Donald Keene, a noted authority in the field, offers a guide through the first 900 years of Japanese literature. This period not only defined the unique properties of Japanese prose and prosody, but also produced some of its greatest works.

Discover the fascinating and surprising ways that seeds move and find a place to grow in this gorgeous picture book from Caldecott Honoree Robin Page. Every seed, big or small, needs sunlight, water, and an uncrowded place to put down roots. But how do seeds get to the perfect place to grow? This exploration of seed dispersal covers a wide range of seeds and the creatures that help them move, from a coconut seed floating on waves to an African grass seed rolled by a dung beetle, to a milkweed seed floating on the wind.

Essays discuss wildflower gardening, the ecology of native grasses, wildland seed collecting, principles of natural design, and plant/animal interactions for California gardens.

Zenkei Blanche Hartman is an American Zen legend. A teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, she was the first female abbot of an American Zen center. She is greatly revered, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has lived and taught for many years. This, her long-awaited first book, is a collection of short teachings taken from her talks on the subject of boundlessness—the boundlessness that sees beyond our small, limited self to include all others. To live a boundless life she encourages living the vows prescribed by the Buddha and living life with the curiosity of a child. The short, stand-alone pieces can be dipped into whenever one is in need of inspiration.

Also available in softcover: http://www.blurb.com/b/7454421-quiet-lotus-heart-seeds-softcoverA book of contemplative writings, Quiet Lotus Heart Seeds is a collection of poetry and short prose, regularly published online through the meditation teaching site Quiet Lotus, written by its founder and author Anna Zieo to inspire and nurture others on their own inner journey of contemplation and meditation.Universal in their themes, the Heart Seeds centre on peace, love, and joy, reminding us to stay present in each moment, to embrace life wholly with gentle acceptance and mindful grace while unfolding in our truth.Each piece of writing is printed single-sided, the facing pages printed with a simple lotus pattern to allow the reader space for their own contemplation, meditation, and inspiration.A warm hand to hold on a sometimes solitary path, Quiet Lotus Heart Seeds is a companion to keep near on the road less traveled, on the journey to ourselves.

A popular health writer gets down to the nuts and bolts of these superfoods—from almonds and quinoa to chia and hemp seeds. Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are bursting with vital nutrients. Even just a handful is rich with vitamins, minerals and fats, all of which we need, and which team up to help your heart, brain and waistline. As little as an ounce a day provides invaluable fiber, protein, and immune-boosting minerals. Nuts and seeds contain mono and polyunsaturated fats, healthful fats which are essential to maintaining the normal structure of every cell in our bodies. Meats, full-fat dairy, fried foods and processed foods are where the harmful forms of saturated and trans fats are found. Research shows that diets high in these unhealthy fats can lead to a host of diseases. Choosing healthy fats lowers cholesterol and enriches cell development, growth and repair. Nuts and Seeds is “a superb treatise on the benefits of those foodstuffs” (Books Monthly). “If you want to add more nuts and seeds into your diet, reading this book can be very helpful. Also, diversifying both the kind of nuts and how they are prepared is very interesting and she highlights this in the book.” —Coffee and Books