Other books that might interest you

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  The Written World - Essays &...

  Kevin Power

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  Art honours the world, and criticism honours art, even – perhaps especially – when the critic sets out to destroy. The bad review is hardly ever written out of mere spite. In most cases, the motivation is disappointed idealism. Critics are people who love art and who hate to see it traduced. Hence the critic's sempiternal cry: You're doing it wrong. What the critic wants is for you to do it better.
  Since 2008, acclaimed novelist Kevin Power has reviewed almost three hundred and fifty books. Power declares, 'Even now, cracking open a brand-new hardback with my pencil in my hand, I feel the same pleasure, and the same hope. That's the great secret: every critic is an optimist at heart.'
  Art that thinks and feels at the same time – 'good art' – requires explication. The writing of criticism in response to such art is an activity that has taken place since Aristotle first sat down to figure out what made tragedy work. It is in the pursuit of this question – what makes good art 'good' – that Kevin Power found his vocation. During a ten-year stint as a regular freelance reviewer for the Sunday Business Post, Power fell in love with the writing of criticism, and with the reading of it, too, particularly by talented novelists who review books on the side. His conclusion is that criticism is absolutely an art. But it is never more so than when practiced by an actual artist.
  These pieces, ranging from reviews of Susan Sontag to the meaning of Greta Thunberg, apocalyptic politics, and literary theory, represent a decade's worth of thinking about books; a record of the author's attempts to honour art, and through art, the world. In The Written World, Power explains how he became a critic and what he thinks criticism is. It begins and ends with a long personal essays, 'The Lost Decade', written especially for this collection, about his mental and writing block after publishing Bad Day in Blackrock and his decade-long journey to White City. The pieces gathered by Power are connected by a theme – this is a book about writing, seen from various positions, and about growth as an artist and a critic.

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  Genghis Khan - Life Death and...

  John Man

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  “A thrilling account” of the brilliant, ruthless founder of the Mongol Empire (The Guardian). 
   
  Genghis Khan is one of history’s immortals, alive in memory as a scourge, hero, military genius and demigod. To Muslims, Russians, and westerners, he is a murderer of millions, a brutal oppressor. Yet in his homeland of Mongolia he is the revered father of the nation, and the Chinese honor him as the founder of a dynasty. In his so-called Mausoleum in Inner Mongolia, worshippers seek the blessing of his spirit. In a supreme paradox, the world’s most ruthless conqueror has become a force for peace and reconciliation. 
   
  As a teenager, Genghis was a fugitive, hiding from enemies on a remote mountainside. Yet he went on to found the world’s greatest land empire and change the course of world history. Brilliant and original as well as ruthless, he ruled an empire twice the size of Rome’s until his death in 1227 placed all at risk. To secure his conquests and then extend them, his heirs kept his death a secret—and secrecy has surrounded him ever since. His undiscovered grave, with its imagined treasures, remains the subject of intrigue and speculation. 
   
  This is more than just a gripping account of Genghis’ rise and conquests. John Man uses firsthand experiences in China and Mongolia to reveal the khan’s enduring influence. He has traveled the length of the empire, and he spotlights the tension between Mongols and Chinese, who both claim Genghis’ spirit. He is the first writer to explore the hidden valley where Genghis is believed to have died, and one of the few westerners to climb the mountain where he was likely buried. 
   
  This stunning narrative paints a vivid picture of the man himself, the places where he lived and fought, and the passions that surround him still. For in legend, ritual, and intense controversy, Genghis lives on. 
   
  “[An] engrossing book.” —Booklist 
   
  “A rattling good read.” —The Independent

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  Toy Fights - A Boyhood

  Don Paterson

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  For fans of Douglas Stuart and Nick Hornby comes an uproarious, tenderhearted memoir of growing up in working-class Dundee in the 1970s and 1980s. 
   
   
   
  Don Paterson is one of our most acclaimed contemporary poets, possessed of "an infinite sensitivity to the world" (Zadie Smith). But his current standing gives few hints of his hilariously misspent youth. An indifferent student prone to obsessions (with girls at school and . . . origami), Paterson nevertheless made clear early on his immense gift for observation. In Toy Fights, he vividly re-creates the customs of the Scottish working class, from the titular childhood game ("basically twenty minutes of extreme violence without pretext") to the virtues of the sugary sweet known as tablet. When American pop culture arrived, Paterson fell hard for the so-called outlaw sound; by his teens, he was traveling with his father, a Stetson-wearing "country" musician, and becoming guitar-mad himself. A memoir of family, music, and highly inventive profanity, Toy Fights is an unforgettable account of the years we all spend in rehearsal for real life.

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  Fierce Mercy - Daring to Live...

  Abby Johnson, Cindy Lambert

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  Abby Johnson thought she knew what mercy was when she ushered desperate women toward abortion as the director of a Planned Parenthood facility. She was wrong. It wasn't until she understood the blood on her hands that she personally experienced the power of God's fierce yet tender mercy to transform her life. But she never imagined what could happen once she allowed that very mercy to infiltrate her life and spill out into a hurting world. 
   
   
   
  In Fierce Mercy, Abby calls you to experience a transformation of your own. Against the backdrop of her first decade involved in the pro-life movement, Abby helps you discover God's unrestrained mercy at work in your own life and take steps toward becoming a channel of that life-changing mercy in the world around you. She shows you how to model God's mercy, freely offer mercy to those who seem undeserving, respond with mercy when others err or offend, and bear witness to God's unrestrained compassion so that others may know him. 
   
   
   
  This is Abby's challenge to you: dare to do what is hard, what is right, and what is good. And do all of it in love.

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  Summary: Can't Hurt Me - Master...

  ExecutiveGrowth Summaries

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  Notice: This is a SUMMARY of David Goggins’ CAN’T HURT ME – MASTER YOUR MIND AND DEFY THE ODDS.CAN’T HURT ME became a New York Times Bestseller for simple reasons… 
  David Goggins had a mission: the only way he could make it into the Navy SEALs training camp was to lose more than 100 pounds in less than three months. After years of neglecting his body, he went for a jog and keeled over in pain a half-mile later. Fast-forward a year, and he’s engaging the enemy as a full-fledged US Navy SEAL. How the heck did that happen?... 
  Today, David Goggins is an ultramarathoner, retired US Navy SEAL, former Guinness World Record Holder, and all-around unstoppable warrior. Can’t Hurt Me has brought countless readers through Goggins’s hell and back – from an abusive childhood and impoverished adolescence to the pinnacles of human achievement. Goggins takes the reader under his wing not only to recount a fascinating journey but to explain the methods that he used to overcome everything that life threw against him. 
  Simply, this summary is for anyone who dares to engage with the impossible. 
  Our summaries are crafted for busy high-achievers who still have the insatiable appetite to keep learning and growing. Simply put, our summaries provide the fastest way to increase perspective and productivity, guaranteed.  
  DISCLAIMER: We are convinced that our professional summaries will introduce more readers to the full book who otherwise would have turned a blind eye by the sheer commitment. Our intention is sincere in that readers could use this summary as an introduction or a companion to the original book, not as a substitute.

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  The Book of Baruch - Timeless...

  Baruch ben Neriah, Tim Zengerink

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  How do we hold onto faith in the face of adversity? What can we learn from the wisdom of the ancients about repentance, hope, and redemption? 
  The Book of Baruch is a deeply moving and spiritually rich text attributed to Baruch ben Neriah, the loyal scribe of the prophet Jeremiah.  
  Written during the Jewish exile in Babylon, this powerful work reflects on the sorrow of displacement, the call to repentance, and the unshakable hope in God’s mercy and restoration. 
  Now presented in a clear, modern translation, this edition makes Baruch’s timeless message accessible and inspiring for today’s listener. 
  What you'll discover inside: 
  •	A Call to Repentance and Renewal – Baruch’s heartfelt prayers and appeals to return to God 
  •	Lessons on Hope and Perseverance – A people’s steadfast faith in the midst of suffering and exile 
  •	Prophetic Wisdom for Modern Times – Ancient truths that offer guidance in today’s spiritual journey 
  •	A Deeper Connection to Sacred History – Insight into the Jewish experience during exile and the promise of restoration 
  Whether you’re seeking spiritual encouragement, historical perspective, or a deeper understanding of divine love, The Book of Baruch offers comfort, wisdom, and hope. 
  Begin your journey today—and discover the redemptive power of faith in one of the Bible’s most overlooked yet powerful texts.

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