On October 26, 1950, C. S. Lewis wrote the first of more than a hundred letters he would send to a woman he had never met, but with whom he was to maintain a correspondence for the rest of his life.Ranging broadly in subject matter, the letters discuss topics as profound as the love of God and as frivolous as preferences in cats. Lewis himself clearly had no idea that these letters would ever see publication, but they reveal facets of his character little known even to devoted readers of his fantasy and scholarly writings a man patiently offering encouragement and guidance to another Christian through the day-to-day joys and sorrows of ordinary life.Letters to an American Lady stands as a fascinating and moving testimony to the remarkable humanity and even more remarkable Christianity of C. S. Lewis, and is richly deserving of the position it now takes among the balance of his Christian writings.

"Sex can be just gorgeous and sometimes it is the most beautiful thing that can happen between a man and a woman. But don't you also think that it can be just practicalLike when you're hungry and don't want a three-course meal with wine, music, and ambience; you just want a sandwich. You don't love the sandwich. You don't hate the sandwich. You just want to eat the sandwich and feel satisfied." Dr. Pepper Schwartz has always encouraged women to embrace their sexual appetites. After three decades of answering people's questions about their emotional, sexual, and romantic lives; after writing several books on sex and relationships; after thirty-five years as a sociology professor at the University of Washington, she has formed firm opinions about sex and relationships. However, when her own situation changes, when she becomes a single woman after twenty-three years of marriage, she has to reevaluate and discover how sex and dating can work for her at this unique time in her life.Masters and Johnson, the famous sex researchers concluded that you can have sex, and want sex, way into old age, if you never stop doing it. And Pepper is very sure that she never wants to stop doing it. Now, she must make the effort to put herself in the running getting in shape physically, emotionally, and spiritually and figure out ways to meet worthy and available men. Ideally, she would like to have a serious relationship, but if that isn't in the cards, she still wants sex and companionship. And while she may feel as sexually alive as she did when she was twenty-five, the number and availability of men has changed.So, how do you look for a life partner after fifty and enjoy sexual adventures along the way?Prime is Dr. Pepper's response to this question. It's her story of exploration sex, adventure, and romance spread out like a road map for women of every age, because even as she is telling her own tale, she doesn't forget to exercise her talent for advice. Whether you're looking to wake up a tired sex life, start a new relationship, explore cyber-dating, indulge in a four-hand massage, flirt with gigolos on vacation, or commit to the love of your life, you can find tempting tips and genuinely helpful guidance.The prime of life has lengthened and as Dr. Pepper's experiences show, it would be wrong not to live every moment to the fullest. Calling for a brave and creative reevaluation of what is possible in the second half of women's lives, Prime invites every woman to relish her sexuality, take risks, and go after what she really wants whether it's a sandwich or something substantially more satisfying. . . .

In this classic work by the renowned wit and pundit whom the New York Times has lauded as "one of America's foremost arbiters of taste and mores . . . an acclaimed expert on what was highbrow, what was lowbrow, and what was no brow at all," the inimitable Russell Lynes flaunts (rather snobbishly, perhaps) his unparalleled expertise on all things snobbish. Since the Social Snob with his raised nostrils and air of intolerable intolerance has long since gone underground, it falls to a true connoisseur to identify the myriad faces of snobbery. Whether it be the Regional, Political, or Moral Snob, the Sensual or Sex Snob, or that most virulent of genus, the Reverse or Anti-Snob Snob, Lynes shines an illuminating light that will enable us to more easily recognize the pervasive pretentiousness surrounding us . . . and perhaps within us as well.

Do you get depressed every time a date turns out to be a dud?Are you devastated when you don't get "the call" from a guy you likeDo you constantly check your dates out for marriage potentialChances are you're taking dating way too seriously. According to Myreah Moore -- "America's Dating Coach" -- women need to start dating to have fun, which is what men have been doing for ages! In fact, Moore says, dating is a lot like a science. And with any scientific experiment, it's trial and error. In Date Like a Man, she steals dating secrets from men (the masters of dating) and transforms them into a personal training program that will boost your dating prospects -- and increase your chances of finding a soul mate.Clear, candid, and empowering, Date Like a Man makes the manhunt fun -- the way it should be. Even if you think you're a dating expert, you'll devour this manual -- the new bible for surviving and thriving in today's world.

Psalm 93God acts within every momentand creates the world with each breath.He speaks from the center of the universe,in the silence beyond all though.Mighter than the crash of a thunderstorm,mighter than the roar of the sea,is God's voice silently speakingin the depths of the listening heart.

The RulesPuhleeze! Any real black woman can tell you that when it comes to African-American men, The Rules is about as good as Monopoly money in Macy's. Waiting three days to return a brother's phone call will get a black woman nothing more than a warm spot on the couch by herself with an empty bag of corn chips and the remote.A sister needs her own special set of rules for finding a brother even when it seems that there just aren't that many good ones to go around. Millner says they are out there but sistahs need to drop their materialistic, brother-in-the white-Benz fantasies and pick up the right vibes for finding a genuine brother who's worth keeping around. The Sistahs' Rules gives black women commonsense guidelines for landing in a healthy relationship with a makes-your-toes-curl brother, including: Get to know his mama, get to know him Use what you got to get what you want Girlfriends are everything, but they don't know it all With warm stories and practical advice from black mamas and papas who've been there and done that, and sistahs and brothers in the mix, The Sistahs' Rules is a sassy, hip, step-by-step guide to finding Brother Mr. Rightand having fun in the process.

William Hyde Wollaston made an astonishing number of discoveries in an astonishingly varied number of fields: platinum metallurgy, the existence of ultraviolet radiation, the chemical elements palladium and rhodium, the amino acid cystine, and the physiology of binocular vision, among others. Along with his colleagues Humphry Davy and Thomas Young, he was widely recognized during his life as one of Britain's leading scientific practitioners in the first part of the nineteenth century, and thedeaths of all three within a six-month span, between 1828 and 1829, were seen by many as the end of a glorious period of British scientific supremacy. Unlike Davy and Young, however, Wollaston was not the subject of a contemporary biography, and his many impressive achievements have fallen into obscurity as a result.Pure Intelligence is the first book-length study of Wollaston, his science, and the environment in which he thrived. Drawing on previously-unstudied laboratory records as well as historical reconstructions of chemical experiments and discoveries, and written in a highly accessible style, Pure Intelligence will help to reinstate Wollaston in the history of science, and the pantheon of its great innovators.

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, revised and updated edition, is the most complete, up-to-date, and accessible guide for the study of the Bible available today. With more than 4,000 lively, informative, and reader-friendly entries, this essential reference book provides all the information you need to understand the Bible.Whether you are a pastor, layperson, or a student of *ure, you will find every important name, place, and subject that makes Bible study come to life. From Aaron to Zurishaddai, here are all the people, events, and ideas of biblical times. This third edition continues in the rich tradition of its predecessors but has been thoroughly updated and revised by a new editorial team under the direction of the premier international scholarly body, the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). More than half the articles in this book are new, and several dozen charts and tables have also been added as well as updates on recent archaeological discoveries.Over 200 contributors to the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, from a diverse group of authorities, represent an ecumenical and non-biased viewpoint of *ure from different positions Roman Catholic, Jewish, mainline Protestant, and evangelical. Filled with explanations of biblical beliefs, language, and insights into the culture and customs of the people who lived in biblical times, this resource will help anyone interested in *ure to more fully appreciate the meaning and message of the Bible.

A girl with an eating disorder grows up. And then whatIn this groundbreaking book, science journalist Trisha Gura explodes the myth that those who suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are primarily teenage girls. In truth, twenty-five to thirty million American women twenty-five and older suffer from serious food issues, from obsessions with calorie counting to compulsions to starve then overeat. These diseases often linger from adolescence or emerge anew in the lives of adult women in ways that we are only now starting to recognize.Drawing on her own experience with anorexia, as well as the most up-to-date research and extensive interviews with clinicians and sufferers, Gura presents a startling, timely, and imperative investigation of eating disorders "all grown up," and offers hope through understanding.

In this deeply moving book of reflection and recollection, Frederick Buechner once again draws us into his deeply textured life and experience to illuminate our own understanding of home as both our place of origin and our ultimate destination. For Frederick Buechner, the meaning of home is twofold: the home we remember and the home we dream. As a word, it not only recalls the place that we grew up in and that had much to do with the people we eventually became, but also points ahead to the home that, in faith, we believe awaits us at life's end. Writing at the approach of his seventieth birthday, he describes, both in prose and in a group of poems, the one particular house that was most precious to him as a child, the books he read there, and the people he loved there. He speaks also of the lifelong search we are all engaged in to make a new home for ourselves and for our families, which is at the same time a search to find something like the wholeness and comfort of home with ourselves. As he turns his attention to our dreams of the heavenly home still to come, he sees it as both hallowing and fulfilling the charity and the peach of our original home. Writing with warmth, wisdom, and compelling eloquence, Frederick Buechner once again enables us to see more deeply into the secret places of our hearts. The Longing for Home will help to bring clarity and guidance to anyone who searches for meaning in a world that all too often seems meaningless.

Drawing on the first study of 1600 scorers conducted with the full cooperation of the College Board, here are the 7 secrets to success on the SAT -- and in life.Every year roughly 2.3 million high school students take the SAT; of those, however, only 650 students on average achieve a perfect score of 1600. Such a statistic raises obvious questions: Who are these kidsWhat are they likeAnd how do they do it?In a new landmark study, educator and executive recruiter Tom Fischgrund became the first researcher ever granted comprehensive access to these high academic achievers by the College Board, the body that administers the SAT. Weaving together in-depth interviews with perfect-score students, insights from their parents, and exclusive College Board data, in 1600 Perfect Score he reveals the 7 secrets that separate the cream from the crop.Among the Revelations Attending small private schools (or any school with classes) doesn't always make a big difference ... but having strong family support does Paying for expensive classes or tutors doesn'talways make a big difference ... but takinglots of practice tests at home does Having a strongly motivating teacher doesn't always make a big difference ... but having an independent passion for learning definitely does Packed with intriguing case studies and practical advice -- and tips from the 1600 scorers themselves -- this essential book brings hard data and a new, more human perspective to one of the greatest challenges parents everywhere face: how to make sure their children have the best chance to thrive in high school, college, and beyond.

Are you a victim of a crime of the heart?Is your relationship an unsolved mystery?It's time to analyze the Dating DNA.In this hilarious and helpful handbook, best-selling author Ian Kerner introduces us to the DSI team, a top-secret unit within the FBI (that's the Federal Bureau of Intimacy) whose sole mission is to investigate dating dilemmas and equip you with the skills you need so you're never again a dating victim.Through humorous and engaging case studies, you'll read about boyfriends who might be gay, gamers who won't step up to the plate, and wimps who won't go down for the count. You'll meet Dating DUPEs (Desperately Under Pressure to Evaluate) and their antagonistic ARSEs (Anti-Relationship Suspect Examinees). You'll gain unprecedented access to previously classified relationship rap sheets: detailed reports that reveal interpersonal infractions, mating misdemeanors, and flirtatious felonies. You'll boldly go where no civilian has gone before as we apply the latest forensic tools to decipher complex dating data: From testing for SPARK (Sexual Potential and Romantic Kinship), to consulting with undercover agents in the MBU (Missing Boyfriends Unit), Kerner ventures above the law and beneath the covers.Because in the end . . . the love life you save may be your own.

Is there anything worse than being in love with someone who -- suddenly, out of the blue, with no reason at all -- stops loving you back?Here is a remedy for that all-too-familiar chapter in every girl's life: getting dumped.It's not really Ben & Jerry's that soothes the sting -- or getting even -- though that certainly helps. Rather, it's learning to lose him and respect yourself that puts you on the path to sanity-and gives you some Zen with men.In this quirky romantic comedy of errors, Suzy Yalof tells her John Doe story from the pitch "open -- minded, smart, funny" to sex, the L-word, and the big dump (a subzero day on a chairlift) to finally getting over John Doe (Hint: Do the things he always hated). Like all of us, Suzy Yalof has survived the exaltation, embarrassment, and disappointment of romance. But with the realization that for every frog there is a prince, she's rebounded with style. Hers is an exemplary story of a woman scorned -- and then inspired.Every woman who has ever loved and lost and then gone on to exhaust her mom, her pals, and the neighborhood bartender with her John Doe story will find a well of unconditional empathy in Getting Over John Doe. It is a love lesson for our time -- and far more titillating than dating John ever was.

For many divorced women, the prospect of reentering the dating game is a daunting one. Too often they are afraid of another failure and of not being able to get past their own feelings of inadequacy. This fear of intimacy with another man keeps many single mothers from sticking their toes back in the relationship waters. The challenges of raising children, supporting a family, managing household chores, and money concerns only make moving on with life that much harder.Now, Sheila Ellison uses her warmth, wisdom, and personal experience to provide women with the tools they need to overcome the inner and outer obstacles to finding healthy, happy love. This book will show you how to find the courage to look at your mistakes, accept your choices, forgive yourself, and go on to a place of self-acceptance and love.Part One explores the inward journey-how we learn to love and to accept who we are, and how to gain the courage to get rid of the old patterns and make room for new ideas and dreams. Part Two is about the outward journey toward a healthy new relationship. This is the exciting part, where you put your newfound self-knowledge into action.Miracles do happen! says Sheila Ellison. You do deserve it all, and you can have it all if you follow the steps presented here. The Courage to Love Again is your blueprint to finding an enduring, loving relationship.

Savvy Auntie is the first go-to source for taking delight in the Savvy Auntie lifestyle, based on the popular website and written by America's foremost expert on modern Aunthood, Melanie Notkin. Whether she's an Auntie by Relation or Auntie by Choice, a Long-Distance Auntie or a Gay Auntie, America's fastest growing segment of women, the PANK (Professional Aunt No Kids), needs guidance and advice when it comes to the kids she adores. Why should their parents know all the secretsSavvy Auntie empowers sophisticated, educated, and independent aunts to connect with their inner-Savvy Auntie by sharing everything she needs to know from the minute she discovers her sister or friend is expecting, to confidently lending a hand with a newborn niece or nephew, to keeping up with the walking, talking growing-oh-so-fast bundles of energy, while coping with the occasional meltdown including her own. Notkin provides a wealth of essential information and insight on child development, health and well-being, and spending 'QualAuntie' time with nieces and nephews. Plus she shares tips for baby showers, baby booty, birthdays and big kids. Notkin also addresses the ultimate concern for the modern aunt: to have children or not, and if so, howShe offers savvy advice on living life to the fullest no matter the choice or circumstance. Chock full of sidebars, fun facts, and helpful anecdotes from every day Savvy Aunties, Savvy Auntie is the indispensable handbook for Aunties of all ages, and for every single, married or partnered woman navigating the ultimate celebration of life: children.

World-renowned interventionist Ken Seeley, one of the hosts of A&E's hit television series Intervention, has spent the past twenty years helping people and their families deal with and overcome life-threatening addictions. His clients have ranged from the homeless to multimillionaires, each needing professional help with every problem imaginable, including alcoholism, drug dependency, excessive gambling, sexual addiction, abusive behavior, and mental disorders. A few years into his career, Ken realized that the one common characteristic with each of his clients was denial. He has since built his success on a proven program for pinpointing and dealing with this core issue. Whether coping with a severe or a soft addiction, a life-threatening situation, or just an impediment to true happiness, we're all in denial about something. It might be small and seemingly innocent, such as the fact that you're not trying to excel in your job as much as you could or should be. Or it could be much larger and even potentially lethal, such as a full-blown addiction that at this very moment is destroying your life. The truth is, no matter who you are, no matter how small or large your problems may seem, denial is holding you back from living your life to the fullest. Denial is the number one symptom of addiction. It's the mask that lets addicts ignore and avoid the consequences of their actions. But what most people don't know is that denial is also the fuel that creates an addiction in the first place as well as nearly every other disorder, behavior, and habit that can negatively affect your life. In Face It and Fix It, Seeley leads readers through a three-step process to remove life-damaging denial in order to live balanced and healthy lives. He helps readers first to identify life-damaging behaviors; next he gives the tools necessary to break down the walls that denial builds up over time; and finally he shows how to maintain balanced lives and relationships.Whether you're looking for help for someone you love or struggling with an addiction of your own, Face It and Fix It will leave you with a greater sense of self-awareness and the skills you need to both improve your relationships and to live the life you deserve.

Last holiday season, Christmas Miracles touched the hearts of thousands with its inspiring true stories of real people and their miraculous encounters. With The Magic of Christmas Miracles we have a second collection of amazing true stories of people whose lives were forever changed by small, yet wondrous, Yuletide events. Among them are:The Red Cap: Santa leaves behind a calling card to convince a doubting child.Epiphany: A walk in the woods with an angel gives a lonely woman new hope.Lost at Sea: Two racing yachtsmen put aside rivalry in a dramatic Christmas Day rescue in the Indian Ocean.Fly Away Home: A private plane carrying an unconscious pilot lands safely in an empty field.. . . and many more to brighten the spirit. The Magic of Christmas Miracles will uplift readers' hearts for this and many future holiday seasons.

Here are the simple truths that motivate people of any age to find and accept lasting happiness, illustrated with the stories of real people, and illuminated with the observations of spiritual leaders and great philosophers. For more than three decades, attorney, financial consultant, and life coach Stephen M. Pollan has been advising clients and readers on the business of living everything from home buying and employment contracts to marriage and parenting. He has taught his clients and readers to Die Broke (use assets rather than build up an estate), to stage Second Acts (reinvent their lives), and, most recently, to Fire Your Boss (take charge of their own work lives).Throughout these books, Pollan stresses that attitudes as well as actions are essential to success. Indeed, over the years he realized that the happiest and most successful people he'd met were also those who were the most energetic and exuberant, regardless of their age. By noting these attributes and incorporating them in his own life, Pollan came to understand that our attitudes are not just one element of succeeding at the business of living, they are in fact the foundation of leading a happy life. Attitude is everything.Those attitudes most essential to our deepest satisfaction and happiness reflect what our spiritual leaders and philosophers from every major tradition have taught us. We don't have to look to external forces to validate us and give us self-worth. We already have within us all we need to find fulfillment and lead happy, satisfying lives lives without regrets. To finally be happy we need to accept responsibility for our own happiness. When we know the secrets are already inside us, all we have to do is start living them. With this book, we can begin now.

Find Your Inner Princess and Live Happily Ever After Don't let anyone tell you true love is a fairy tale. You can find the romance of your dreams, and this book will tell you how.In Happily Ever After, author Wendy Paris offers a contemporary spin on ten classic fairy tales, going behind the scenes with these legendary romantic heroines to show what they did to live happily ever after. Contrary to popular belief, fairy-tale heroines are not weak and passive. They are noble, brave, optimistic women who know that the formula for success in a chaotic world is to hold fast to their own beliefs despite what fate happens to throw their way. Ultimately, it is their character that saves them, not the prince on the white horse.Take Cinderella, for example. Despite having a less than ideal job, she didn't let bitterness and regret give her an ulcer, bad skin, and frown wrinkles. She knew "cinder maid" was a job title, not a life de*ion.She didn't hide in her carriage, crying, "I can't go to the ball by myself! Everyone will think I'm a loser! " She had the courage to attend a party alone. At the stroke of midnight, she didn't cling to the prince's hand and wail, "Save me from my miserable life!" She had the confidence to know that if he liked her, he'd come calling.This humorous, heartfelt book shows women how to focus on their strengths and character rather than resort to manipulative strategies to "land" a man. The perfect antidote to negative dating guides that just don't work, Happily Ever After offers practical, empowering advice that's been proven effective for the last 500 years and is still relevant today.

A Practical and Engaging Guide for Changing the Way We Seek God's WillHow do we know God's will for our livesThis question lies at the heart of Christian life. And yet, attempting to understand our greater purpose can become a source of frustration as we look for help when making important life decisions. Spiritual retreat leader and Episcopal priest Fred Schmidt reveals how we can better recognize the difference between God's will and our own, deepen our ability to hear God's voice, and sharpen our powers of discernment.

Rose Rock child advocate, educator, and mother of ten-plus children, including comedian Chris Rock shares her heartfelt and no-nonsense advice on parenting Uber-mom Rose Rock raised ten children and seventeen foster children. She did it by never shying away from hard conversations and by not being afraid to present strong ideas about boundaries, discipline, choices, and consequences. In short, Rose Rock tells it like it is.In Mama Rock's Rules, Rock shares the funny and highly practical lessons she learned both as a parent and an educator, while offering strategies for teaching children to be self-reliant. Her advice delivered with a dose of wit and homespun humor will inspire you to teach your kids right, whether your brood is one child or ten.