Book Description
In a place where the sun never sets...

A famous Los Angeles detective and his partner have come to Alaska-where the summer sun shines 24 hours a day-to investigate a murder.

...darkness is about to descend.

But a local cop soon learns that there's more to this case-and these detectives-than meets the eye. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Read it one day - though I didn't have insomnia
This was an ok book.This appears to be written after the movie (as opposed to a lot of novels that are made into movies).How is this significant?Well, b/c a lot of times movies have to cut things out of books to fit into a two hour movie.In this case, though, the book reads like a movie.The good thing with that is that it was a quick read (I read it one day).The bad thing is that it never really expanded on any of the ideas.I never saw this movie and I bought for ten cents, so I would say I got my money's worth.But this is not something I would recommend.Will Dormer was not a very likeable character in the book and the author (which probably goes along with the movie) never gives us any "suspects" throughout the book or any real motivation for the crime.We get only a glimpse into what happened.But the book is pretty straightforward and if you like quick reads, go ahead and read.Or maybe just go see the movie instead.

Another stolen idea! :-(
I really wonder if American moviemakers and authors [borrow] so much European ideas just to make money??? I never read or saw an American "remake" that even came close to the original...

Is there NO possibility to rate it with zero stars?

A Typical Mystery Novel
A fictional story of two Los Angeles detectives, sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate a murder in Nightmute.Insomnia has an unusual twist half way through the story, where the main character Will Dormer, abuses his authority as a detective. I didn't find this novel to be any different than any other typical mystery,it was boring and slow through the first seven chapters, then it finally picked up the pace in the investigation of Kay Connel. Personally it's a good action packed mystery, that keeps the reader anticipating what will happen next. The whole novel is well thought through and I'm looking forward to watching the movie Insomnia, based on the novel.

Robert Westbrook, dosen't give very good descriptions of the main characters, in order for the narrator to have a general ideal of their appearances. I also disliked where pictures of the main characters from the movie were placed in chapter fourteen, because the pictures described scenes in the book before their time, revealing what would happen next and who the killer was. Despite difficulties with the descriptions and pictures, the rest of the novel is very detailed. other than those few flaws he does do a good job, at keeping the reader interested until the end.

Robert Westbrook, has written quite a few mystery novels, Insomnia being his most recent. I think he's an author who has not yet became well known and he hasn't done very many novels, therefore he is an author I would keep an eye on. To be honest I have not read any other books by him, but I would like to read his others just to see how well he has progressed over time. So if you like short mystery novels, Insomnia is a book I'd recommend reading.

Don't Buy This Book! What a stinker....
The writing in this book is so elementary it's embarrassing. I picked it up because the premise of the movie sounded interesting, but the writing is so bad it gets in the way of the story. I'm on page 70 and I keeping thinking it's going to get better and then on the next page I wonder where the editor was! I guess this is one case where I'm SURE the movie has to be better.

Terrific movie -- terrific read
Sometimes, novelizations can be thin retreads of the movie, but Robert Westbrook has done a remarkable job here, shading in the nuances and even giving the reader some further insight into character motivations in this fantastic novel.

Chris Nolan, who directed this movie (as well as indie smash MEMENTO), was successful in creating a smart, slick, yet subtle film, really bringing the best out of the actors who starred in the movie, Pacino, Swank, and Williams. Similarily, Westbrook brought out the best in the backdrop to the story -- Alaska. He has successfully underscored and accentuated the role that the surrounding atmosphere and terrain of the state played in the storyline -- indeed, the atmosphere was like a secondary character in the film, always present, always affecting the protagonist's search for a girl's killer, while at the same time preventing himself from getting charged with murder.

I've read a few of Westbrook's terrific Howard Moon Deer mystery series, and it is obvious from reading those books that he has a firm grasp on how landscape affects people and situations, and he took that to the limit here in INSOMNIA.

To sum it all up, it was a terrific thriller of a movie, which Westbrook took to the next level in this compelling novelization. I hope he writes more of them -- he clearly understands the genre. ... Read more

Book Description
Edgy, brazen, and funny at first glance, on a closer look Bob Hicok's poems reveal themselves to be soulful, reflective, and provocative. Thoughtful meditations build into moments of epiphany as Hicok displays a fluid ability to shift moods, a rich visual palette, and an idiosyncratic use of language. The poems in Insomnia Diary are populated by the denizens of the world of getting-by, who waver between loneliness and connection as they confront the realities of humanity from the battlefield to the bathroom mirror. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Insomnia Diary
The book arrived in excellent condition within the scheduled delivery time.

Thank you,

Francine Keehnel

Journey Through the Dark Side of Life
In Bob Hicok's fourth book, Insomnia Diary, Hicok takes the reader on a risque journey through the darker side of life as seen by the eyes of the narrator.While some of Hicok's poems speak simply of love and life's basic needs, other poems have a distinctively sexual undertone that some people might shy away from.All of this is foreshadowed through the choice of the painting used as the cover art: Luis Cruz Azaceta's "Time-Man" in which the central figure is nude and has his head severed from the rest of his body.The dark range of browns, blues, reds, and black in the painting add to a reader's overall impression that the poetry hidden between the covers will have a dark edge.A dark edge that Hicok does not fail to deliver.

In Insomnia Diary Hicok gives a reader tales of love toward another ("My life with a gardener"), sexual fantasies ("Another awkward stage of convalescence"), social criticisms ("Growing at the speed of fashion"), and even tales of being forced to lay off others in the work force ("Dropping the euphemism").All these snapshots of life are wrapped neatly and hidden behind the "Time-Man" who practically begs the reader to open the book and see what tales the covers hold. Dark threads and themes run throughout Hicok's work, but beauty exists as well in Hicok's written words. Insomnia Diary is well worth a reader's time.Hicok's poems make a reader think, and those are the poems that will last.

One of the Best
This is easily one of the best books of poetry I've read in ages.There's lots of great writing out there, but every once in a while a book comes along that really knocks you out.Denis Johnson's "The Veil," Michael Burkard's "Secret Boat," Beckian Fritz Goldberg's "Never Be The Horse"...this book fits in that field for me...Just amazing--it makes you want to read more, and write more.

Another Winner
Another wonderful book by an amazing poet. Hicok's imagination is evident throughout. These poems move around a great deal and yet never lose their focus on people, real people. I've never read a poem about how it feels to lay someone off, and in "Dropping the euphemismth", as in other poems, Hicok inserts moments of surreal intensity within a narrative framework which give his work an unusal emotional depth.This book is a worhty follow up to "Animal Soul." ... Read more

Amazon.com
Herbs are all the rage. But herbal products are largely unregulated bythe government, and much of what we know about them is based on patienttestimonials and marketing mumbo jumbo rather than hard scientific evidence.Despite these large gaps in our knowledge, herb use is on the rise as peoplegrow increasingly dissatisfied with mainstream medicine.

To sort out the hype from the science, two respected Duke Universitypsychiatrists trained in traditional, complementary, and alternative medicinewrote Herbs for the Mind. They provide in-depth reviews of the databehind four popular alternative remedies: St. John's wort for depression, kavafor stress or anxiety, gingko for memory loss, and valerian for insomnia. Theyalso provide overviews of the symptoms, causes, and traditional treatments forthese ailments.

Herbs for the Mindis an invaluable resource if you're considering usingnatural remedies to treat mental maladies. It guides you in deciding where herbsfit into an overall treatment plan, how to enlist your doctor's help indeveloping an herbal self-help program, how to know if an herb is working foryou, when to switch brands or products, and when to stop using herbs altogether.It also points out what medicine has yet to learn about herbs, including thepotential dangers of long-term use. A glossary defines commonly used terms, anda resource section provides a list of authoritative herbal and mental healthtextbooks, journals, and organizations. --Nancy MonsonBook Description

Customer Reviews (3)

A "must" for alternative medicine reference collections.
In the past five years herbal remedies have led natural products in the health care market, but consumers are asking new questions about the safetyand effectiveness of these unregulated substances. Researchers andpsychiatrists examine herbs related to mental health, telling how to assesscommon herbs for effectiveness, side effects, and lasting impact.

A must have!
Herbs for the Mind is an excellent, easy to read guide for navigating what is often a confusing path - that of successfully using alternativetreatments for mental health problems.What to take?How much?Whatare the differences in brands?Such questions, and many more are answeredclearly and concisely in Herbs for the Mind.

It is refreshing to learnabout herbal remedies in a straighforward and scientifically-based manner. Drs. Davidson and Connor have truly done us a great service with theirbook.Anyone, from savvy consumers to mental health practitioners, canbenefit greatly from the information in Herbs for the Mind. I have alreadyused it, personally and professionally, with success. I highly recommend itfor anyone interested in mental health!

This book changed my attitude about herbal remedies!
I have sought advice from time to time for depression, anxiety, and sleep problems, but I've never considered "alternative medicine."But I took a look at Herbs for the Mind and started reading first about St.John's wort for depression. I learned things I didn't know aboutdepression, and I learned how and why to try this herbal remedy.The wholebook, then, was of interest to me and I have enjoyed reading the history ofherbal remedies and all the details of the various studies that tell uswhat and when herbs are useful. Everyone I mention this book to wants it!I'm really glad I found it, and I'm really glad these two psychiatristsfrom Duke University decided to step out of the laboratory and write it. ... Read more

Book Description
52 ways to get the zzzzs you need.

Sleep deprivation affects nearly one in three people. Sleep Deep reveals proven techniques to help them, separating the truth from the hype about the effects of alternative therapies and tried-and-true techniques.

Idea #5: Six, seven, or eight?
Idea #10: All stressed out
Idea #13: What a grind!
Idea #21: Snores you can't ignore
Idea #24: More than just the blues
Idea #32: Mind power
Idea #40: The feng shui bedroom
Idea #51: The joy of zzzz
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Finally: Something besides "Sleep Hygiene" "Cures"
I was having a terrible time with insomnia in 1994/5.I read every article I could find, and several books.All suggested about the same "sleep hygiene" methods of sleeping better.Finally I found this book which discussed better attitudes towards sleep, and what worked for me...temporary sleep depriviation, and I haven't had much of a problem since.I've recommended it to others, and most of them were helped too. ... Read more

Book Description
Insomnia - Many people take a restful night sleep for granted...but did you know that about 50% of our population has difficulty sleeping? There are scores of reasons why people have trouble falling asleep. Some involve physical imbalances within the body. Others are related to external factors, such as noise. There are also emotional and psychological aspects contributing to insomnia.

This program addresses steps you can take on both a conscious and unconscious level to help you sleep. The steps you can take on a conscious level are outlined on the inside cover of this compact disc. This recording, however, utilizes guided imagery techniques to initiate positive change and total relaxation from within.

Together we will call upon your internal resources to help bring your body into a natural balance, to remove external noise from your consciousness, and to help you release, relax, and let go. ... Read more

Book Description
Guides you to a deep state of relaxation and enables you to enjoy healthy, restful sleep.Proven techniques for releasing negative thoughts and becoming a happier, worry-free person. ... Read more

Book Description
Anthony Doerr has received many awards -- from the New York Public Library, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Library Association. Then came the Rome Prize, one of the most prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and with it a stipend and a writing studio in Rome for a year. Doerr learned of the award the day he and his wife returned from the hospital with newborn twins.

Exquisitely observed, Four Seasons in Rome describes Doerr's varied adventures in one of the most enchanting cities in the world. He reads Pliny, Dante, and Keats -- the chroniclers of Rome who came before him -- and visits the piazzas, temples, and ancient cisterns they describe. He attends the vigil of a dying Pope John Paul II and takes his twins to the Pantheon in December to wait for snow to fall through the oculus. He and his family are embraced by the butchers, grocers, and bakers of the neighborhood, whose clamor of stories and idiosyncratic child-rearing advice is as compelling as the city itself.

This intimate and revelatory book is a celebration of Rome, a wondrous look at new parenthood, and a fascinating story of a writer's craft -- the process by which he transforms what he sees and experiences into sentences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Resonates
As an American who moved to Rome to have a baby, I can relate to this book. My experience is different. I live with an Italian and all my friends are Roman, but I still found Doerr's observations lyrical and prescient. As a new father, I actually enjoyed how he was learning the city as he became a parent, an experience I know and grok completely. It was useful to see how someone had to endure a lot of the same difficulties that I have experience. How often do you get to read something parallel to your own life? I also enjoyed his descriptions. For me they came quite close to my own observations, as distant as they may be (a fact that he acknowledges). I read the book on a the train from Rome to Turin, so it's something that is quite fast and easy on the mind. Additionally I enjoyed his sense of impermanence and how that is a character of Rome. Bravo!

An average read
In "Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World," Anthony Doerr accepted a fellowship with the American Academy of Arts and Letters in Rome, Italy and together with his wife, Shauna, and their newborn twins, they moved to Rome. The author wrote about his experience in Rome, trying to adjust to the way of life there as well as having to manage two babies. He also spent some time talking about Rome in a more unconventional sense (different from a travelogue) focusing on the history and literature.

This was an okay read for me as I had hoped the author would focus more about the culture and people in Rome. It almost felt like he was writing about his own experience as a new father having to deal with both work and that Rome was just the backdrop of all that was happening. He spent a considerable time talking about authors and literatures which were not very interesting for me. The most fascinating part of "Four Seasons in Rome" was his coverage of the Pope's funeral and his observation of the people who adored and loved the Pope. It was just an average read for me - if you are looking for a travelogue type read, this would definitely not be in. This is more of a part memoir, part travel type book.

Doerr is Greagt
Again Mr. Doerr delivers quality writing.
Read this and you will yearn for Rome and for more Doerr.

Doerr Should Stay in Boise
Doerr takes his wife and six month old twin boys to Rome after receiving the prestiguous Rome Prize. The prize guarantees him a monthly stipend and a writing studio in Rome for one year. What results is this dry and humorless account of his year in Rome. It takes a special kind of negative talent to render Rome dull, but Doerr succeeds admirably. If I had never been to Rome this book surely would not make me want to do so. His prose is distancing and monotonous. He directs his attention to an excessive observation of nature, dust mites and birds, and none to the human world. Not one character Italian or American emerges in this novel. Did he spend his year speaking to no one? Even his wife Shauna is nothing more than a cardboard character. There are so many fine examples of this type of travel genre that I wouldn't recommend that anyone waste his money on this book. Someone as dull as Doerr deserves to stay in Boise.

A wonderful read!
In just a couple of sittings, I devoured "Four Seasons in Rome."It was such a wonderful escape.Having been to Rome, Anthony Doerr captured everything I remembered and more: the streets, the foods, the smells, the people.As always, his writing is beautiful.His words transport you.I adored reading about his young family, and it made me appreciate anyone who has the good fortune of having twins.Anthony Doerr did not let me down with "Four Seasons in Rome."He continues to be one of my favorite writers! ... Read more

Book Description
A selection of practical measures to help you to get to sleep easier and benefit the most from the sleep that you do have. Incorporates both tested and proven techniques and accurate information. Read how to implement an eight-point r?gime for sleeping better. Practical measures to help you to get to sleep easier and benefit the most from the sleep that you do have. ... Read more

Book Description
Insomnia has been a lifetime companion of Louise Bourgeois' night hours. Between November 1994 and June 1995, she has committed to paper whatever thoughts, memories, and images surfaced during her long sleepless nights. The resulting 220 drawings are the quintessence of all the impulses, sources, and motifs inspiring her work. "The Insomnia Drawings" show the artist's mind at work: drawings and sketches alternate with poems and aphorisms in both French and English, interspersed with notes referring to the hustle-bustle of everyday life. The series is a unique mirror of an extraordinary woman's life and work: beautiful, disquieting, passionate, inquiring, and imbued with a quirky sense of humor. As soon as the artist agreed to entrust "The Insomnia Drawings" to the Daros Collection, it was clear that this extraordinary work should be presented as a book. The result is a handsome slipcased two-volume publication, edited by Daros Services, Zurich. The first volume contains facsimiles of both the recto and verso of the 220 drawings. The second volume provides the reader with valuable background information on this complex and exhilaratingly beautiful work of art. Marie-Louise Bernadac, a leading Bourgeois scholar, places "The Insomnia Drawings" in context of Bourgeois' oeuvre, providing biographical references for many notes, and pointing out the leitmotifs of Bourgeois' imaginary universe. In a lucid and beautifully written essay, Elisabeth Bronfen traces the nocturnal mysteries of insomnia and places this work of art in a larger cultural context. Furthermore, the second volume offers a chronology and annotated transcriptions of all texts and notes. This landmark publication is a must for everyone wanting to take part in the imaginative journeys of one of today's most important artists. "The Insomnia Drawings" are part of the Daros Collection. 13 x 10.25 inches, 220 illustrations.

Author Quotes:
"She presents herself as a lady-in-waiting, silent and patient, with the night promising to save her from the array of desires such as love, faith, faithlessness, tenacity, ambition, while here sleeplessness prevents any salvation from her psychic distress. If in these drawings and texts the night is metaphorically conceived of as an expanse of water that might engulf her, while sleep would restore her, insomnia is what prevents any voyage into inundation. (...) Because her insomnia brings states of ambivalence to the fore, she keeps returning to the question of being suspended between two emotions-between plentitude and lack, proximity and absence, agreement and contradiction."-Elisabeth Bronfen

"L'art / ou est / la vie, / toi et vous / inspire / unafraid: Art / est le / contraire / du acting. Les paysages de nuit on / envahi les jours. Water is the / opposite of continuity / water can be the best but it can be worse / / M is for mother / in the water / it is subject / to change / or even to reversal."-Louise Bourgeois ... Read more

Product Description
Dorothea Tanning, who was born in 1910 in Galesburg, a town on the Illinois prairie, is one of America’s major surrealist artists.She first came to fame in the 1940s when she showed in the gallery of Julien Levy, New York’s preeminent dealer of surrealism.However, in the 1950s she felt a growing need to move beyond the prevailing idiom of surrealist representation. She describes what happened: “Around 1955 my canvases literally splintered . . . I broke the mirror, you might say.”The resulting paintings are vibrant with faceted colors and shifting spaces. The Insomnias — the group takes its name from a painting of the same title that Tanning made in 1957 — are forays into the realm of conjured energies; they represent a vigorous expansion of form and content at a crucial historical moment that continues to reverberate today.Charles Stuckey describes these “seemingly multidimensional mindspaces” as “among the most ambitious and sophisticated paintings to address the dilemmas of imagination and culture in a new atomic, space-race age.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!
A very comprehensive overview of this particular body of works made by Dorothea Tanning.The color reproductions of the paintings are beautiful! ... Read more

Book Description
Insomnia can adversely affect the quality of your life. This debilitating syndrome can rob you of your daily energy and vitality, and can even lead to depression. Now you can relearn how to sleep deeply, like a baby every night through self-hypnosis. This tape was designed using state of the art techniques in subliminal and post hypnotic suggestions. Gentle sound effects and music are professionally blended in a way that will lull you into a gentle and peaceful sleep.

More than one-third of the US population suffers from some form of insomnia. This very debilitating syndrome can rob a person of their daily energy and leave them ineffective and sometimes even clinically depressed. Deep, restoring and restful sleep is essential to peace and well-being. It is also the best ammunition there is against disease and illness. Use this tape just before bedtime each night or as needed when you find yourself suddenly away in the middle of the night.

Helps solve the following symptoms:
Insomnia and restless sleep
Energy swings
Fatigue
Chronic sickness or colds
Irritability
Eating Disorders
Disorientation
Lack of concentration
Anger flare ups
Headaches
Dizziness ... Read more

Book Description
You are guided to apply finger pressure to the medical acupuncture points that regulate your body's biorhythms. This gentle stimulation balances and calms the energy traveling through your nervous system, releasing a stream of neurochemical messengers to totally relax you for a refreshing and restorative sleep.

Pure and precisely tuned sound frequencies combined with soothing music slowly ease your brain activity out of the rapid rhythms of beta, down through the relaxing states of alpha and theta into the oceanic depths of delta for a peaceful night's sleep. ... Read more

Book Description
Despite its prevalence, insomnia remains poorly understood because of the lack of clear scientific data supporting the many treatment approaches used. This book is the first to collate the up-to-date scientific data in order to identify the gaps in knowledge and improve clinical management. A highly distinguished team of contributors examines the most recent findings and identifies where research should be heading. They cover the nature and prevalence of insomnia throughout the lifespan; the molecular, neuropharmacological and neuroanatomical systems of relevance to insomnia; and the impact of related problems (such as shift work, industrial accidents, mood disorders, and other sleep disorders). ... Read more

Product Description
SIGNED edition G. One of 385 copies in wooden box with 12 calligraphic watercolors. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Clinical Psychology Review, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Insomnia is a pervasive problem for many patients suffering from medical and psychiatric conditions. Even when the comorbid disorders are successfully treated, insomnia often fails to remit. In addition to compromising quality of life, untreated insomnia may also aggravate and complicate recovery from the comorbid disease. Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has an established efficacy for primary insomnia, but less is known about its efficacy for insomnia occurring in the context of medical and psychiatric conditions. The purpose of this article is to present a rationale for using CBT-I in medical and psychiatric disorders, review the extant outcome literature, highlight considerations for adapting CBT-I procedures in specific populations, and suggest directions for future research. Outcome studies were identified for CBT-I in mixed medical and psychiatric conditions, cancer, chronic pain, HIV, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcoholism. Other disorders discussed include: bipolar disorder, eating disorders, generalized anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. The available data demonstrate moderate to large treatment effects (Cohen's d, range=0.35-2.2) and indicate that CBT-I is a promising treatment for individuals with medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Although the literature reviewed here is limited by a paucity of randomized, controlled studies, the available data suggest that by improving sleep, CBT-I might also indirectly improve medical and psychological endpoints. This review underscores the need for future research to test the efficacy of adaptations of CBT-I to disease specific conditions and symptoms. ... Read more

Book Description