Between Stars and Steel Fingers


Book Description

Poetry, along with meditation, became a shovel I used to dig into soil I had ignored for so long . . . to unearth a beauty that for so long had seemed elusive. There are three places from which the poems in this book bloomed . . . the first is the angst that comes from the distance between ourselves and our ideals, and God. Prostrated with attempts at "sanity-maintenance" I put pen to paper, and one day and "The Way God Speaks" trickled out like a balm. Poetry has that way of speaking to us, of connecting us with some voice deep inside ourselves. The second launching pad for the poems was electricity. In her book, Poem Crazy Susan Goldsmith Woolbridge writes about how poems live in people, places, and things that have that electrical quality. When you feel that, you know something lovely or potent is waiting to be unearthed. Finding electricity is directly related to the purity and cleanliness of our minds, to our ability to be available to the moment and free of preconceived notions. That's shy innocence, an endless discovery. The third and final origin was a rekindling of beauty and tenderness that grew from a relationship with the Supreme Soul. It was this union that reawakened a lost ability to feel, and opened my eyes to potential I once saw as dime-sized doors. These poems are about the heights of the spirit and the low grips of humanness. They are sixty or so dances between the doldrums and Divinity .










Five-Star Trails: Finger Lakes and Central New York


Book Description

The Finger Lakes and Central New York are not known for rugged mountains and their panoramic vistas which are so commonly sought in the Adirondacks to the north. They hardly could be - the area was scoured clean by glaciers millennia ago. But don't let that fool you, the region is full of natural wonders of its own. Instead of mountains and ridges, the region is known for rolling drumlins, an abundance of scenic gorges, quiet woodlands, beautiful waterfalls and picturesque lakes. The trails included in Five-Star Trails: New York's Finger Lakes and Central Region feature a broad mixture of these landscapes and were carefully selected to give the most varied but also rewarding experience when picking a trail. An assortment of state parks, local parks, state forests, conservancy areas, wildlife preserves, and nature centers riddle the region, and choice selections from each means you can find a trail that suits your preference for how civil or wild you might desire. Trails for all experience levels are included and provide opportunities for adventure for novice and expert alike. Some of these trails are well known and their inclusion in this new guide is no surprise. However far more are lesser known and a little more off the beaten path. Though these trails are not hard to find they are hard to find any real details about. What should you expect along the trail? Is the terrain rough? Will there be interesting things along the trip? Is the trail appropriate and/or safe for children? Well that lack of information is no longer an issue. Each trail has been thoroughly researched, recently hiked and includes a detailed description, trail profiles and map. At a glance ratings in important categories such as Scenery, Trail Condition, Difficulty, Solitude and appropriateness for children let you quickly select a trail that fits your tastes and ability. Other useful information such as fees, restrictions for dogs on the trail as well as advice on when to visit offers you the best information so you can plan your trip with ease. Sized to fit in a pocket, this guide is convenient to keep in the car or toss into a backpack. Driving directions direct hikers to the nearest trailhead parking areas, and GPS trailhead coordinates get them to the start of the trail.




Future Earth


Book Description

Long ages after the god-like Others unleashed the Genetic Wars that annihilated Old Earth, war is once again threatening to consume the planet, shattering an uneasy peace between the remnant races of that primordial conflict. Kiel, First Commander of the reptilian Eligor Empires intelligence service, is obsessed with seeking out help from the primitive human Protectorate in order to determine why the once-benign insect-like Ikonians are suddenly and inexplicably on the rampage, and together, find a way of stopping them. Bishop, the human selected to assist Kiel, has little love for the Eligor but is forced by the masters of his knightly order to comply with the plea for help due to his unique and prophetic ability to use certain Old Earth technologies. Prophecy could finally be fulfilled and order restored to the Protectorate if Bishop is successful. Unfortunately the near-magical and awesome science of the Others does not give up its secrets easily and whats worse, Bishop must journey to the very heart of Ikonia wherein awaits an even greater threat, a threat out of time itself, and with nothing but a hated reptilian Eligor, and an ill-bred Wolf-bird for company.




Red Sister


Book Description

The international bestselling author of the Broken Empire and the Red Queen’s War trilogies begins a stunning epic fantasy series about a secretive order of holy warriors... At the Convent of Sweet Mercy, young girls are raised to be killers. In some few children the old bloods show, gifting rare talents that can be honed to deadly or mystic effect. But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls. A bloodstained child of nine falsely accused of murder, guilty of worse, Nona is stolen from the shadow of the noose. It takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist, but under Abbess Glass’s care there is much more to learn than the arts of death. Among her class Nona finds a new family—and new enemies. Despite the security and isolation of the convent, Nona’s secret and violent past finds her out, drawing with it the tangled politics of a crumbling empire. Her arrival sparks old feuds to life, igniting vicious struggles within the church and even drawing the eye of the emperor himself. Beneath a dying sun, Nona Grey must master her inner demons, then loose them on those who stand in her way.




Report


Book Description