An often uplifting and refreshingly brief outline of basic mental and physical self-care.
A compact and comprehensive system for finding health and happiness.
The latest from medical doctor, professor, and entrepreneur Epler (Fuel for Life, 2013, etc.) is a read-in-one-sitting book with one clear goal—to give its readers more good days, the kind in which everything goes just right, when they’re feeling healthy, happy, and well-adjusted. To that end, the author’s approach is two-pronged. On the one hand, he lays out five “components” of well-being, including “being engaged in life,” “finding meaning in your life,” and having positive social interactions. He matches these strategies with 10 health practices—basics that most people already know, such as a nutritionally balanced diet, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and constantly learning new things. Epler’s prose is clear and energetic throughout, whether he’s writing about ordinary subjects, such as the benefits of regular daydreaming, or extraordinary ones, such as the puzzling assertion that people can learn to heal their own “complex dysfunctional disease” by using the power of the mind. The bulk of the book offers elaborations on the five components and 10 health practices. Some are very specific and helpful, such as Epler’s discussion of the dangers of trans fats and saturated fats. Other are less so, such as the vague and aphoristic encouragements that pepper the book (“Live and enjoy the moment”). Epler dramatizes and humanizes his points with short vignettes that depict ordinary people dealing with situations that relate to the topic at hand (“Let me tell you about my friend and work-out partner John”). His own experience as a medical doctor comes through in every discussion, whether it’s about the dangers of processed sugars or the benefits of getting enough sleep and steering clear of caffeine late in the day.
An often uplifting and refreshingly brief outline of basic mental and physical self-care.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-939116-58-1
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Waterside Press
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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