As local as it gets

By now you've probably heard all kinds of things about how buying local helps support your community. Well I've come up with a way for you to get the most bang for your buck: buy a locally created book by a local organization published by a local publisher, from your local independent bookstore! Below are a couple of great ways to put your money into your community.

Hot off the presses from 826 Michigan comes Tall Tales and True Stories, a year long collaboration between 826 Michigan volunteers and students of Childs Elementary School in Ypsilanti. The book, which is sprinkled with whimsical illustrations by Ian Huebert, is a combination of personal essays and fictional stories, all written and edited by elementary school students with the help of 826 Michigan Volunteers. Located in the back room of Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair at 115 E. Liberty, 826 Michigan is our local chapter of the national non-profit organization that offers free writing assistance and tutoring to kids ages 6-18. Show them your support by buying this book! (Blotch Books, $10)

And from Community Farm of Ann Arbor comes the newly published A Hard Day's Night, a picture book inspired by the farm (Pine Printers, $8.99). Written by Anne Elder, who has been farming at Community Farm of Ann Arbor for 17 years, the book is illustrated by Miranda Bissinger, age 13, and Stephanie Body, age 17. Community Farm of Ann Arbor is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and has been using sustainable methods of agriculture for 21 years and are located at 1525 S. Fletcher. Check out their website to find out more about this incredible farm (Community Farm of Ann Arbor), and stop in to pick up a copy of this delightful book!

Don't Forget to Pack the iSpeak

Traveling to an exotic location this summer but don't know the language? Forget about all those phrasebooks that leave you wondering how to pronounce the words. Try an iSpeak phrasebook instead! iSpeak is an audio MP3 Cd with 1,500 travel phrases that you can both see and hear before you even attempt to speak out loud! Built to work with iPod, iSpeak is also compatible with Zune and most other MP3 players. Just download onto your MP3 device and scroll through a variety of categories to find what you are trying to say. Main categories include: Conversation, Travel, Accomodations, Food, Services & Shopping, Entertainment and Reference. Each category has several subcategories to help you narrow down what you are looking for, faster than you can flip through a book. With a very reasonable price of $12.95, you can't afford to travel without one! (McGraw Hill).

Get the Best Sellers at Crazy Wisdom!

Summer is the time to sit back, relax and read that new book all your friends are talking about. Why not pick that book up at Crazy Wisdom? Sprinkled amidst the new titles from spiritual leaders, books on eco-friendly living and titles designed to improve your body, mind and spirit, we have the popular titles you just keep hearing about.

Like the newest from America's favorite humorist, David Sedaris, When You are Engulfed in Flames (Little, Brown $25.99). A frequent contributor to NPR's This Amerian Life and the New Yorker, David Sedaris' sixth book of essays is yet another book of quirky yet witty observations that only David Sedaris can make.

Of course there's also Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, the story which recounts the tragedies and triumphs of one family, all through the eyes of the dog! At the top of many Best Seller lists this summer, this tale is sure to be on the top of yours as well!

Stop in to Crazy Wisdom to check out our selection of titles to make those long summer days memorable ones. With new titles by Louise Erdrich, Chuck Palahniuk, Annie Dillard, and Paulo Coelho, there's something for everyone!

The Cure is in Your Feet!

Do you ever wish there was a quick way to relieve yourself of that incessent headache? Or a simple way to heal yourself of a hangover, reduce allergies or alliviate depression? With Michelle Kluck's new book, Hands on Feet: The New System that Makes Reflexology a Snap! the answers to a healthy body are all in the feet. This book not only offers a history of reflexology, its benefits and practice, but it comes with a handy pair of Reflexology Sox, an indispensible tool when learning reflexology. These thin socks (a $20 value) have illustrations on them to help you discover what part of your foot is linked to what organs and ailments, allowing you to easily identify the correct spot to massage away your troubles. (Running Press, $19.95)

Don't Just Sit There, Make Something!

It's a well known fact that Crazy Wisdom is the place to come to explore your spiritual, emotional and physical selves, but it's less well known that we carry plenty to explore your creative self too. Like the Stitch-it Kit: Simple Instructions and Tools for 35 Chic to Classic Embroidery Projects ($22.95) and the Paper Craft Kit: Materials and Instructions for Beautiful Handmade Paper Creations ($24.95), we carry some fun, right-out-of-the-box craft projects to turn a lazy summer afternoon into a full fledged "crafternoon"! We also carry a great variety of chic craft books, like A is for Apron: 25 Fresh & Flirty Designs by Nathalie Mornu ($17.95) and the popular book Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters by Stefanie Girard ($19.99). With books on knitting, jewelrymaking, bookmaking, collage, patchwork, stenciling and sewing, we have something to satisfy the crafter in everyone! Stop in and check out our Art and Craft section located at the front of the store to find the inspiration for your next project.

New Releases from Contemporary Spiritual Teachers

Best selling author, psychologist, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and of the Spirit Rock Center in northern California, Jack Kornfield has just released a new book, The Wise Heart, a Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology. Considered "the most accessible and illuminating guide to Buddhism's transformational psychology ever published in the West," The Wise Heart is sure to join After the Ecstasy, the Laundry and A Path with Heart as a modern day classic. Bantam (9780553803471) $28.00




And from A.H. Almaas, originator of the Diamond Approach, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence, a book about learning to live with open awareness. With chapters on "Freedom from the Filters of the Mind," "The Trap of Identification," and "Being without Mind," Almaas introduces a method of self-observation and contemplative exploration to help overcome the obstacles that keep us from being present. Shambhala (9781590305591) $15.95

Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

With daily headlines forecasting a dim future: rising gas prices, rising food prices, diminishing natural resources, etc., it is easy to feel powerless in what sometimes feels like a world gone mad. Here at Crazy Wisdom, we like to believe, like Mahatma Gandhi quoted above, that each one of us has the power to change the world. Of course, doing so is a bit harder said than done. That's why we've created a section called Social Activism: to give you the tools you need to make the changes this world needs to turn our future into one of hope.
Stop in and become inspired to make a difference, and check out the Green Living section Sarah mentioned too! They are conveniently located in the same bookcase across from the front counter, and both give you tools to create a healthier future.