Friday, September 24, 2010

Previews for Non Fiction ~ Thumbing Through Thoreau; Corn Flakes with John Lennon: The Twisted Path Home; and The Acid Christ

 

 bookcollection1

A note on previews:  They include information on books received for review with publisher’s blurb, a bit about the author, and purchasing links. All collected here for your convenience. Coming reviews will contain personal thoughts and opinions about each.

This preview contains the following Non Fiction books:

  • Thumbing Through Thoreau: A Book of Quotations ~ by Kenny Luck and Henry David Thoreau
  • Corn Flakes with John Lennon: and Other Tales from a Rock ‘N’ Roll Life ~ by Robert Hilburn
  • The Twisted Path Home ~ by Fae Bidgoli
  • Acid Christ: Ken Kesey, LSD, and the Last Great Gurus of American Dissent ~ by Mark Christensen

 8105210

Thumbing Through Thoreau: A Book of Quotations ~ by Kenny Luck and Henry David Thoreau

Blurb:  On July 4, 1845, when Henry David Thoreau moved into his cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, he was probably unaware that his abode in the woods, and the impact and influence of that endeavor, would forever echo through time. Thoreau was an uncompromising idealist; an ardent maverick who criticized his fellow man. He urged that men and women ought to live more simply, and more deliberately. "The mass of men," he famously wrote, "lead lives of quiet desperation." Yet the scope of Thoreau's message is much wider than social criticism. He speaks of spiritual transcendence in Nature and the unbounded potential of the individual. Thoreau is a dreamer and he speaks to dreamers. In a word, shun dogmatism and demagoguery; see beyond the immediate conventional religious explanations to reap a higher understanding. In our commodified contemporary American society, with the rise of religious intolerance and fundamentalism, materialism and mass consumerism, Thoreau's message is needed now more than ever.

About the Authors:  Kenny Luck has thumbed through Thoreau's voluminous journals, correspondences and other publications to make this the most comprehensive collection of Thoreau aphorisms available.

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, philosopher, and abolitionist who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state. (info taken from wikipedia)

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Tribute Books (April 19, 2010)

    Amazon purchasing links for US/UK/Canada 

    Layers of Thought: This book also includes black and white drawings to go along with the quotes. Making the book very reflective and meditative.

    **************************************************************************************  515iEJO1o4L._BO2204203200_PIsitbstic

    Corn Flakes with John Lennon: and Other Tales from a Rock ‘N’ Roll Life  ~ by Robert Hilburn

    Blurb:  Robert Hilburn’s storied career as a rock critic has allowed him a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of some of the most iconic figures of our time. He was the only music critic to visit Folsom Prison with Johnny Cash. He met John Lennon during his lost weekend period in Los Angeles and they became friends. Bob Dylan granted him his only interviews during his "born-again" period and the occasion of his 50th birthday. Michael Jackson invited Hilburn to watch cartoons with him in his bedroom. When Springsteen took to playing only old hits, Hilburn scolded him for turning his legendary concerts into oldies revues, and Springsteen changed his set list.

    In this totally unique account of the symbiotic relationship between critic and musical artist, Hilburn reflects on the ways in which he has changed and been changed by the subjects he’s covered; Bono weighs in with an introduction about how Hilburn’s criticism influenced and altered his own development as a musician.

    Corn Flakes with John Lennon is more than about one man’s adventures in rock and roll: It’s the gripping and untold story of how popular music reshapes the way we think about the world and helps to define the modern American character.

  • Hardcover: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Rodale Books (October 13, 2009)

    Amazon pre purchasing links for US/UK/Canada.

    ****************************************************************************************51ZME6jFeL_thumb

    The Twisted Path Home ~ by Fae Bidgoli

    About:  It is 1991. Arezoo, an Iranian woman is living in Berkeley, California with her second husband, Robert, and working as a university professor. Recurring, terrifying dreams of eminent death lead her into therapy with a widely respected psychotherapist. As her memories unfold during therapy sessions, she flashes back to painful memories of her first marriage to Afshin, an Iranian man.

    Arezoo's life takes an unexpected turn under hypnosis and she begins to channel the dramatic life story of Sogand, a woman who lived in a village in Persia (now Iran) in the late 1800's. This seemingly inexplicable experience, and her sudden, intimate knowledge of Sogand's identity leads Arezoo back to Iran after many years in America. Through this woman's history Arezoo makes some life changing discoveries - key to both her past and her ex-husband's tortured, secret life.

    About the Author:  Fae Bidgoli, author of The Cracked Pomegranate, once again displays her intimate understanding of the power of redemption. In The Twisted Path Home, Fae shows how by releasing judgment and fear, and releasing generational, cultural, and self-abuse, we find our purpose in life and become joy.

    Inspired by her experiences growing up in a small Iranian village where child marriage was a common practice, Bidgoli is dedicated to spreading awareness of human rights issues such as child brides, stonings and honor killings in Middle Eastern countries. The pain and suffering she witnessed during her childhood in Iran compels her to write stories to bring hope to battered and repressed women around the world. Visit Fae Bidgoli’s web page for more information. 

    Paperback: 248 pages
    Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC (September 3, 2010)

    Amazon purchasing links for US/UK/Canada.

    ******************************************************************************************51cWm0osXjL

      Acid Christ: Ken Kesey, LSD, and the Last Great Gurus of American Dissent ~ by Mark Christensen

      Blurb: From the literary wonder boy to the countercultural guru whose cross-country bus trip inspired The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, this candid biography chronicles the life and times of cultural icon Ken Kesey from the 1960s through the 1980s. Presenting an incisive analysis of the author who described himself as "too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie," this account conducts a mesmerizing journey from the perspective of Mark Christensen, an eventual member of the Kesey "flock."

      Featuring interviews with those within his inner circle, this exploration reveals the bestselling author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in his many forms, placing him within the framework of his time, his generation, and the zeitgeist of the psychedelic era.

      For more information about the book and the author Mark Christensen please see the web page for Acid Christ.

    • Hardcover: 440 pages
    • Publisher: Schaffner Press, Inc. (October 1, 2010)

      Amazon pre-purchasing links for US/UK/Canada.

      ******************************************************************************

      These books have been received from a variety of source. Please see Layers of Thought’s list of publishers and publicists we review for - which is still under construction. A big thanks to each for the copies of these titles!

      Which of these titles interests you the most?

    • 7 comments:

      E.J. Stevens said...

      Love your new Fall header!
      xx,
      E.J.
      From the Shadows

      Anonymous said...

      I had to laugh at the text on the photo, neverending book collection. I've been feeling like that for a long time, but finally getting things under control. I've moved my office inside and room is limited.

      Unknown said...

      Thanks EJ!

      I thought it would be fun and festive. I have another one for after the scary season and one for spring too. I was feeling creative one day.

      Thanks for saying so!

      J. Kaye -
      so glad for your giggle

      It is wonderfully never ending.... since how am I ever going to stop collecting books be it real or virtual. (like my huge list on Goodreads)

      I will have to admit that some of this is "your fault". Since I was on that wonderful referral list you created on your "old" blog, which helped to start this all.

      So a big thanks is in order. :)

      Alexia561 said...

      Love the new header! :)

      Really like the sound of Corn Flakes with John Lennon, as I love those behind-the-scenes books of rock stars.

      I also received The Twisted Path Home, but haven't started it yet. Sounds like a good one!

      Enjoy all of your new books!

      Unknown said...

      Alexia -
      Thanks a bunch...:)

      I noticed you had added The Twisted Path in one of your latest posts. I will be curious as to what you think about it.

      I am on this reincarnation theme which has been very enlightening, and slightly eerie....

      The rock n roll books are John's he is such a music buff.

      (Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

      The Twisted Path Home (cover is fab) sounds like a good one.

      BTW...I love her fall header; nice job!

      Unknown said...

      Diane -
      Thanks :) Seasonal fun!

      I loved the cover for The Twisted Path Home as well. Another reincarnation book.... I am going to be an expert here after the bunch I have read recently and the several up and coming. ;) lol...

      Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...