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Sweet Teeth and Loose Bowels by Michael S Gerber

Against a backdrop set in countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia, it is packed with humourous and sceptical accounts of topics including life as a 'do-gooder' in the Peace Corps, corruption, debt relief, African governments, refugees, transportation, food and disparities between extreme wealth and poverty.

In the 1970's Dr. Michael S Gerber was selected to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, living in the Philippines with his wife and three young sons and surviving on £110 a month. Twenty eight years later, having lived and worked in many of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia, he retired as a Director General of the Kenya-based African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) - the largest non-governmental health organisation on the African Continent. It also operates the world famous Flying Doctors.

One morning, on the outskirts of Nairobi, a Kenyan policeman stopped a driver at the side of the road. "Sir, you committed a crime. When you passed that lorry, your vehicle crossed a solid white line." The road in question was a single carriageway full of pot holes, with no markings on it, white or otherwise. The poorly paid police would receive wages at the end of the month, if at all. Invisible white lines were a good way to shake down motorists for extra cash. One should have known better than to cross an invisible white line, as the month was coming to a close.

About the author: Since 1968, Dr. Michael S Gerber has been involved in some of the least developed countries around the world. Now retired, he donates his time as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), a non-governmental organisation working in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He lives in Portugal with his wife.


**A book signing session will take place at Magna Carta Bookshop on Sat May 26, between 11AM-1PM.**

The author will be donating all royalties he receives from sales of this book to a charity - The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

Price: 13,50€ (Publication date 9th May 2007)

Author of "On Chesil Beach" faces heavy fine after "borrowing" some pebbles off the beach he used as background for his new novel of the same name. Read more here...

Happy Easter Everyone!

Half of a Yellow Sun by by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Buy here

Top Islands of the World (Various Authors)

It's like browsing photos of paradise and then find out that the glorious eden can be found, here on earth! This beautifully illustrated book, contains photographs of paradisiacal islands throughout the world, including Europe and the Mediterranean, Africa and the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Caribbean and North America.

Far from being a tourist guide, this large format book is more suitable for your coffee table, where it can be easily reached and browsed (and you'll never tire of turning the pages on this one!). Every island is described with visual and text detail, including its history, the atmosphere (including the smells, the sounds, the people), what to expect in terms of tourism (is it busy or is it relatively unexplored) and of course, whereabouts it can be found on the planet (with the help of a map).

Unsuprisingly, the beautiful island of Madeira here in Portugal is one of the many chosen by the various authors who compiled this book. "Portugal may have owned Madeira for the best part of five centuries, but the British have been residents for three and have been such a weighty presence that, at times, Westminster viewed Madeira more as a colony than as foreign territory", says Rodney Bolt regarding this Portuguese island.

Another interesting fact regarding Madeira is that "A glass of Madeira sealed the signing of the American Declaration of Independence, it was the favourite tipple of Shakespeare's cherry drunkard Falstaff, and is still used to toast anyone offered the Freedom of the City of London", also according to the same author.

On the last pages of "Top Islands of the World" you will find a directory with what there is to do in each of the 27 islands presented, and the official tourism boards contact and web sites.

If you're stuck for ideas on what to buy for someone special, or if indeed what you're looking for is a perfect holiday, this book will not disappoint.

The Top Islands of the World can be purchased for 45,00€ click here to buy

More on "The Secret"

Film “THE SECRET”

If you are not satisfied with your current life,
if you would like to do better but can´t
see any opportunities, if you are worried about
your future security, then you MUST see the Secret.
The Secret can make all the difference to your life

17th of March, 2007 15 h to 17.30 h

Nova Vida, Tunes

Price: 8 €

Please book until 10th of March

Seminar :

„ Law of Attraction“

given by Dr. Veronica Mauvis

14th of April 2007, 10 h to 16 h

at Nova Vida, Tunes

Price : 65,00 € incl. lunch


Have you seen The Secret?
Do you want to use The Secret to get better results in your life?
Have you tried to use it and wonder why it’s not working for you?
Will it help your children to get better results?
What is the correct way to create the Life of Your Dreams?
The Secret is the film that has been spreading round the world like a bush fire because it opens the door to the real secrets of success all over the world.
It is possibly the most powerful, scientifically backed, method of personal development ever discovered. You need this knowledge to get what YOU want in all areas of your life.
If you want changes to your financial status, your relationships, your health you will find answers book for the seminar

Please book until 6th of April 2007

Contact:
Angela Schulz-Henke
OrgaNice Eventmanagement

Apartado 2016, Gil Eanes
P-8501-902 Portimão

tel. +351 282 181 604
fax +351 282 181 606
tm +351 936 384 275
eventmanagement8@aol.com
www.organice-pt.com

Magna Carta's recommended reading list for this theme:

The Law of Attraction by Esther Hicks

Ask and it is Given by Esther Hicks

The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

You’ll See it When You Believe it by Wayne Dyer

Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Synchrodestiny by Deepak Chopra

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

"The Secret" Uncovered!

23rd February 2007 Film „ The Secret“ at the CLCC in Portimão.
19.30 h – 22.00 h (organised by Angela Schulz-Henke
OrgaNice Eventmanagement)

If you are not satisfied with your current life, if you would like to do better but can´t see any
opportunities, if you are worried about your future security, then you MUST see the Secret. The Secret can make all the difference to your life …

Veronica Mauvis (English)

Vegetarian Snacks – Claudia + Marisa

Magna Carta will be participating with books concerning the film.

Book Signing with Dr. Piper

Meet Dr. Piper, the author of "Motherkillers" - out 22nd February - at the Hospital Particular in Alvor for 7pm. There will be a cocktail party where you'll have the opportunity to talk to Dr. Piper about his work and have your book signed.

Order your book from Magna Carta Bookshop before the releasing date and pay 22.50€ only (you save 3€).

From a local author...

“In 1845 a killer stalked the great maternity hospitals of Europe and North America … Mothers and babies were slaughtered in great suffering on a monumental scale by this mass murderer. The name given to this assassin was puerperal fever… [or] childbed fever.”


This powerful novel recounts the history of the struggle to control the devastating disease known as “childbed fever” – the horrific disease that killed thousands of women and their babies across Europe and North America.

Set in 19th Century Vienna, John Piper’s book is based on the true story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a young Hungarian obstetrician. Through the eyes of a fictional young woman (Charlotte) who is having her baby in hospital, we witness the squalor and overcrowding – and we feel the terror experienced by the mothers and mothers-to-be. Charlotte, herself, contracts the dreaded disease.

Told with passion and a meticulous eye for historical accuracy, this novel describes the appalling conditions in which doctors and nurses worked in the latter half of the 19th Century and shows how Semmelweis overcame the ignorance and bigotry in the medical profession at the time to find the cause of (and a cure for) this horrendous illness.

Dr John Piper NB, BS, FRCS was born in Essex. He read medicine at the University of London, trained in surgery at the Royal Free Hospital and worked as a consultant surgeon in hospitals in England until 1977 and then in Iran, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In 1985 he created the Department of Surgery in the new Manapo Hospital in the Black South African Homeland of Qwagwa.
Dr Piper now lives in Portugal.

MOTHER KILLERS by John Piper can be pre-ordered at Magna Carta Bookshop for 25.50€ (hardback) and will be available from 22nd February 2007.

Keeping Faity by Jodi Picoult

Reviewed by

Hayley Jones

Unlike the better-known My Sister's Keeper and The Pact, the courtroom doesn't assume a major part in Keeping Faith and even draws itself into question. How many times have you heard something along the lines of "God has no place in a courtroom?" Have you considered how strange that is, considering that witnesses are expected to swear on the Bible?

Jodi Picoult throws up all kinds of religious and spiritual questions in this novel, allowing the reader to muse over and debate them as much as the characters do. Keeping Faith certainly displays Picoult's talent for portraying complex issues without dictating to her audience.

Faith White is a normal seven-year-old girl in many respects - she loves to play on the swings and scribble with crayons - but she becomes a media attraction almost overnight when she starts, apparently, having visions of God and develops wounds that can only currently be explained as stigmata.

What makes her situation even more interesting is that Faith knows nothing about religion, let alone Christianity. Her mother, Mariah, is a non-practicing Jew and her father a non-practicing Episcopalian: Faith has never seen a Bible, yet she quotes verses from it.Mariah can hardly believe this is happening, but she knows her daughter's not a liar and she is extremely concerned about the psychological and physical symptoms that Faith is displaying. Her priority is Faith's safety, which is difficult to take care of when a range of cult members, TV crews and sick people hoping for Faith to cure them are camping on their driveway.

One person particularly determined to prove that Faith is a fraud is Ian Fletcher, a tele-atheist who is determined to prove that all religious 'miracles' are fakes and ends up getting more involved than he means to...Mariah is still reeling from her divorce - initiated by her husband, Colin, after she and Faith catch him in the bedroom with another woman - and insult is added to injury when Colin announces that he wants custody of Faith. Mariah not only has to face criticism from the media, but also a very public trial that sees Colin dragging up darker times in her past in order to prove that she is harming Faith and somehow causing the hallucinations.

Trust is a major issue in Keeping Faith. Particularly poignant for me was seeing how Mariah's past gets thrown up and used against her, even though she's now a very different person, allowing Colin to betray her even further. It questions whether skeptics are objectively in pursuit of the truth or whether they simply can't let themselves trust and have faith. You may even find that you question your own beliefs and opinions - another thing that Picoult is skilled at.

I never thought I'd read a novel that incorporates religious ecstasy, mental illness and potential child abuse, but it actually works really well. It's different from Picoult's other novels and, despite first being published in 1999 in the US (2006 in Britain), it's every bit as accomplished as her later novels. The writing is strong and heartfelt, managing to portray Mariah with both vulnerability and Lioness-style protectiveness.

Although Mariah and her family are extremely 'normal', I think this is necessary, as too flamboyant or unique a character would seem unbelievable. Mariah is certainly more 'human' than a lot of Picoult's female protagonists. Picoult also flirts with the notion of 'unreliable narrator', which creates the opportunity for further debate and is done subtly and cleverly, so it's up to the reader to decide which of the characters - if any - to believe.

I think that Mariah is one of the most fully-formed, realistic characters that Picoult has written and Keeping Faith is certainly refreshingly different. Even if you hate Picoult's other novels, I recommend that you give this a try: it doesn't conform to the formula in several of her other novels and it's not so reminiscent of a courtroom drama. I also think this is the kind of book you will either love or hate and I'm happy that, for me, it's the former. Whether you're an atheist, a militant believer or (like most of the characters) an agnostic, there is little to upset you here as long as you read it with an open mind.

Picoult is careful not to tread on too many toes, although she doesn't sacrifice story for political correctness. Unlike many contemporary authors, who focus on family and relationships and little else, Picoult isn't afraid to study the major issues that dramatically affect these relationships. Stigmata and religious visions are unusual topics to address, but Picoult pulls it off without it seeming too unrealistic and with a lot of flair.

Christmas opening times & holidays

Magna Carta Bookshop will be open as normal until Saturday 23rd December. After that date we will be closed until 3rd January 2007.

During this time we'll still be accepting your book orders, either via our web site or e-mail.

Merry Christmas

Thank you all so much for another great year and for all the support.

APAA Support

We strongly support the animal cause in the Algarve, therefore we have posted the message below hoping there will be someone out there who may contribute to the solution to the problems the "Associação Protecção Animal do Algarve" is currently facing.

Any other charities needing any kind of help are also welcome to use this space. Please contact our bookshop for the effect.

Thank you,
Susana

APAA FACES DIFFICULT CHALLENGE – URGENT NEW PREMISES APPEAL

OVER 800 PEOPLE CELEBRATED AT THE APAA’S (ASSOCIAÇÃO DE PROTECÇÃO ANIMAL DO ALGARGE) RECENT WORLD ANIMAL DAY EVENTS. IN PARTICULAR, THE ANNUAL SCRUFFTS ‘DOG OF THE YEAR’ SHOW. THE ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED TO THE UK’S RSPCA (ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS), RAISED AN ESTIMATED 3,000 EUROS ON THE DAY WHICH WILL GO TOWARDS THE SNIP (SPAYING AND NEUTERING IN PORTUGAL) CAMPAIGN, TREATMENT AND FOOD FOR THE ABANDONED DOGS AND CATS AT THE KENNELS.

HOWEVER, THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME THE ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES WORLD ANIMAL DAY IN ITS CURRENT LOCATION. ALTHOUGH THE APAA HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN FOR RESCUING ABANDONED ANIMALS IN THE ALGARVE, IT IS BEING FORCED TO LEAVE ITS CURRENT PREMISES BY MARCH 2007. THE ASSOCIATION’S ANIMAL RESCUE CENTRE IS ON LEASED LAND AND THE LANDLORD HAS INFORMED US THAT HE IS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LEASE BEYOND MARCH 2007.

AT PRESENT THE ASSOCIATION IS ACTIVE IN VARIOUS AREAS OF ANIMAL PROTECTION, INCLUDING RESCUE, REHOMING, SPAYING AND NEUTERING. ARE THESE ACTIVITIES TO CONTINUE?

CLEARLY THE ASSOCIATION CAN ONLY CONTINUE AS AT PRESENT IF IT IS ABLE TO ACQUIRE LAND ON WHICH TO ESTABLISH A NEW RESCUE CENTRE. THIS WILL TAKE TIME, TO FIND SUITABLE LAND, AND TO RAISE THE NECESSARY FINANCE TO BUILD SHELTER FOR THE ANIMALS.

APAA HAS VAST EXPERIENCE AT REHOMING AND WE WORK HARD TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR THE MANY RESCUED ANIMALS IN OUR KENNELS.


WE WERE GRATEFUL WHEN SOS STRAYS ORGANISATION OFFERED TO HELP BY FOSTERING SOME OF THE APAA ANIMALS. THE AIM OF SOS STRAYS IS TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF STRAY ANIMALS IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. THE DOGS AND CATS ARE FIRST PLACED IN A NETWORK OF FOSTER HOMES AND SOS STRAYS FOLLOW A STRICT ADOPTION PROCEDURE FOR REHOMING. APAA HAS A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DOGS AND CATS THAT HAVE BEEN REHOMED IN EUROPE.

WORKING CLOSELY WITH SOS STRAYS AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS IN EUROPE AND THE UK PET PASSPORT SCHEME TO FIND HOMES HAS HELPED TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS FACING THE ABANDONED DOGS AND CATS IN PORTUGAL.

SEVERAL DOGS HAVE ALREADY FOUND LOVING HOMES IN GERMANY VIA OUR VETERINARY CLINIC FERREL IN ESPICHE. THE GERMAN VET, HEIKE RAUTERBERG, WHO OWNS THE CLINIC HAS HELPED THE APAA TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR ITS DOGS, GIVING THE ASSOCIATION SEVERAL CONTACTS FOR KENNELS IN GERMANY.

IN THE MEANTIME, THE APAA IS DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME FOR ITS KENNELS. IT CURRENTLY HAS 82 DOGS AND 24 CATS.

I HOPE THAT I HAVE EXPLAINED AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE THE SITUATION FACING THE ASSOCIATION. SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE THEY WILL BE VERY WELCOME.

IDEALLY, WE REQUIRE AN AREA OF LAND IN THE ALGARVE REGION WITH WATER AND ELECTRICITY, SOME OUTBUILDINGS WOULD BE USEFUL BUT NOT ESSENTIAL

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE 82 DOGS AND 24 CATS IN OUR CARE.


PLEASE CONTACT THE APAA BY TEL/FAX 00 351 282 471347 (PLEASE BE PREPARED TO LEAVE A MESSAGE AS WE DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO ‘MAN’ THE TELEPHONE) OR YOU CAN CALL/TEXT MOBILE 91 9368726 OR E MAIL SAFEHANDSBOARDINGKENNELS@CLIX.PT OR WRITE TO APAA, APARTADO 101, 8501 903 MEXILHOEIRA GRANDE, PORTUGAL.

Thank you,

Linda Pixley

(APAA's President)

The Night Before Christmas

Blue Christmas, Jon Bon Jovi

A nice christmas ballad for you....

I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas
by Bon Jovi

More Christmas gift ideas...

This is a stunning Angel collection that'll add extra Christmassy atmosphere to your room. Prices start at only 3.50€. All angels can be used as candleholders. When you buy two or more Angel figurines you get ONE free (please quote BLOG promotion).

Fiendish Fashion

"The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger

Book Review by Hayley Jones

I gave in to the hype. Being a fan of fiction, film and fashion (in that order), there was no way that The Devil Wears Prada could have passed me by. I wasn't sure what to expect: the last two books I've read that were classified as 'chick lit' (I hate that term) were drastically different, so I was dubious of whether this would be a true hit or a fashion faux pas.

Luckily for my faith in modern fiction, The Devil Wears Prada was far better than I expected.The most hyped-up thing about this novel is the rumour that the fashion editor, Miranda Priestly, is based on the notorious US Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Lauren Weisberger has denied this (well you would, if only to avoid getting sued) and Wintour took it all in good humour by turning up at a screening of the film wearing (yup, you've guessed it!) Prada.

There is something deliciously seductive about the idea of this novel being a woman's way of getting her own back on an evil boss though - anybody who's ever had a nightmare boss (which is pretty much everybody I know) will sympathize with the main character, Andy Sachs. Andy is hired as an assistant to Runway editor Miranda Priestly, despite knowing nothing about fashion, and is frequently reminded that it's a job "a million girls would die for" - despite it becoming obvious from Day One that it's a living hell.

Miranda makes all kinds of ludicrous demands (including ordering Andy to collect her car and chauffeur her cat) and has a nasty habit of saying very little, expecting her assistants to guess precisely what she means. She's an evil cow, but everyone kowtows to her because she's the editor and good at her job, so she calls the shots - and not just within the confines of Runway's HQ. This provides a perfect set-up for much comedy and, although it could've been funnier, it's extremely amusing and there are several laugh-out-loud moments. Thankfully though, unlike in other books I've read, Weisberger doesn't strive too hard to be funny and the humour comes off naturally rather than forced.

Andy herself is very endearing and, like me, has a penchant for sarcasm. She's fresh out of college and determined to forge a successful career for herself, hoping to become a writer. Trouble is, her work is so absorbing that she starts to neglect her family, her friends and her ever-understanding boyfriend. But what can she do? Surviving a year as Miranda's assistant without being fired virtually guarantees her any magazine job she wants. Surely everyone understands that?

Things spiral out of control and her roommate, Lily, seems to be heading towards a serious drinking problem, but Andy simply doesn't have the time - she has to be at work at 7am and is often expected to work until after 11pm. She barely has time for sleep, let alone relationships.Whilst The Devil Wears Prada is delightfully sharp and funny, it is also rather sweet.

I thought the end was a little too saccharine but, if I'm honest, I loved it and wouldn't have it any other way. The characters are excellent and the relationships intricate and realistic - I certainly get the impression that they're crafted from observation - from the horror of Miranda to the tense relationship between Andy and Emily, the head assistant. It certainly gives the flavour of working for a fashion magazine, even if I do suspect that a lot of it is exaggerated - at least, I hope it's exaggerated….Don't be put off if you're not into fashion - Andy isn't either.

Whilst the fashion industry provides the perfect cut-throat setting, it's still perfectly enjoyable if you don't know your French Connection from your Fendi. You probably won't learn a lot about fashion from this either, except perhaps never to reply "mine" when someone asks you whose shoes you're wearing.

The plot becomes a little predictable in places, but that's forgivable and the characters more than make up for it - it certainly doesn't suffer for its few slips into sentimental 'made for TV movie' territory. Over all, The Devil Wears Prada is smart, sassy and surprisingly sweet.

Buy it here for 12,00 euros

Last Minute Orders!

FOR SPECIAL BOOK ORDERS FOR CHRISTMAS PLEASE CONTACT US BY WEDNESDAY 13TH DECEMBER. We cannot guarantee that the books will be delivered on time for Christmas after this date!

Thank you!