Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings and streets that surround us. And yet a concern for architecture and design is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and it argues that it is... (more)

What Makes You Not a Buddhist

by Jamyang Khyentse

Dzongsar Khyentse is one of the most creative, innovative, and provocative young Tibetan Buddhist lamas teaching today. The director of two feature films with Buddhist themes (the international sensation The Cup and Travelers and Magicians), this provocative teacher, artist, and poet is widely known and admired by Western Buddhists. Moving away from conventional presentations of Buddhist teachings, Khyentse... (more)

OPERATORS AND THINGS, Revelations of a SchizophrenicBarbara O'Brien

OPERATORS AND THINGS, Revelations of a Schizophrenic

by Barbara O'Brien

From Monkey Brain to Human Brain: A Fyssen Foundation Symposium (Bradford Books)

From Monkey Brain to Human Brain: A Fyssen Foundation Symposium (Bradford Books)

The extraordinary overlap between human and chimpanzee genomes does not result in an equal overlap between human and chimpanzee thoughts, sensations, perceptions, and emotions; there are considerable similarities but also considerable differences between human and nonhuman primate brains. From Monkey Brain to Human Brain uses the latest findings in cognitive psychology, comparative biology, and neuroscience to... (more)

Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten

by Bob Graham

Rumor has it that Rose’s neighbor, Mr. Wintergarten, has a pet crocodile. Rumor has it he eats children. So when Rose’s ball flies over his fence, she’s scared to retrieve it. But when she bravely sets out to go where no child has gone before, she discovers the startling truth about her neighbor: he’s friendly! Bob Graham’s illustrations add humor and vitality to a story that shows how very deceiving appearances... (more)

Perceptions

by Daniel Skoubye

"No way!" said Leo, tossing the newspaper in the trash. "That's not even possible." "Leo's Place" was a classic Mom and Pop restaurant in the small town of Bucolic. Leo liked the way things had stayed the same over the years. He counted on his regulars exchanging rumors over their morning coffee and on the influx of tourists every summer. Some years there was more business than others, but the income was... (more)

Deadly Appraisal (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries)

Deadly Appraisal (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries)

by Jane K. Cleland

Josie Prescott is settling into her new life in New Hampshire. Her antiques business is thriving, she’s beginning to make some close friends, and her relationship with the local police chief is becoming more interesting. Not bad for someone who has completely uprooted her life as a New York City auction house expert in order to get a fresh start in a small New England town. With so much suddenly to... (more)

The Host

A Novel

by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by an alien species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't... (more)

John Patrick Norman McHennessy: The Boy Who Was Always LateJohn Burningham

John Patrick Norman McHennessy: The Boy Who Was Always Late

by John Burningham

Every day John Patrick Norman McHennessy sets off along the road to learn, and every day strange and improbable happenings make him late. To make things worse, his teacher, Sir, never believes his stories. One day, John Patrick Norman McHennessy is able to make it on time and finds that an improbable and strange thing has happened to Sir. Just how the tables are turned provides a twist every child will relish. ... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: perceptions

The Architecture of Happiness

by Alain De Botton