master, the master of all. We forge the chain, and we alone can break it."
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Daily Reads-1: October 24, 2009
1. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Mahendranath Gupta -
(A beautiful translation from Bengali by Swami Nikhilananda - Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai)
(A beautiful translation from Bengali by Swami Nikhilananda - Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai)
My Bible. Though read several times, reading again daily at the rate of one or two pages a day. Hence it occupies a special place on my table. It is a present from my dear friend, Dr.R.Janakiraman. He has very kindly inscribed the book for me. It reads: "To Suri, with Love, Signed R.Janakiraman, 07.07.1990.
Nearly for seven or eight years, it was just gathering dust in my bookshelf. A time came when I was going through a very miserable period in my life, somehow I sought out the book and started reading. It acted like a balm and changed the course of my life completely.
Read today pages 325-326. They contain some useful guidance for householders from Sri Guru Maharaj himself:
"Master: It is extremely difficult to practise spiritual discipline and at the same time lead a householder's life. There are many handicaps: disease, grief, poverty, misunderstanding with one's wife, and disobedient, stupid, and stubborn children. I don't have to give you a list of them.
But still there is a way out. One should pray to God, going now and then into solitude, and make efforts to realize Him."
Neighbour: "Must one leave home then?"
Master: "No, not altogether. Whenever you have leisure, go into solitude for a day or two. At that time don't have any relations with the outside world and don't hold any conversation with worldly people on worldly affairs. You must live either in solitude or in the company of holy men."
Nearly for seven or eight years, it was just gathering dust in my bookshelf. A time came when I was going through a very miserable period in my life, somehow I sought out the book and started reading. It acted like a balm and changed the course of my life completely.
Read today pages 325-326. They contain some useful guidance for householders from Sri Guru Maharaj himself:
"Master: It is extremely difficult to practise spiritual discipline and at the same time lead a householder's life. There are many handicaps: disease, grief, poverty, misunderstanding with one's wife, and disobedient, stupid, and stubborn children. I don't have to give you a list of them.
But still there is a way out. One should pray to God, going now and then into solitude, and make efforts to realize Him."
Neighbour: "Must one leave home then?"
Master: "No, not altogether. Whenever you have leisure, go into solitude for a day or two. At that time don't have any relations with the outside world and don't hold any conversation with worldly people on worldly affairs. You must live either in solitude or in the company of holy men."
Probably based on the views of the Master only, nowadays 'Andar Yogam' programs are conducted in the various branches of the Math. I did attend 'Andar Yogam' consecutively for three years at the Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu. These 3-day Andar Yogams were conducted just after Sri Ramakrishna Jayanthi. They were unforgettable experiences and will remain ever green in my memory. They made my journey on the spiritual path a little easier.
Actually 'Andar Yogams' are conducted on a regular basis at Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai. In case you are interested, you can write to them or get a copy of 'Dharma Chakram', the Tamil monthly, published by them.
Actually 'Andar Yogams' are conducted on a regular basis at Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai. In case you are interested, you can write to them or get a copy of 'Dharma Chakram', the Tamil monthly, published by them.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
"Books I have Loved" by OSHO
OSHO: "To me a book is not just a book, it is a love affair... I have loved reading from my very childhood. My own personal library consisted of one hundred fifty thousand rare books of all the religions..."
Grateful thanks to OSHO International and YouTube.
Grateful thanks to OSHO International and YouTube.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Book of the day-12: 'Life after Death' by Deepak Chopra
Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra and YouTube.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Book of the day-11: Jesus: Story of Enlightenment by Dr Deepak Chopra
'New Realities' with Alan Steinfeld interviews Deepak Chopra about his most recent book - JESUS: A Story of Enlightenment.
Dr Deepak Chopra never ceases to amaze me by his breadth of vision, depth of knowledge , benevolent heart and universal thinking. This video interview reinforces my belief that he is one of the greatest thinkers, writers and speakers of the present-day. In this interview, he tells he is planning to write more books in this 'Story of Enlightenment' series, which is a joyous news.
Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra, Alan Steinfeld, 'New Realities' and YouTube.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Book of the day-10: The Third Jesus by Dr Deepak Chopra
A brief introduction about the book from RandomHouse.com by Deepak Chopra himself:
(http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/thirdjesus/)
The Third Jesus is about the consciousness of Jesus which was in touch with the source of all creation. If you can aspire to be at one with that consciousness, then you too can be in touch with the source of all creation. The Third Jesus takes you on a journey of inner transformation, so you truly understand the meanings of the phrases like "the kingdom of heaven is within you," "my father's house has many mansions," "resist not evil," "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Each of these phrases that are drawn from the sayings of Jesus actually can be a trigger for your own inner transformation, so you move from ordinary states of consciousness to what is called "god consciousness" and "cosmic consciousness."
Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra and Random House.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Websites to Watch-1: The Pulitzer Prizes Website
Booklovers eagerly look forward to know the Pulitzer Prize Winner every year. To be included in the short list for the Prize itself is considered to be an honour that is, next to the Nobel Prize. It is the Fiction Category that catches the eye of every booklover. But what many generally don't know is Pulitzer Prize is awarded to 14 categories of newspaper journalism, besides other categories like Musical composition, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Drama etc. The Pulitzer Prizes were instituted to honour excellence in Journalism and Arts since 1917. The awards are presented by the Columbia University, USA distinguished work by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
To get to know some great books by contemporary writers, a visit to this site is very helpful. There is a lot more to learn.
http://www.pulitzer.org/
For example, for the year 2009, the Pulitzer for Fiction has been awarded to Elizabeth Strout (Random House), for her book “Olive Kitteridge”. As it is mentioned in the site, this book is "a collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating".
Some other famous winners of the Pulitzer for Fiction are: James A.Michener, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, John Updike, John Cheever,Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri.
Also read "Pulitzer Prize" and "Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction
Grateful thanks to The Pulitzer Prize Website and Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
To get to know some great books by contemporary writers, a visit to this site is very helpful. There is a lot more to learn.
http://www.pulitzer.org/
For example, for the year 2009, the Pulitzer for Fiction has been awarded to Elizabeth Strout (Random House), for her book “Olive Kitteridge”. As it is mentioned in the site, this book is "a collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating".
Some other famous winners of the Pulitzer for Fiction are: James A.Michener, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, John Updike, John Cheever,Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri.
Also read "Pulitzer Prize" and "Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction
Grateful thanks to The Pulitzer Prize Website and Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
My Scrapbook-1: "I become a member of World Public Library"
Today is a happy and memorable day for me. I became a member of World Public Library and have started downloading books which I love. Without any planning or thought, it just happened today. Of course, I knew long back that one could become a member of World Public Library and thus get the benefit of accessing 5,00,000 books. All one has to do is pay $ 8.95. But somehow it seemed to be out of my grasp.
Today, thanks to my friends Dr.V.Sundaram, who provided his credit card and Dr.S.Malaikkani, who advanced the money, within minutes I became a member. It was so easy. For one full year, I will have the right to download whatever books I love/like from their collection.
On perusing the catalogs and collections of WPL, I found Project Madurai, which is a treasure trove of classic Tamil literature, Bhakti literature and some modern short stories and novels too. Most of the afternoon was spent in downloading selected books of my choice. I realize now compared to the wonderful opportunity to download and read some great books, the payment involved is almost nothing.
Further, there is another added attraction. Members get free access to more 20 lakh books of World eBook Fair Collection from July 4 to August 4, 2009.
So I am very happy today. I intend to spend a few hours daily at their site downloading the books of my choice. If you are a booklover like me, why don't you also become a member of WPL?
Hope I will have matter to post in this blog more frequently now. I look forward to it.
Today, thanks to my friends Dr.V.Sundaram, who provided his credit card and Dr.S.Malaikkani, who advanced the money, within minutes I became a member. It was so easy. For one full year, I will have the right to download whatever books I love/like from their collection.
On perusing the catalogs and collections of WPL, I found Project Madurai, which is a treasure trove of classic Tamil literature, Bhakti literature and some modern short stories and novels too. Most of the afternoon was spent in downloading selected books of my choice. I realize now compared to the wonderful opportunity to download and read some great books, the payment involved is almost nothing.
Further, there is another added attraction. Members get free access to more 20 lakh books of World eBook Fair Collection from July 4 to August 4, 2009.
So I am very happy today. I intend to spend a few hours daily at their site downloading the books of my choice. If you are a booklover like me, why don't you also become a member of WPL?
Hope I will have matter to post in this blog more frequently now. I look forward to it.
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