Recently in Books Category

Last month (Nov '10) I was looking forward to attending a chapter meeting of the American Society for Indexing (ASI) in Palm Springs when I received notice that the event was canceled.

Instead of whiling away my suddenly-free weekend, I decided to actively scour various publishing job sites for work. Lo and behold, the perfect gig was advertised — a rush job indexing the third edition of a worldwide best-seller.

I jumped on it, placed my bid, and to my delight, after a phone interview with the author, I was chosen to index Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days -- the beloved companion book to The Master Cleanse.

The Master Cleanse was developed fifty years ago by healer Stanley Burroughs as a method of detoxification.

To activate the cleanse one drinks a combination of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for ten days, which balances the acidic/alkaline levels of the body and promotes a feeling of health.

Toxins are flushed from the body through ingesting salt water in the mornings and drinking a mild laxative tea in the evenings. These two liquid concoctions act as a type of colonic, washing away old fecal matter.

With each passing day of the cleanse, cravings, fatigue and irritability fade, until one's true personality (usually expected to be pleasant, calm and balanced) emerges. At the end of the cleanse one may have lost up to 20 lbs., although the point of the cleanse is to eliminate toxicity more than to lose weight.

The author of Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days, Peter Glickman, has had much success with the first two editions of his book, selling it in health food stores around the world and through his website.

Many people prefer Glickman's book to the original by Burroughs because it includes testimonies, questions and experiences of scores of people who have gone through the cleanse and reported their findings in online forums.

Despite its success, however, Lose Weight, Have More Energy is still not known to middle America, i.e. the Walmart shopper who never sets foot in a health food store and who has only vaguely heard of the "Lemonade Diet" due to singer Beyonce having done the cleanse to prepare for her role in "Dreamgirls."

Peter feels that by including an index to the third edition, the book will appeal to average readers because they will be much more able to navigate the material and thus will find the text to be more accessible, less daunting.

Time will tell if this turns out to be the case. Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days, 3rd edition, comes out in January 2011.

My own testimony is that after having indexed the book I became very motivated to try the cleanse for myself, and during Thanksgiving week I did just that.

While it was difficult in the beginning, due to starting the cleanse just when I contracted what turned out to be a bad case of bronchitis, by the end I definitely felt it was worth it, and I look forward to doing it again and experiencing the serenity and freedom that results from the experience of detoxification.

Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days, 3rd edition

(Buy it) Amazon.com [paperback]

ISBN 978-0975572252

Ngakma Nor'dzin

Relaxing into Meditation is the best book on meditation I've ever read, and I've been browsing them since the mid-70's. I say this because of the distinction made between relaxation and meditation, and the explanation of why relaxation must happen before meditation can begin. I have never seen it spelled out so clearly before, and in such a gentle, non-didactic manner. The writing draws you in and you come to love the teacher as if you were also a member of one of her meditation groups. I love that the chapters are short and not overwhelming. The author doesn't talk down to the reader and isn't too folksy. It is simple, but not "meditation for dummies."

Some years ago I was watching a cable-access show presented by one of the guru-types that so frequently make appearances on such venues. One thing he mentioned came through loud and clear. In his discussion on meditating the guru explained that one can't just jump into meditation and expect it to "work." Rather, he said that "the secret" is that your focus should be on "becoming meditative" rather than "meditating." That is, if you stop putting the emphasis on attempting to have the perfect meditation experience and just relax by performing the preliminaries, a meditative state will come upon you in a natural, non-forced manner.

This struck me, for having read various meditation books through the years I would become motivated to practice but would stop and start, becoming bored or frustrated with my lack of "progress." Thus, hearing about the idea of not trying so hard at it, but just relaxing into "becoming meditative" was very appealing. Unfortunately, I never saw that presenter's show again so I never learned what it meant to "become meditative" - that is, until I read Relaxing into Meditation.

The beauty of the text is in the presentation of the ways of becoming meditative, i.e. through breath-work, song or movement. Each exercise is enough in itself. There is no pressure to move on to the next technique, and the benefits of each level are given respect. That is not to say one is not invited to try other meditative techniques, just that each one is whole and respected in itself.

The illustrations of the text along with the warm and friendly manner in which it is written make attempting each new meditative technique a real pleasure. This is a fabulous book for those who have been curious about meditation but were a little hesitant, feeling they didn't have "the right stuff" to be successful at it. The text is gentle and fun and calmly inspiring, and even if you have dabbled in meditation before you'll learn new ways to think about what you have been doing. Relaxing into Meditation is sure to become a classic.

Relaxing into Meditation

(Buy it) Amazon.com [paperback]

ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8

Excerpt on Scribd

Press Release:

What exercises and practices will help us to live a life free of stress? Ngakma Nor'dzin, a Western Buddhist Lama, guides us through relaxation and breathing exercises that lead into meditation. The methods are described in friendly and accessible language, and will enhance the lives of those who practise them.

Details: Described by one reviewer as "the best book on meditation I've ever read", Relaxing into Meditation is an accessible guide to relaxation and meditation.

Relaxing into Meditation begins with relaxation and breathing techniques specifically aimed at creating relaxation of the body and calmness of mind before embarking on meditation practices which may be more demanding. In this way it provides a place where anyone can begin, without any prior experience.

Relaxation techniques and breathing exercises enable us to be calmer human beings. Through learning to quieten the breath and relax the body, we can approach the circumstances of our lives in a calmer and more relaxed manner. Discovering relaxation offers the opportunity to begin to practise meditation

Meditation enables us to unravel unhelpful emotional fixations. Our intellect can become clearer and more focused through allowing the chatter of our minds to subside. We can discover the nature of who we are at a deep and profound level through meditative practice.

As well as explaining relaxation and meditation, Relaxing Into Meditation also describes how to make aids to practice including various styles of cushion and a Tibetan sitting strap.

Relaxing into Meditation is illustrated throughout, showing the postures that are used in each of the practices.

Relaxing into Meditation has been indexed by Rossinna Ippolito.

About Ngakma Nor'dzin:

Ngakma Nor'dzin is known for the natural down-to-earth realism of her presentation - and her wealth of experience in helping people with everyday problems. She is loved particularly for her warmth and friendliness, her sense of humour and her down-to-earth answers to students' questions. Ngakma Nor'dzin is the author of Spacious Passion which explains the fundamental Buddhist teachings as relevant to our everyday lives.

"The Indexing Companion" by Glenda Browne is a great resource for the intermediate indexing student, especially when used in tandem with the "Indexing Companion Workbook." Most American indexing students start out with using the texts, "Indexing Books" by Nancy Mulvany and the indexing section of the "Chicago Manual of Style." Once the student has digested the information in those two guides, "The Indexing Companion" is a fabulous third source. The book is aimed at the Australian market, but that does not in the least mean that the information is not applicable to indexing students of all countries, as most of the tips and techniques discussed apply to indexing in general. (Buy it) "The Indexing Companion" and its workbook are definitely worth your time and investment.

Having miraculously survived the 1918 flu pandemic, Oma Ellis singlehandedly raised a family while going back and forth from TX to CA holding Pentecostal revivals.

Oma's story is partly a travelogue - she tells what it was like to traverse the southwest by car in the years before the second World War, with descriptions of sleeping on the side of the road, searching for radiator water in the desert, and working odd jobs along the way to raise gas money. "Oma" is also a fascinating look at just what went on in the brush arbor revivals that were commonly held in the early 20th century - the kind which featured speaking in tongues and holy laughter and water baptism solely in the name of Jesus.

Additionally, "Oma" is a success story -- enduring misogyny, slander, and prejudice, Oma became a highly respected preacher at a time when female ministers were viewed as an anomaly. At its core, however, "Oma" is a book of inspiration meant to promote devotion and faith. In this, it succeeds admirably, no doubt leaving many a reader with the urge to shout, "hallelujah" at the book's conclusion, in praise of the awesome Oma Francis Ellis.

Review posted at Amazon.com:

At first glance Book Indexing would not be of use to anyone currently taking (or having graduated from) an indexing course, for most of the information in this short book can also be found in Nancy Mulvany's classic textbook on indexing, which is used in every indexing course. However, Book Indexing does contain a section useful for the absolute beginner to the world of indexing, even though it was written in the early 70's, way before computer indexing software was a gleam in any developer's eye.

The main usefulness of this oldie-but-goodie is in the section which describes how to create an index using index cards, i.e. ye old "shoe box" method. Newbie indexers will not yet have spent money on one of the three main indexing software programs, but they still have to complete their assignments. What to do? They can download demo versions of the modern software, but they will have to contend with the learning curve. For those students who just want to learn indexing first, without learning the software at the same time, indexing with indexing cards is the way to go.

The shortness of this book is also a comfort to the beginning indexer, because there is not so much information included as to overwhelm the user. The book was written for British indexers, but an American indexer will be able to make use of the information with no problem. Finally, the book's own index is the perfect length for a book of its size, and so serves as a useful guide for those beginners wondering how long their own practice indexes should be.

Review posted at Amazon.com: