Emphasizing personal style, Joan Barzilay Freund’s Defining Style is a freeing, inspiring and extremely innovative look at interior design.
Emphasizing personal style, Joan Barzilay Freund’s Defining Style is a freeing, inspiring and extremely innovative look at interior design.
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Experienced travelers know that the true value of a pilgrimage lies not so much in reaching a destination, but in the journey itself. One young man learns this valuable lesson when he embarks on an unplanned excursion in Climbing Chamundi Hill: 1001 Steps of a Storyteller and a Reluctant Pilgrim, a unique new book by Hindu scholar Ariel Glucklich that combines a fictional adventure with 30 ancient Indian stories.

Chamundi Hill, a sacred site in southern India near the city of Mysore, is a 4,000-foot hill topped by a towering 12th century temple honoring the goddess Chamundeswari. This monument is a much-visited pilgrimage site, reached by ascending 1,000 steps an arduous climb pilgrims traditionally make barefoot, their pain eased by companionship and storytelling. Glucklich’s protagonist, a young American biologist, is mysteriously drawn to the hill. At its base, he meets an elderly Indian man who offers to guide him up the mountain, tempting him with this paradox: “If you pay attention . . . the stories might turn you into a true pilgrim and give you pleasure at the same time!” Their odyssey begins, a slow ascent punctuated by the 30 allegorical stories. These deceptively simple parables, as colorful and vivid as ancient temple paintings, are alive with the exploits of mere mortals and kings, animals, demons and gods. From the first story that of a healthy but misguided man who becomes a suffering leper to the last tale of a truth-seeking fellow confused by the paradoxes of life, they form a thematic endless circle, the classic metaphor for the cycle of human life.

Glucklich has used the time-honored conceit of a dialectic between a wise guide and unrealized seeker to showcase these marvelous stories, many translated from Sanskrit for the first time. The narrative’s young hero remains appropriately nameless throughout the climb, which may be an obvious symbol for everyman, but Glucklich’s thoughtful explication of the quest, through the careful selection and progression of each tale, is not so transparent. Though there are 1,000 steps up Chamundi, the extra step referenced in the book’s title leads to a surprising destination, the epiphany of this entrancing work.

For those who love literary fable, along with a dash of spiritual spice, Climbing Chamundi Hill will prove to be a pleasurable, thought-provoking exercise.

Experienced travelers know that the true value of a pilgrimage lies not so much in reaching a destination, but in the journey itself. One young man learns this valuable lesson when he embarks on an unplanned excursion in Climbing Chamundi Hill: 1001 Steps of…
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Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of a savior, but in the America of 1783, the Christmas season was dedicated to celebrating the achievements of a man who saved a nation. As the year neared its end, General George Washington traveled through the newly independent American colonies to spend the holidays at Mount Vernon and retire from public life. It would mark his first Christmas at home since taking command of the army eight years before.

Washington’s little-known six-week journey is the subject of Stanley Weintraub’s new book, <B>General Washington’s Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming</B>, 1783. A finalist for the National Book Award and author of many historical works, Weintraub has written not only a history book, but an insightful portrait of one of our greatest heroes. He documents Washington’s travels to New York City to accept control of the city from the British, to Annapolis to personally resign his military command before the Continental Congress, and finally to his home in Virginia. He intended the trip to be his final retirement from public life, although his country would call him back five years later to serve as its first president. During his journey, we see him feted at every stop, saying his farewells to citizens and troops. As Washington wrote to a friend, it was a scene of "festivity, congratulations, Addresses, and resignation."

It is Weintraub’s portrayal of Washington as man, however, that makes this book so intriguing. He humanizes the deity history has created while not diminishing his greatness. He shows that through Washington’s entire journey home, his apotheosis preceded, accompanied and followed him. While rising to the prestige of his reputation, Washington angrily rejected the omnipresent calls for his dictatorship or monarchy and continually spoke of the need to consolidate ruling power in the Congress. Weintraub doesn’t shy away from showing Washington’s foibles as well, including his admission to a friend that it soothed his vanity to sit for portraits. As the title suggests, the book is centered on Washington’s desire to be home at Mount Vernon for Christmas. That desire imbues the story and creates a wonderful anticipation in the reader. Sadly, description of the Washingtons’ actual Christmas experience is brief, due to a lack of documentation. Yet this does not diminish the book’s value to anyone who loves American history or admires our first president.

<I>Jason Emerson is a writer based in Fredericksburg, Virginia.</I>

Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of a savior, but in the America of 1783, the Christmas season was dedicated to celebrating the achievements of a man who saved a nation. As the year neared its end, General George Washington traveled through the…

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Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood examines the years leading up to the pivotal 1968 Academy Awards, when the then-edgy Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate duked it out with the socially conscious In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and the old-school Doctor Dolittle. As Oscar buffs know, In the Heat of the Night took top honors. And its star, Rod Steiger, was named Best Actor. But what really won out were new attitudes—including new permissiveness, as well as redefined notions of what makes a star. Written by Mark Harris, a former editor at Entertainment Weekly, Pictures at a Revolution is the '60s companion to Peter Biskind's '70s-era study, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood—though Harris' book is more clearly written and better organized. (Full disclosure: I wrote for Biskind when he was editor of Premiere, and for Harris at Entertainment Weekly.)

Harris charts a complex journey that begins when young Hollywood filmmakers become enamored with the French New Wave. He goes on to take us through the tangle of all five nominated films' convoluted histories. At one time Francois Truffaut wanted to helm Bonnie and Clyde. Once the property was acquired by Warren Beatty, whom Time magazine called "an on-again, off-again actor who moonlighted as a global escort," Beatty considered Bob Dylan(!) for the role of Clyde. Natalie Wood, Sharon Tate, Ann-Margret and Tuesday Weld were contenders for Bonnie. The winner: ingenue Faye Dunaway, who'd once been told she "didn't have the face for movies." Bolstered by Harris' access to most of the principals involved in the five nominated films, and by the audacity of the very decade it examines, Pictures at a Revolution reminds us that hard-fought battles can result in cinematic victories, with or without an Oscar statuette.

THE CELEBRITY TREATMENT
A fictional look at the contemporary Oscar scene, the chick-lit entry Oscar Season merges swag bags and murder. The first novel from Los Angeles Times entertainment reporter Mary McNamara follows posh PR maven Juliette Greyson, who's up to her neck in damage control following the discovery of a body in a hotel pool. Ah, but the Pinnacle isn't just any hotel; it's become "the hub" of Oscar season, site of industry parties and press junkets and a home away from home for celebs.

Real-life actors (ranging from household names to the obscure) move in and out of the book's pages, alongside fictional Hollywood players, as Greyson sets out to discover who done it while having to deal with her hotelier boss, her estranged husband and the upcoming Oscar show. Not the most plausible of tales, the book is at its clever best when delivering Oscar-y details that underscore McNamara's many years working behind the scenes.

TV LAND
Gary David Goldberg has never won an Oscar, but he knows all about Emmys. The two-time winner, who created "Family Ties," ruminates on his industry climb and his own family ties in the breezy memoir Sit, Ubu, Sit: How I Went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the Same Woman, the Same Dog, and a Lot Less Hair. About that title: Ubu was a beloved Labrador sidekick. The woman of the subtitle is wife Diana. The couple tied the knot after 21 years of togetherness and two kids. Much of the book deals with their relationship—and reads like a love story. Goldberg, who early on was an actor on the traveling dinner-theater circuit, also details his ascent up the Hollywood food chain, via a marathon of spec scripts (meaning he wrote them on speculation—without any assignment or fee). He relates exchanges with agents and producers, discusses his friendship and ensuing creative battles with "Family Ties" and "Spin City" star Michael J. Fox (the two men have since reconciled) and chillingly recalls the mysterious illness that nearly took his wife's life. He also ponders the responsibility wrought by unexpected wealth (the "Family Ties" syndication monies), and his good fortune at having found the perfect person to share it with.

Pat H. Broeske has covered the Oscars for publications including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly.

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood examines the years leading up to the pivotal 1968 Academy Awards, when the then-edgy Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate duked it out with the socially conscious In the Heat of the…

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Why is there such a special bond between women and horses? And how do horses sometimes seem to know what humans are thinking and feeling? Linda Kohanov explores these questions and provides an interesting guide to the psyche of the horse in The Tao of Equus: A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation Through the Way of the Horse. A riding instructor and horse trainer, Kohanov offers an insightful look at her experiences with horses and their role in the evolution of her equine-assisted therapy association.

Therapists like Kohanov have tapped the horse’s ability to help victims face their wounds and use them for empowerment. She describes horses that have helped to reveal and heal the wounds of unimaginable acts of violence. Her portrayal of therapy sessions illuminates the process of recognizing, grieving and transmuting terror into understanding, acceptance and power.

The Tao of Equus is a journey worth taking. The book is wide-ranging, covering myths and stories, histories and mysteries that demand further exploration. Many horse people will find coherent descriptions of their own feelings and intuitions in Kohanov’s writing, which is clear and well researched. Experienced riders know that their horses mirror them physically and mentally, and the author validates their suspicions that there is "more to it." Horses possess a previously indefinable something that horse whisperers know, and Kohanov describes those mysterious qualities quite eloquently. This inspirational book would make an excellent gift not only for horse lovers, but for anyone dealing with fundamental questions of grief, sadness and healing.

Why is there such a special bond between women and horses? And how do horses sometimes seem to know what humans are thinking and feeling? Linda Kohanov explores these questions and provides an interesting guide to the psyche of the horse in The Tao of…

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Looking for gift books that are quirky and clever, but won’t break the bank? This holiday season, table the coffee-table tomes and ponder the powers of mock and droll. From curious anecdotes to far-out-and-funky facts, these four irreverent reads offer plenty of yuk for your buck. The ideal book for the burned-out academic, The Ig Nobel Prizes: The Annals of Improbable Research (Dutton, $18.95, 240 pages, ISBN 0525947531), documents a dizzying array of dubious accomplishments. From research probing the blissful state of ignorance to a study proving toast does indeed fall more often with the buttered side down, author Marc Abrahams offers amusing anecdotes to make readers cackle and chortle, and perhaps even scratch their heads and think. Learn how Professor Andre Geim of the Netherlands and Sir Michael Berry of Bristol University in England employed magnets to levitate a frog, a reptilian rendering that earned them the Ig Nobel Physics Prize in 1997. Flare your nostrils over the awarding of the Ig Nobel Biology Prize to the inventor of airtight underwear complete with a replaceable charcoal filter to remove bad-smelling gases before they escape. (One hopes the demonstration for that one was at least ahem brief.) As editor and cofounder of the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research, Abrahams is clearly up to this brain-straining task. A resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an applied mathematics graduate from Harvard, he is father and master of ceremonies of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, the university’s annual honoring of the dishonorable.

You know that saying, “You had to be there?” Now you can be there without all the hassles. In What It Feels Like (Three Rivers, $12.95, 144 pages, ISBN 0609809768), the editors of Esquire have gathered gripping accounts from citizens who’ve swallowed swords, been attacked by swarms of killer bees, or walked on the moon. By turns “grizzly” (“What It Feels Like to Be Attacked by a Bear”), devilish (“What It Feels Like to Undergo an Exorcism”), and debauched (“What It Feels Like to Participate in an Orgy”), this slim volume of the vicarious renders the heights and depths of human experience, bringing readers up close and personal with a plethora of precarious states. Ever wonder how to detect counterfeit bills, make snowshoes from tree branches and strings, or put together a radio from scratch? Tap into those transformative powers with Cy Tymony’s Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things (Andrews McMeel, $10.95, 176 pages, ISBN 0740738593). Author of three books and a regular on ABC’s AM Chicago, Tymony has been creating high and low-tech inventions all his life. A cross between MacGyver and the professor from Gilligan’s Island, he’s penned a compelling collection of clues for getting out of a jam or just passing time on a dull winter day. From changing milk into plastic to constructing a compass without a magnet, this celebration of fascinating gadgets and gizmos is the perfect marriage of techno-geek and tongue-in-cheek. Everyone (well, almost everyone) knows that the chance of getting struck by lightning is 576,000 to 1, but what are the odds of achieving sainthood or dating a supermodel? From the likelihood of winning the lottery to achieving matrimonial bliss with a princess or prince, ponder the finer points of fate with Life: The Odds and How to Improve Them. In this compulsively readable gathering of fascinating stats, figures and facts, anything’s fair game: the glorious (Being Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor), the gratuitous (Striking It Rich on Antiques Roadshow), and the fortuitous (Avoiding an IRS Audit). Harvard Law School graduate and finance expert Gregory Baer indulges his frivolous side in this breakdown of bona fide chances, from getting away with murder (about 2 to 1 odds) to garnering a Rhodes Scholarship (37,500 to 1).

Looking for gift books that are quirky and clever, but won't break the bank? This holiday season, table the coffee-table tomes and ponder the powers of mock and droll. From curious anecdotes to far-out-and-funky facts, these four irreverent reads offer plenty of yuk for your…
Review by

Looking for gift books that are quirky and clever, but won’t break the bank? This holiday season, table the coffee-table tomes and ponder the powers of mock and droll. From curious anecdotes to far-out-and-funky facts, these four irreverent reads offer plenty of yuk for your buck. The ideal book for the burned-out academic, The Ig Nobel Prizes: The Annals of Improbable Research (Dutton, $18.95, 240 pages, ISBN 0525947531), documents a dizzying array of dubious accomplishments. From research probing the blissful state of ignorance to a study proving toast does indeed fall more often with the buttered side down, author Marc Abrahams offers amusing anecdotes to make readers cackle and chortle, and perhaps even scratch their heads and think. Learn how Professor Andre Geim of the Netherlands and Sir Michael Berry of Bristol University in England employed magnets to levitate a frog, a reptilian rendering that earned them the Ig Nobel Physics Prize in 1997. Flare your nostrils over the awarding of the Ig Nobel Biology Prize to the inventor of airtight underwear complete with a replaceable charcoal filter to remove bad-smelling gases before they escape. (One hopes the demonstration for that one was at least ahem brief.) As editor and cofounder of the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research, Abrahams is clearly up to this brain-straining task. A resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an applied mathematics graduate from Harvard, he is father and master of ceremonies of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, the university’s annual honoring of the dishonorable.

You know that saying, “You had to be there?” Now you can be there without all the hassles. In What It Feels Like (Three Rivers, $12.95, 144 pages, ISBN 0609809768), the editors of Esquire have gathered gripping accounts from citizens who’ve swallowed swords, been attacked by swarms of killer bees, or walked on the moon. By turns “grizzly” (“What It Feels Like to Be Attacked by a Bear”), devilish (“What It Feels Like to Undergo an Exorcism”), and debauched (“What It Feels Like to Participate in an Orgy”), this slim volume of the vicarious renders the heights and depths of human experience, bringing readers up close and personal with a plethora of precarious states. Ever wonder how to detect counterfeit bills, make snowshoes from tree branches and strings, or put together a radio from scratch? Tap into those transformative powers with Cy Tymony’s Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. Author of three books and a regular on ABC’s AM Chicago, Tymony has been creating high and low-tech inventions all his life. A cross between MacGyver and the professor from Gilligan’s Island, he’s penned a compelling collection of clues for getting out of a jam or just passing time on a dull winter day. From changing milk into plastic to constructing a compass without a magnet, this celebration of fascinating gadgets and gizmos is the perfect marriage of techno-geek and tongue-in-cheek. Everyone (well, almost everyone) knows that the chance of getting struck by lightning is 576,000 to 1, but what are the odds of achieving sainthood or dating a supermodel? From the likelihood of winning the lottery to achieving matrimonial bliss with a princess or prince, ponder the finer points of fate with Life: The Odds and How to Improve Them (Gotham, $20, 256 pages, ISBN 1592400337). In this compulsively readable gathering of fascinating stats, figures and facts, anything’s fair game: the glorious (Being Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor), the gratuitous (Striking It Rich on Antiques Roadshow), and the fortuitous (Avoiding an IRS Audit). Harvard Law School graduate and finance expert Gregory Baer indulges his frivolous side in this breakdown of bona fide chances, from getting away with murder (about 2 to 1 odds) to garnering a Rhodes Scholarship (37,500 to 1).

Looking for gift books that are quirky and clever, but won't break the bank? This holiday season, table the coffee-table tomes and ponder the powers of mock and droll. From curious anecdotes to far-out-and-funky facts, these four irreverent reads offer plenty of yuk for your…

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