Inprint - New Books of interest

In My Father’s House by Stephen Hawley Martin. (Oaklea Press, $24.95, Paperback.)

Claire DuMond can’t believe her father would simply lapse into a coma for no apparent reason. Even the doctors are mystified. She’s not the type to sit around and wring her hands, so she sets out to learn the cause, and soon lands on the Caribbean island of Martinique. There she finds romance, meets a real live witch doctor, and steps smack into the middle of a world of drug smuggling. She also travels deep into the dimension we call the mind and back in time in her effort to discover the root of her father’s illness.

This novel was originally self-published under the title Out of Body, Into Mind. Hollywood producer Lesley Brouer Brander plans to make this book into a movie she claims will be a female Raiders of the Lost Ark mixed with Under the Tuscan Sun.

Nothing Left Over: A Plain and Simple Life by Toinette Lippe. (Tarcher/Penguin, $12.95, Paperback.)

Less is more. Many have adopted this as a motto and tried to simplify our lives: by quitting high-powered jobs, by downsizing our spending, by focusing on children, family and friends, and the things that really count. Is it possible that we are still making choices — big and small — that weigh us down with unnecessary baggage and prevent us from experiencing true joy?

Toinette Lippe takes us one step further on the road to simplicity in her book Nothing Left Over: A Plain and Simple Life. Leaving the corporate life after twenty years, she embarked on a journey of writing this book in order to get back to the essentials. It is a personal, heart-felt account of her journey, with anecdotes, advice, and the wisdom of philosophers and spiritual leaders.

Nothing Left Over is a call to truly simplify — not just by making one or two token lifestyle changes, but by examining our smallest, most subtle thoughts and actions: the way we breathe, hold the phone, interact with our loved ones, pick out what to wear in the morning. By spring cleaning our minds of clutter, by eliminating that which is not necessary, we can create an abundance of space in our lives for new attitudes, new possibilities, and new joys.

Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life: A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal by Bob Griffiths. (Ballantine Books, $13.95, Paperback.)

If your job is more stressful than it is satisfying and you fantasize about leaving it for a career you truly love, this may be a book for you. Bob Griffiths himself quit a fast-track Wall Street firm at the age of fifty and launched a passionate new career — a move that has brought him enormous happiness. He shares the secrets of real career success for anyone who wants to do what they love best. Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life takes you step-by-step through the adventure of changing careers at any stage in life.

Uplifting and useful, it is filled with true stories of people who have mastered the career change. It will help you find the courage to do what you love and succeed. It contains easy-to-follow exercises to help you tap into your hidden strengths and reach your full potential. Griffiths outlines strategies for developing a financial freedom plan that will give you long-term stability. He gives concrete, result-oriented suggestions on resumes, and unique ways to identify your passions, find the courage to deal with change, and honor your calling at last.

Truth in Dating: Finding Love by Getting Real by Susan M. Campbell, Ph.D. (H.J. Kramer/New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)

Want to be more radiantly attractive to your date? Then “don’t play it safe” is the research finding of relationship expert Susan Campbell, Ph.D., in her new book, Truth in Dating, which lays out ten practical communication skills designed to improve the dating experience.

“Most singles out on a date try too hard to make a good impression. As a result, tensions rise and enjoyment falls. The single then tries even harder and the mood and authenticity deteriorates further.” According to Campbell, both research and experience show that when you are honest and real, you become more attractive and interesting. Your relaxation affects others, it creates a sense of safety. By speaking honestly, you inspire others to take a chance and do the same. The result can be a strong and even sexy sense of excitement and aliveness in the moment.

Campbell believes most of us would be more honest if we only knew how to communicate without fear of damaging the relationship. “Courageous daters are practicing letting go of their need to control how others see them and are communicating with the intent to relate. When you learn the difference between relating and controlling, your communications take on a quality of openness and authenticity that just naturally engenders respect and love. It’s a paradox — when you stop trying to play it safe so others will like you, then you wind up winning the admiration and respect you had been seeking!” explains Campbell, whose book is based on interviews of hundreds of dating singles. Appropriate for both couples and singles, this book offers help for anyone seeking more satisfying, alive, and loving relationships.

Prolonging Health: Mastering the 10 Factors of Longevity by J.E. Williams. (Hampton Roads, $17.95, Paperback.)

There’s good and bad news for Baby Boomers. First, the good news — the average life expectancy has risen from 46 to 77 years of age in the last century. The bad news is that seven out of every ten deaths in persons 85 or older are caused by heart disease, cancer, or stroke. With life expectancy at an all-time high, many are wondering how to beat the three main offenders of a long, healthy life.

Most of us know bits and pieces of the puzzle — herbs, antioxidants, exercise — yet few of us know how to begin the process in earnest. In Prolonging Health, Dr James E. Williams offers a complete holistic anti-aging system that combines the most current scientific research with time-tested natural medicines for longevity. The natural process of aging cannot be stopped, but it can be controlled. Prolonging Health acts as a tool to assess your own personal stage of maturity and create a step-by-step program to target your specific needs. Williams guides readers to create a customized program, based on age, gender, body type, and health status, and illustrates how their actions will not only allow for a longer life, but also a healthier and more vital life. By balancing diet, exercise, supplements, herbs, and hormone therapy, he not only provides readers with the tools to slow down the aging process, but even to reverse some of the negative effects that may have already taken hold.