Seat At The Table: A Novel Of Forbidden Choices

Forget fashionistas. Meet the bargainista. Annie Korzen is a thrifty woman with expensive tastes. Raised by an immigrant mother who reused tea bags, Annie learned early on how to be an economista.

In Bargain Junkie, Korzen shares her hilarious tales from the trenches--the garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, rummage sales, and online auctions. Korzen haggles, scrimps, saves, and stretches her dollars and her imagination so she can afford to travel, dress well, and eat out whenever possible.

Whether she's getting a cardiovascular workout at the store, getting revenge on a yard sale con artist, or eating herself sick at the free green room buffet before appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Annie is the ultimate bargainista.

'For me, spirituality is the ability to be awed through your connection to creation, to know your purpose, and to be of service – all to find faith, hope, and inner peace. This is the very heart of what I call 'soul communion.' I knew that, on its face, this sounded esoteric and mystical, but it was already threaded into the fabric of most people's lives.

'After all, who hasn't prayed to a loved one who has died, talked to them, and asked them for emotional and spiritual guidance? Our stumbling block is that we talk, say a quick 'Amen,' and never wait around to listen.

'Soul communion is teaching ourselves how to wait around and listen. We believe in the spiritual realm, yet at the same time we shut ourselves off from it. We pray for help and then don't allow it to help us.'

-From Chapter 17

In God, the Universe, and Where I Fit In, Laurie Ann Levin, Psy.D., shares her extraordinary life story and illustrates how we can tap into the divine guidance that is always available to us.

As a child, Levin knew she was psychic. Still she stifled her gifts, dimming the divine aspects of herself in order to be accepted by conservative parents, her friends, and her husband. As a rising Hollywood agent, making connections with stars like Madonna and Michael Jackson took precedence over making connections with the other side.

When her career bubble burst—as many of them do—her mother was losing her battle with cancer. By calling on her intuitive gifts, Levin helped her mother transition to the other side and, in the process, experienced a psychic awakening. She embarked on a spiritual odyssey that blew apart everything she thought she knew about God, the universe, and where we all fit in—in this life and the next. Through her incredible journey she found true love in an unlikely way and pioneered a new approach of healing that bridges psychology with spirituality.

For those who feel like they are wandering through life aimlessly, or that events are random rather than related, Levin makes clear that the universe is full of connection and that a crisis or a change can be viewed as a cosmic wake-up call to a new way to live.

A man and puppy exhumed from a 12,000-year-old grave sends a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer on a journey to the dogs

Of all the things hidden in plain sight, dogs are one of the most enigmatic. They are everywhere but how much do we really know about where they came from and what the implications are of their place in our world? Jon Franklin set out to find out and ended up spending a decade studying the origins and significance of the dog and its peculiar attachment to humans. As the intellectual pursuit of his subject began to take over Franklin's life, he married a dog lover and was quickly introduced to the ancient and powerful law of nature, to wit: Love me, love my dog. Soon Franklin was sharing hearth and home with a soulful and clever poodle named Charlie.

And so began one man's journey to the dogs, an odyssey that would take him from a 12,000-year-old grave to a conclusion so remarkable as to change our perception of ourselves. Building on evolutionary science, archaeology, behavioral science, and the firsthand experience of watching his own dog evolve from puppy to family member, Franklin posits that man and dog are more than just inseparable; they are part and parcel of the same creature. Along the way, The Wolf in the Parlor imparts a substantial yet painless education on subjects as far ranging as psychological evolution and neurochemistry. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller Franklin shatters the lens through which we see the world and shows us an unexpected, enthralling picture of the human/canine relationship.

Through Elena’s captivating voice, we learn not only the stories of Russian family life in the second half of the twentieth century, but also the story of one rebellious citizen whose curiosity and determination finally transport her to a new world. It is an elegy to the lost country of childhood, where those who leave can never return.

The very word Jew continues to arouse passions as does no other religious, national, or political name. Why have Jews been the object of the most enduring and universal hatred in history? Why did Hitler consider murdering Jews more important than winning World War II? Why has the United Nations devoted more time to tiny Israel than to any other nation on earth?

In this seminal study, Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin attempt to uncover and understand the roots of antisemitism -- from the ancient world to the Holocaust to the current crisis in the Middle East. This postmillennial edition of Why the Jews? offers new insights and unparalleled perspectives on some of the most recent, pressing developments in the contemporary world, including:

The replicating of Nazi antisemitism in the Arab world

The pervasive anti-Zionism/antisemitism on university campuses

The rise of antisemitism in Europe

Why the United States and Israel are linked in the minds of antisemites

Clear, persuasive, and thought provoking, Why the Jews? is must reading for anyone who seeks to understand the unique role of the Jews in human history.