Buyers' Choice

September 2009

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

101 Romantic Weekends in Europe by Sarah Woods.
"With 101 fabulous ideas for romantic and relaxing weekend breaks, this book provides all the inspiration you need for some truly special weekends away. Featuring a host of romantic activities in European destinations chosen for their charm and interest, you'll never be stuck for ideas again. Each weekend includes the low-down on romantic and relaxing activities in the area and how to contact the companies that provide them, plus fascinating historical background and useful information. Illustrated by stunning photography throughout, this book features many of the classic romantic destinations, such as enjoying an adventure on the Orient Express or sampling world-class chocolate in Belgium. It also includes fresh and unusual ideas for special weekends away, including jousting in Lithuania, salsa dancing in Madrid, staying in an igloo village in Lapland and exploring the medieval castles of Montenegro, plus many more. From Switzerland to Slovenia, and from Luxembourg to Latvia, all of the countries of the continent are included, making for a truly comprehensive guide to romantic European weekends." (Amazon UK)

The House of Borgia by Christopher Hibbert.
"The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame – Lucrezia Borgia, his daughter, whose husband was famously murdered by her brother, and that brother, Cesare, who served as the model for Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. Notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder, the dynasty’s dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society forms a gripping tale. Erudite, witty, and always insightful, Hibbert removes the layers of myth around the Borgia family and creates a portrait alive with his superb sense of character and place." (Book Description, Amazon UK)

Green home computing for dummies by Woody Leonhard.
"Get on board the green machine! Here's how to assess your technology's green factor and make small changes with big impact. You'll also find tips for using technology in green ways and advice on getting rid of old devices in an environmentally friendly way. Learn what to buy, when to upgrade, where to find green ideas, and much more." (Book description, Amazon.com)

Blogging for bliss: crafting your own online journal by Tara Frey.
"Today's crafting community is online, connected, and blissfully blogging about their work and ideas. Blogging is hot in this highly creative world - and here is the only how-to book aimed directly at them. Everyone from knitters and beaders to scrapbookers and altered artists will find the practical information and visual inspiration they need to create an artful online journal. "(Book description Amazon.com)

Taking the leap : freeing ourselves from old habits and fears by Pema Chodron.
This gently encouraging book by popular teacher Chödrön (When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You) applies Buddhist wisdom to the problems of deeply ingrained reactions. An American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa, she writes that we already have what we need to change and heal. Chödrön focuses on the preverbal moment - called shenpa in Tibetan - in which individuals are hooked into harmful stories, emotions and actions within the flux of their experiences. Clear descriptions of how this process works are accompanied by simple techniques to begin to break the cycle. Her suggestions can be easily practiced by anyone at any time without meditation training, although she presents the benefits of sitting meditation. With anecdotes from her teachers and examples from her own and others' lives, Chödrön demonstrates that people can stop their suffering and access their natural intelligence, warmth and openness. Throughout, she emphasizes the global implications of personal change. Among her strengths are compassion for the difficulty of human existence and her willingness to acknowledge her own failings. This short guide provides valuable tools for change in uncertain times. (Publisher's Weekly)

The death of conservatism by Sam Tannenhaus.
"The arguments are more surprising than the conclusions in this slender book that simultaneously celebrates and mourns the end of the harshly ideological strain of conservatism that reached full flower during the presidency of George W. Bush. Tracing the movement's intellectual history from Edmund Burke to Rush Limbaugh, Tanenhaus (Whitaker Chambers), editor of the New York Times Book Review, argues that the contemporary Right define[s] itself less by what it yearns to conserve than by what it longs to destroy - and that pragmatic Democrats like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have usurped the Republicans' once winning focus on social stability. Tanenhaus argues that Republicans must moderate their focus on ideological purity if they are to return from the political wilderness and offers trenchant criticism of the liberal excesses that previously led to a long Democratic exile from the White House. Tanenhaus's positions are not entirely consistent, however; he aligns Nixon with George W. Bush and his destructively revanchist course before praising Nixon's prodigious gifts and sheer intellectual ability. But the author recognizes the need for two strong parties to compete in American politics, and his impeccably well-written book insightfully summarizes the highs and lows of American conservatism over the decades." (Publishers' Weekly)

$20 per gallon: how the inevitable rise in the price of gasoline will change our lives for the better by Christopher Steiner.
"Imagine an everyday world in which the price of gasoline (and oil) continues to go up, and up, and up. Think about the immediate impact that would have on our lives. Of course, everybody already knows how about gasoline has affected our driving habits. People can't wait to junk their gas-guzzling SUVs for a new Prius. But there are more, not-so-obvious changes on the horizon that Chris Steiner tracks brilliantly in this provocative work. Consider the following societal changes: people who own homes in far-off suburbs will soon realize that there's no longer any market for their houses (reason: nobody wants to live too far away because it's too expensive to commute to work). Telecommuting will begin to expand rapidly. Trains will become the mode of national transportation (as it used to be) as the price of flying becomes prohibitive. Families will begin to migrate southward as the price of heating northern homes in the winter is too pricey. Cheap everyday items that are comprised of plastic will go away because of the rising price to produce them (plastic is derived from oil). And this is just the beginning of a huge and overwhelming domino effect that our way of life will undergo in the years to come. Steiner, an engineer by training before turning to journalism, sees how this simple but constant rise in oil and gas prices will totally re-structure our lifestyle. But what may be surprising to readers is that all of these changes may not be negative--but actually will usher in some new and very promising aspects of our society." (Product Description, Amazon US)

France: Perfect Places to Stay, Eat and Explore by Time Out Guides
""Time Out's" experts have travelled the length and breadth of France in search of the country's most perfect places, selecting 30 of its most inspiring destinations and showing readers the loveliest hotels, best places to eat and drink, and most compelling sights and landscapes, from remote Corsican beaches to the volcanic landscape of the Auvergne. Also included are the most vibrant cities, from Montpellier to Paris, as well as beautiful small towns, alpine resorts and the most spectacular parts of the French coastline. Generously illustrated with colour photography, and featuring appendices packed with practical information, "Time Out France" is a showcase for the best of France, and will be both an inspiration for readers and a useful tool for planning a perfect trip. Snapshots Bordeaux - As you'd expect, Bordeaux is overflowing with top-quality wine and fantastic regional and gourmet food, but it offers much more. The city is packed with beautiful architecture, parks, galleries and museums, as well as a thriving nightlife scene, while the surrounding areas have sandy beaches, medieval villages and breathtaking chateaux. Pas-de-Calais - The dramatic white cliffs of the Cote d'Opale mirror Dover's, discernible across the Channel, but unlike their Kentish rivals, these are backed by sweeping dunes and fringed with golden sandy beaches. Further south, old-school resorts such as Le Touquet, St Valery and Le Crotoy make great bases for touring the coast, and dipping inland to a region of thick forests, rolling farmland and famous sights, from Agincourt to Crecy." (Amazon UK)

Spoken from the front by Andy McNab.
"Spoken from the Front" will tell the stories of what Andy McNab describes as 'modern-day heroes fighting modern-day wars'. It will recount the courage and hardship of British servicemen and support staff as they have faced the unique difficulties posed by the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Andy will introduce and edit the book, but the interwoven stories will be told by those serving on the front line, in their own words. Their action-packed, dramatic, moving and often humorous testimonies will be told through interviews and diaries, and letters and emails written to family, friends and loved ones. "Spoken from the Front" will be styled loosely on the Imperial War Museum's highly-successful "Forgotten Voices" series, but will focus on a smaller number of central characters who turn up repeatedly throughout the narrative." (Book Description, Amazon UK)

Shop class as soulcraft : an inquiry into the value of work by Matthew B. Crawford.
"Philosopher and motorcycle repair-shop owner Crawford extols the value of making and fixing things in this masterful paean to what he calls manual competence, the ability to work with one's hands. According to the author, our alienation from how our possessions are made and how they work takes many forms: the decline of shop class, the design of goods whose workings cannot be accessed by users (such as recent Mercedes models built without oil dipsticks) and the general disdain with which we regard the trades in our emerging information economy. Unlike today's knowledge worker, whose work is often so abstract that standards of excellence cannot exist in many fields (consider corporate executives awarded bonuses as their companies sink into bankruptcy), the person who works with his or her hands submits to standards inherent in the work itself: the lights either turn on or they don't, the toilet flushes or it doesn't, the motorcycle roars or sputters. With wit and humor, the author deftly mixes the details of his own experience as a tradesman and then proprietor of a motorcycle repair shop with more
philosophical considerations." (Publishers Weekly, June 2009)

Previous Buyer's Choice edition