The Language of Flowers Review

Oprah has selected this debut novel for her Fall Reading List.

The Language of Flowers

by Vanessa

YouTube

Vanessa Diffenbaugh on THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 

In Full Bloom

In Vanessa Diffenbaugh's fascinating debut novel, The Language of Flowers (Ballantine), jaded 18-year-old Victoria Jones strikes out on her own after a lifetime in foster homes. Her present is juxtaposed with childhood scenes of the years she lived with Elizabeth, a vineyard owner who introduced her to the Victorian-era language of flowers. That language, once used by lovers to express intimate sentiments, helps Victoria through her troubles, until a chance discovery shakes her fragile sense of identity. Diffenbaugh, herself a foster mother, clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria, who comes, finally, to understand that "the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved [can] grow to give love as lushly as anyone else." 

— Arianna Davis excerpted from  

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-Language-of-Flowers-Reading-Group-Guide

I asked my self many questions as I was reading this book both about the themes and the characters.  Renata, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Grant represent different themes in Victoria's life.  Prepare to be captivated by the descriptions of fresh and wholesome foods.  Some of the descriptions will take you straight to your local farmers' market.   After reading this book, the final question is: "Knowing what you now know about the language of flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would you want it to say? "


Click below for the Reading Group Guide:
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-Language-of-Flowers-Reading-Group-Guide.

The Divine Dynamic

Fr. John Surette's  book (Published, September 2010), 

The Divine Dynamic is a series of short reflections on the Scriptures for individual and group use on nine major themes of cosmic spirituality. It challenges the way we think about God, the planet of which we are a part, and the ways we relate to one another.

The 156-page, 6 x 8" book sells for $14.95. 

Here are the chapters of the book:

• The Promise of More
• Mystics with a Small “M”
• The Immensities
• Soul Size
• Interface
• The Cosmic Banquet
• Eco-Justice
• Domains of Emergence
• The Planatary Human 

The Well is blessed to have Fr. John Surette, SJ, Spiritearth co-founder, as a member of their Well team.  Fr. John is a wonderful homilist.  He consistently unfolds the Gospel message in light of his “green spirituality,” anchoring his insights in his deep appreciation of our Creator God, and the beauty and significance of all of creation. John seeks to come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human in relationship to the Sacred Universe. 


 To order this book click here: 

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism -

by Ha-Joon Chang

This isn't everybody's cup of tea but is 

an interesting take on capitalism.

As Publishers Weekly writes in praise of '23 Things,' “An advocate of big, active government and capitalism as distinct from a free market, Chang presents an enlightening précis of modern economic thought - and all the places it's gone wrong, urging us to act in order to completely rebuild the world economy: 'This will leave some readers uncomfortable ... it is time to get uncomfortable.'”

Murder in the Marais: An Aimee Leduc Investigation

Twists, turns, and surprises!  Everything you could want in a good mystery...
This book is the 1st in the Aimee Leduc Investigation series.  It is also a first novel written by Cara Black. Aimee is a detective in Paris.  A Paris of 1993, surrounded in webs of past collaborations, new Nazis, and subtle nuances woven in a tale of new and old hatred and remembered loves all in a background of a fine Parisian atmosphere.  In this stunning debut novel Cara Black does for Paris what Linda Fairstein, the author of the Alex Cooper series, does for New York.

Aimee, is a thirty four year old, half-French, half-American woman living in Paris and working as a computer forensic specialist with her dwarf partner, Rene.  Aimee is engaged by a Jewish rabbi to analyze an old World War II photo and deliver it to an elderly woman in the Marais, the old Jewish quarter.. The Marais (Marsh fr.) is an historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris it hosts many outstanding architectural buildings. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements (districts) in Paris on the Right Bank of the Seine.  When Aimee delivers the photo she finds a corpse. The corpse has a swastika carved into her forehead.  This is barely the beginning.  The mystery spirals out to include a neo Nazi group, two high level politicians, and characters from a half a century ago.  Trysts, betrayals, revenge, and hatred are woven together in this suspenseful historical Parisian thriller immersed in current politics and old war crimes.  Aimee sorts it all out with her partner using their top notch computer hacking skills and tenacity.

I loved the complexity of the plot and the tour of Paris.  Not being familiar with Paris I found it slow reading at times but worth the effort. Aimee Leduc is likable, no holds bard kind of gal.  At times she might remind you of a French Stephanie Plum.  I loved the book, stayed up most of the night reading, and will be searching out all of the books in her series.

Click Here to Purchase This Book

Imagination and Books

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein

Does reading stimulate our imaginations?  As an avid reader I thought about what reading, reading which books, and why reading stimulates imaginations?  I know reading definitely builds vocabulary, sci-fiction enhances future thinking, and spiritual books refines "inner self" perspectives.  Continuing with this line of thinking:

Imaginative dinners and creative food.
Cookbook Collecting and Collectible Cookbook Reviews: Top 10 Most Collectible Cookbooks
These are the more mainstream cookbooks of the past. If you're looking for imaginative and creative ideas of the past these books will provide hours of enjoyment. 

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity

• by: 
• Dornenburg, Andrew and Page, Karen

http://www.ecookbooks.com/images/PRODUCT/large/341099.jpg
2009 James Beard Award Winner!

Readers will learn to work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients; experiment with temperature and texture; excite the nose and palate with herbs, spices, and other seasonings; and balance the sensual, emotional, and spiritual elements of an extraordinary meal.

Seasoned with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from America's most imaginative chefs, The Flavor Bible is an essential reference for every kitchen.

The IACP's Award-Winning Cookbooks for 2009

Top Cooking Professionals Select the Best Cookbooks of the Year

Apr 30, 2009 Norman Kolpas

A16: Food + Wine - Ten Speed Press

The awards given each year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) are to cookbooks what the Oscars are to film, the Emmys to TV, and the Tonys to Broadway. (Well, okay, there are the James Beard Awards, too. But that’s 
another story!)

Book of the Year:  Food + Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren with Kate Leahy (Ten Speed Press, 2008; $35 list). Rustic, robust, yet sophisticated Italian recipes from an acclaimed young San Francisco restaurant—and smart advice on Italian wines to serve with them.

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family  

by Laura Schenone

Anyone with a love of old recipes, family stories, an understanding for something bigger than ourselves, or a taste for a food memoir written with imagination and honesty will definitely enjoy tis read.  "A little square of ravioli is like a secret", the opening line of the book, held my attention right from the start.  I couldn't put it down. Schenone has written a story of attempting to duplicate the family's cryptic ravioli recipe, to her travels seeking the genealogy of the recipe. to her soul-searching transformation into someone with a deeper appreciation of the fine arts of cooking, life, family and these generations old recipes.  Her journey to find the real and authentic ravioli recipe, her descriptions of the Italian cooks and their kitchens and her craving for answers are all reasons I rate this book one of the best of the year.  Schenone is an entirely engaged and thought provoking writer. If you're looking for a smart, talented and creative cook, that's what you'll find in Schenone's  memoir. Anyone with a love of old recipes, family stories, an understanding for something bigger than ourselves, or a taste for a food memoir written with imagination and honesty will definitely enjoy tis book.  

Gardening Books
Beautifully and imaginatively designed and seeded
including textures, plantings, colors, and interests.




To purchase from Amazon  click here

Aunt Mary's Rose, 
by Douglas Woods, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham


Douglas Wood’s “Aunt Mary’s Rose’’ is indeed about Aunt Mary’s rosebush — but also about much more. “ ‘Take care of this rose, Douglas,’ Aunt Mary had said, ‘and one day there will be a little bit of you inside of it. And a little bit of the rose inside of you.’"


“Aunt Mary’s Rose’’ touches on many themes: family, history, gardening, the loss of a family war hero, caretaking, and endurance. If all this seems heavy-going, it is lightened considerably by Aunt Mary’s gentle presence and story-telling — not to mention her heavenly apple pies. Illustrator LeUyen Pham’s soft-toned watercolors, sometimes rendered in full-blooming color, sometimes tinted with sepia, also brings an overall brightness and tenderness to the book. Pham’s style strikes a pleasant middle-ground between realism and Norman Rockwell folksy humor.


Our young hero Douglas, a literal-minded boy, doesn’t quite fathom how part of him can be inside a rosebush — or a rosebush become part of him, for that matter. But Aunt Mary traces the rose’s history — all the way from when she was a little girl growing up on a farm, when her father asked her to help care for the flower her grandfather had planted. “ ‘Your hard work and your help,’ ’’ he tells her, “ ‘your weeding and watering and your gentleness and even your smile — all these things go right into it and help it grow. So in a way, you are in this rosebush. And as it grows and blossoms, some of that beauty grows inside of you.’ ”  Excerpt from the Boston Globe  By Liz Rosenberg June 13, 2010
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/06/13/a_garden_of_imaginative_delights/?page=2

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Aunt Mary's Rose, is not exactly a gardening book but a children's book about family, tradition, and the bond between generations .  This book connects gardening and the gardener to the blossoms, blooms, and fruits he/she tends.  Aunt Mary reminds us we are interconnected to everything in the universe through the web of life.  The book also tells children 'the care and energy' they put into taking care a plant or garden becomes a lasting part of the plant and as each generation cares for the plant they each become apart of the rose. 


 Aunt Mary said, “...we sat at the kitchen table and had apple pie, with a rose blossom I’d clipped in the vase beside us. And the rose smelled so sweet, it almost seemed as if it were part of the pie. And every good thing seemed a part of everything else.”




      To purchase from Amazon  click here

Gardening at the Dragon's Gate
by Wendy Johnson


I love the quote from Wendy Johnson's book, "Every garden is unique, quirky, distinct and disobedient, just like every gardener". 


"If Earth took a human voice, it would be Wendy's: wry, fierce, passionately attentive to detail, and so startling in its wild freedom it's almost scary. . . . This book is a tonic to the soul. I dare anyone to read it and not be shaken into a fuller, gladder life.” —Joanna Macy, author World as Lover, World as Self


Gardening is not for the faint of heart or easily discouraged nor is meditation.  Wendy Johnson shares both gardening and meditation practices from her experiences at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, north of San Francisco.   Johnson is a Zen Buddhist master and served as head garden to the Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center.   She combined daily meditation practices and incorporated the practice as necessary to the health and harvest of her gardens as well as her inner well being.


For the serious gardener, the book relates practical information about planting, growing, and starting your own plantings from existing stock.  Readers will find creative design tips, ideas, and information and advise.  


 Viewed through the prism of an elemental understanding of the unbridled life that exists in every garden, Johnson’s wisdom is conveyed with a lyrical, poetic, yet pragmatic sensibility that both calms the mind and excites the imagination. --Carol Haggas


To purchase from Amazon  click here

The 7 Minute Organic Garden Book

The 7 Minute Organic Garden is your guideline for growing organic vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and plants without harsh chemical sprays and artificial fertilizers, while saving vast amounts of water in the process.

Benefits of Using The 7 Minute Organic Garden Book:

• Organic gardening is better for the environment and safer for you, your children and pets.
• You get to spend all your time harvesting, cooking, sharing and bragging -and not weeding, watering and spraying
• Boosts the nutrient value of your foods
• Makes your garden safe for children, wildlife and pets

 Now you can utilize the techniques covered in the book to save money, time and water while keeping you from using chemicals that make their way into the vegetables, fruits and herbs that you eat.

A tree is planted for every book sold! So pick up your copy today.

From Yard Lover 

Scientific Journals and Books
Imaginative discoveries and inventions.

Craft and How to Books
Imaginative art, project, and clothing

Biographies
Inspiration leading to imaginative ways to improve and mentor

Self Help Books
Imaginative ways to enjoy life more and improve relationships

Spiritual and Religious
Inspiration for the soul; imaginative and creative ways to live.

We tend to consider imagination too lightly, forgetting that the life we make, for ourselves individually and for the world as a whole, is shaped and limited only by the perimeters of our imagination. Things are as we imagine them to be, as we imagine them into existence. Imagination is creativity, and the way we make our world depends on the vitality of our imagination. —

Thomas Moore in The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life

We must have new eyes — the eyes of our heart enlightened. That means that we must see essential realities vividly. We must have our imagination captured. Matthew Arnold said that conduct is three-fourths of life. But it isn't. Getting your imagination captured is almost the whole of life. The minute the eyes of your heart are enlightened, the minute your imagination gives you the picture of your path, your goal, your aim — it is as good as done. The way to become the architect of your fate, the captain of your soul, is to have your imagination captured. —
Rufus Jones quoted in Rufus Jones: Essential Writings edited by Kerry Walters

Imagination is the creative task of making symbols, joining things together in such a way that they throw new light on each other and on everything around them. The imagination is a discovering faculty, a faculty for seeing relationships, for seeing meanings that are special and even quite new. —

Thomas Merton quoted in The Celtic Way of Prayer by Esther de Waal