I started reading when I was three and never looked back...

Here are a few of my favorites... check them out if they sound interesting.

The Holographic Universe - by Michael Talbot
Talbot explains the theory advanced by U. of London physicist David Bohm and Stanford U. neurophysiologist Karl Pribram that despite its apparent tangible reality, the universe is actually a kind of three- dimensional projection and is ultimately no more real than a hologram, a three-dimensional image projected into space.

Green Space, Green Time: The Way of Science
- by Connie Barlow
Over the last few centuries, science has more and more usurped domains of knowledge that were once the province of reigion: for example, the movements of the heavens, the origin and diversity of life, even the inward world of human consciousness. At the same time, however, both science and religion have always enforced strict boundaries. Science can tell us how the world is, but it cannot instruct us about meaning or values. In a provacative book that is sure to be controversial, Connie Barlow puts forth a compelling case for breaching this barrier - in effect, for a reunificaiton of knowledge and meaning. Evoltionary biology tells us how we came to be; rendered as the Epic of Evolution, it provides a powerful origina story appropriate for these times. Concervation biology, ecology, and Gaia theory all reveal how we fit in with the natural world; Barlow argues that they can not only inform our ethics but also expand our sense of meaning.

Illusion- by Paula Volsky

The Eight - by Katherine Neville
Katherine Neville's debut novel is a postmodern thriller set in 1972 ... and 1790. In the 20th century, Catherine Velis is a computer expert with a flair for music, painting, and chess who, on her way to Algeria at the behest of the accounting firm where she is employed, is invited to take a mysterious moonlighting assignment: recover the pieces of an old chess set missing for centuries. In the midst of the French Revolution, a young novice discovers that her abbey is the hiding place of a chess set, once owned by the great Charlemagne, which allows those who play it to tap into incredible powers beyond the imagination. She eventually comes into contact with the major historical figures of the day, from Robespierre to Napoleon, each of whom has an agenda. The Eight is a non-stop ride that recalls the swashbuckling adventures of Indiana Jones as well as the historical puzzles of Umberto Eco which, since its first publication in 1988, has gone on to acquire a substantial cult following.

The Temple of My Familiar - by Alice Walker
Transcending the conventions of time and place, Walker's novel moves from contemporary America, England, and Africa to unfamiliar primal worlds, where women, men, and animals socialize in surprising ways. The author of The Color Purple has created a mesmerizing novel of vision and spirit.

The Kitchen God's Wife - by Amy Tan

Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts
- by Anne Llewellyn Barstow
A definitive portrait of the witch-hunts that terrorized European women during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Though the persecution, torture, and execution of more than seven million women suspected of being witches during this period has been documented in other historical sources, Barstow is the first scholar to offer a convincing gender analysis of the Reformation-era witch craze. According to Barstow, independent and intelligent women often proved to be convenient targets for misogynists seeking scapegoats for every conceivable social ill. Most interesting is the author's credible assertion that the witch-hunts not only paralleled the emergence of a more patriarchal society, but also heralded the disturbing decline in the status of women that continued over the course of the next several centuries. A fascinating historical treatise that provides an evolutionary context for the contemporary proliferation and escalation of violence toward women.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
- by Robert M. Pirsig

Beach Music - by Pat Conroy

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future - by Riane Eisler

The Stand - by Stephen King

Skinny Legs and All - by Tom Robbins
It sounds like the beginning of an ethnic joke, but it's the axis around which spins this gutsy, fun-loving, and alarmingly provocative novel, in which a bean can philosophizes, a dessert spoon mystifies, a young waitress takes on the New York art world, and a rowdy redneck welder discovers the lost god of Palestine--while the illusions that obscure humanity's view of the true universe fall away, one by one, like Salome's veils. Skinny Legs and All deals with today's most sensitive issues: race, politics, marriage, art, religion, money, and lust. It weaves lyrically through what some call the "end days" of our planet. Refusing to avert its gaze from the horrors of the apocalypse, it also refuses to let the alleged end of the world spoil its mood. And its mood is defiantly upbeat. In the gloriously inventive Tom Robbins style, here are characters, phrases, stories, and ideas that dance together on the page, wild and sexy, like Salome herself. Or was it Jezebel?

I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action - by Lung Cheng
Since his first role in 1962 at the age of 8, Jackie Chan has appeared in more than 70 movies. For more than 20 years, he has been the biggest star in Asia, but in the West he remained a secret, his movies passed around on tape and his fame growing by word of mouth alone. In the '90s, with the success of crossover movies like Rush Hour and the support of a new generation of filmmakers who grew up watching Jackie Chan videotapes, his star finally rose in the West. But where did he come from, and how did he achieve so much? His autobiography, I Am Jackie Chan, answers those questions in an engaging, almost novelistic style. When his father moves to Australia to take up a new job, the young Jackie is placed in Hong Kong's China Drama Academy under the tutelage of Master Yu Jim-yuen. For the next 10 years he is trained in martial arts, dance, acrobatics, singing, and comedy, while suffering extraordinary hardships, including regular beatings and near-starvation. Yet he can look back on this period of his life with considerable affection, not least because it taught him the skills, and provided him with the network of friends, that would sustain his film career for decades. Chan has always earned the respect of his fans by committing himself wholeheartedly to creating the most death-defying stunts possible. His achievements seem even more remarkable when set against the struggles described in this book. In the Drama School, as a young stuntman, in his first troubled attempts to make movies in America--Chan's personality shines through, and I Am Jackie Chan can only enhance his reputation as one of the most likable and admirable movie stars in the world. The book also includes Jackie's comments on all of his movies, lists of his favorite stunts and fights, and an astonishing catalog of all his major injuries. Can you imagine what it must feel like to dislocate your cheekbone?

Doomsday Book - by Connie Willis
Connie Willis labored five years on this story of a history student in 2048 who is transported to an English village in the 14th century. The student arrives mistakenly on the eve of the onset of the Black Plague. Her dealings with a family of "contemps" in 1348 and with her historian cohorts lead to complications as the book unfolds into a surprisingly dark, deep conclusion. The book, which won Hugo and Nebula Awards, draws upon Willis' understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

The Source - by James A. Michener
In the grand storytelling style that is his signature, James Michener sweeps us back through time to the very beginnings of the Jewish faith, thousands of years ago. Through the predecessors of four modern men and women, we experience the entire colorful history of the Jews, including the life of the early Hebrews and their persecutions, the impact of Christianity, the Crusades, and the Spanish Inquisition, all the way to the founding of present-day Israel and the Middle-East conflict.

...AND NOW THE FLICKS!

RUN LOLA RUN
I highly suggest you see it in the original German with Subtitles!

I went out and got the soundtrack immeditately after seeing this film, and got the video as soon as it went on sale. It is a brilliant artistic film from the first moment - rich with color, sound, creativity, and non-stop exhilaration!

One fun aspect of watching it in German is that you'll realize you picked up a few words when it's over. The plot is simple but presented in the most unusual way. It shows you how "the ending" would not be the ending if any minute thing came into play. The acting is solid, charismatic and charming. Franka Potente, the young woman who plays Lola, is amazing!

Run Lola Run's plot has a lot to do with repetition and over coming obstacles which seem impossible. Running and time seem to be the two major themes seen in the film. Lola's race against time is evident, as she races against pulsating, high energy, techno beats, in order to over come the obstacles that stand in the way of saving her boyfriend (Manni) from certain death.

What is admirable about Lola, is her strong determination to succeed and conquer the obstacles. She fights for what she believes in and loves, and perseveres. Rent it tonight and let me know what you think (oh yeah... and turn up the sound!)