In this thoughtful novel, a circle of friends and loved ones are attempting to face down their personal troubles: a deceased wife, a callous lover, an affair with a young colleague. As they stumble through the events of their own lives, they turn to one another for advice and compassion, and, occasionally, to cause more trouble. All three romances are faced with serious decisions--how to go escape their shortcomings and demons, how to move ahead, how to survive the decisions they make. In the hands of the prodigiously talented Cartwright, the lives of this rich, memorable characters feel authentic, yet buoyed by meaning and possibility. From a piercingly intelligent, prizewinning novelist comes a book about our daily longings, struggles, and the enduring power of human relationships.

Covering a vast array of scientific fields and recent discoveries, this book tracks a remarkable substance in its liquid, solid, and gaseous states as it cycles through the seas, the atmosphere, land, icecaps and under the earth. Robert Kandel describes what we humans are doing to the water cycle and the climate and explains where we are heading.

David Cross can't tell Ed or Lucy that he is in some ways happier now that their mother is dead; to his own mind he is more himself than he has been for nearly forty years. When Nancy was alive, he had secrets that he kept from her. Now that she is dead he has a secret that he must keep from his children- he is not unhappy. To Heaven by Water is a touching and hilarious portrait of the Cross family trying in their own way to come to terms with their lives after the mother has died. David misses his wife, but is not unhappy, although he spends a worrying amount of time in the gym. His son Ed's marriage to the lovely Rosalie, a ballet dancer, is suffering strains, and daughter Lucy is being stalked by her ex-boyfriend. Both children worry that their father will soon be finding a new partner. The book opens as David is taking time out with his brother in the Kalahari Desert, reliving his disturbing and uplifting memories of Rome where he worked on a film with Richard Burton. Back home in London, Ed is trying to balance his affair with a young woman in his office, with his real love for his wife, who is unable to conceive the child she longs for, and Lucy, who has just been voted in at No 6 in The Evening News section, What's Hot and What's Not, is falling in love again. She is a young woman in pursuit of her true self. A story of friendship, of forgiveness and of love that come from unexpected directions, it is an exploration of what we might hope for from this life, particularly the possibility of transcendence. Into the beautifully observed, subtly woven texture of this tale of middle-class London life, Justin Cartwright weaves sudden shocks that tear it apart and expose its frailty, moments of sex and revenge and violence that appear from a cloudless sky to take the reader's breath away.

Listen to any news broadcast today and the message comes through loud and clear: Islam is a religion of violence and behind every Muslim there lurks a potential terrorist. Islam is a threat to values of the Christian West. They are like oil and water. Clearly, they don't mix. Oil & Water: Two Faiths One God confronts these popular perceptions head-on. With keen insight and gentle understanding, it explores the differences between Christianity and Islam, as well as the many things these two enduring faith traditions hold in common - including, first and foremost, their belief in and desire to be faithful to the one, true God; their shared roots and scripture (from the Jewish faith); and the spiritual values of peace and social justice. Written for Christians by Muslim world-religions scholar Amir Hussain, the book is divided into two parts. Part 1, provides an overview of the Islamic faith and of the lives of Muslims in North America today. Chapters focus on the place and identity of Muslims in society, as well as on the importance and role of Muhammad, the Qur'an, and basic beliefs and practices (The Five Pillars of Islam). Having provided a foundation for understanding, the book moves on, in Part 2, to explore key points for dialogue today, including issues of violence and jihad, the roles of women and men, and the mystical tradition within Islam. The final two chapters look at interfaith dialogue and the practical aspects of being good "neighbours." In all of this, the book invites the reader to a place of reconciliation, to a place where the truth and value of each of these great faith traditions can be recognized and honoured by the other. In the end, the metaphor of oil and water is an interesting one for the reality of conflict and the hope for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity today.

Saké, the Japanese wine distilled from rice and an essential part of Japanese culture for more than 2,000 years, is suddenly becoming one of the hippest alcoholic beverages in in the U. S. and abroad. The current rise of saké bars and saké-influenced drinks such as the sakétini are delicious evidence of this newly gained popularity. Despite this newfound buzz, most Westerners know very little about this traditional drink. There are more varieties of saké than there are of red and white wines combined. Saké is supposed to be served chilled. Only low-grade saké is heated, mainly to hide the inferior quality of the drink. In Japan, saké is rarely served with sushi, which is ironic as most Americans who drink saké only drink it with sushi. Rocky Aoki, the founder of the famous Benihana and Haru restaurants examines how the rice is grown and brewed, supplies fascinating background and history of saké in Japanese culture, describes the different varieties of saké, discusses which sakés should accompany different types of foods, and where one can purchase saké. With the same zest that he has brought to his phenomenally successful Benihana chain, which introduced the world to Japanese cuisine, Aoki will share the joy of saké. Also included is an extensive appendix guide to 100 brands of saké that are commonly found in the United States and are considered the most popular brands based on quality, price, and availability.

A doctor's account of her own experience of death, heaven and return to life with a new realization of her purpose on earth. Dr Mary Neal, an orthopaedic surgeon, was on a kayaking holiday in Chile. Sceptical of near death experiences, she was to have her life transformed when her kayak became wedged in rocks at the bottom of a waterfall and was underwater for so long that her heart stopped.To Heaven And Back is Mary's faith-enriching story of her spiritual journey, her first-hand experience of heaven and its continuing life-enhancing effects.

Using her mother's recorded words as a springboard, Lana Laws Downing has written eighteen stories of fiction and fact woven together to recreate life as her mother remembered it in a remote logging camp on the shores of Lake Verett in the Louisiana cypress swamp in the 1920's.