By: KatherineS,
on 9/25/2015
Damien Keown, author of Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction, tells us ten things we need to know about buddhism. From the Sangha to reincarnation, discover fascinating facts about Buddhism below.
The post Top ten facts about Buddhism appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Robin Brande,
on 5/9/2014
When I was doing research for my novel REPLAY, which deals with near-death experience and reincarnation, I underwent hypnosis and past-life regression at a workshop with Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives
The experience was amazing, cool, and a topic for another day. Or for a speech like the one I gave last week to a great group of librarians, explaining how that past-life regression was exactly like my memories of my childhood librarians. If you’re a great group of librarians, I’ll come tell you, too.
But the short version is that what I learned during that past-life regression is that it’s the feelings that endure. Not specific faces or long scenes with dialogue, but the feelings you experienced at various moments in any given life.
That’s why I love this beautiful little film dramatizing part of a speech by author George Saunders. As George points out, it’s our own kindness–or lack of kindness–that sticks with us in this life.
I think you’ll like it. Take a look:
By: [email protected],
on 4/8/2014
This book draws immediate comparisons to Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. But where Life After Life was about a character who kept reliving their life over and over without knowing they were doing so, this is about a character who keeps reliving their life over and over and remembers everything. And this difference changes everything.
I loved Life After Life and this feels in no way treading over familiar territory. In fact I would compare it more to Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls (minus the serial killer part) as there is a large mystery to solve that spans multiple times, places and of course lives.
Through Harry August we are introduced to people who live multiple lives. We meet Harry on the deathbed of his eleventh life where he has just been informed (by a seven year-old girl) that the world is ending. All the worlds; past, future and present. Time is literally running out.
The story jumps back and forth between Harry’s past and future lives as he tries to slowly piece together what is bringing about the end of everything. Harry must race against the length of each of his lives to find out who is responsible and if they can be stopped. And the closer he gets the more high stakes the game of cat and mouse becomes.
Part unique and intriguing mystery, part philosophical look at life, memory and time travel this story kept me totally gripped from the opening words to the mind blowing finale. Now all I want to know is who is the pseudonymous Claire North?
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By: Robin Brande,
on 11/5/2012
E-book ISBN: B007IIXZ0O
Print ISBN-13: 978-0615613291
Print ISBN-10: 0615613292
If you haven’t read my paranormal young adult…
By: Julie,
on 6/8/2012
|
Title: Transcendence Author: CJ Omololu Publisher: Walker & Co |
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
| When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider. As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both. Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live? |
Review:
When I saw that CJ Omololu had a new book, I was eager to discover whether I would enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Dirty Little Secrets. I have to admit that I was a little leery, because the premise of Dirty Little Secrets is so unique. I never ever thought I would read a book about hoarding, but I could not put it down once I started it. I felt so much sympathy for Lucy, the young protagonist, who was left with a moral dilemma after her mother suffers a tragic accident. Does she immediately call EMS, or does she try to hide her mother’s mental illness. Lucy does some shocking things to protect mother’s reputation, as well as to save herself a great deal of humiliation, and I was transfixed from the first page to the last. Even though I didn’t agree with Lucy’s actions, I understood why she was motivated to behave the way she did.
The cover for Transcendence has me instantly transfixed. I love how intensely the models are staring into the camera, and immediately felt a sense that they are both ready to face any obstacle to protect each other. I wondered again what this story would be about. Yes, that’s me admitting that I didn’t really read the plot synopsis; the cover and the author’s name were enough to sell me on this book. So, did it measure up? Yes, I thought it did. Though it lacked the shock factor of Dirty Little Secrets, it also features an extremely likeable protagonist. I think I would like Cole if I met her in real life, and so I wanted to see her emerge successfully from all of her trials. Even when she made a few bone-headed moves later in the story, I at least understood why she acted as she did.
Cole is a musical prodigy, and she has devoted most of her young life to the cello. When the story begins, she is visiting London with her older sister and her father, who is on a business trip. A tour of the Tower of London doesn’t go exactly as planned. Cole passes out after have a vision of herself being beheaded on the Tower grounds. She meets Griffon, a fellow American, when he comes to her rescue. Back home in the States, Cole finds that the visions of the past are getting more intense, and she discovers that she is an Akhet, a person who can remember past
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By: Ella Press,
on 4/18/2012
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
By: Julie,
on 4/2/2012
Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café. I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share. More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents. There is an allure to a beautiful cover. Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?
I love this cover! The intensity of the couple just jumps out, and made me do a double-take. I like the simplicity of their pose, and how the focus is on the cover models. They looks so real to me, not all polished and shiny and overdressed like so many YA covers are. The premise looks awesome, too. Dirty Little Secrets was such a good book, so I am looking forward to reading Transcendence by C. J. Omololu.
| Love isn’t the only emotion to survive death . . . When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider. As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both. Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live? |
In stores June 2012
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By: Robin Brande,
on 3/27/2012
Three people have to win, so why not you? But as they say in the lottery ads, you can’t win…
By: Robin Brande,
on 3/23/2012
Maybe it’s because it’s spring and that just makes me happy, maybe it’s because the person in the Starbucks drive-through…
By: Robin Brande,
on 3/22/2012
For a limited time only, here are two ways to get my new novel REPLAY for free–one of them…
By: Robin Brande,
on 3/8/2012
ASIN: B007IIXZ0O
ISBN-13: 978-0615613291
ISBN-10: 0615613292
I died. For forty-two seconds I died.
They were operating…
By: Julie,
on 1/31/2012
|
Title: Incarnate Author: Jodi Meadows Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books ISBN: 978-0062060754 |
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
| NEWSOUL Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. NOSOUL HEART Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life. |
Review:
Incarnate is one of the more hyped books for the winter, and I was very eager to dive into the narrative. This is an interesting take on the dystopian genre, which is which is one of my favorites. In Ana’s world, there are one million souls, and they have been re-incarnated for thousands of years. When Ana is born, however, she is a new soul. A nosoul. Nobody knows where she came from. People are a bit afraid of her. In order for her to exist, another soul had to disappear, so people aren’t happy that she’s joined them. Her life means someone else’s permanent death, and a shocking shake up of the status quo.
Ana is left in the care of her mother, Li, a fierce woman who wants nothing to do with her. Unlike other children, Ana is a blank slate. She has no memories of her previous lives, because she has none. What a terrible disadvantage for her to have to deal with! While her peers are heading off on their own to continue the lives that they had temporarily left, Ana has no skills, no prospects, no expectations of things getting better for her. Li is a cruel and detached caregiver. She doesn’t see the sense in putting any effort into her duty when Ana probably only has one life. Why become invested in someone who will only be around for the blink of an eye.
This is the aspect that I found the most fascinating about the book. Everyone is thousands of years old. Everyone has a history with everyone else. Everyone but Ana. She is truly an infant to these people; young, ignorant, a disturbance in their carefully ordered society. She doesn’t fit anywhere, and people are not shy about letting her know that. They are dismissive of her, because they don’t know if she will be reincarnated after she dies, and they don’t think it’s worth their time to get to know her for her blip of a life. The concept of a life not being worth much because it will likely be only about 70 years is a little disturbing. While I understand the point of view of the citizens of Heart, I ju
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By: Read Now Sleep Later,
on 3/21/2011
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By: Joan Enders,
on 1/29/2011
Haven Moore has always lived in Snopes City, Tennessee, the granddaughter to a controlling matriarch who sees Haven’s dead father and Haven as “of Satan.” Despite the counseling of the esteemed pastor of the local church, Haven continues to have graphic, sensuous dreams involving Ethan and Constance who lived and loved during the 1920s. Haven knows minute details about New York City though she has never traveled there. Haven is Constance, reincarnated. When the gossip fallout from her latest vision makes life unbearable for Haven and when a bland, mysterious man torches the family mansion, Haven escapes to NYC with the help of her dress design partner, Beau (who is my absolutely favorite character). She is drawn to a secret society that harbors people with useful talents to exploit and is drawn to a society playboy who is the reincarnation of Ethan. Cat and mouse chases, trips to Rome, the freaky gray men and even the devil himself create a tense reading experience. I was eager for the climatic conclusion and was not disappointed. Keep reading to the last page. Teen gothic romance readers will love the story. Yep, a sequel: All You Desire is due August 2011
ENDERS' Rating: ****
Q&A with Kirsten
Blog and Website
Thank you Robin!
I have 2 out of 4 so I just grabbed the Parallelogram series. Thanks!!
Thank you for the links! (: Even though I couldn’t get them.
Anyway, I just entered the giveaway. It’s been three days into it, and there are already 8 pages of entries. 19 days to go. Meh.