In her absorbing debut novel, Sheehan’s depiction of the working girl’s life in the big city is as charming as it is inspiring. Single, not yet thirty, and devoted companion to her dignified cat, Fruit Bat, Winona Bartlett is a secretary at a New York City law firm. Though she finds a certain security in the rituals of her demandingly undemanding job, Winona’s real ambition is to be a filmmaker. And her romantic life is a mess. When a new lawyer—a blind woman named Sandy Spires—joins the firm and challenges Winona to trust her own creative ideas, Winona is encouraged to try to be more than just a “non-filmmaking filmmaker.” But it eventually becomes clear that the enigmatic Sandy isn’t who she said she is. After her real motives are uncovered, Winona begins to understand what it means to take risks in life and in love.

It's rare for a book's title to say so clearly what the book is about. In the case of Rupert Sheldrake's latest work, the controversial content is right on the front cover. Pet owners will see it and smile in recognition; skeptical scientists will shake their heads and mutter about "maverick scholars." We all know of cases of dogs (and cats) who know when their owners are coming home, who go to wait at the door or window 10 minutes or more before their human arrives. Conditioned by the tight rigor of contemporary scientific thinking, we either look for rational explanations or we file the phenomenon away in our minds as "unexplained" and are careful not to talk about it with our scientist friends.

Sheldrake has shown in the past that he is not afraid to be labeled a rebel, thanks to his theory of morphic resonance, which suggests the following: Natural systems, or morphic units, at all levels of complexity are animated, organized, and coordinated by morphic fields, which contain an inherent memory. Natural systems inherit this collective memory from all previous things of their kind by a process called morphic resonance, with the result that patterns of development and behavior become increasingly habitual through repetition.

Sheldrake believes that the "telepathy" between pets and humans, or between flocks of birds or schools of fish that move as a single organism, can be explained this theory. Sheldrake is less persuaded by anecdotes that suggest animal clairvoyance—warning of something in the near future—but refuses to disallow the possibility.

He accepts that the case histories he details so thoroughly in this book are anecdotal, but that makes them no less real; and as a scientist himself he sets up experimental conditions for studying this previously ignored phenomenon that show beyond any doubt that the phenomenon exists. He castigates traditional scientists for their refusal to countenance anything that doesn't fit in with their existing paradigms (or prejudices) and challenges them to come up with some more "acceptable" explanation—but none is forthcoming.

This fascinating book is a first attempt at a scientific investigation into a puzzling but quite common occurrence. One hopes that other scientists will follow Sheldrake's brave lead. —David V. Barrett

The truth and nothing but the truth—Richard Shenkman sheds light on America's most believed legends:

The story of Columbus discovered that the world was round was invented by Washington Irving.

The pilgrims never lived in log cabins.

In Concord, Massachusetts, a third of all babies born in the twenty years before the Revolution were conceived out of wedlock.

Washington may have never told a lie, but he loved to drink and dance, and he fell in love with his best friend's wife.

Independence wasn't declared on July 4 (and the Liberty Bell was so little regarded that Philadelphia tried to sell it for scrap metal but nobody wanted it).

After World War II, the U.S. Government concluded that Japan would have surrendered within months, even if we had not bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

A second novel by the author of Vindication presents the story of a young woman coming of age in 1950s America as she searches for a worthwhile cause and ultimately learns that she must find her own way. 25,000 first printing.

Oprah Book Club® Selection, March 1999: With five novels to her credit, including the acclaimed The Weight of Water, Anita Shreve now offers a skillfully crafted exploration of the long reach of tragedy in The Pilot's Wife. News of Jack Lyons's fatal crash sends his wife into shock and emotional numbness:Kathryn wished she could manage a coma. Instead, it seemed that quite the opposite had happened: She felt herself to be inside of a private weather system, one in which she was continuously tossed and buffeted by bits of news and information, sometimes chilled by thoughts of what lay immediately ahead, thawed by the kindness of others ... frequently drenched by memories that seemed to have no regard for circumstance or place, and then subjected to the nearly intolerable heat of reporters, photographers and curious on-lookers. It was a weather system with no logic, she had decided, no pattern, no progression, no form. The situation becomes even more dire when the plane's black box is recovered, pinning responsibility for the crash on Jack. In an attempt to clear his name, Kathryn searches for any and all clues to the hours before the flight. Yet each discovery forces her to realize that she didn't know her husband of 16 years at all. Shreve's complex and highly convincing treatment of Kathryn's dilemma, coupled with intriguing minor characters and an expertly paced plot, makes The Pilot's Wife really take off.

American children's book illustrator Irina McGovern enjoys a secure, settled life in London with her smart, loyal, disciplined partner, Lawrence—until the night she finds herself inexplicably drawn to kissing another man, a passionate, extravagant, top-ranked snooker player. Two competing alternate futures hinge on this single kiss, as Irina's decision—to surrender to temptation or to preserve her seemingly safe partnership with Lawrence—will have momentous consequences for her career, her friendships and familial relationships, and the texture of her daily life.

From the author of Doc Hollywood, the basis for the hit movie starring Michael J. Fox, Better Health Care for Less, High Blood Pressure, and Understanding Growth Hormone comes a hilarious novel based on the author's experiences as a young doctor. Dr. Shulman's comic personality launched him into a successful career in entertainment where he has been using humor as therapy in a unique one-man live traveling comedy show. His adventures have also included a United Nations peace mission to Cyprus.

An Incredible Food From The East To Revolutionize Cooking In The West

Amazingly versatile, ideal for weight control, low in saturated fats and cholesterol free, tofu is widely available in America today. This beautifully illustrated book is a complete guide to tofu, its forms, its traditions, including:

250 Gourmet Recipes from East and West — Soups, Salads, Dressings, Sauces, Main Dishes, Casseroles, Barbecued and Deep-Fried Specialties, and Desserts.

Easy-to-Follow Instructions for Making 7 Varieties of Tofu at Home.

A Clear, Scientific Guide to Nutritional Benefits.

A Definitive Guide to Soyfoods, Japanese Foods, and Sources in the United States.

The protein backbone of East Asian diets, tofu offers an ideal answer to the protein problem for millions of nutrition-conscious Americans. Natural and inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare, an inspiration to creative cookery, tofu is a miraculous addition to the American menu, a food of the future.

Beautifully illustrated and immensely informative, "The Book of Tempeh" showcases this hearty, versatile ingredient in a host of delectable recipes.

Both a cautionary tale and a call to arms for women whose lives are diminished by the tyranny of thinness, this harrowing novel about a young woman's anguished battle with anorexia is by turns crackling, acrid, and darkly comic. Life-Size shoots straight for the heart of our country's obsession with food and image.

Seventy-five years after he was introduced to readers by author A.A. Milne, the "best bear in all the world" continues to delight new generations of children (and one or two grownups, as well!) in such classics as Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Brian Sibley, avid Pooh devotee (and editor of The Pooh Book of Quotations), here gathers a fascinating collection of biographical information about Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne, the real Christopher Robin, Ernest H. Shepard, and many other "collaborators" in the creation of a childhood archetype. Readers will learn Milne's initial opinion of Shepard as an illustrator, how Pooh came to have so many names, and whether there was ever a real bear named Winnie. Packed with illustrations and sketches by Shepard, as well as photographs, newspaper articles, and manuscript pages, this attractively designed book will please Pooh fans of all ages—and answer a few long-wondered questions about the beginnings of the beloved Bear of Very Little Brain. (Ages 7 and older) —Emilie Coulter