Starting Your Kids with the Right Books
Once your children are old enough to understand the basics of reading, you should start considering the type of literature that will nurture their love and skill for reading. The ideas presented in the books that are prescribed by their school and in those that you provide them plant seeds of knowledge that can either broaden or restrict their perceptions of the world. Another consideration is the suitability of books to the reading levels of your children.
These considerations are best discussed with your children so that all of you can agree on the best books for them read. The following tips can help you in choosing the type of reading material that suits your children’s needs.
Some of the best written works depict believable scenarios, even when these works are fiction. They carry great meaning and are not chaotic, making them easily understandable and acceptable.
Different Types of Children's Literature
Children today have access to a wide variety of books. But it is crucial that they read those that match their comprehension levels so that their learning is promoted effectively.To attract and sustain the interest of early readers, you may provide them with books filled with pictures and illustrations. By reading the words to them and showing them illustrations, they can develop the ability to “connect the dots,” that is, they can understand the flow of the story based on the imagery presented to them. This type of development builds for them a strong foundation upon which they can advance their reading skills.
Meanwhile, rhythmic books, such as those of Dr. Seuss, can help children remember certain words and phrases. From these books, they can then move on to folklore or thousand-year-old stories that have been passed on from different cultures. These types of stories can open children’s minds to the different ideas and possibilities that the world has to offer.Later on, your children can try their hand at fairy tales, which have grown in popularity because of their movie adaptations. They can also explore fantasy books, first books, concept books, and issue books, which will not only train their reading prowess but also expand their perspectives.


All the critical plot elements posts can be found as a list of links in order here. If you aren't familiar with them, it's worth a quick read-through before considering the genre applications.
So here we go!
CRITICAL PLOT ELEMENTS APPLIED: FANTASY
Beginnings #1 - Writing the Rule Book (World Building) - occurs simultaneously with the following elements:
Nola is a Changeling. But she's poor in magic and heart. She's shunned by most of the other Changelings and rarely uses magic because she's embarrassed by how weak it is.
During the opening pages she's shown walking through a forest with tools at her belt that imply a medieval-type environment (little or no technology). The language she uses is also peppered with 'old school' words and phrasing. Throughout the book, every building we see is made of stone, wood and thatch.
Nola tells the reader her magic is slow and small compared to most of her peers. She's forced to use her human form much more often than them, and do tasks manually, rather than changing form to suit whichever tasks she's doing. She's an outcast. But she finds solace in her unusually strong connection with the Guides - sometimes she can even hear them from her home!
When faced with the inciting incident, Nola reveals she can only change into an animal that is close by, which limits her options for obvious reasons and will become important later in the book.
When the inciting incident has passed, she spends some time considering who can help her (the other Changelings and any Guides who might be visiting), and who they will be working against (the Razors - a group of pure-human sorcerers and their spiritual animal advisors). Details of the ongoing battle between these two groups are often dropped in throughout the first fifty pages, but small details will be revealed later.
Beginnings #2 - The Inciting Incident
During her walk in the forest Nola is disturbed by the silence. As a changeling her hearing is very sharp. But she's having trouble hearing any animals at all - until the sound of horse-hooves ahead. Knowing that only humans and Razors ride horses and a Changeling is unlikely to become one for this reason, she locates an animal with some difficult and changes into the drowzy squirrel she has identified, hides in the underbrush.
A group of four Razor's ride past, clearly trying to stay out of sight and quietly discussing something that sounds like an attack on the Changeling commune. They discuss the effectiveness of the spell they used to put all the nearby animals to sleep and whether the Changelings will notice before it's too late.
Beginnings #3 - The Plot Mirror
Convinced that the Razors are about to kill everyone she cares about, Nola returns to her natural form (which is human in appearance) and uses what little magic she has to put them to sleep so she can run ahead and warn everyone.
But the Razors catch and block her magic, sending it back to her. They think she's dead, so ride on. Nola sinks into unconsciousness aware that she's just failed in saving everyone she cares about.
Beginnings #4 - End of the Beginning - The Decision to Fight
Nola wakes in the evening very frightened. She runs home and discovers her entire village destroyed. Her mother is dead and the Changeling she was betrothed to has disappeared. Only a few Changelings escaped the carnage and they are packing what little supplies they can find and heading for The Mountain. They tell Nola to leave or stay, they don't care. But they're going and taking their magic with them.
Nola is livid they have given up so easily. Using the little bit of magic she has, she binds herself to a vow to find the Razors who are responsible, defeat them and bring home the Changeling children they've abducted.
Middles #1 - Schematics
Nola gathers what provisions she can find and sets off after the Razors. During the walk she considers the situation, what she knows of the war between the Changelings and the Razors and what she will do about it:
She decides the Razors are probably trying to get to the Guides, whose magic far outstrips the Razor's. That means they'll have caught those young Changelings to torture them into teaching the Changeling magic. If a Razor demonstrate Changeling magic, they'll be accepted as a Changeling by the Guides. Then the Guides will share their secrets. The Changelings will lose all protection since the Razors will be able to identify a Changeling in animal form.
She'll have to either save the young Changelings or reach the Guides and raise the alarm before they give up their secrets to the Razors by accident.
Soon she realizes she'll never catch them on foot and finds a young bird, just waking from the spell the Razors put on all the animals. She turns into a bird and flies until she locates the Razors.
Middles #2 - Raising the Stakes
Nola follows the Razors overhead for days, catching snippets of their conversation. She learns they have ten Changeling children tied up in the carts their horses are pulling, and they have arrangements to meet a Guide in the Great Valley.
One night Nola turns into a possum and perches in the tree over their camp. The Changeling children are brought out and tortured. One of them is killed. Nola realizes the Razors have brought so many because they know it will take several deaths to scare the others into sharing their magic.
Middles #3 - Catastrophe and the Missing Link
Nola turns into a mouse and sneaks onto one of the carts while the Razors are sleeping. She's going to eat through the children's bindings and lead them out of the camp.
But one of the children wakes while she's working on the bindings of another. He's delirious and paranoid and thinks Nola is a trick. He wakes the entire camp and throws a spell at Nola to force her back to her human appearance.
The Razors witness the spell. it's a breakthrough for them and the first piece of magic they've gleaned. They also find Nola with the children and bind her too. As an adult, she has the ability to call the Guides. They tell her they'll keep her alive to do that - unless she tries to free the children again. Then they'll kill her in front of the children. If she escapes, they will kill the children one by one until she returns.
With a Changeling's heart for the value of life, Nola will not do anything to risk the deaths of others. She complies.
Middles #4 - The Almost Lull
Nola spends several days talking to the Changeling children, keeping their spirits up, and considering their options. She devises a plan to delay actually calling the Guides and gives the children signals for the Guides when they do eventually appear, by teaching the children certain words which will alarm the Guides. This risk is that the Guides will help one of the Razors before she or the Children have the chance to get the message through to them.
Every evening the children are removed from the carts and Nola is taken to the campfire to call the Guides. Nola explains that it can take days to reach them, but she undertakes the 'ritual' every night. Secretly she's trying to send the Guides a message, but her magic is so weak, she's afraid they'll misunderstand and come to her to clarify her needs.
Every night she goes back to the cart and sometimes the children don't all return. Nola is sickened by the destruction. She determines that if she can't get the children away, she will at least find a way to minimise their suffering.
Endings #1 - Crisis
On the fifth night when the children are taken from the cart, Nola is worried the Razors will stop believing her delaying tactics. The one who's been torturing the kids threatens her. He is able to change now, so they don't need the children anymore. If Nola wants any of them alive, she'll connect with the Guides.
Nola tells the Razors there's a cleansing ritual she can do, which might help her successfully call the Guides. She's removed from the cart at the same time as the children and taken to the apocathary's tent to get the things she needs.
The apocathary is an old woman - simply human, not a Razor. She tells the Razors to leave Nola with her and guard the tent from the outside, that no man should witness a female cleansing ritual. The guards station themselves at the four sides of the tent.
Nola starts making up a complex combination of herbs and spiritual essences, and the old woman plays along, muttering about the uses of each and how powerful this magic must be. In truth, Nola is creating a tincture for the Children - something to numb their senses. She'll give it to them the next night, so that if things go wrong, they won't feel the pain or stress of the events.
But though she waits hours and hears a lot of noise and screaming, etc. The children are never returned to the cart. Nola isn't told what has happened, she doesn't know if they're dead, or just being kept from her.
Should she continue with her original plan? Or, if the children are dead, should she sacrifice herself to keep the rest of the Changelings and the Guides safe?
Nola is convinced the Razors have killed all the children. But if the children are dead, there is nothing to stop Nola from killing herself to save the Guides and thwart the Razors.
In the early morning hours, just as she's decided to go ahead with the new plan, one of the Razors pulls her out of the cart. The old apocathery is there, insisting that one of the herbs was old and bad. Nola's magic won't work if she relies on the ritual she did the previous evening. At first Nola is too depressed to take her seriously, but the old woman makes it clear to her that she's got a plan. So Nola plays along and returns to the tent with the guards.
Inside the apocathery's tent one of the children is huddled in a corner. The woman casually mentions the children have been spread around the camp to stop them from planning or working together to warn the Guides. Nola is very relieved and thanks the old woman. She gives the child enough of the tincture to send him to sleep, makes more with the 'good' herbs, then returns to her cart.
Endings #2 - Climax
The following evening, Nola is instructed this is her last chance to call the Guides. If she isn't successful, the children will be killed one by one until she is. The children are gathered, each held at knifepoint by a guard.
Nola begins a 'dance' which takes her around the circle. She administers the tincture to each child, along with a word for each one - the word they're to use with the Guides if they have the chance.
Then Nola begins the actual magic to call the Guides. She tries to add a flavor to it - something to warn the Guides - but she can't be sure they'll understand. The connection is weak because of Nola's stress. The Guides answer her though and the entire camp hears their voices rise out of the fire "We come!"
Then the flames on the bonfire flare and a spiritual being leaps out of the flames, calling Nola's name.
Nola comes forward, trying to give the Guide an indication something is wrong. but it's odd that one of them has come alone, and so quickly.
She introduces herself and the Guide calls himself Baen. Baen greets Nola, then turns to the Razors. One of the Razors - the one who has been torturing the Children - steps forward and turns himself into dog. His magic is rough and Nola can see the holes in it - it's hard for the Razor to keep the form - but the Guide is delighted and tells the Razor he will be entered into the books.
He's about to give the Razor the spell to call the Guides when Nola realizes he hasn't spoken to the children, hasn't gone through any of the rituals. He isn't a real Guide. So what is he?
The Razors are entranced by the Guide, giddy that they're being given magic. They forget the children and Nola and gather around Baen. Nola creeps closer to the fire and sends a very tiny spell to the Guides, an alarm, asking for their help and to identify Baen.
The voices whisper back that they've heard her cry. Her magic is old, but strong. She's to gather the children away from the Razors.
Nola brings all the children together in a huddle - difficult because they're sedated - then watches Baen draw in the Razors.
At the last possible moment, one of the Razors gets suspicious and a fight ensues. The Guides haven't shown up yet, and the Razors are coming after Nola.
She turns into an eagle and strikes at their eyes. She turns into a hyena and bites their legs. She turns into a horse and kicks at them.
The children try to flee, but their legs are heavy because of the drugs and Nola watches as first one, then the other is captured. She can't save them all because they're spread too far, and Baen has been taken down by the Razors.
At the last minute, with three of the children about to be killed, she reverts to her human form, calls the Guides with an alarm that sounds across the land. There is a rumble, then animals burst into the camp, all attacking the Razors. Guides jump from the fire and defend the children.
Nola grabs the Razor that has been torturing the children, grasps his face and says "Take my magic, coward!" She turns into a cougar her fingers clawing down his cheeks as she changes. But he stabs her with a knife before she can finish him off and she loses consciousness.
Endings #3 - Ribbons & Bows (Resolution)
Nola wakes on a swaying bed. A Guide Female leans over her, ministering to her. The Guide explains that many of the children were lost, but more were saved - because of Nola's bravery and her magic. Nola insists that her magic is weak and she shoudl have been able to save more of them, but the Guide explains she's an old heart. She has been trying to use the new magic, when her's is an old tongue.
The Guide teaches Nola how to tap into her true strengths. She is assigned as the wise-woman for the new village the Guides are starting up, close the Great Valley. Nola's old home is deserted, but the other changelings will be found and told what happened.
When the new stories are written, Nola's name will become synonymous with bravery and strength.
That's it folks! Now, obviously that's a pretty rough plot, but you see the point. Each plot-point is simply applied to the world and characters you've created.
Your Turn: If you have any questions about the plot points, ask them in the comments. Or if there's another genre you'd like me to explore, let me know!


CHAMPS Manuals |
CHAMPS Questionnaires |
The CHAMPS II manual describes the program in detail.
The manual offers technical assistance and lessons learned to those who want to develop a version of CHAMPS in their own communities.
- The manual contains the following chapters:
Introduction, Staffing, Participants, Outreach and Recruitment, Enrollment, Physical Activity Support Mechanisms, Feedback and Diffusion.
- Numerous sample forms are also available in the appendices.
The CHAMPS materials
are protected by the United States copyright law, with all rights
reserved. These materials may be used and adapted freely subject to the
- Any use of these materials in either original or adapted form must be
acknowledged by the following citation:
- Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors II (CHAMPS II):
Program Manual. (2003) University of California,
San Francisco: Institute for Health and Aging, San Francisco, CA.;
- These materials may not be sold in either original or adapted form.
To proceed to the Download Manuals web page, use
the following link:
CHAMPS II participants walking for exercise.
CHAMPS: Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors
University of California, San Francisco
Institute for Health & Aging - http://sbs.ucsf.edu/iha
3333 California Street, #LHts-340
San Francisco, CA 94143-0646
Telephone: (415) 502-5200 ◊ Fax 415-502-5208
© Copyright 2002, 2008 The Regents of the University of California.
All rights reserved.


They say that when you give up a habit you replace it with something else; turns out, I replaced the glass of wine in my hand with a book. Losing myself in a psychology or neuroscience book wasn’t new to me but learning about addiction was. Luckily, there’s a wealth of book recommendations on the Stop Drinking subreddit on addiction, alcoholism and recovery.
Whether you’re looking for a memoir, a self-help book or you’re interested in learning the psychology behind addiction, there’s something to tickle anybody’s fancy. These recommendations were first published on Reddit but as it’s one of my most-clicked bookmarks, I decided that it deserved to be reshared here for readers that are looking to broaden their reading list.
Primary How-Tos – Books that are the main texts for their approach
- Anonymous – Alcoholics Anonymous (1939) [GoodReads|Audiobook|Free PDF – AA.org] – Primarily written by one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the “Big Book” describes how to recover from alcoholism and has been the basis for nearly every 12-step program since its inception.
- Canfield, Jack & Andrews, Dave – The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home (2016) [GoodReads|Audible|Amazon] – The 30-Day Sobriety Solution grew out of Jack Canfield’s decades-long work in self-esteem and success training. Its principles were carefully developed into a program by Dave Andrews and tested by thousands whose amazing stories of recovery are shared throughout the book. Organized into five phases that span 30-day periods, this book guides you through each day with practical exercises that, over time, allow you to more easily make positive choices again and again. “The Sobriety System” is an empowerment program that moves systematically from beliefs (including limiting ones) to feelings and emotions to concrete actions and behaviours that promote better outcomes.
- Carr, Allen – The Easy Way to Stop Drinking (2005) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Carr offers a startling new view of why we drink and how we can escape the addiction. Step by step, with devastating clarity and simplicity, he applies the Easyway™ method, dispelling all the illusions that surround the subject of drinking and that can make it almost impossible to imagine a life without alcohol.
- Grace, Annie – This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: Find Freedom, Rediscover Happiness & Change Your Life (2015) [GoodReads|Amazon] – This book, without scare tactics, pain or rules, gives you freedom from alcohol. By addressing causes rather than symptoms it is a permanent solution rather than lifetime struggle. It removes the psychological dependence allowing you to easily drink less (or stop drinking). Annie’s clarity, humour and unique ability to blend original research with riveting storytelling ensures you will thoroughly enjoy the process.
- Hardin, Rosemary (Ed.) – SMART Recovery Handbook, 3rd Edition (2013) [GoodReads|Amazon|Smartrecovery.org] – The SMART (Self-Management Addiction Recovery Program) Handbook is written in simple, straightforward language with Tools, exercises, techniques and strategies to help those with drinking and substance-abuse addictive behaviours.
- Nicolaus, Martin – Empowering Your Sober Self: The LifeRing Approach to Addiction Recovery (2009) [GoodReads|Amazon|LifeRing] – Written by the co-founder and C.E.O. of LifeRing Secular Recovery, this book offers a perspective on recovery that can motivate change in clinicians and researchers as well as among individuals struggling to find their sober selves.
- Trimpey, Jack – Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction (1996) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google Books] – More than a philosophy or therapy, and not dependent on spiritual beliefs, Rational Recovery offers an aggressive self-help program to take charge of one’s behaviour immediately. Now this proven process is made available in this unique, user-friendly instruction guide.
Memoirs – Personal stories of drinking and recovery
- Bliss, Tara – High: A Party Girl’s Guide to Peace (2014) – [GoodReads|Amazon|Audiobook] – In her debut book, High: A Party Girls’ Guide to Peace, life coach and yoga teacher Tara Bliss reveals the memories of her pained cycle of bingeing and detoxing and the practices that lifted her up and out; into a life of passion, purpose and peace. High comes to you as your roadmap on how to do the same.
- Burroughs, Augusten – Dry: A Memoir (2004) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – A memoir that’s as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is real. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a higher power.
- Bydlowska, Jowita – Drunk Mom: A Memoir (2014) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Three years after giving up drinking, Jowita Bydlowska found herself throwing back a glass of champagne like it was ginger ale. It was a special occasion: a party celebrating the birth of her first child. It also marked Bydlowska’s immediate, full-blown return to crippling alcoholism. This memoir shines a light on the twisted logic of an addicted mind and the powerful, transformative love of one’s child.
- Carr, David – The Night of The Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life – His Own (2008) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – In “The Night of the Gun,” David Carr redefines memoir with the revelatory story of his years as an addict and chronicles his journey from crack-house regular to regular columnist for “The New York Times.” Built on 60 videotaped interviews, legal and medical records, and three years of reporting, The Night of the Gun is a ferocious tale that uses the tools of journalism to fact-check the past.
- Clark, David – Out There: A Story of Ultra Recovery (2015) – [GoodReads|Amazon|Audible] – David Clark went from the rock bottom of bankruptcy, addiction and obesity to becoming an accomplished athlete. In this compelling story of his life, he not only shares his journey with complete honesty, but he also lays out a blueprint for change that anyone can use to redefine what is possible.
- Daniloff, Caleb – Running Ranson Road: Confronting the Past, One Marathon at a Time (2012) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – The monikers drunk, addict, abuser, and boozehound were Caleb Daniloff’s for fifteen years. Now, the introduction that fits him best is My name is Caleb and I am a runner. In this powerful story of ruin, running, and redemption, Daniloff illuminates the connection between running and addiction and shows that the road to recovery is an arduous but conquerable one.
- Delaney, Rob – Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. (2013) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – A memoir about sex, death, love, addiction, and fatherhood from one of the stars of the hit series Catastrophe, Rob Delaney – winner of the “Funniest Person on Twitter” at the Comedy Central Comedy Awards.
- Doughty, Mike – The Book of Drugs: A Memoir (2011) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google||Audible] – Mike Doughty first came to prominence as the leader of the band Soul Coughing. He battled addiction, gave up fame when his old band was at the height of its popularity, drove thousands of miles, alone, across America, with just an acoustic guitar. His candid, hilarious, self-lacerating memoir is the story of his band’s rise and bitter collapse, the haunted and darkly comical life of addiction, and the perhaps even weirder world of recovery.
- Hepola, Sarah – Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank to Forget (2015) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – For Sarah Hepola, alcohol was “the gasoline of all adventure.” She spent her evenings at cocktail parties and dark bars where she proudly stayed till the last call. A memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humour, BLACKOUT is the story of a woman stumbling into a new kind of adventure–the sober life she never wanted.
- Karr, Mary – Lit: A Memoir (2009) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Lit is about getting drunk and getting sober; becoming a mother by letting go of a mother; learning to write by learning to live. Written with Karr’s relentless honesty, unflinching self-scrutiny, and irreverent, lacerating humour, it is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up as only Mary Karr can tell it.
- Knapp, Caroline – Drinking: A Love Story (1997) [GoodReads|AmazonGoogle|Audible] – Fifteen million Americans a year are plagued with alcoholism. Five million of them are women. Many of them, like Caroline Knapp, started in their early teens and began to use alcohol as “liquid armour,” a way to protect themselves against the difficult realities of life. In this extraordinarily candid and revealing memoir, Knapp offers important insights not only about alcoholism but about life itself and how we learn to cope with it.
- Larson, Joan Matthews – Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism Through Nutrition (1997) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – You will learn how to break your addiction to alcohol and end your cravings—and do it under your own power. Here, step-by-step is a proven, seven-week program developed by Dr. Joan Matthews Larson at the innovative Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis
- Leonard, Brendan – Sixty Meters to Anywhere (2016) [GoodReads|Amazon|Mountaineers Books] – When Brendan Leonard finished substance abuse treatment at age 23, he was lost. He knew what not to do—not drink alcohol and not get arrested again. But no one had told him what it was that he could do. He quickly realized that he had to reinvent himself, to find something other than alcohol and its social constructions to build his life around. Sixty Meters to Anywhere is the painfully honest story of a life changed by climbing, and the sometimes nervous, sometimes nerve-wracking, and often awkward first years of recovery. In the mountains, Leonard ultimately finds a second chance.
- Levine, Noah – Dharma Punx (2004) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – This provocative memoir takes us deep inside the punk scene and moves from anger, rebellion, and self-destruction, to health, service to others, and genuine spiritual growth. Levine’s unique and skillfully related journey will appeal to punks, Buddhists, and anyone interested in the idea of redemption.
- Lewis, Marc – Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs (2013) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Marc Lewis explores his relationship with drugs and alcohol, which took him into a life of desperation, deception, and crime. Lewis recovered to become a developmental psychologist and researcher in neuroscience. In Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, he applies his professional expertise to a study of his former self, using the story of his own journey through addiction to tell the universal story of addictions of every kind.
- Moyers, William Cope – Broken: My Story of Addiction (2007) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – The eldest son of journalist Bill Moyers, William Cope Moyers relates with unforgettable clarity the story of how a young man with every advantage found himself spiraling into a love affair with crack cocaine that led him to the brink of death-and how a deep spirituality allowed him to conquer his shame, transform his life, and dedicate himself to changing America’s politics of addiction.
- Naus, Joseph W. – Straight Pepper Diet: A Memoir (2015) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Pepperdine Law grad and former attorney, Joseph W. Naus, is the author of Straight Pepper Diet, a harrowing and sometimes hilarious memoir about surviving the aftermath of sex and alcohol addiction. Straight Pepper Diet is a book about surviving one’s own wreckage. It’s harrowing, sometimes hilarious, and surprisingly hope-filled.
- Scoblic, Sacha Z. – Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety (2011) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – When Sacha Z. Scoblic was drinking, she was a rock star; the days were rough and the nights filled with laughter and blackouts. Then she gave it up. She had to. Here are her adventures in an utterly and maddeningly sober world, and how she discovered that nothing is as odd and fantastic as life without a drink in hand.
- Stark, Jill – High Sobriety: My Year Without Booze (2013) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Booze dominated Jill Stark’s social life from her first sip of beer at 13 through the age of 35, when, after a hangover, she made the decision to give up alcohol. This lively memoir charts Jill’s tumultuous year on the wagon as she copes with the stress of the newsroom sober, tackles the dating scene on soda water, learns to watch football without beer, and deals with censure from friends and colleagues.
- Tuschel, Mark A. – Living Sober Sucks (But Living Drunk Sucks More) (2009) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Living Sober Sucks is not an anti-alcohol book, it is a descriptive nonfiction work that offers strategies, techniques and ideas to stop letting alcohol run someone’s total existence. It is based on the premise that drinking is a choice and can be controlled with willpower, but only once willpower is understood and alcohol is respected for what it is and does.
- Vargas, Elizabeth – Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction (2016) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Vargas discusses her accounts of growing up with anxiety-which began suddenly at the age of six when her father served in Vietnam-and how she dealt with this anxiety as she came of age, to her eventually turning to alcohol for relief. She tells of how she found herself living in denial, about the extent of her addiction and keeping her dependency a secret for so long. She addresses her time in rehab, her first year of sobriety, and the guilt she felt as a working mother who had never found the right balance.
- Zailckas, Koren – Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood (2006) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Eye-opening and utterly gripping, Koren Zailckas’s story is that of thousands of girls like her who are not alcoholics—yet—but who routinely use booze as a shortcut to courage and a stand-in for good judgment. Smashed is a sober look at how she got there and, after years of blackouts and smashups, what it took for her to realize she had to stop drinking.
General Quitting Support Books – Guides, workbooks, and non-approach-specific support
- Beck, Craig – Alcohol Lied to Me: The Intelligent Way to Escape Alcohol Addiction (2012) [GoodReads|Amazon|Audible] – Craig was a successful & functioning professional man in spite of a ‘2 bottles of wine a night’ drinking habit. For 20 years he struggled with problem drinking, all the time refusing to label himself an alcoholic because he didn’t believe he met the stereotypical image that the word portrayed. Slowly he discovered the truth about alcohol addiction & one by one all the lies he had previously believed started to fall apart. For the first time, he noticed that he genuinely didn’t want to drink anymore. In this book, he will lead you through the same amazing process.
- Benton, Sarah Allen – Understanding the High-functioning Alcoholic: Professional Views and Personal Insights (2009) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Mental health counselor Sarah Benton takes us into the worlds and minds of so-called high-functioning alcoholics, to understand how people so intelligent and achievement-oriented get drawn into states in which they secretly cannot control their liquor consumption but still manage to excel in their careers.
- Dorsman, Jerry – How to Quit Drinking without AA: A Complete Self-Help Guide (1997) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Inside this life-affirming book is the new beginning you’re looking for – proven methods that will help you be successful on your own terms. Certified addictions counsellor and 16-year recovering alcoholic Jerry Dorsman offers more than 100 proven techniques to gain control of your recovery.
- Fletcher, Anne M. – Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems – Advice from Those Who Have Succeeded[GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Weaving together the success stories of ordinary people and the latest scientific research on the subject, Fletcher uncovers a vital truth: no single path to sobriety is right for every individual. There are many ways to get sober – and stay sober. Sober for Good is for anyone who has ever struggled not to drink, coped with someone who has a drinking problem, or secretly wondered, “Do I drink too much?”
- Fox, Vince – Addiction, Change, and Choice: The New View of Alcoholism (1993) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – This book covers the most important issues in the complex area of problem drinking, honestly advocating alternative approaches to treatment and exposing the problems with AA and other traditional programs.
- Hafner, Sarah – Nice Girls Don’t Drink: Stories of Recovery (1992) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – With skill and compassion, Sarah Hafner, a recovering alcoholic, elicits from 18 women their struggles and triumphs as they fought alcoholism in a society where women cross-section of women, Hafner makes readily available the identification process found so helpful in various recovery programs.
- Johnson, Vernon E. – I’ll Quit Tomorrow: A Practical Guide to Alcoholism Treatment (1990) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – This bestselling recovery classic has helped untold thousands of alcoholics onto the road to recovery. Written by the founder of the Johnson Institute in Minneapolis, one of the country’s most successful training programs for treatment providers, I’ll Quit Tomorrow present the concepts and methods that have brought new hope to alcoholics and their families, friends, and employers.
- Levine, Noah – Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction (2014) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Refuge Recovery is a Buddhist-oriented, nontheistic recovery program that does not ask anyone to believe anything, only to trust the process and do the hard work of recovery. Noah Levine, M.A., has been using Buddhist practices to recover from addiction since 1988. He is the founding teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society.
- Peele, Stanton & Thompson, Isle – Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program (2014) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Addiction expert Stanton Peele demystifies addiction and offers a groundbreaking program that puts at your disposal what does work in treatment and recovery. Dr. Peele’s PERFECT Program takes you through the key concepts of mindfulness–that is, your ability to detach from your addictive experience and to see that it is not who you are–combined with the Buddhist idea of loving kindness, or self-acceptance.
- Powter, Susan – Sober… and Staying That Way: The Missing Link in The Cure for Alcoholism (1999) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Sober…and Staying That Way will show you how to get away forever from the shame-based sobriety programs, and how to work toward integrating nearly four decades of well-established research with information that is now available to you and to those you love for the treatment of the disease of alcoholism.
- Pluymen, Bert – The Thinking Person’s Guide to Sobriety (2000) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – This book is Bert Pluymen’s story of struggle and triumph over alcohol addiction. It also contains insightful, witty, uplifting, and wryly humorous stories of the many people Pluymen met who were also searching for sobriety. This is an informative book that will shed new light on how alcohol abuse can ruin people’s lives—even if they thought it could never happen to them.
- Rogers, Ronald L. & McMillin, Chandler Scott – Relapse Traps: How to Avoid the 12 Most Common Pitfalls in Recovery (1991) [Amazon|Google] – There are certain attitudes and behaviors, or “ elapse traps,” that predispose a recovering alcoholic or addict to return to former addictions, according to Rogers and McMillin. This thoughtfully written and accessible book will be valuable to those in recovery or those working with addicts and their families.
- Sinister, Bucky – Still Standing: Addicts Talk About Living Sober (2011) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Stories heal, and Bucky Sinister, sober since February 19th, 2002, and a veteran of the punk rock and spoken word scene, brings the stories from the trenches about how to get sober, stay sober, and live sober. Still Standing is about the stories that heal you, and the hard times that don’t kill you.
- Spiegelman, Erica – Rewired: A Bold New Approach to Addiction and Recovery (2015) [GoodReads|Amazon] – Centered on the concept of self-actualization, Rewired addresses not only physical sobriety, but a mental, emotional, and spiritual sobriety by learning to identify key principles, including authenticity, honesty, gratitude, and understanding a need for solitude. Rewired teaches patience and compassion, the two cornerstones of a new, humanist approach to curing addiction.
- Steinberg, Neil – Out of the Wreck I Rise: A Literary Companion to Recovery (2016) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google Books] – Structured to follow the arduous steps to sobriety, the book marshals the wisdom of centuries and explores essential topics, including the importance of time, navigating family and friends, Alcoholics Anonymous, relapse, and what Raymond Carver calls “gravy,” the reward that is recovery.
- Wholey, Dennis – The Courage to Change: Personal Conversations About Alcoholism with Dennis Wholey (1988) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – In this powerful, inspiring volume, former “Late Night America” host and recovering alcoholic Dennis Wholey tells his story. In addition, celebrities from Doc Severinson to Sid Caesar to Jason Robards speak in their own words about the devastating effects of alcoholism.
12-Step-Specific Literature – Books oriented towards a 12-step approach to quitting drinking
- Anonymous – Twenty-Four Hours a Day: 365 Daily Meditations for the Recovering Alcoholic (1954) [GoodReads|Amazon|AA.org] – Since 1954, Twenty-Four Hours a Day has become a stable force in the recovery of many alcoholics throughout the world. With over nine million copies in print (the original text has been revised), this “little black book” offers daily thoughts, meditations, and prayers for living a clean and sober life.
- Anonymous – Living Sober (2002) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Living Sober is an informative book which does not offer a plan for getting sober but does offer us sound advice about how to stay sober. Basic, essential information from Alcoholics Anonymous. As the book states, “Anyone can get sober. The trick is to live sober.”
- Anonymous – Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (1952) [GoodReads|Amazon|AA.org] – A co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous tells how members recover and how the society functions.
- Ash, Mel – The Zen of Recovery (1993) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Courageously drawing from his lifetime of experience as an abused child, alcoholic, Zen student, and dharma teacher, author Mel Ash gives readers a solid grounding in the Twelve Steps and the Eightfold Path and shows their useful similarities for those in recovery.
- Cleveland, Martha – The Alternative 12-Steps: A Secular Guide to Recovery (1991) – [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|[Audible]()] – A unique book that makes a significant difference for everyone who would like to work a 12-step program but has religious issues in the way.
- Griffin, Kevin – One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps (2004) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – The author, a Buddhist meditation teacher and longtime Twelve Step practitioner, weaves his personal story of recovery with traditional Buddhist teachings. The book takes us on a journey through the Steps, examining critical Twelve Step ideas like Powerlessness, Higher Power, and Moral Inventory through the lens of Buddhism.
- Z, Phillip – A Skeptic’s Guide to the 12 Steps (1990) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – In A Skeptic’s Guide to the 12 Steps, the author investigates each of the Twelve Steps to gain a deeper understanding of a higher power. He examines what may seem like “unsettling” concepts to us including surrendering one’s will and life to God, and he encourages us to understand the spiritual journey of recovery despite our scepticism.
Science / Psychology / Academic / Clinical – Books that analyze the science and phenomenon of addiction
- Fletcher, Anne M. – Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment and How to Get Help That Works (2013) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Anne M. Fletcher is a trusted New York Times bestselling health and medical writer who visited 15 addiction treatment centers—from outpatient programs for the indigent to famous celebrity rehabs; from the sites of renowned Twelve-Step centers to several unconventional programs—to find out what really happens. What she reveals ranges from inspirational to irresponsible, and, in some cases, potentially dangerous.
- Ketcham, Katherine & Milam, James – Under The Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism (1984) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Based on groundbreaking scientific research, Under The Influence examine the physical factors that set alcoholics and non-alcoholics apart, and suggests a bold, stigma-free way of understanding and treating the alcoholic.
- Ketcham, Katherine & Asbury, William F. & Schulstad, Mel & Ciaramicoli, Arthur P. – Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism (2000) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Continuing where the prior book left off, Beyond the Influence, clearly explains the neurological nature of the disease and reveals why some people drink addictively and others do not. It also spells out what needs to be done to treat alcoholism.
- Lewis, Marc – The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease (2015) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the “disease model” of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery. Cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis make a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it’s supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief in a world that’s not cooperating.
- Maté, Gabor – In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction (2010) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Based on Gabor Maté’s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver’s skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically re-envisions this much-misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Maté presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical “condition” distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction.
- McGonigal, Kelly – The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It (2011) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, The Willpower Instinct explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. The Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help readers with goals ranging from a healthier life to more patient parenting, from greater productivity at work to finally finishing the basement.
- Sheff, David – Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy (2014) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – David Sheff spent time with scores of scientists, doctors, counsellors, and addicts and their families, and explored the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, and medicine. In Clean, he reveals how addiction really works, and how we can combat it.
Not drinking-specific – Books the SD community has found helpful for general mental health and positive living
- Bourne, Edmund J. – The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook (2011) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Packed with the most effective skills for assessing and treating anxiety, this workbook can be used alone or as a supplement to therapy to help you develop a full arsenal of skills for quieting worried thoughts and putting yourself back in control.
- Brown, Brene – The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (2010) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, a leading expert on shame, authenticity, and belonging, shares ten guideposts on the power of Wholehearted living—a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.
- Burns, David D. – Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (2008) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – In Feeling Good, psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life and help answer your questions about the many options available for treating depression.
- Duhigg, Charles – The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (2012) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audible] – In The Power of Habit, reporter Charles Duhigg explains why habits exist and how they can be changed. Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.
- Frankl, Victor E. – Man’s Search for Meaning (2006) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audiobook] – Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Named among the ten most influential books in America, in it Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose.
- Kabat-Zinn, Jon – Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (1994) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audiobook] – To Kabat-Zinn, meditation is important because it brings about a state of “ mindfulness,” a condition of “being” rather than “doing” during which you pay attention to the moment rather than the past, the future, or the multitudinous distractions of modern life. In this book, he describes different meditative practices and what they can do for the practitioner and it makes learning meditation remarkably easy.
- Markman, Art – Smart Change: Five Tools to Create New and Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others (2014) [GoodReads|Amazon|Audible] – Smart Change explores the psychological mechanisms that form and maintain habits in individuals and groups and offers real, accessible and actionable advice for changing habits. Markman covers a wide range of habits, from individual behaviours like eating better and exercising regularly to work-related behaviours such as learning effectively and influencing customers’ purchases.
- Reynolds, David K. – Constructive Living (1984) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google] – Constructive Living combines two of the most popular forms of therapy in Japan into one profoundly effective approach that will not only enhance your productivity but bring a flexible, responsive mind – a Zen-like tranquility – to your personal and professional life. Discover the life-changing potential of Morita therapy (based on taking right action in the moment) and Naikan therapy (a way to cultivate your awareness of how the world supports you).
- Tolle, Eckhart – The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (2004) [GoodReads|Amazon|Google|Audiobook|Free] – Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present.


What we do
Burgundy represents a wide range of Publishers and e-Content Aggregators from around the world. We specialise in negotiating the delivery of scholarly information (journals, ebooks, proceedings, databases) to Libraries and Information Centres throughout Europe.
We are a young, independent and highly motivated company based in Oxfordshire, England.
"Working with Burgundy has been a cost effective way for us to raise awareness of our project among libraries all over the world. The team at Burgundy are efficient, professional and very easy to work with. We have really noticed the impact of the Burgundy email campaign on our website traffic and on the range of libraries signing up for Knowledge Unlatched pilot." Dr. Lucy Montgomery, Deputy Director, Knowledge Unlatched
"In the package that Burgundy provides us though eIFL negotiations we have found valuable content and publishers that we never knew about before. The consortium has saved lots of time and efforts thanks to the packages of databases that Burgundy provides us." Marika Meltsas, ELNET Consortium
"Burgundy has been very helpful in helping us to understand the particular interests of national and local consortia in acquiring digital content. This has enabled us to design specific approaches to access, business models and pricing that work well for our library partners. We think that this enables a level of collaboration that would be otherwise difficult to achieve." Mike Morgan, CEO, Morgan & Claypool Publishers
"We have had tremendous help and support from Burgundy staff in the negotiation process for a Cambridge University Press Consortium License. Burgundy´s personal contacts as well as their experience of the process itself have proven to be invaluable." John Janssen, Licensing Office, UKB Consortium
"SPIE relies on talented and professional agencies such as Burgundy to give advice and guidance on how best to construct offers for library consortia. My experience is that Burgundy is looking for a win-win situation for both the library and the publisher - and that makes for the best in any negotiation." Marybeth Manning, Director, SPIE Digital Library
"With great mutual attempts we managed to overcome all the bureaucratic obstacles to obtain access to the collections that we are now subscribing to." Emilija Banionyte, President, Lithuanian Research Library Consortium
"Burgundy offers a wide range of professional tools and expertise to facilitate creating a greater awareness for our publication and online resources to the global orthopaedic community." Loretta Melhado, Institutional Channel Manager, Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery


For those who want a thorough analysis of the current situation in Turkey, along with a detailed Scriptural examination of the Battle of Gog Magog and its relationship to Turkey, this new teaching DVD will answer all of your questions.
Buy the DVD alone, or get it together with the Mideast Beast book at a discounted rate:
~Dynamic 2 DVD Five Session Teaching set
~Turkish Islam: The Past 80 Years
~Is Gog the Antichrist? A Historical Survey
~Why the Scriptures teach that Gog is the Antichrist
~Where is Gog from: Russia or Turkey?
~Revelation 17 and Daniel 8: Revealing What Comes Next
~Mideast Beast Book Plus Joel’s Latest Teaching DVD:
~Dynamic 3 DVD Six Session Teaching set
~The Covenant Promises of God
~Romans 11, When Will “All Israel Be Saved?”
~Until I make Your Enemies a Footstool
~The Coming Restoration of Israel
~Matthew 24: The Great Tribulation and Jacob’s Trouble
~Matthew 25: Who are Jesus’ Brothers


Book with name – Beauty and the Beast
Play the starring role in your own beauty and the beast book with name!
Let your (grand)child play a part in the touching romantic story of “Beauty & the Beast”. Beauty is taken captive by the Beast and is locked up inside his castle. She becomes friends with the Beast and proves that appearances are not important and that love conquers all.
Size: 15 x 23 cm / 5,9" x 9,1"
Cover: hard cover
Number of pages: 24
Age: 3-12 years


Thursday, August 09, 2007
Chuck Palahniuk - Diary
One of my most exciting reads all year, and certainly a worthy shot, no doubt, for Best Book of the Year (though, of course, this book has been in the market for a while now.)
I was initially very unimpressed by what I saw; a 230-page tome, with a cover reminiscent of trashy teen fiction, I was ready to fling it to the back of my reading list. But the utterly captivating opening chapter drew me in IMMEDIATELY. And I was hooked. It opens with a rather chilling anatomical description of how each facial muscle works in concert (or not) to form familiar facial expressions.
And how these facial expressions have simply stopped working for a certain Peter who has just committed attempted suicide. And is right now letting his wife Misty proceed with her waitressing job, as the people around her all die. Sort of.
Soon, the novel takes a nihilistic turn, and you realise that there is a shady force, unspoken yet evil, that works behind the scenes, threatening to kill everyone on the island. (Which it DOES eventually do.) The shady force slowly annihilates everyone on the island, as Misty concurrently rediscovers her artistic talent - something she shrugged off when Peter made her pregnant in art school, making her drop out.
As the momentum of the novel builds up to Misty's first art exhibition post-suicide, the killings begin getting more vehement, and for the reader, it takes all one's patience to prevent oneself from flipping to the end, to learn, exactly, who is behind the spate.
A fabulous, fabulous book, written in a style that is postmodern, but not vacuously story-devoid at the same time. One of those books that you cannot take your eyes off, be it due to plot, language, or style.
I give it a 10 out of 10, and I have NEVER done that before.
On a related note, CONGRATULATIONS to Bal, our co-writer, for his straight A achievement! Off to Newcastle he goes to join me.
at 6:34 PM


Genocide at Srebrenica began in 1992
This is a guest post by Hikmet Karcic
Review of Edina Becirevic, Na Drini Genocid [Genocide on the Drina], Buybook, Sarajevo, 2009
Writing about genocide was popular in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dozens of books were written, most of which were poorly documented and based on semi-reliable sources. That is why Edina Becirevic’s book has refreshed the genocide debates in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ”Genocide on the River Drina” is in fact an adaption of her PhD thesis. The book is divided into five chapters: Overview of sociological literature on genocide; Serb national myths, programs and propaganda; Planning genocide against Bosniaks 1992.-1995.; Genocide in Eastern Bosnia 1992.-1993. and finally The Eight phase of Genocide – denial.
The book deals with various issues, beginning with the basics about genocide in the first chapter and then giving a historical overview of genocide in the Balkans. Special emphasis is placed upon Serb nationalist programs from the 19th century, ranging from the Serb nationalist politician Ilija Garašin’s program to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Memorandum from 1986 in the second chapter. The third chapter deals with the Bosnian Serb modus operandi in committing the Bosnian Genocide. The fourth chapter is the most important one; in it the author explains in detail how genocide was committed in 10 towns in Eastern Bosnia in 1992/93. The fifth chapter deals with modern-day Bosnia and the common issue of post-genocidal societies: denial of committed crimes.
In the past years the spotlight has been almost exclusively on the Srebrenica Genocide, which suits many political and intellectual circles in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The ‘genocidal processes’ in other areas from 1992-1995, as the author puts it, are completely forgotten and even denied. Unlike other authors, Edina has the courage to use the term ‘genocide’ instead of the jaded term ‘ethnic cleansing’ to explain the events in Eastern Bosnia in 1992/93, which were the systematic destruction, murder and rape of Bosniaks. The author’s central thesis is that genocide in Eastern Bosnia started in 1992 in several towns such as Zvornik, Bratunac, Vlasenica, Visegrad, Rogatica, Foca and Srebrenica. The author provides us with new details of Serb genocidal bureaucratic policies such as the ordering of the establishment of the infamous Susica concentration camp, which she substantiated which an original document ordering its formation, as well as orders for the expulsion of the Muslim inhabitants of Birac (p.159). She also pays special attention to the ‘slow genocide’ in Srebrenica, where tens of thousands of starving Bosnian Muslims were kept under siege, and to the raids carried out in quest for food in surrounding militarized Serb villages. She clearly notes: ‘The defenders of Srebrenica were under constant pressure from starving people who protested on a daily basis, in front of the war presidency in Srebrenica, asking for organized action to gather food’ (p.215). It is important to note that the author has mostly used documents and archive material from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are reliable sources, so there is little room left to speculate whether her work is biased or unreliable. This is most probably one of the rare books written in Bosnian which have sources in English as part of their bibliography, which is usually not the case since most Bosnian genocide scholars do not speak English.
The true value of this book is that the author managed to explain many important issues in detail as well as the mechanisms used by the Bosnian Serbs to commit genocide in Bosnia. For example, the role of the Crisis Committees formed by the Serb Democratic Party (p.114) is explained using documents available at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in Hague and the author concludes by saying that those committees were ‘the most effective mechanism in establishing control in the occupied territories in Bosnia and Herzegovina’. Another important issue the author recognized is the false use of the term ‘paramilitary units’ and instead uses the term ‘special units’: ‘In public those units were called paramilitary so as to create an illusion that the state did not have control over them’ (p.129).
This is an important conclusion since recently Milan Lukic, a member of the Bosnian Serb Army from Visegrad, who was sentenced to life at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was referred to as a ‘paramilitary leader’ throughout the trial. Thus, the command responsibility of the Visegrad Brigade commander, who is not indicted, was not questioned at all. There is no question that this book will be used by genocide scholars in the future. Taking into consideration that there are a few Bosnian books about genocide available in English, it would be wise to translate this book and make it accessible to non-Bosnian speaking public.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
- Basque Country
- Central Europe
- East Timor
- European Union
- Faroe Islands
- Former Soviet Union
- Former Yugoslavia
- Holocaust denial
- Marko Attila Hoare
- Middle East
- Political correctness
- Red-Brown Alliance
- South Ossetia
- The Left
- World War II


188 (July 2019) : Champions!: Cricket fans celebrate England´s dramatic World Cub victory ; 182 (June 2019) : Enter our exclusive competition to celebrate 20 years of Harry Potter and the Prisioner of Azkaban ; 178 (May 2019) : Free at last: two journalist jailed for telling the truth are released after more than 500 days ; 177 (May 2019) : Dawn of a new era: discover Japan´s amazing history as the counstry celebrates a new emperador ; 175 (April 2019) : Back from the brink: meet the creatures that are making comeback ; 167 (February 2019) : Climate Strike: young people make their voices heard across the UK ; 166 (February 2019) : Making history: celebrate 100 years of women in the Metropolitan Police ; 165 (February 2019) : Frozen: the US is hit by some of the coldest weather on record ; 164 (February 2019) : Flying high: discover how the RSPB works to protect the world´s wildlife ; 162 (January 2019) : Prime Minister´s Brexit Plan Rejected. What will Theresa May do now? ; 161 (January 2019) : Conquering Antarctica: adventure break new records on the frozen continent ; 160 (December 2018) : How much do you remember about 2018? ;
The Week Junior / Anna Bassi
[publicación periódica] Ver los números disponibles Rechercher dans ce périodique
[publicación periódica] Ver los números disponibles Rechercher dans ce périodique The Week Junior = the worls´s best news & facts for young people [texto impreso] / Anna Bassi, Editor científico . - London : Dennis Publishing, 2015.
When you are young, you’re naturally curious about the world and everything in it. But the world seems made for grown-ups; complex and unknowable.
That’s why we’ve created The Week Junior. It explains the news and events in ways that children understand; immediate, colourful, exciting.
From news to nature, science to geography, and sport to books, The Week Junior explores an extraordinary array of topics from around the globe. Written to engage a young person’s point of view, without spoon-feeding or patronising, it explains events in a safe, accessible and inspiring way.
Idioma : Español (spa)


Botolph of Icanho
Botolph was a real person
and was born a century after the days of King Arthur.
D.S. Pepper has written this 400 page Historical
keeping the time-line as closely as possible to known facts.
The book, which is the first of a trilogy, takes
us up to the time that
Botolph and his young friend Luka are eighteen years of age. It
their exciting adventures as they travel through East Anglia, Kent and
France in the different world of the seventh century.
The easy reading makes it suitable for older
children as well as adults.
Come and join Botolph and Luka on their journey
which culminates in Paris after a tricky arrival at St. Omer.
Much more than just a novel. Also a Reference Book.
the author reading a passage from the book
Botolph by D.S. Pepper on Lovewriting.co.uk


About the Book
Title: The Struggle is Real
Author: Nicole Unice
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian life, spiritual Growth
Release date: August 21, 2018
“It just shouldn’t be this hard!”
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a day where everything that could go wrong does go wrong—you lock your keys in the car while it’s running, lose control with your kids, make a mistake at the office that results in hours more work. And just when you think not one more thing could possibly happen . . . well, fill in the blank.
The struggle is real, friends. It may not be major stuff. Lives are not on the line here. But it makes us feel awful . . . and then we feel guilty for stressing when other people have “real” problems that are so much more serious.
Yet the fact remains: We live in a world that often feels harder than we think it should be. And so it can be easy to believe the stories we tell ourselves—that we’re doing it wrong, that we’ll be stuck in this place forever, that God doesn’t love us. We struggle to practice gratitude, to make godly choices, and to live our daily lives with confidence and contentment. So what can we do?
Join popular Bible teacher and counselor Nicole Unice to discover why the struggle is real . . . and what to do about it. Nicole offers practical tools to help you navigate the daily ups and downs, and ways to rewrite your struggle into a new, God-centered life story. The Struggle Is Real is an invitation to take the hard, hurtful, and confusing moments and turn them into opportunities to grow in wisdom, strength, and joy.
Click here to purchase your copy!
About the Author
Nicole Unice is a Bible teacher, author, and passionate communicator who delights in bringing God’s Word to life in a personal and relevant way. Her training as a counselor informs her work, as she emphasizes the importance of facing our own reality and embracing the transforming power of God’s grace.
Her heart belongs to Hope Church in Richmond, Virginia, where she serves as ministry director, leading discipleship and Praxis, a full-time ministry residency program for young leaders. In addition, Nicole co-hosts Hope Cast, a podcast on spiritual formation, leadership, and relationships.
Nicole’s invitations to speak have taken her across the world, and her books come to life through her popular video curriculum series found on RightNow Media. Her first book, She’s Got Issues, released in May 2012 and speaks to a fundamental question of faith: Is being a Christian supposed to change me? Also available is a companion curriculum, She’s Got Issues DVD Group Experience, a six-session journey that includes interviews, questions, and teaching expanding on the book. Her subsequent titles--Brave Enough and The Struggle Is Real—help people distill the complicated stuff of life into a simple and clear path to Jesus.
Nicole holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She loves creating a space for ministry and spiritual formation in the everyday rhythms of life with three children, two pups, one husband, and a whole community of twentysomethings who regularly raid her fridge.
Nicole is known for making friends in all corners of the world, especially via social media. Connect with her on Instagram, YouTube, or at nicoleunice.com—and hopefully face-to-face at one of her upcoming events.
The Struggle is Real is a Christian self help type book is how I would describe it. I would recommend to have a notebook to take notes cause this book packs a lot in it. Everyone in life will have struggles at some point or another - whether they come to you as a big or or lots of little ones. So if we cannot avoid struggles then one of the best things we can do is prepare ourselves on how to better deal with the struggles in our lives. If you are not a Christian the struggles can really drag you out but if you have God on your side then you can have faith that you will overcome the struggles in your life. So many of the little lessons in this book really hit me and was something I needed. I am sure this book could be a help to many. Good read and one to keep to reread for sure. Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book but all thoughts and opinions are my own honest ones.
A Baker’s Perspective, August 25
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 25
Bibliophile Reviews, August 26
Reading Is My SuperPower, August 27
Texas Book-aholic, August 28
All-of-a-kind Mom, August 29
Girls in White Dresses, August 29
Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner, August 29
Carpe Diem, August 30
Multifarious, August 31
Janices book reviews, September 1
Inklings and Notions, September 2
Book by Book, September 3
Mary Hake, September 3
proud to be an autism mom, September 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 4
Margaret Kazmierczak, September 5
Jeanette’s Thoughts, September 6
Godly Book Reviews, September 7
Bigreadersite, September 7
To celebrate her tour, Nicole is giving away a grand prize of a “The Struggle is Real” T-Shirt!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d19c/the-struggle-is-real-celebration-tour-giveaway


Author- Wildland Sentinel: Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer
Field Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer
Bio and Book
Erika Billerbeck is a wife, mother, an Iowa conservation officer, and author of Wildland Sentinel: Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer. In Wildland Sentinel, readers take a passenger seat view of the work of a fish and game law enforcement officer in a land where "wild places" are becoming scarce. Erika and her colleagues patrol Iowa's gravel roads, wildlife areas, and waterways. They sort through tangled investigations, respond to natural-disasters, haul drunks to jail and encounter memorable characters, all while maintaining a sense of hope for Iowa's remaining wild places and the people who use them.
"Chock full of shenanigans of both the animal and human variety, Erika Billerbeck's Wildland Sentinel is an intelligent and thoughtful journey exposing the diverse challenges faced by modern game wardens."
Andrea Lankford, author Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
"Wildness is not just in Yosemite; Erika Billerbeck shows us the surprising places it persists. Here is a new nature writer of remarkable powers, patrolling the gravel roads of Iowa with a pistol at her waist. Her gritty work gives me chills."
Jordan Fisher Smith, author, Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
"Erika Billerbeck strikes me as one tough-as-nails state worker. This clear-eyed account of Iowa's thorny wilderness is recommended reading for any lover of the outdoors. Her lifelong dedication to her native state and its shrinking green bounty confirms that our wild areas indeed have an inspiring protector."
Tim Fay, editor, Wapsipinicon Almanac
Talk of Iowa Interview
Thursday, October 8 10:06 AM


Frozen II 2019 720p DVDScr Dual Audio Torrent in Hindi English
IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Language: Hindi (Cleaned) + English (Cleaned)
Quality: 720p DVDScr
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Jennifer Lee, Jennifer Lee
Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad.
Movie Plot: King Agnarr reveals in a tale to his young children Elsa and Anna, that their Grandfather King Runeard of Arendelle, established a treaty with the tribe of Northuldra by building a dam in the Northuldra’s homeland, the Enchanted Forest. However, a fight occurs and enrages the spirits of earth, fire, air, and water of the forest.


Welcome to Alan Noonan’s Github Page
I’m interested in data projects ranging from statistical analysis, to GIS and visualization, to Natural Language Processing. Most of my work is in Python and R. If you find anything interesting here feel free to reach out.
- Mapping Mining Towns in the American West
- 19th Century Hospital Patient Log Book
- NLP Historical book
Mapping Mining Towns in the American West
This project is based on research conducted for my book Mining Irish-American Lives. Within this book I detail locations throughout the American West, in particular the states of California, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Montana. I hope to develop an interactive plotly map with pop up details on the map locations and eventually to deploy that on my website.
For the first part of this project I decided to use folium, both for its ease of use and because the library does not require a dedicated key or license to create an interactive geospatial map. The trade off with using the folium library is there is less user flexibility than the more advanced google maps or GIS systems (QGIS or plotly). Folium does everything I need for this particular project at the moment, and I used it to host a beautiful, interactive map with photos and text attached to the geolocations linked to my project. It is accessible at hhtps://noonanhistory.com/mapirishamerican
Hospital Patient Log Book (19th Century)
I discovered several fascinating sources in the course of my research, one of which was a patient log book for a hospital in the late nineteenth century. I plan to explore this through a series of deep data dives and hopefully visutalize some interesting finds.
NLP Historical book
Natural Language Processing has received limited attention in the academic world of the humanities. I will be deploying several NLP techniques through NLTK libraries, amoungst others, in order to see what sort of utility can be found merging NLP and historical sources.


I began reading a book by Megan Hess about the life of Coco Chanel, one outlining her struggles, determination and inspirations that led her to become the icon she is. Coco’s creative vision was unquestionable; she revolutionalised fashion for women in the modern era and was able to reshape the women’s wardrobe through her undying love for fashion that is proven to have been the light amongst her darkness.
Here’s all there is to know about the early life of Coco Chanel ..
- Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel was born in 1883 in Saumur, a market town on the river Loire.
- Her mother past away when she was 12 years old, and her father left her in a convent in the town of Aubazine.
- She was taught to sew and undoubtedly had a natural flair.
- Her uniform, featuring a white blouse and black pleated skirt was an influential trademark silhouette to her later career.
- Coco then left the convent for the Notre Dame school in Moulins where her aunt Adrienne (a year her senior) was being educated.
- Her skills were visible to her superiors and were able to find her employment in a draper’s store on the Rue de L’Horloge.
- Coco wanted to become a singer so she began performing at a popular entertainment pavilion where she accepted a spot performing at a local cabaret.
- She was loved so later moved to Vichy to establish her singing career.
- ‘Coco’ her name was derived from her role as a performer, whereby the crowd would call her Coco when she performed the two songs ‘Qui Qu’a vu Coco & Ko Ko Ri Ko’.
- At the age of 20, Chanel met an ex-cavalry officer by the name of Etienne Balsan, they became lovers and so she ran away with him.
- He was the catalyst to her visibility to the high society and upper class.
- She used his connections to network and set up business opportunities.
- She began her millinery label in Balsan’s Paris apartment.
- Despite his infidelities, he displayed a life long loyalty to Chanel and they remained friends until his death in 1953.
- She later found interest in an Englishman by the name of Arthur Capel, known as ‘Boy’ who was an accomplished Polo player and a wealthy businessman.
- He showed faith in Coco and offered a loan to start her millinery business.
- He went to marry Diana Wyndham, but continued his affair with Chanel until his sudden death in 1919 caused by a motorcycle accident on his way to see her.


“Sacraments are… doors to the sacred, and so what really counts is not the doors themselves but what lies beyond them.”
- Joseph Martos
"Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages ad all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the spiritual life."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1211


Reconstruction of the library begins summer 2019. The new renovations will feature more collaborative seating for students and a cyber cafe.
“I asked for a cyber cafe where kids could eat, collaborate, relax, learn all at the same time. I asked for a more ‘Barnes and Noble’ look,” librarian Tanya Lucas said.
“I think we could use a bigger lounge,” junior Marissa Ameriane said.
The cyber cafe provides more seating and the new floor plan of the library will have scattered seating, unlike how the seating is all set to specific areas in the library now.
“I also asked for a high computer area where kids could do things like 3D dissections, higher level Internet programing, and virtual reality,” Lucas said.
The higher technology capabilities are to help students prepare for college. The collaborative areas will allow the students to work in bigger groups and in private areas.
“I think we need a media center that also has areas for snacks and coffee,” senior Justine Champeno said.
The student Einstein help desk is planned to be on the outside of the library. It will provide easier access for help and students will also be able to return books there.
“I will hopefully see more kids exploring, creating their own pathway, learning, going out of the traditional realm of learning, and definitely more reading,” Lucas said.


Sarah Fernandes began her piano studies at the age of four with Mirela Mlynska and is currently a student of Dr. Washington Garcia. At the age of six, Sarah began participating in the Nebraska Music Teachers Association District and State festivals and has received ‘Superior’ ratings in all her performances. She participated in the Omaha Music Teachers Association Trophy Festival in 2020 and also received a ‘Superior’ rating. In December 2020, Sarah was selected as the KVNO 90.7 Classical Kid. She recently performed at KVNO’s Classical Kid showcase at the UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center in October 2021. She performed at the local library and a nursing home when she was six years old. Sarah first showed her musical potential when she was able to play her older sisters’ pieces by ear. She loves improvising and creating her own compositions. She has played her compositions at recitals on multiple occasions. Sarah is currently a fourth grader at St. Stephen the Martyr School in Omaha, Nebraska.
You can find Sarah’s 2021 Romantic Music Competition Piano performance here.


KIPDA Freight Guide
The KIPDA Freight Design Guide provides transportation administrators guidance on how to integrate freight into the existing roadway system and future transportation projects. By incorporating freight design into the community, we can mitigate future impacts to regional livability and other transportation modes. The Freight Design Guide serves as a reference for project planners as well as an educational piece to better understand the impact of freight on our communities.
TSWDG provided graphic design and communication assistance throughout the project, including formatting the design guide and providing narrative and graphics for freight design considerations. These freight design considerations examine best practices within the context of urban, suburban, and rural cross sections. The guide analyzes how freight design can work as part of a multimodal transportation solution and explores freight topics of interest including access management, innovative intersection design, interchanges, technology and navigation, and truck parking.


Disclosure: Wiccan Gathering is reader-supported, so posts may contain affiliate links. When you click on affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission, at zero cost to you. If you enjoyed our content and want to pay it forward (even if you don’t intend to buy anything) please click on any of our product links. Blessed be!
In need of some witchy refreshment, but don’t have time to browse through the thousands of shows on Prime? Are you having trouble locating witchy shows? Don’t worry– we’re here to help! We’ve sorted through the noise to find you the very best witch shows on Amazon Prime!
They cover everything from:
- Witch history and trials
- Celtic lore
- The Tarot
- Witchy horror flicks
- Kids & Youth programs
- Even a Sabrina short (You know you love Sabrina too!)
There’s tons of programs listed here. Not only tv shows, but also the best witch movies on Amazon Prime. So feel free to use the Table of Contents to help you navigate through the list better.
Now let’s get into the best witch shows on Amazon Prime!
Get One Month of Prime Free
Join Prime Video using this link to get 1 month free.
Tada! The Best Witch Shows on Amazon Prime
And now, the best shows! The below list includes both movies and tv shows, in a mix of genres. It’s a variety of drama, comedy, horror, documentary, and informational. Each genre is in its own section.
Although you might find documentaries boring, there’s actually some really great witch documentaries. If you can get through them without snoozing, they can help you deepen your understanding of the craft.
There are lots of programs here, so feel free to add these to your queue to watch later. Now let’s get into the best witch movies on Amazon Prime!
Witchcraft – Curses, Hexes & Voodoo Dolls
From Amazon: Curses and Hexes have been prevalent throughout human history. From the Aboriginal bone pointing curses in Australia to the hexes of the Lancashire witches in the 1600s, sorcery has been and is still evident across the world. In this short documentary, we take a look at some real world examples of witchcraft and voodoo in the past and present.
The Witches of Essex
From Amazon: Paranormal Investigator, Chris Halton, embarks on a journey to discover the myth and the legend behind the Witches of Essex. This Paranormal documentary tries to uncover why Essex is historically associated with witches and black magic, a belief largely generated by superstitious country folk whose fear of the devil led to the persecution of many people.
Witches: The Knowledge of the Healing Woman
From Amazon: Discover the true story of the witches in Europe, pagan women, nonconformist women with the power to change the world, connect with their powerful and transforming energy with this documentary. Documentary that describes the tortures to women, the magic of the covens, the flights of the witches, the magical thought, use of psychotropic plants and the courts of the inquisition.
Women of the Occult
From Amazon: This special follows three women and their experiences in different aspects of the spiritual realm. Heather believes she was born a Satanist. Yvonne turned to practice Wicca after years as a Buddhist. Vampyra is a vampire. Join these three women as we explore their day-to-day lives, the rituals they perform and their goals for the future.
Tales of Witches and Spirits
From Amazon: Dive into a world of witchcraft and explore these ancient traditions that have been around longer than most religions. In this documentary we discover the true power of the witch.
War on Witches
From Amazon: In the late 16th century, Europe was in the grip of a brutal witch hunt fever. Thousands were tortured and burnt at the stake. Up to 40,000 people may have been killed in France and Germany. England and Scotland were almost untouched by witch persecutions until King James decided to launch his own personal war on witchcraft. It likely fueled the Salem witch trials in the US a hundred years later.
The Witch of Hinsdale
From Amazon: A psychic and paranormal expert investigate the most Haunted House in America to unearth it’s diabolical origins.
What is Wicca?
From Amazon: What is Wicca? Do real life witches ride broomsticks and cast magic spells? Host Tevya talks to plants, tries a love potion and befriends some teenage witches in the magical world of Wicca. But, when the high priestess, Greymoon, directs Tevya to take a ritualistic bath as part of a welcoming rite, our spiritual explorer finds himself a little outside his comfort zone.
The Pendle Witch Child
From Amazon: Simon Armitage presents the extraordinary story of the most disturbing witch trial in British history and the key role played in it by one nine-year-old girl. Jennet Device, a beggar-girl from Pendle in Lancashire, was the star witness in the trial in 1612 of her own mother, her brother, her sister and many of her neighbours and, thanks to her chilling testimony, they were all hanged.
Witches and Wizards
From Amazon: Who believes in witchcraft? Someone determined at all costs to impose their views, to attract someone, or even worse… to do harm. But is witchcraft real, or an illusion?
Witchcraft and Magic: Magic
From Amazon: In this follow up to Witchcraft, join Patrick Macnee (BBC’s The Avengers) as he explores the hidden realms Magic. Investigate the powerful world of magic in our society. The “Wall” of Voodoo, séances, curse of the Kennedy’s, and more will be uncovered in this documentary
Witchcraft and Magic: Witchcraft
From Amazon: In this two-part investigation, join Patrick Macnee (BBC’s The Avengers) as he explores the hidden realms of Witchcraft and Magic and all of the mysteries they hold. In this overview of Witchcraft, topics such as witches, vampires, and demons are covered.
Absolute Magick Exposed
From Amazon: Many have claimed to know the truth about the Occult world. Sensationalized by alleged sacrifices, orgies and even Satanic rituals, these were Magicians of the highest order who understood the outer reaches of our potential and existence.
From Amazon: A documentary film investigating the 1928 murder of a Pennsylvania farmer and the allegations of witchcraft that shocked a Pennsylvania community.
Ghosts & Witches of Olde England
From Amazon: “Ghosts and Witches of Olde England” is a fascinating venture into the world of the paranormal and supernatural. Tour around the country to explore some of the best examples of fright inducing ghost hauntings and witch folklore ever related.
Salem Witch Hunt
From Amazon: Fear is the quicksand of humanity. In 1692, mass hysteria led to the hanging of nineteen innocent people in Salem. Join historians as they piece together what really happened during the Salem Witch Trials and reflect on the importance of interrogating our assumptions in order to escape the quicksand that can resurface throughout time.
The Power of Crystals
From Amazon: One of the 41 program Holistic Health library of video programs. This programs explores the therapeutic use of crystals to amplify healing & energy with Australian experts and practitioners.
Halloween: Feast of the Dying Sun
From Amazon: This film delves into ancient Celtic origins and the dark fun of Halloween with an eerie journey back in time. The Irish called this night the Vigil of Saman. Christians described it as a time for heretical practices, from magic charms and divinations to reading the future with Witches. It was a night filled with strange rites. Learn how the superstitions of All Hallows Eve persist to this day.
Irish Myths & Legends
From Amazon: Traditional Irish music imparts a true flavor of Ireland and its rich heritage of myths and legends. This program takes you on magical, musical, storytelling tour.
Mysteries Of Stonehenge
From Amazon: On the grassy chalk-land of the Salisbury plain, two hours southwest of London, there looms a remarkable stone monument. It certainly seems that Stonehenge is a silent remnant of another age…a reminder of man’s primordial beginnings. There are countless legends about its origin and purpose. Who built it? How and when was it built?
The Real Merlin
From Amazon: His name conjures up images of a golden age of magic, mystery and chivalry. Of Camelot and the search for the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. But is there any truth behind the myth of Merlin, a man beyond the legend? The Real Merlin finds a sixth-century druid, shaman and right-hand man to the last pagan king, a prophet who predicted his own strange three-fold death.
From Amazon: Tarology follows Enrique through the streets of New York City as he shows us how to see the tarot – not superstitiously, but through the eyes of an artist – and how we are surrounded everyday by both the beauty and the symbolism of this ancient and often misunderstood tradition.
Tarot Card Reading – Reveal the Inner Truths
From Amazon: Tarot Card is an ancient form of divination used by mystics and occultists to gain insight into mental and spiritual pathways. These readings are direct attempts to tap into heightened perceptive abilities to achieve a deeper meaning and uncover the hidden truths of existence. Learn how to tap into your subconscious, using the clues in the cards and lines to develop your intuition.
In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven
From Amazon: In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven captures the vibrant tales of Voodoo in West Africa. Following actor Djimon Hounsou back to Benin, the country of his birth, the film shines a positive light on this way of life that has been misrepresented and diabolized in Western culture for many years.
Folk Religions: Traditions and Sacrifice
From Amazon: Learn about the history of Voodoo, magic, spirits from beyond and explore the locations and people who practice it.
Legacy of the Spirits
From Amazon: For centuries, the religion of Vodou (commonly called “voodoo” by outsiders) has been thought of as sticking pins in dolls or witchcraft. It has been kept underground and practiced in secret, giving way to much misunderstanding and sensationalism.
Buying the Spirit
From Amazon: For many people, voodoo is synonymous with black magic and malevolence. It’s regarded with suspicion, conjuring up images of animal sacrifices and mutilated dolls. This powerful documentary takes us straight into this hidden, impenetrable world. Beautifully-made with unbelievable access to voodoo practitioners, this film offers an unrivalled insight into this frequently misunderstood religion.
Other Special Interests
Magic of the Night
From Amazon: We explore spirits and seance, dark magic of the night, tarot cards, and contacting the dead. Forces beyond our understanding have deep magical powers that can help us understand the future and the past.
Gateways To Faerie
From Amazon: The Realm of Faerie exists in myths & legends around the world. Who are the Faeries? Where did they come from? What modern day messages do they have for humans? All of these questions are answered and more as artist John Curtis Crawford & writer/story-teller Bridget Wolfe of Faerie Woodland lead us on a journey of discovery to find the Gateways Of Faerie. A mystical journey for all ages.
The Magick of Solomon
From Amazon: Anthropologist and Ceremonial Magician, Poke Runyon explains and demonstrates the authentic techniques of ancient Ritual Magick. Learn how to invoke Angels and evoke Spirits to visible appearance. Stand in the Magick Circle with Masters of the Art as they conjure the Spirits of Bael and Astaroth (Baal and Astarte) to visible appearance in the Dark Mirror upon Solomon’s Triangle.
From Amazon: Immerse yourself in the supernatural! Jack Palance and other Hollywood stars take you on a mind-bending journey as they examine various psychic phenomena including, ESP, psychic surgery and past-life hypnosis.
Seeing The Unseen
From Amazon: Join Dr. Raymond Moody as he travels to the Greek psychomanteum known as the Oracle of the Dead to study their ancient method of scrying, also known as clear-depth gazing, to speak to departed loved ones. He then proceeds to build his own psychomanteum to continue studying the effects of this to contact departed loved ones. What he discovered will forever change how we process death.
Witnessing of Angels
From Amazon: As a force of light, angels are God’s ministering spirits, messengers who protect and comfort, created for the purpose of carrying out the will of God. Serving as an intermediary between heaven and earth, angels pass through the invisible windows between the worlds. The Witnessing of Angels features breathtaking eyewitness accounts of people who have seen and heard angels.
Unlocking the Secret Power of Symbols
From Amazon: Symbols, codes and ciphers have been used by man for thousands of years to hide secrets. Whether from ordinary people or Mother Church, these secrets were often so powerful that their creators were often murdered. Over vast periods of time the keys to unlocking these truths were lost and as mankind became increasingly scientific the importance of the secrets became less powerful.
Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds
From Amazon: There is one vibratory field that connects all things. It has been called Akasha, Logos, the primordial OM the music of the spheres the Higgs field, dark energy, and a thousand other names. Many of history’s monumental thinkers have come to the threshold.
The Art of Mastering Manifestation
From Amazon: Picture the life you’ve always imagined. Learn how to manifest your goals and learn the true art of manifestation with this guided meditation program from Joel Thielke. Don’t have meditation experience? No problem! This is a great program for beginners, too.
Psychic Power Boost with Guided Meditation & Hypnosis
From Amazon: Have you always felt a little psychic? Want to strengthen your intuition? Explore and harness your natural psychic power with the help of guided meditation and hypnosis. We recommend watching this program for 21 days in a row; you can listen to it to start off your day with positive energy and focus, or at night as you’re falling asleep. Embrace your psychic power today!
American Horror Story Season 3: Coven
From Amazon: After 300 years of witches living in secrecy, new attacks have both threatened their survival and forced “gifted” girls to attend a special school for safety.
From Amazon: A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.
From Amazon: An American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where they become trapped in a sinister nightmare.
From Amazon: When five young women gather to play a witch-themed board game, they begin to suspect one of them may actually be a witch, in this contained, supernatural thriller that deals with friendship, old wounds, and the Satanic Panic of the ’80s and ’90s.
From Amazon: Beckett Warner (Sophie Curtis), 16, moves to Manhattan. At the exclusive Hamilton School and she discovers that the school is run by a coven of beautiful and seductive women who perpetuate their fountain of youth by drinking the blood of virgins.
From Amazon: A child with magical powers takes on mean-spirited grown ups in this family-friendly fantasy from the Netherlands. Quark (Porgy Franssen) is a wizard who happens upon some unusual eggs while taking a walk through the Witches’ Woods. To Quark’s surprise, when the egg hatches, what emerges isn’t a bird but a little girl; naming her Fuchsia (Rachelle Verdel), Quark raises the child as his own, and he
From Amazon: Scarlet’s Witch is a modern day fairy tale about a witch in the woods. Scarlet discovers what friendship and love really means and the price one might have to pay to acquire it.
Moo Moo and The Three Witches
From Amazon: A family of witches turn a mean orphaned girl into a cat to teach her a lesson.
From Amazon: Dawn was expecting some obstacles when she transferred high schools, but the evil head cheerleader wasn’t one of them. A not-so-friendly teenage witch, Mercedes derives power from half of the magical Devilstone amulet. When Dawn gets ahold of the artifact’s other half, Mercedes casts a spell that sends her newly powerful rival into a medieval parallel universe.
From Amazon: When 12-year-old Clara is scratched by a mysterious, black cat, her world turns upside down. Soon after, Clara discovers that she can communicate with animals and that she belongs to a family of wild witches. Not only is she a wild witch, but her blood is of a rare breed; a cure to set free an ancient, evil witch. Clara must now face her destiny to rid the world from the evil forces of Bravita.
From Amazon: Being a young woman in New York City is a nightmare, especially if you’re a Witch.
The Little Witch
From Amazon: Follow the story of The Little Witch who is determined to be the best witch in the forest and along with her raven, Abraxas, takes on one adventure after another. Together they set out to discover what it really means to be a good witch.
Just Add Magic
From Amazon: (For children ages 6-11) – Kelly Quinn and her two BFF’s, Darbie and Hannah, stumble upon her grandmother’s mysterious cookbook in the attic and discover some far from ordinary recipes. When the Shut’em Up Shortcake silences Kelly’s pesky little brother and the Healing Hazelnut Tart heals Darbie’s ankle, the girls discover they have the power of magic
Juju: The Web Series
From Amazon: After a mysterious visit from their ancestor reveals they are witches, an eclectic trio of lifelong friends must balance their magical powers and gifts with the millennial qualms of career woes, romantic entanglements, and identity, while evil looms over their heads. Ally, Gigi, and Yaya must learn to accept their new gifts in order to fulfill a prophecy dating back centuries.
From Amazon: When a prank at a school camp goes drastically wrong, 15-year-old Paul Reynolds is blasted into an alternative reality and has to try to find a way home. Each episode is a thrilling mix of adventure and science fiction, where the heroic characters use their wits and imagination to outdo the Spellbinder overlords.
Sabrina & Salem: Together Again
From Amazon: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch was a huge show with their two stars, Melissa Joan Hart & Salem the Cat. The two reunite in this magical new video.
Well there you have it! So many of the best witch shows on Amazon Prime that you don’t have time to watch them all!
Here’s hoping you have a rainy night in or a lazy weekend to catch up on your queue!