CELEBRATE WORLD BOOK DAY AT BAYT LOTHAN

Join Q8 Bookstore and Bayt Lothan in celebrating World Book Day !

Wednesday 23 April, 7 pm to 9pm  - Discussion Panel on Censorship, Ticket : KD 5. 
Discussion panel on censorship with the amazing Shurooq Amin, Nada Faris and Dr.Naif Al Mutawa. 

Thursday 24 April, 7 pm - Open Mic Night by Kuwait Writing Club, Ticket : KD 5
Kuwait Writing Club will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary with an Open Mic Night from 7pm with a selection of poetry and prose

Friday 25 April, 3 pm  - Kids World Book Day, Free event
Bring your kids for a day of story reading, arts and crafts. Friday event is free.

Tickets are KD 5 for each of the events held on Wedesday 23rd April and Thursday 24th April. If you buy tickets for both the events, you get a free book from Q8 bookstore. Tickets can be purchased before hand at Bayt Lothan or Q8 Bookstore during their office hours. 

Proceeds go towards educational needs for Syrian refugees in Jordan! Event is sponsored by Kuwait Healthy Living.

Bayt Lothan phone : 25755877 /  25755866
For details email Q8 Bookstore: ask@q8bookstore.com
Bayt Lothan and Q8 bookstore working hours : 9 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm

Bayt Lothan location map

ONE DAY WORKSHOP BY ARIELLE FORD BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF THE SOULMATE SECRET AND WABI SABI LOVE

Best selling author of The Soulmate Secret and Wabi Sabi Love, Arielle Ford, will be presenting a one day workshop in Kuwait on Sunday, April 26th.

To know more about the workshop and what it will cover, visit Dawrat website

Venue : Dasman Ballroom, Radisson Blu Hotel, Bida
When : Sunday 26 April 2014
Time : 9 am to 5 pm ; There will be two coffee breaks. Lunch will be provided for attendees
Fee : 150 KD per person. 120 KD each for couples. Discounts for groups
Tel : 55283501

For registration and details visit : Dawrat or call 55283501

Books by Arielle Ford

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - GRAIN BRAIN : HOW CARBS ARE DESTROYING OUR BRAIN

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, has written book on how carbohydrates are destroying our brain. Even the healthy carbs like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and lot more. Dr. Perlmutter explains why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. The book covers in depth at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better in a four week plan.

MY HOSPITAL VISIT AND LIKE THE FLOWING RIVER BY PAULO COELHO

I was supposed to see a couple of doctors at the KOC Hospital in Ahmadi  in October and November and I couldn't as I was out of the country. This in a way made me feel happy, because those who know me closely know how uncomfortable I am about visiting any hospital, although I have always been content with the care the doctors have extended to me at the KOC hospital. I despise falling sick, I get worried if I were to know something is wrong. But then isn't everyone the same?. The best news a doctor could tell you after all the tests, is, 'the tests have come out fine, everything is normal, there is nothing for you to worry', right? As for me, my doctor and I have mutually agreed to wait a while concerning an operation that I would require. I think I'll best do it when I am ready for it mentally and spiritually. Maybe if I am blessed with a miracle, I don't have to do it. Other little things that require attention, is nothing serious, thankfully. 

Anyways, I had an appointment yesterday for a laser treatment with the dermatologist. After my treatment, it was around 11 am, I was famished, as I didn't have anything to eat when I left home. I went to the hospital canteen and had a sandwich and orange juice. I knew it was going to take me a long time today at the hospital. I had to reschedule the missed appointments with some doctors, meet the GP, go for blood tests, x-ray and then wait for 2 hours until my husband finished his work to pick me up. I told him, it was not a problem, they have a nice canteen with delicious food, there is Coffee Bean and I am going to carry my Paulo Coelho book, 'Like the Flowing River'. 

After I was done with whatever I had to at the hospital and fortunately all went well yesterday, I decided to relax at Coffee Bean. I ordered for a cappuccino and a caramel date cake and sat on a comfortable mustard color sofa and took out my book. I have this book with me for the past 3 years and never made time to read it. After I started to read it, I wondered, why didn't I ever read this any earlier. I managed to read half of the book, it is a truly remarkable book and somehow every page would relate to the reader in some touching way. It made me feel I was on a spiritual pilgrimage. There is a profound message in every short story in this book. When I looked at my watch, there was half an hour left for my husband to pick me up. I didn't realize time fly. I couldn't finish the caramel date cake; I should have gone for my first choice, blueberry cheese cake. 

I went to the canteen and ordered for some lunch to take home. I returned to Coffee Bean to read my book and the table I sat at was cleared off the empty cup and the unfinished cake and were occupied by two young beautiful women. I sat at the next table with mustard sofas. I became totally immersed in a different world journeying along with the author as his stories, and experiences came alive. My husband walked up to me with a loving smile, helped me with my bags and we drove home.  'A beautiful day', I thought.  As he drove, I described vividly my day at the hospital and how my book kept me company as my husband listened with a few questions here and there. As we drive back home, I take out my camera and keep it ready. I notice the sunset amid the water towers, reflected in the side mirror, and try to capture what is visible in the mirror. My husband asks, 'Did you get the sunset?' 

'Like the Flowing River', gave me a renewed sense of energy. Each day is an opportunity to start a new....mend old ways, forgive, to live a balanced and poised life in harmony with nature and those around us, to improve our health, to appreciate and honor our relationships, give a little more as we take,  to change our perspective of things for the better, to be kind, to be more sensitive, to be a little more helpful. 

We have so much to be grateful for.

GOOD READ - SALT SUGAR FAT HOW THE FOOD GIANTS HOOKED US

THE SHADOW EFFECT - A GREAT BOOK BY DEEPAK CHOPRA, DEBBIE FORD AND MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

Sometimes we are baffled by our own behavior - have you experienced that? Sometimes you say or do things and later regret it and don't really know what's driving your behavior. Is it possible that everyone has a dark side that plays a certain role in making choices and control one's behavior? "The Shadow Effect" written by powerful relationship and life coaches, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson, helps you break free from repetitive negative patterns and self defeating behaviors. It explains the mystery of why you do what you do. The book is a profound guide, that will help you understand the shadow that exists within all of us, and help release your negativities, alter your thoughts, belief patterns, responses,  and and lead you to fulfillment.

GOOD BOOK - INTERPRETER OF MALADIES BY JHUMPA LAHIRI

My son told me about this beautiful Pulitzer Prize winning book that he read two weeks ago,  'Interpreter of Maladies' by gifted writer Jhumpa Lahiri. He said he enjoyed it a lot and recommended I should read it. It was published long back in 1999. It's a collection of nine short stories and my son was telling me how each those nine stories were beautifully written by Jhump Lahiri. The book also won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2000. Interpreter of Maladies had sold 15 million copies worldwide. After the book was published, it was chosen as The New Yorker's Best Debut of the Year.

The stories are about the lives of Indians and Indian Americans who are caught between the culture and Indian traditions they have inherited and the "New World". The stories are touching and seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations.

Jhumpa Lahiri, 45 was born in London and raised in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. If  you have a love for reading good books, try to get this book for you will definitely enjoy it.

Other books by Jhumpa Lahiri - Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth

Author Jhumpa Lahiri

WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL IN YOUR LIFE

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction…I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I’m going to to view unfortunate circumstances in my life- whether I will see them as curses or opportunities (and on the occasions when I can’t rise to the most optimistic viewpoint, because I’m feeling too damn sorry for myself, I can choose to keep trying to change my outlook). I can choose my words and the tone of my voice in which I speak to others. And most of all I can choose my thoughts".  - From the book, Eat, Pray, Love  by Elizabeth Gilbert

LOSE THE WHEAT, LOSE THE WEIGHT BOOK BY DR. WILLIAM DAVIS

I have blogged several times about dropping the wheat from our diet to lose weight. When I was visiting my daughter in Nottingham, UK, last year, I noticed a woman's magazine in TESCO, and I picked it up and I was so glad I did. When I returned to Kuwait, and found time to actually go through the magazine, I was quite intrigued by an article by a doctor saying that many of his overweight patients were able to lose weight by dropping wheat from their diet. I lost no time in following the same. I went on a wheat free diet from mid September to mid December and actually lost 8 kg. My stomach was flatter, I felt energized, alert, lighter and really good on the whole. I walked for an hour five times a week. Yes, you have to exercise! 

Last year my friend who was visiting Kuwait wanted to lose her stomach fat and her excess weight on the whole. I told her to drop the wheat from her diet. Yesterday she sends me an email that talks about a book 'Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight" by Dr. Willam Davis and I thought I must share this in my blog to encourage all weight loss aspirants once again, to eliminate all wheat products (cake, pastries, breads, rolls, pizzas, biscuits) from the diet and I promise you, there will be a dramatic change - you will lose weight. Hey, now this does not mean eat unlimited quantities of other food items. Eat less, eat healthy, eat natural foods, use less oil while cooking, no fried stuff, no sugary stuff, drop the wheat...and results shall speak for itself..

When 'Women's Health' magazine asked cardiologist Dr. William Davis, M.D., what the worst food for your heart is, his answer was: Wheat!. "I call it wheat belly. There's not an organ system unaffected by wheat," says Dr. Davis, author of the new book," Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight". "But wheat's impact on the waistline is its most visible characteristic. When my patients gave up wheat, they lost an average of 26.7 pounds each!" Eliminating  wheat will  prevent fat storage, shrink bulges, melts off belly fat and improves health dramatically.

READING THE MANUAL OF WARRIOR OF LIGHT ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Breathtaking view from my bedroom balcony

The past week was sunny and quite hot towards the afternoon. Going out the past week  meant - 'ohhh, its going to be so hot'. But today's weather was perfect. As a close friend on mine in Kuwait would describe such weather as 'London weather'. What she means is the weather is cloudy. I just love this sort of weather, when its cloudy, but does not rain and its cool. After breakfast, we went for a movie and returned home and had a  wonderful lunch - minced meat with peas and potatoes which my son and husband like a lot. I had got up early and cooked before we left. After lunch, I wanted to go out again, but then then some sort of laziness took over me and I decided to just lie down and read this lovely book I picked up the other day while I was shopping at Style Plus - The Manual of Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho. The weather was just so beautiful -  I left my balcony doors open to let the cool breeze come in. My son had fallen asleep and I was reading this book. Paolo Coelho's inspirational writing can intensely connect us to the mysteries and unseen powers of the universe and explore our own inner nature, seek our strengths. Sometimes you could end up reading the same line a few times over because you relate to it.

If you enjoy Paulo Coelho's books, you will most certainly enjoy this book, which is a collection of philosophical teachings and inspirationals and every page is filled with something that you will definitely connect to. Life is a battlefield, and when you choose to connect with something bigger, deeper and higher in the universe, a light is cast for you in the path you tread and there are signs you follow and learn to fight your battle with strength, faith and wisdom. When you yearn for answers, when you are crossroads, when you are indecisive, people pass your way and give you directions, help and guidance. The universe arranges opportunites for you, your choices give you various experiences good and bad and you  learn. Life never ceases to teach you something from every little or big experience. The unseen light guides you.....you become a warrior of light. 

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

This little book is available in Hallmark, Marina Mall

In our stress filled, fast paced life we tread, mostly waiting for big things to happen to fill us with happiness, its nice to remind ourselves of the little things in our day to day life that matter which can make us happy. When I was at Hallmark the other day, I saw a little book, 'Little things mean a lot'. I didn't have time to go through the contents, but I am sure it would be nice inspirational book. When I saw it, it reminded me of a famous and beautiful poem by Julia Fietcher Carney.

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land.

So the little moments,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages

Of Eternity.

So the little errors

Lead the soul away

From the paths of virtue

Far in sin to stray.

Little deeds of kindness,

Little words of love,

Help to make earth happy,

Like the Heaven above.

In the summer of 1845, Julia attended a class for teachers. She along with her classmates were given a mere ten minutes to complete a writing assignment and as a part of that, she wrote the first four lines of this poem and later extended the poem. I just love this poem!

What are the little things that mean a lot to you? What are the little things that make you happy?

J.K. ROWLING - HOW WOULD SHE LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED

James Runcie: How would you like to be remembered?
JK Rowling: As someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.

James Runcie produced the documentary J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life for ITV. He is a British novelist, documentary film-maker, television producer, theatre director, and  Artistic Director of the Bath Literature Festival.

J. K. Rowling, is a gifted and amazing talented British author of the world famous  Harry Potter fantasy series, that gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, sold more than 400 million copies and been the basis for a popular series of films.  Rowling conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990.

Rowling's life story is from 'rags to riches', in which she progressed from living on welfare to multi-millionaire status within five years. As of March 2011^[update], 'Forbes' estimated Rowling's net worth to be US$1 billion in its world billionaires list!

My daughter is a big fan of Harry Potter books and as a young child, I still remember how excited she was when she got her first Harry Potter book, followed by the entire series. Later when the movies were made, she watched every Harry Potter movie that was released. The Harry Potter books adorn her bookshelf in Kuwait, amidst a huge collection of books and novels she had during her school days. Though my daughter is now working in  England, she has told me 'not to give the Harry Potter books away', which she hold so dear.

READING TO EXPAND YOUR WORLD



This t-shirt is available in 'ZARA' (Avenues Mall and Marina Mall)

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, 'If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads'.

We live in an age where we are surrounded by an overflow of information and the best way to take advantage of it  is engage in reading novels, magazines, newspapers and even the Internet is a great learning tool and contains a world of information we could dive into. Reading helps us discover new things, develops our imagination, our creative side and also develops our mind and gives us a renewed self image. The mind is a muscle which needs exercise just as our body needs food, air and exercise.    Reading is the best exercise you can give your mind.

Here is a famous quote by H.G. Wells. He said, 'I had just discovered the art of leaving my body to sit impassive in a crumpled up attitude in a chair or sofa, while I wandered over the hills and far away in novel company and new scenes... My world began to expand very rapidly,... the reading habit had got me securely'.

STEVE JOBS BIOGRAPHY BY WALTER ISAACSON AVAILABLE IN KUWAIT

The recently published STEVE JOBS biography by Walter Isaacson is available in THAT AL SALASIL bookshop, Level 1, Avenues Mall . It's priced 12 K.D.  I was at That Al Salasil yesterday and saw quite a number of copies of the currently best selling book of Steve Jobs. Isn't this good news for Apple fans and Steve Jobs' fans who were awaiting this book eagerly. Go grab your copy.

STEVE JOBS BIOGRAPHY BY WALTER ISAACSON

All you want to know about Steve Jobs - The exclusive biography of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs by bestselling author Walter Isaacson released on October 24, gives an extraordinary revelation of Steve Jobs’ professional and personal life.  Based on forty interviews with Jobs, interviews with a 100 people that included Jobs’ family members,  important colleagues from Apple and its competitors, covers the intense personality of a businessman and gifted strategist who was passionate about perfection and believed in  power of the will to bend reality. The book also reveals Job's both innovative and creative side, resulting in Apple products that took the world by storm,  as well as his obsessions and the darker side of his personality.

Author Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. He was previously the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME. He was appointed by President Obama to be the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.  Isaacson had also written biographies on Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin.

Watch CBS interview on You tube here and here with Walter Isaacson where the author gives you an interesting insight of Steve Jobs, the person and businessman.  

'Steve Jobs' by Walter Isaacson (hardcover) is available at Amazon (click Here)

To read some interesting reviews and articles on this book,

visit this Link - Article by Toby Young, The Telegraph)

Article by Richard Rayner, L.A. Times (Link)

Article by Tim Martin, The Telegraph (Link)

SENSE OF AN ENDING BY JULIAN BARNES WINS MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2011

Julian Barnes with his Man Booker Prize 2011 winning book Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes, 65 year old British author,  is the winner of this year's £50,000 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for his book 'The Sense of an Ending', published by Jonathan Cape. Chair of the 2011 judges, Dame Stella Rimington, made the announcement at London's medieval Guildhall, during the Awards Dinner yesterday, October 18. Jon Aisbitt, Chairman of Man, presented Julian Barnes with a cheque for £50,000. 

Man Booker Prize website describe 'The Sense of an Ending', a 150 page novel,  as a truly wonderful novel that will have the reader immersed in the story from the very first page, and all the while, marvelling at the precision of Barnes’ prose.  It is the story of a seemingly ordinary man who, when revisiting his past in later life, discovers that the memories he holds are less than perfect. Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a marriage, a calm divorce. He gets along nicely, he thinks, with his one child, a daughter, and even with his ex-wife. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer’s letter is about to prove. The unexpected bequest conveyed by that letter leads Tony on a dogged search through a past suddenly turned murky. And how do you carry on, contentedly, when events conspire to upset all your vaunted truths? The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight, this is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.

Julian Barnes lives in London; he is the author of ten novels, three books of short stories and three collections of journalism. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages. In France, he won both the Prix Médicis (for Flaubert's Parrot) and the Prix Femina (for Talking it Over), the only writer to have won both prizes.  He is an officer of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 2004 and the David Cohen Prize for Literature in 2011 for his lifetime achievement in literature. Julian Barnes has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize three times previously, for Arthur and George in 2005, England, England in 1998 and Flaubert's Parrot in 1984.

Asked what he would spend the £50,000 prize money on, Barnes said a new watch strap was first on his list. "I could buy a whole new watch."

MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2011 SHORTLISTED BOOKS

Short Listed Books for Man Booker Prize 2011



Man Booker prize shortlisted authors, from left to right, Carol Birch, Stephen Kelman, Patrick deWitt, Esi Edugyan, and A.D. Miller, pose with their books


The following 6 books have made it in the Man Booker Prize 2011 shortlist on September 6. The Man Booker Prize winner will be announced tonight (October 18).

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
A middle-aged man is hurled headfirst into an intentionally forgotten past.

Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch
A street urchan named Jaffy signs on with Mr. Jamrach, a collector of exotic animals, on an expedition to capture a dragon.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
A darkly comic western follows two hired guns in the late 19th century as they make their way from Oregon to San Francisco to kill a man.

Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Long-time friends and musicians Chip and Sidney return to Berlin in to discover what really happened to their friend Hieronymous Falk, who disappeared during the fall of Paris at the start of World War II.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
The coming-of-age of an eleven-year-old who moves from Ghana to inner-city London with his mother and sister.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
A British lawyer is seduced by a beautiful Russian woman in Moscow and becomes embroiled in mystery.

BEST SELLER : THE CARB LOVERS DIET - WEIGHTLOSS ON A CARBOHYDRATE CENTERED DIET

Personally I have never been comfortable or successful at losing weight on a high protein diet, devoid of carbs. I have always included carbs in my diet  like whole meal bread, rice, potatoes and has helped me on my weight loss journey. Including healthy carbs in the diet pumps a person with energy, improved memory,  improved  performance and sense of wellbeing. The best selling book on weight loss, CARB LOVERS DIET is a new revolution in weight loss that challenges the long held belief that carbs make a person fat. Well, not if you eat the right carbs!  The book is written by Ellen Kunnes (Editor in Chief ) and Frances Largeman-Roth, RD of 'HEALTH' magazine.

Scientists at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for Human Nutrition, in Denver, along with a team of international researchers uncovered new evidence that revealed that eating the right carbs is the best way to lose weight and remain slim. New studies showed that certain carb-rich foods:

• Shrink fat cells, especially in your belly
• Boost fat burning
• Increase muscle mass
• Curb cravings
• Keep you feeling full longer than other foods
• Control blood sugar
• Lower cholesterol and  triglycerides

Another interesting discovery during research was that slimmest people ate the MOST CARBS (in the form of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), and the chubbiest people ate the fewest carbs!

Carb Lovers Diet encourages increasing your total intake of carbs, and upping the percentage of a type of carb called Resistant Starch in your diet. Resistant Starch in your breakfast will shift your body into fat-melting mode, that helps you burn nearly 25% more calories a day. You will end up eating less, consuming 10% fewer calories because you won't be hungry as foods containing Resistant Starch are quite filling and they boost body's metabolism. Resistant Starch-filled foods aren't any magical food, they are easily available at the supermarkets. They are bread, cereals, potatoes and bananas. The book also contains over 70 recipes that will help you lose weight and maintain it.

To know more, visit CARB LOVERS OFFICIAL SITE

To buy the book, you can check with Kuwait Bookshop (Muthanna Complex) or Virgin Mega Stores (Marina Mall)

Or you can purchase through AMAZON.com (Click Here)

BOOK - NAT GEO AMAZING

NatGeo Amazing! by Mellina Gerosa Bellows, is National Geographic as you've never seen it before—a celebration of the world's 100 most fascinating people, places, and things, showcased in a large-format, full-color paperback. NatGeo Amazing, a 192-page book  which showcases a collection of the world's most fascinating information, through thrilling pictures and incredible stories.

Here are some pictures from the book:

Seeking balance in life an art form followed by Eskil Ronningsbakken amidst natural wonders

A 1500 year old martial art being practised by Monks

Freezing temperatures, insane heights, threat of death, all this does not stop Ice climbing enthusiast Tim Wagner

Lt. Col. Greg Gadson with bionic (computerized) limbs, after he lost his limbs in Iraq war in 2007

Rinspeed Vehicle cread by Swiss Co. Rinspeed inspired by James Bond movie 'The spy who loved me'

For more information visit :

 http://www.randomhouse.com/book/202938/nat-geo-amazing-by-melina-gerosa-bellows#blurb_tabs

HOW TO SPEND LESS

About the book:

There are times when you know you just need to cut down a bit, reduce your outgoings, keep a bit of a rein on the amount you spend. Yet for most of us, that makes us feel downright depressed even before we start. But reducing your spending doesn’t mean taking the fun out of life. Oh no. If you’re clever about it, life can be just as good – it just costs you less. This is the book to show you how, in Richard Templar’s inimitable blend of originality, wisdom, practicality and funny straight talking.

How to Spend Less… without being miserable is full of techniques and strategies for cutting down on expenditure. As you’d expect with Richard Templar, there’ll be loads of common sense with a quirky take and plenty of fun.

Available at Virgin Megastore, Marina Mall, Salmiah