Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  And Then There Were Nuns

  Jane Christmas

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  “The best kind of memoir, revealing, refreshing, and reflective enough to make readers turn many of the questions on themselves.” —Booklist (starred review)   With humor and opinions aplenty, a woman embarks on an unconventional quest to see if she is meant to be a nun.   Just as Jane Christmas decides to enter a convent in mid-life to find out whether she is “nun material,” her long-term partner Colin, suddenly springs a marriage proposal on her. Determined not to let her monastic dreams be sidelined, Christmas puts her engagement on hold and embarks on an extraordinary year-long adventure to four convents—one in Canada and three in the UK.   In these communities of cloistered nuns and monks, she shares—and at times chafes and rails against—the silent, simple existence she has sought all of her life. Christmas takes this spiritual quest seriously, but her story is full of the candid insights, humorous social faux pas, profane outbursts, and epiphanies that make her books so relatable and popular. And Then There Were Nuns offers a seldom-seen look inside modern cloistered life, and it is sure to ruffle more than a few starched collars among the ecclesiastical set.   “A lovely, heartfelt tale. Get thee to a bookstore and buy it.” —A. J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically   “In fluid and often playful prose, she introduces women and men (she spent a week at a monastery on the Isle of Wight) who have devoted their lives to prayer, including a skydiving 90-year-old nun.” —Maclean’s

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  What's Tha Up To This Time? -...

  Martyn Johnson

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  “Authentically capture[s] the realities of the sixties and seventies policing in Britain . . . a fascinating and endearing book, full of character and nostalgia.” —Firetrench 
   
  As with his previous two volumes, the bestselling What’s Tha Up To? and What’s Tha Up To Nah?, Martyn Johnson has written this book from the heart, not so much nostalgia as a genuine feeling for the people, animals, places and history of Sheffield. 
   
  From naked young ladies at Wentworth Woodhouse to suspicious scrapyards and second-hand shops, shoplifters, burglars and pickpockets, Martyn takes you on an amazing journey through an almost lost world of crime and characters. Meet George and Albert Bloggs, Sadistic Sid, Mr. Cellarman, Twirls the key man, Mr. Furnaceman, Mr. Handcuff-man; and not forgetting Big Ginge and the most glamorous of all, “Diana Dors.” Why not let Martyn tell you about his hilarious “contemporaneous” court experience and the day he became Lester Piggot and a very reluctant sea fisherman. Whether it’s the story of the dodgy unisex haircut, the mystery of the lost fingers or insights into the Dog and Partridge characters or Banners Department Store, there’s something of interest for everyone inside this book. Humor apart, Martyn’s empathy and feeling for the people of Sheffield and South Yorkshire shines through the pages, including some sad and difficult cases and times. 
   
  “Sometimes the front line bobbies’ accounts of what they had to deal with during the course of their duties is more interesting than what goes on in TV adaptations of police dramas. Martyn Johnson’s second collection of memoirs is equally as entertaining as his first, and will delight anyone who reads it.” —Books Monthly

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  Jan Smuts - Unafraid of Greatness

  Richard Steyn

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  Jan Smuts: Unafraid of Greatness is a re-examination of the life and thoughts of Jan Smuts. It is intended to remind a contemporary readership of the remarkable achievements of this impressive soldier-statesman. The author, a former editor of The Star, argues that Smut's role in the creation of modern South Africa should never be forgotten, not least because of his lifetime of devoted service to this country. The book draws a parallel between Smuts and President Thabo Mbeki, both architects of a new South Africa, much lionised abroad yet often distrusted at home.
  This highly readable account of Smut's eventful life blends fact, anecdote and opinion in an examination of his complex character, his relationships with women, spiritual and intellectual life and role as advisor to world leaders. Politics and international affairs receive the most attention, but Smut's unique contributions in a variety of other fields, including botany, conservation and philosophy, also receive attention.
  Jan Smuts: Unafraid of Greatness does not shy away from the contradictions of its subject. Smuts was one of the architects of the United Nations and a great champion of human rights, yet he could not come to terms with the need to include the African majority in the politics of his own country.

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  Homesick - A Memoir

  Sela Ward

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  “A lilting, loving memoir of the South and simpler days” from the vibrant and beloved star of Sisters and Once and Again (USA Today). 
   
  “This is the story of a girl who grew up in a gentle town in the Deep South, cradled by family and friends, worshiping Bear Bryant on Saturday night and Jesus Christ on Sunday morning . . .” 
   
  At a time when much of America is yearning to recapture the spirit and feelings of a more innocent era, comes this extraordinary memoir from one of our most beloved actresses: a story of reconnecting with the most important things in life. 
   
  Millions of TV and film viewers know Sela Ward as the Emmy-winning star of the series Sisters and Once and Again. But before she became a successful actress, Sela was first and foremost a small-town girl, the daughter of a family that lived for generations in a Mississippi homestead they called “Homeward.” It was there, within a tightly knit community of neighbors and kin, that Sela learned ways that would remain with her through life-humble virtues, like generosity, selflessness, and respect, that are “forged in the hearth of a loving home.” Now she has woven together nostalgic reminiscences, stories from throughout her life and career, and lessons on drawing strength and wisdom from a simpler place and time, to give us Homesick: a very special book on the challenge of raising a family, maintaining perspective, and carving away time for happiness amid the challenges of modern life. 
   
  “An ode to simpler, safer times that is likely to strike a chord among Americans in these unsettling days.” —The Baltimore Sun

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  Bulfinch's Mythology - The Age...

  Thomas Bulfinch

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  First published in three separate volumes from 1855 to 1863, Bulfinch's Mythology quickly became the standard source of classic tales from ancient Greece and Rome, the Norse tradition, and beyond. This edition contains the full text of The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes, the first volume of Bulfinch's seminal work. From stories of the Greek gods of Mt. Olympus to retellings of the Iliad and the Odyssey, from descriptions of mythological monsters to tales of Hindu and Egyptian deities, Bulfinch's versions of these classic stories bring their characters to life. Throughout the text, Bulfinch includes examples of literary interpretations of and allusions to the various stories and points out proverbial expressions that have their origins in the mythology he relates, making this a vital reference for students of literature as well as a delightfully vibrant collection of the stories that form our cultural heritage.

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  The Web of Life - Weaving the...

  Richard Louv

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  This thoughtful collection of essays by the author of Last Child into the Woods explores the vital connections that sustain our lives. 
   
  It’s often the little things that remind us how connected we all are to one another. Through his insightful reflections, Louv reveals the many strands that make up the great web of life, from family and friendship to community and nature. Most importantly, his words remind us of how important it is to seek out these strands in our own lives. 
   
  With inspirational stories, discussion, and quotations, Louv weaves a tale of collective unity and shared memory that reminds us how important it is to care for each other and the world around us. As Louv shares, “In our society, it is easy to lose sight of the web. To mend our hoop, our protective gauze, we must envision the whole ecology and not only the parts.”

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