類別： 保健養生

羊咩咩bye bye bye bye: 解決失眠困擾的56個秘方

- by 吉澤深雪

◎當心靈疲憊不堪的時候
睡不著也沒關係煩惱的事就說出來吧！
幸福的感覺說對不起,明天，一定會有好事發生
想睡的時候就睡, 美好的一天, 枕邊的便條紙

◎讓人睡好覺的生活秘方
首先，一定要早起, 美味的米食
偶爾喝喝咖啡聊聊是非
當心甜食的誘惑, 小心郵件
瑜珈的姿勢, 自己的睡眠方式
白天，有好好加油嗎？打赤腳走路 爬爬樓梯


Summary

全球有10% 的人口. 有睡眠品質不佳的問題, 睡眠的好與壞牽連著生理機能的運 作。
如何擁有良好的睡眠狀況, 除了和醫生討論外, 本身也可以做一些讓自己更加入眠的生活秘方這本書有許多是作者自己親身體驗蒐集好眠的56個小祕方 、伴隨書中繪製精細的人物擬真插圖，請試著放鬆身體，不知不覺就會進入夢鄉……。

作者 About the Author
吉澤深雪插畫家。1965年出生於東京。
以手工飾品提案及沐浴方法等日常生活為主題的插畫或散文為創作重點。
以18隻貓咪為主角的「Cat Chips」周邊商品已推出500種以上的生活雜貨。

著作包括『跟孩子在一起的快樂時光』、『Bath Time』『雜貨我最愛！』『貓咪的手工小飾品』、『我，蓋了一間美術館』『訂做一個喜歡的自己！ 』『Orange Heart的做法』『Happy Bath Time』『下雨帶來的50種幸福』『訂做理想自我的50種方法』『喜歡自己的47種方法』『馬修與露可拉的料理書 星期天的早餐』『馬修與露可拉的料理書 星期五的蛋糕製作』『看星星的幸福』等。

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類別：10歲以上青少年小說

ALL ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE
唯我孤獨

作者： Lynne Rae Perkins


本書處處皆可見溫馨片段和絕妙的比喻，鉛筆素描穿插於對白之間，以高中孩子隨興筆記的型態記錄了黛比八個月的生活，自從她的摯友美琳開始和另一個同學葛蘭娜密切來往開始，她變得神傷心碎。當她為失去的友情悲哀的同時，又認識了一個被忽略的鄰居女孩，她覺察到有多少人愛著她，包括她的雙親、老師，還有新交的朋友。她也學習到應該多關心其他比她不幸的人。

Summary

“Before last summer Maureen and I were best friends … At least I think we were. I don't know what happened exactly. As people who get hit by trucks sometimes say, ‘I didn't see anything coming.'”

作者 About the Author
Lynne Rae Perkins
包括最近榮獲紐伯瑞獎的小說 Criss Cross ，作者的其他作品有 The Broken Cat, Snow Music, Clouds for Dinner

本書得獎記錄：
ALA Notable Children's Books
The Horn Book Fanfare Honor List
Booklist Children's Editor's Choice
Bulletin Blue Ribbon
Riverbank Review Children's Books of Distinction

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類別：青少年小說

Hatching Magic 穿越時空魔法龍
作者: Ann Downer


一隻名叫葳卡的雙足飛龍為了尋找合適的產卵地，意外地踏入時空的縫隙，一腳由中世紀的英格蘭闖進二十一世紀的波士頓。基狄恩 〈 葳卡 〉 的主人於是匆匆忙忙踏上尋找葳卡的冒險之旅，因為他的勁敵 ─ 邪惡魔法師科寶急著要比他搶先一?逮住葳卡，好利用葳卡來對付牠的主人。這三股強烈的魔法勢力，在一名現代的小女孩「多多」意外地啟動下，匯聚於她一身。他們將會發生什麼故事呢？相信會吸引許多著迷於魔法、飛龍等奇幻元素的小讀者。

續集 THE DRAGON OF NEVER-WAS 即將於二 ○○ 六年七月出版。



Summary
Poor Theodora Oglethorpe! Her biologist father has gone off to explore the jungles of Laos without her, her two best friends are away on vacation, and a long, hot, lonely Boston summer is all she has to look forward to.

Poor Gideon! Wycca, his pet wyvern, has disappeared through a magic hole in time in search of a place to lay her egg. Kobold, Gideon's rival wizard, wants nothing more than to capture Wycca and turn her against her master. In a desperate attempt to rescue Wycca from Kobold's evil clutches, Gideon follows her through the magic hole...and finds himself transported from his castle in thirteenth-century England to the terrifyingly modern world of Boston , Massachusetts , in the year 2002.

ittle does Gideon know that what he needs most in order to find his wyvern is stuck to the bottom of Theodora's shoe. And little does Theodora know that Gideon is the reason why her summer vacation has begun to seem a whole lot more interesting...

作者 About the Author
Ann Downer grew up in Manila and Bangkok in the late 1960s and read many mysteries...until she discovered the rich and wonderful world of fantasy.

Returning to her native Virginia , she began to spend afternoons at the local library reading all the fantasy she could get her hands on. Soon she was inspired to begin a fantasy novel of her own, and so began her career as a fantasy author. She has written The Spellkey, The Glass Salamander, and The Books of the Keepers.

Ms. Downer combines her writing with a full-time career as a science editor at a university press. She lives with her husband, their son, and a large marmalade cat in Somerville , Massachusetts .

得獎紀錄：
Golden Sower Masterlist
Great Stone Face Book Award Master List
West Virginia Children ' s Book Award Master List

版權已授出九國語言：
Spanish / Dutch / German / Thai / Portuguese / Russian / Italian / Polish / Czech

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類別：英語學習

EIGO DE YOMU SEKAI MUKASHI BANASHI<Book1>
（ Folk Tales from Around the World, Book1 ）
用英文讀世界名話

- by Benjamin Woodward

ISBN:4789012190
THE JAPAN TIMES (2006-03-05 出版 )


將世界有名的傳統童話藉由英語介紹給讀者。其中收錄有「白雪公主」、「三隻小豬」等故事。

Summary

頗受好評的「用英文讀日本傳統名話系列」的姊妹作第一集。本書由世界各地蒐集而來的故事編輯而成，以簡單的英文重新編寫、加上附有註釋，讓讀者不需查字典也看的懂。 加上由一流的講述員以豐富情感所朗讀的 CD ，也可以做為朗誦的練習。

作者 About the Illustrator
Benjamin Woodward
生於雪梨。畢業於牛津大學亞洲研究學科。任職於 THE JAPAN TIMES 「週刊 ST 」編輯部（資料以本書出版時刊載為主）。
此書有一完整系列。世界名話單元有兩本作品，日本名話單元已經出版五本。


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類別： 學習 / 語言 / 禮儀溝通

The Art of Civilized Conversation :
A Guide to Expressing Yourself With Style and Grace (Hardcover)

好說 ! ( 暫譯 )
- by Margaret Shepherd & Sharon Hogan

你可能有過這種窘境：參加某個聚會，面對黑壓壓的人群，卻看不到半張熟識的面孔；這時，想像你眼前是無數個迥異的窗口，你接觸的任何一個陌生人，都將為你開啟另一個世界！

作者 Margaret Shepherd 每年在 MIT 演講的主題，就是交談技巧的重要性。這種社交技巧每個人都學得來，就像使用多功能的瑞士小刀一樣容易，循著這本實用工具書的指導，學習怎樣讓 ” 交談 ” 成為一項 ” 眾樂樂 ” 的活動。

(** 如果覺得中英文版本會更實用、更有助普羅大眾，來信詢問本書時請註明！ )

Summary

In our fast-paced, electronic society, the most basic social interaction—talking face-to-face—can be a challenge for even the most educated and self-assured individuals. And yet making conversation is a highly practical skill: those who do it well shine at networking parties, interviews, and business lunches. Good conversation also opens doors to a happier love life, warmer friendships, and more rewarding time with family.

For those intimidated by the complexity of personal interaction, or those simply looking to polish their speaking skills, The Art of Civilized Conversation is a powerful guide to communicating in an endearing way. In its pages, author Margaret Shepherd offers opening lines, graceful apologies, thoughtful questions, and, ultimately, the confidence to take conversations beyond hello . From the basics—first impressions, appropriate subject matter, and graceful exits—to finding the right words for difficult situations and an insightful discussion of body language, Shepherd uses her skilled eye and humorous anecdotes to teach readers how to turn a plain conversation into an engaging encounter.

Filled with common sense and fresh insight, The Art of Civilized Conversation is the perfect inspiration not only for what to say but for how to say it with style.

作者 About the Illustrator
Margaret Shepherd is a writer, calligrapher, and teacher. In addition to The Art of the Handwritten Note , she has written thirteen books on calligraphy. Each year she speaks at MIT's “charm school” about the importance of gracious communication. She lives in Boston .

Sharon Hogan writes books on topics that range from aging to dog training. She enjoys civilized conversations with other authors about book concepts, and she leads workshops on nonfiction writing for physicians. She lives near Boston .

 
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類別： 社會科學

THE DEAD BEAT: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries
死亡的餘韻 : 失去的靈魂、幸運的屍體 , 和訃文超乎想像的樂趣

- by Marilyn Johnson

Format: 精裝 , 256 頁 , 2006 年 3 月出版

當每天早晨攤開報紙時 , 你選擇先看那個版 ? 政治 , 社會或藝文 ? 對大部份紐約時報的讀者來說 , 這不成問題 , 他們會直接翻到訃告版 . 訃文是正在發生的歷史 . 那些人與我同時代 ? 他是成功還是失敗 ? 幸運或是倒霉 ? 比我年長或年輕 ? 訃文捨我其誰的披露精彩人生的秘密 : 這位生生白天是藥劑師 , 晚上是間諜 ; 那位 女士白天負責學校午餐 , 晚上成為舞廳皇后 . 難怪很多讀者寧捨新聞及體育版 , 直接閱讀訃文 .

書作者被訃文背後的精彩人生所吸引 , 一頭栽進訃文的世界 . 是誰寫就了引人入勝的訃文 ? 作者造訪了網路聊天室 , 在一堆訃文中尋珠 ; 到倫敦做朝聖之旅 , 在最諷刺刻薄和文藻優美的訃文中悠遊 . 透過旅行和歷史 , 作者選出英語世界最精彩的訃文與大家共享 , 原來死後故事還沒結束呢 !

Summary

Every morning, countless readers of the morning papers bypass the front page, neglect the sports section, and go directly to the obituary page. It's not morbid curiosity (or not just that) that motivates them - the legions of obsessive fans turn to the obit page first because it very often contains the most gripping and best-told stories of the day. The obituary, after all, is the ultimate human-interest story: at once a summation of a life (often a public one) and an acknowledgement of its end.

In THE DEAD BEAT, former Life magazine writer and Esquire editor Marilyn Johnson makes a smart and light-hearted survey of the form, considering the celebrity obituary, the warhorses of the genre (”10 Die in Brazilian Bus Plunge”), and the often eerie coincidences that pop up on the obit page (the scientist who isolated vitamin C, for instance, died on the same day as the scientist who isolated vitamin K). Johnson also introduces readers to the colorful and often winning characters who populate the subculture, like Richard “God is my assignment editor” Person, a legendary eccentric “with a subversive spirit and a body that got away from him”; Andrew McKie, the cowboy-hatted, tequila-guzzling doyen of the caustic British obituary scene; and Jim Nicholson, the reporter and sometime spy who inspired a generation of obit writers with his graceful, big-hearted appreciations of the lives of ordinary men and women.

作者 About the Author
Marilyn Johnson was a staff writer for Life and an editor at Esquire, Redbook, and Outside. Her essays, profiles, and stories have appeared in these magazines and others. She has written obituaries for Princess Diana, Jackie Onassis, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, and Marlon Brando.

國外書評

“What a wonderful surprise--a charming, lyrical book about the men and women who write obituaries. The Dead Beat is sly, droll, and completely winning.” - David Halberstam

"If Marilyn Johnson had been meaner, I could have said she puts the bitch in obituary.  Instead, she's written a warm, funny, appreciative book that, ironically enough, should live forever. But get it now." - Roy Blount, Jr., author of Feet On The Street: Rambles Around New Orleans

“A joyful book about obituaries? Absolutely! Marilyn Johnson pulls it off with death-defying grace, insight, charm, and wit. In the end, what a celebration of life!” - Lee Eisenberg, author of The Number: A Completely Different Way to Think About the Rest of Your Life

“A beautifully written, funny, and fascinating tour through the unexpectedly lively world of obituaries. Vital reading for anyone who knows a dead person or is likely to become one.” - Lisa Grunwald, author of Women's Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present

"A keeper.  I pulled over to the side of the road to read more, then sat reading this book-lovers' find. ...although the author writes about the dead, [the obits] come alive on the page with wit, compassion, respect…The sleeper book of the year.” – The Boston Globe  

“A delightfully clever meditation on the world of obituary writing.  [Johnson's] wonderful book reads like a quirky detective story, as a somewhat possessed writer mines the obituary pages of the world's newspapers searching for gold, and strikes it rich."   – Atlanta Journal Consitution

“Fetching. . . Johnson writes about obituaries with the zeal – and insight – of an avid obit fan, someone who looks at half a dozen newspapers a day and spends hours online Googling death: reading posts on the alt.obituaries newsgroup and posting obits of her own.” – New York Times Book Review

“A play-by-play guide to the telling and often unexpectedly amusing manner in which we mark in print the passing of the famous and infamous.” – People Magazine

“This delightful quirk of a book is not dark or morose; it's an uplifting, joyous, life-affirming read for people who ordinarily steer clear of uplifting, joyous, life-affirming reads….The book is far more than an anthology. It's a fond profile of the modern obituarist.... It's a musing on history and the everyday lives that comprise it.” – Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Even though obituary pages are among the best-read in every newspaper, you don't have to be a die-hard to enjoy this nonfiction gem." – Boston Herald

“[A] fascinating book about the art, history and subculture of obituary writing.” – New York Times Book Review

“Humorous, engaging and informative.” – Booklist

"The Dead Beat is a romp of a book that captures with well-placed humor the curious assortment of people featured in the obits, as well as those who write them, read them, collect them and - well - simply are obsessed with them….This book is sure to be a favorite among those who love a well-turned phrase and can find humor in the seemingly humorless topic of death." – Rocky Mountain News

If journalism is the first draft of history, then an obituary is the first draft of biography. In the best of hands, obituary writing is an art, about which practitioner Marilyn Johnson writes in her mordantly witty new book, The Dead Beat.” – Courier-Journal

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類別： 藝術、歷史、犯罪

THE MEDICI CONSPIRACY
博物館是小偷 ? ─ 一段藝術史上盜竊、走私與欺瞞的揭祕之旅

- by Peter Watson & Cecilia Todeschini

這是一個關於藝術品違法買賣的真實故事，時間長達數百年之久，地域廣及西方文明世界，其中牽涉的事件包括有組織的犯罪、對古希臘藝術品的掠奪，許多世界級博物館與收藏家都在犯罪名單之列。就像一本刺激的偵探小說般，在不懈的追蹤與探訪之後，赫然在一個位於德國的藝術走私犯的私人游泳池裡，找到於西元前四世紀出產，價值連城的八個花瓶。但除了花瓶之外，竟意外發現更有價值的秘密，就是這位走私者的帳目，裡面詳細記載了交易的明細、來往客戶與成交紀錄。這揭露了一個真實存在的貿易網路─ 盜墓者把古希臘羅馬時期珍貴的陪葬工藝品盜出，交手給商人與走私者把工藝品運出義大利，再轉手給富有的收藏家與博物館。在這個歷時已久、獲利豐富可觀的網路之中，所有的參與者對這些工藝品的非法來源都視而不見。

作者之一的 Peter Watson ，倫敦 Sunday Times 的前新聞記者，曾經揭露兩個藝術界的醜聞，指出如此一般的非法貿易，大大減少了歐洲的文明收藏。上述被走私者所掠奪的八個花瓶，都是不可能再被複製重現、具有高度收藏意義的藝術珍品，其價值就如同貝里里的雕刻與米開藍基羅的畫作一般。他並且點名數個牽涉其中的機構，包括：蘇士比拍賣會、洛杉磯博物館、俄亥俄的托利多博物館、波士頓藝術館以及紐約的大都會博物館。

Summary
A true-life thriller completely exposes the network behind the illegal trade in ancient artifacts--and features a rich cast of rogues and some of the world's most prestigious art institutions

作者 About the Illustrator
Peter Watson writes for the New York Times and has written weekly columns on the art market for the London Sunday Times, Observer and Evening Standard. In June 1997 he was appointed Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in the University of Cambridge . He is the author of The Caravaggio Conspiracy, From Manet to Manhattan , and Sotheby's: The Inside Story.
Cecilia Todeschini is a researcher and translator who has worked for the BBC, ITV, CBS, ABC, and NBC. She has covered papal conclaves as well as the great mafia trials in Italy among many other subjects.

目前海外版權已授權 : 紐澳、德國與韓國等三國。

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類別： 健康 、親職、教養

TOXIC CHILDHOOD:
How Contemporary Culture Is Damaging The Next Generation... And What We Can Do About It
中毒的下一代

- by Sue Palmer

根據研究已開發國家中每六個兒童中就有一個被診斷出有發展或行為問題，這個驚人的數字正以每年 25% 的比例成長中，值得社會大眾正視這個現象，本書由以下十個方面解釋背後的成因與提供解決的方法。

1. Food for thought - 飲食
2. Our to play - 運動
3. Time for bed – 睡眠
4. It's good to talk – 溝通
5. We are family – 家庭
6. Who's looking after the children? – 照護
7. The Best days of their lives – 教育
8. The word on the Street – 行銷、同儕壓力
9. The electronic village – 科技
10. Manners maketh man – 教養

Summary

Children throughout the developed world are suffering: instances of obesity, dyslexia, ADHD, bad behaviour and so on are all on the rise. And it ' s not simply that our willingness to diagnose has increased, there are very real and growing problems. Sue Palmer, a former head teacher and literacy expert, has researched into a whole range of problem areas, from poor diet, a lack of exercise and sleep deprivation to a range of modern difficulties that are having a major effect: television, computer games, mobile phones. This combination of factors, added to the increasingly busy and stressed life of parents, means that we are developing a toxic new generation. Sue Palmer ' s wonderful book illustrates the latest research from around the world - in Japan , for example, use of chopsticks is declining rapidly among children - and provides answers for worried parents as to how they can protect their families from the problems of the modern world and help ensure that their children emerge as healthy, intelligent and pleasant adults. Toxic Childhood is an enormously important book that reveals the issues behind our general concerns that ' things are getting worse ' and shows how you can make sure that your own children suffer as little as possible.


作者 About the Author
Sue Palmer is well-known to primary teachers throughout the United Kingdom as an independent literacy specialist, and provider of courses on the teaching of writing, grammar and spelling. She is also the author of many best-selling books and educational TV programmes on aspects of literacy, as well as children poems, stories and non-fiction.

Sue contributed to several National Literacy Strategy training packages, and provides consultancy to a wide range of organisations, including educational publishers and the BBC. She also writes regularly in the Times Educational Supplement and other educational journals.

http://www.suepalmer.co.uk/toxic.php

本書 2006 年 5 月   出版，已售出 4 國版權，有電子檔可提供審閱。

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繁體版已售

類別： 親子教養

Getting on with Others: How to Teach Your Child Essential Social Skills
和他人相處：如何教導你的小孩必要的社會技巧

- by John Cooper


學校老師都知道，樂群合作的小孩在學校及日後在社會上的表現比較優異。人際互動的生存技巧必須從小培養，教導孩童如何交朋友，如何處理情緒，如何解決和別人的歧異。根據研究顯示，最適合幫助孩童學習控制處理自己情緒的年齡是三到七歲。在本書中，家長及教育學家可以學習孩童的問題行為及社交困難如何產生，如何教導孩童駕馭內心的小怪物，如何透過遊戲幫助鼓勵小孩，如何清楚表達立場，有哪些基本的社交技巧（例如打招呼，傾聽交談，輪流及分享）要如何培養，又有哪些重要的生存技巧要學習，例如如何面對自己的情緒，如何辨別他人的情緒訊息，如何放鬆，如何降低焦慮等等。

Summary

In Getting on with Others , clinical psychologist John Cooper identifies three skills as being essential building blocks for children: developing cooperative behaviour, acquiring basic social skills and solving social problems. He shows how parents can teach these skills and help children learn about feelings. In addition, he presents methods to assist children to develop assertiveness, reduce anxiety and handle situations involving conflict. The techniques described are clinically proven and research shows they are effective in changing children's behaviour.


作者 About the Author
John Cooper is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who has worked in schools, hospitals and community settings assisting children with a wide variety of behavioural, emotional and social difficulties since the 1970s. A parent of two children, John has also been involved in a number of specialised programs to prevent young children from developing behavioural problems. This work includes originating the unique PALS program ('Playing and Learning to Socialise'), which helps children at kindergarten and preschool levels develop basic social techniques and more advanced skills.

請參看 Finch 出版社官方網站的讀者投書 http://www.finch.com.au/
本書剛於年初出版，還沒有外界媒體書評。

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類別： 非文學 保健

MIND POWER : Rejuvenate Your Brain and Memory Naturally
心智力 -- 活化大腦與記憶的自然方法

- by Gary Null, Ph.D .

Format : 精裝 326 頁 , New American Library, A Division of Penguin Group 出版

Summary

Dr. Gary Null 自1970 年代即投身並領導美國的健康食品運動 , 引導並喚起了整個一代美國人對健康生活的重視, 堪稱是這一波追尋健康, 自然生活的領袖. 在 Dr. Null 以前的著作中已多次談到身體的保健, 在這本新著中, 他首次揭露如何在身體老化的種種影響下保護並活化我們的大腦, 保持敏銳的心智.

身體老化對我們的心智狀況有直接的影響, 會引起諸如焦慮, 沮喪, 記憶力減退, 失眠, 或一些更嚴重的病症如失憶症, 巴金森病 等等. Dr. Null 提供的健康計劃針對每一種病症提出全方位的建議, 包括了生活作習方式, 運動, 營養與維生素的攝取, 從事心智的活動, 聽音樂等.

Dr. Null 提醒我們不只要維護身體的健康, 也需要維持 心智的活力. 生理年齡不足為懼, 最重要的是你的心理年齡.

作者 About the Author
Gary Null, Ph.D.
Dr. Null 已著有七十幾本書, 包括暢銷書 GARY NULL'S POWER AGING, GARY NULL'S ULTIMATE ANTI-AGING PROGRAM 等等.
Dr. Null 也在電視上主持健康節目, 演講, 教學, Dr. Null 的網址為　 Garynull.com

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