From where—and what—does water come? How did it become the key to life in the universe? Water from Heaven presents a state-of-the-art portrait of the science of water, recounting how the oxygen needed to form H2O originated in the nuclear reactions in the interiors of stars, asking whether microcomets may be replenishing our world's oceans, and explaining how the Moon and planets set ice-age rhythms by way of slight variations in Earth's orbit and rotation. The book then takes the measure of water today in all its states, solid and gaseous as well as liquid. How do the famous El Niño and La Niña events in the Pacific affect our weather? What clues can water provide scientists in search of evidence of climate changes of the past, and how does it complicate their predictions of future global warming? Finally, Water from Heaven deals with the role of water in the rise and fall of civilizations. As nations grapple over watershed rights and pollution controls, water is poised to supplant oil as the most contested natural resource of the new century. The vast majority of water "used" today is devoted to large-scale agriculture and though water is a renewable resource, it is not an infinite one. Already many parts of the world are running up against the limits of what is readily available. Water from Heaven is, in short, the full story of water and all its remarkable properties. It spans from water's beginnings during the formation of stars, all the way through the origin of the solar system, the evolution of life on Earth, the rise of civilization, and what will happen in the future. Dealing with the physical, chemical, biological, and political importance of water, this book transforms our understanding of our most precious, and abused, resource. Robert Kandel shows that water presents us with a series of crucial questions and pivotal choices that will change the way you look at your next glass of water.

Saké, the Japanese wine distilled from rice and an essential part of Japanese culture for more than 2,000 years, is suddenly becoming one of the hippest alcoholic beverages in in the U. S. and abroad. The current rise of saké bars and saké-influenced drinks such as the sakétini are delicious evidence of this newly gained popularity. Despite this newfound buzz, most Westerners know very little about this traditional drink. There are more varieties of saké than there are of red and white wines combined. Saké is supposed to be served chilled. Only low-grade saké is heated, mainly to hide the inferior quality of the drink. In Japan, saké is rarely served with sushi, which is ironic as most Americans who drink saké only drink it with sushi. Rocky Aoki, the founder of the famous Benihana and Haru restaurants examines how the rice is grown and brewed, supplies fascinating background and history of saké in Japanese culture, describes the different varieties of saké, discusses which sakés should accompany different types of foods, and where one can purchase saké. With the same zest that he has brought to his phenomenally successful Benihana chain, which introduced the world to Japanese cuisine, Aoki will share the joy of saké. Also included is an extensive appendix guide to 100 brands of saké that are commonly found in the United States and are considered the most popular brands based on quality, price, and availability.

In this thoughtful novel, a circle of friends and loved ones are attempting to face down their personal troubles: a deceased wife, a callous lover, an affair with a young colleague. As they stumble through the events of their own lives, they turn to one another for advice and compassion, and, occasionally, to cause more trouble. All three romances are faced with serious decisions--how to go escape their shortcomings and demons, how to move ahead, how to survive the decisions they make. In the hands of the prodigiously talented Cartwright, the lives of this rich, memorable characters feel authentic, yet buoyed by meaning and possibility. From a piercingly intelligent, prizewinning novelist comes a book about our daily longings, struggles, and the enduring power of human relationships.

Using her mother's recorded words as a springboard, Lana Laws Downing has written eighteen stories of fiction and fact woven together to recreate life as her mother remembered it in a remote logging camp on the shores of Lake Verett in the Louisiana cypress swamp in the 1920's.

Timeless, beautiful, and haunting, spirals connect the four episodes of The Ghosts of Heaven, the mesmerizing new novel from Printz Award winner Marcus Sedgwick. They are there in prehistory, when a girl picks up a charred stick and makes the first written signs; there tens of centuries later, hiding in the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who people call a witch; there in the halls of a Long Island hospital at the beginning of the 20th century, where a mad poet watches the oceans and knows the horrors it hides; and there in the far future, as an astronaut faces his destiny on the first spaceship sent from earth to colonize another world. Each of the characters in these mysterious linked stories embarks on a journey of discovery and survival; carried forward through the spiral of time, none will return to the same place. This title has Common Core connections.

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES! Tucked away in the rolling Tennessee countryside is the charming community of Watervalley, whose inhabitants are quirky and captivating and more surprising than you might expect… As an ambitious young doctor with a penchant for research, Luke Bradford never wanted to set up practice in a remote rural town. But to pay back his student loans and to fulfill a promise from his past, he heads for Watervalley, Tennessee—and immediately stumbles into one disaster after another. Will he be labeled the town idiot before he’s even introduced as the new doctor? Very quickly he faces some big challenges—from resuscitating a three-hundred-pound farmer who goes into cardiac arrest to not getting shot by a local misanthrope for trespassing. He expects the people of Watervalley to be simple, but finds his relationships with them are complicated, whether he’s interacting with his bossy but devout housekeeper, the attractive schoolteacher he consistently alienates, or the mysterious kid next door who climbs trees while wearing a bike helmet. When a baffling flu epidemic hits Watervalley, Luke faces his ultimate test. Whether the community embraces him or not, it’s his responsibility to save them. And he’ll soon discover that while living in a small town may not be what he wants, it may be just what he needs… READERS GUIDE INCLUDED For stories, recipes, and anecdotes from your favorite Watervalley characters, visit watervalleybooks.com.

In Genesis and Cosmos Adam Rasmussen examines how Basil and Origen addressed scientific problems in their interpretations of Genesis 1. For the first time, he offers an in-depth analysis of Basil’s thinking on three problems in Scripture-and-science: the nature of matter, the super-heavenly water, and astrology. Both theologians worked from the same fundamental perspective that science is the “servant” of Christianity, useful yet subordinate. Rasmussen convincingly shows how Basil used Origen’s writings to construct his own solutions. Only on the question of the water does Basil break with Origen, who allegorized the water. Rasmussen demonstrates how they sought to integrate science and Scripture and thus remain instructive for those engaged in the dialogue between religion and science today.