Sunday's media madness...

With the tragedy that is still unfolding in Japan I thought I would focus dedicate today's blog to the people there with the hopes of keeping the people of Japan in everyone's thoughts and prayers.

The first book is Discovering the Arts of Japan: A Historical Overview by Tsuneko S. Sadao and Stephanie Wada.  This beautiful paperback is a concise reference book great for anyone who loves Japanese art.  It covers many periods and styles of art including Paintings, Sculptures, Architecture, Textiles and more.  There is also a select bibliography and list of major museums housing collections of Japanese art.  I was able to find it for the lowest price at The Book Depository on sale for $10.36 with free shipping.

The next book is Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes by Harumi Kurihara.  Harumi Kurihara is Japan's most popular cooking expert and this, her second book, features a collection written specifically with the Western palate in mind.  The lowest price on this book that I found for a new hardcover copy was at Amazon for $18.45.  If you spend over $25.00 or are a Prime member you will qualify for free shipping.

The third book is Ortho's All About Creating Japanese Gardens for all the folks that love to garden and are looking forward to Spring finally arriving.  This book covers designing your layout to fit with your space and specific plants and their structure in relation to your aesthetics.  It shows how to work with nature to create harmony using all the elements.  I was able to find this for the lowest price new at Amazon for only $4.78.  If you are a Prime member or spend over $25.00 you will qualify for free shipping.

Finally, the last book is Japanese for Dummies, the AUDIO+CD version.  The back cover says "Speak Japanese – the fun and easy way! Packed with clear explanations and real-world examples. Your friendly guide to understanding Japanese – quickly and easily!

Whether you’re a student, a traveler, or you just want to pick up basic Japanese, this unintimidating guide will help you start speaking the language in no time. Inside you’ll find a wealth of fascinating cultural facts and handy references – including a Japanese-English mini-dictionary, lists of common expressions and verbs, and much more!

All this on the bonus audio CD

• Pick up Japanese the easy way –through actual conversations
• Features dialogues by native Japanese speakers
• Allows you to hear Japanese as it’s really spoken
• Reinforces lessons from the book

I found the lowest price on this book at Overstock for $16.16, with Overstock they charge $2.95 to ship your order no matter how big it is so if you want something else while your there it won't change your cost of delivery.  And just a reminder, there is a rebate for all the Dummies series of books until the end of March.

I know times are tight everywhere, but if you can spare it please consider donating to the American Red Cross.  The money is desperately needed to help not just the people of Japan but all the people they help all around the world wherever the need arises.  My mom used to work for the Disaster Core and they did so much, everything from helping in the wake of a tornado, to driving shut-ins to Doctor appointments.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and remembered to set your clocks ahead if you are in an area that observes daylight savings time.

C.Q.