Without Reservation

Paris Dear Alice, Each morning I am awakened by the sound of a tinkling bell. A cheerful sound, it reminds me of the bells that shopkeepers attach to their doors at Christmastime. In this case, the bell marks the opening of the hotel door. From my room, which is just off the winding staircase, I can hear it clearly. It reminds me of the bell that calls to worship the novice embarking on a new life. In a way I too am a novice, leaving, temporarily, one life for another. Love, Alice In the tradition of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea and Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun, in Without Reservations we take time off with Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Steinbach as she explores the world and rediscovers what it means to be a woman on her own. "In many ways, I was an independent woman," writes Alice Steinbach, a single working mother, in this captivating book. "For years I'd made my own choices, paid my own bills, shoveled my own snow, and had relationships that allowed for a lot of freedom on both sides." Slowly, however, she saw that she had become quite dependent in another way: "I had fallen into the habit . . . of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people and what they expected of me." Who am I, she wanted to know, away from the things that define me--my family, children, job, friends? Steinbach searches for the answer to this provocative question in some of the most exciting places in the world: Paris, where she finds a soul mate in a Japanese man; Oxford, where she takes a course on the English village; Milan, where she befriends a young woman about to be married. Beautifully illustrated with postcards Steinbach wrote home to herself to preserve her spontaneous impressions, this revealing and witty book will transport readers instantly into a fascinating inner and outer journey, an unforgettable voyage of discovery.

A powerful story of spiritual awakening, reconnection with Nature, and rekindling of ancestral wisdom • Details the author’s encounters with ancestral spirits and animal teachers, such as Coy-Wolf, and profound moments of direct connection with the natural world • Shows how ancestral connections and intimate communications with Nature are not unique or restricted to those with indigenous cultural roots • Reveals how reconnection with ancestors and the natural world offers insight and solutions for the complex problems we face We are but a few generations removed from millennia spent living in intimate contact with the natural world and in close commune with ancestral spirits. Who we are and who we think we are is rooted in historical connections with those who came before us and in our relationships with the land and the sentient natural world. When we wander too far from our roots, our ancestors and kin in the natural world call us home, sometimes with gentle whispers and sometimes in loud voices sounding alarms. In this powerful story of spiritual awakening, Randy Kritkausky shares his journey into the realm of ancestral Native American connections and intimate encounters with Mother Earth and shows how anyone can spiritually reconnect with their ancestors and Nature. Like 70 percent of those who identify as Native American, Kritkausky grew up off the reservation. As he explains, for such “off reservation” indigenous people rediscovering ancestral practices amounts to a reawakening and offers significant insights about living in a society that is struggling to mend a heavily damaged planet. The author reveals how the awakening process was triggered by his own self-­questioning and the resumption of ties with his Potawatomi ancestors. He details his encounters with ancestral spirits and animal teachers, such as Coy-Wolf. He shares moments of direct connection with the natural world, moments when the consciousness of other living beings, flora and fauna, became accessible and open to communication. Through his profound storytelling, Kritkausky shows how ancestral connections and intimate communications with Nature are not unique or restricted to those with indigenous cultural roots. Offering a bridge between cultures, a path that can be followed by Native and non-Native alike, the author shows that spiritual awakening can happen anywhere, for anyone, and can open the gateway to deeper understanding.

Enjoy this steamy MMF bisexual menage small town LGBTQ romance by contemporary romance author Lynn Burke... Art studio vandalized and her mother in a fresh grave, Meg Winters heads off on vacation with her two best friends. She hopes for peace from her grief and the return of her muse. She doesn’t expect to run into the two men she idolizes, Trevor and Jack, the secretive wonders of the art world whose work she’s long admired. She certainly doesn’t expect them to be gorgeous and determined to fulfill her number one fantasy. They not only awaken her slumbering body, but also her creativity and the life she used to wield with her brushes. However, Meg carries a secret of her own which holds her back from surrendering herself fully to their desires. Will Trevor and Jack be able to overcome her reservations, or will the truth of her past ruin their chance for love? Without Reservation is the first in the Sandy Ridge series and is a steamy menage novella. HEA guaranteed, this bisexual, small-town contemporary romance can be read as a standalone. Perfect for readers who love steamy menage stories including sassy heroines and swoon-worthy heroes. If you’re a fan of Lucy Score, Melanie Harlow, Inglath Cooper, Jullian Dodd, Margaret McHeyzer, Adriana Locke, Claire Kingsley, Susan Hatler, & Nicole Snow, you’re going to love the Sandy Ridge series!

Global business leader and hotel industry icon J W Bill Marriott, Jr shares both the story of and the recipe for the success of Marriott International, one of the worlds leading hotel companies. The company began with one family-run root beer stand and grew over eight decades, through his leadership, into a global corporation that is widely respected for the business it does and the way it does business. In 1964, on the eve of being named president of the company, Marriotts father, founder and then-CEO J Willard Marriott, Sr, tucked a letter in his 32-year-old sons desk drawer. The letter contained insights and guideposts that proved invaluable as Bill Jr, blazed the trail not only for his company, but for the hospitality industry as well. The letter, printed in this book, provides timeless advice for any person in any business who aims to achieve success. This is a compilation of engaging stories that takes the reader behind the scenes as events and decisions unfold.

Exotic, erotic, sexy little treats fill this anthology that features Maori authors Hone Tuwhare, Briar Grace-Smith, Witi Ihimaera, Patricia Grace and Robert Sullivan alongside a who's who of the world's established and emerging indigenous writers: Haunani-Kay Trask, Sherman Alexie, Richard Van Camp, Linda Hogan, Joseph Bruchac, Alootook Ipellie, Gregory Scofield, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Basil Johnston, Maria Campbell, Dan Taulaitu McMullin, Tiffany Midge, Armand G. Ruffo, Melissa N. Begay, Gloria Bird, Thom E. Hawke, Marcie Rendon, Jack D. Forbes, Wayne Keon, Joanne Arnott, Daniel David Moses, Marilyn Dumont, Rolland Nadjiwon, Velvet Black, Geary Hobson, Beth Cuthand, Gail Tremblay, Paul Seesequasis, Randy Lundy, Beth Brant, Chrystos, Joy Harjo, William George, Melissa Lucaschenko, Kenny Laughton.

The host of the Travel Channel series "No Reservations" provides a behind-the-scenes account of his global culinary adventures, from New Jersey to New Zealand, offering commentary on food in every corner of the globe.

"Benjamin "Ben" Reifel (1906-1990) is the first person of Lakota descent to serve in Congress. A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, he worked toward American Indian acculturation, while maintaining traditions. In examining Reifel, author Sean J. Flynn highlights a little-known influential figure of the 21st century"--Provided by publisher.

Cartoonist Ricardo Caté describes Indian humor as the result of “us living in a dominant culture, and the funny part is that we so often fall short of fitting in.” His cartoon column, Without Reservations, is a popular daily dose in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Actor Wes Studi says, “Caté’s cartoons serve to remind us there is always a different point of view, or laughing at every day scenes of home life where Indian kids act just like their brethren of different races. Without Reservations is always thought-provoking whether it makes you laugh, smirk, or just enjoy the diversity of thought to be found in Indian Country.”