It All Turns on Affection

It All Turns on Affection
Author: Wendell Berry
Publisher: Catapult
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2012-09-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1619020971

An impassioned and rigorous appeal for reconnection to the land and human feeling by one of America’s most heartfelt and humble writers. When he accepted the invitation to deliver The Jefferson Lecture—our nation’s highest honor for distinguished intellectual achievement—Wendell Berry decided to take on the obligation of thinking again about the problems that have engaged him throughout his long career. He wanted a fresh start, not only in looking at the groundwork of the problems facing our nation and the earth itself, but in gaining hope from some examples of repair and healing even in these times of Late Capitalism and its destructive contagions. As a poet and writer he understood already that much can be gleaned from looking at the vocabulary of these problems themselves and how we describe them. And he settled on “affection” as a method of engagement and solution. The result is the greatest speech he has delivered in his six decades of public life. It All Turns on Affection will take its place alongside The Unsettling of America and The Gift of Good Land as major testaments to the power and clarity of his contribution to American thought. Also included are a small handful of other recent essays and a wonderful conversation between Mr. Berry, his wife Tanya Berry, and the head of the National Endowment of the Humanities Jim Leech, which took place just after the award was announced. The result offers a wonderful continuation of the long conversation Berry has had with his readers over many years and as well as a fine introduction to his life and work. “These powerful, challenging essays show why Berry’s vision of a sustainable, human–scaled society has proven so influential.” —Publishers Weekly “Wendell Berry is one of those rare individuals who speaks to us always of responsibility, of the individual cultivation of an active and aware participation in the arts of life.” —The Bloomsbury Review

Flora & Ulysses

Flora & Ulysses
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2013-09-24
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 076366040X

Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Tale of Despereaux.

Our Only World

Our Only World
Author: Wendell Berry
Publisher: Catapult
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2015-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1619025221

"Stern but compassionate, author Wendell Berry raises broader issues that environmentalists rarely focus on . . . In one sense Berry is the voice of a rural agrarian tradition that stretches from rural Kentucky back to the origins of human civilization. But his insights are universal because Our Only World is filled with beautiful, compassionate writing and careful, profound thinking." —Associated Press The planet's environmental problems respect no national boundaries. From soil erosion and population displacement to climate change and failed energy policies, American governing classes are paid by corporations to pretend that debate is the only democratic necessity and that solutions are capable of withstanding endless delay. Late Capitalism goes about its business of finishing off the planet. And we citizens are left with a shell of what was once proudly described as The American Dream. In this collection of eleven essays, Berry confronts head–on the necessity of clear thinking and direct action. Never one to ignore the present challenge, he understands that only clearly stated questions support the understanding their answers require. For more than fifty years we've had no better spokesman and no more eloquent advocate for the planet, for our families, and for the future of our children and ourselves.

The Four Loves

The Four Loves
Author: Clive Staples Lewis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 166
Release: 1991
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780151329168

Analyzes the feelings and problems involved in different types of human love, including familial affection, friendship, passion, and charity.

Minding Their Manners

Minding Their Manners
Author: M.Q. Barber
Publisher: Whiskey Jack Editing LLC
Total Pages: 745
Release: 2021-12-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1952297222

Facing their families is turning out to be the trio’s toughest test. Life should be grand for Henry, Alice, and Jay. They’ve defeated the doubts that kept them apart and embraced a relationship that suits all three of them. But the arrival of Alice’s sister threatens to upend their cozy routine. Skepticism and accusations erupt in a visit bristling with tension as the sisters tear open old wounds. Even worse, Jay’s springing a new idea on his partners: it’s time to come out to his family. His decision might destroy them all—but Henry’s hunger for Jay’s public embrace makes it almost worth the risk. Henry, Alice, and Jay must redefine who they are to each other and what they want for their future—together or apart. Can they trust in their love enough to survive the consequences? New to USA Today bestselling author M.Q. Barber’s Neighborly Affection series? This friends-to-lovers bisexual menage romance saga is best read in order. Dominance and submission is the name of the game for this committed MMF poly triad. Start with Playing the Game or the prequel book Becoming His Master. For a different perspective on the events of Playing the Game, read it alongside Tuesdays with Jay and Other Stories. Praise for the Neighborly Affection series: “The writing is quick, smart and witty. The character development, especially of the heroine, and plot progression work well with this trio.” – Shelly, reviewer for Red Hot Books “Ms. Barber delves into the culture of Dominance and submission with compelling grace, introducing us to Alice, Henry, and Jay and all of their delightful emotional and sexual complexities.” – Sophia Jones, author of The Pharaoh and the Curator “It’s steamy and sexy enough, and doesn’t hold back on the BDSM angle, but this erotic romance has so much more to offer than titillation or fantasy.” – D.B. Sieders, author of Red Shoes for Lab Blues “I will read this one again. The sex scenes were off the charts hot. The characters were amazing. Henry melted me.” – Jessi Gage, author of Wishing for a Highlander “Chapter after chapter, I was captivated by the very real process of a woman that discovers her submissive self and how a man tamed her, day after day, week after week, month after month. … It is the kind of book that make you think: yeah, that makes sense. If I was in her shoes, I would act like this.” – Mary, reviewer for Mary’s Menage Whispers  “The writer had a way to bring you in and make you feel soulful about what they were sharing. I felt like I was made to consider each decision they made about what they needed and why they needed it. This wasn’t just a wham-bam book, it was a story of Alice’s emotions surrounding this couple she had grown to care for.” — Mistress L, reviewer for S&M’s Book Obsessions

Seveneves

Seveneves
Author: Neal Stephenson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 419
Release: 2015-05-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062190415

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years. What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . . Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth. A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

Sex, Economy, Freedom, & Community

Sex, Economy, Freedom, & Community
Author: Wendell Berry
Publisher: Catapult
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2018-12-04
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1640091394

""Read [him] with pencil in hand, make notes, and hope that somehow our country and the world will soon come to see the truth that is told here."" —The New York Times Book Review In this collection of essays, first published in 1993, Wendell Berry continues his work as one of America's most necessary social commentators. With wisdom and clear, ringing prose, he tackles head–on some of the most difficult problems confronting us near the end of the twentieth century—problems we still face today. Berry elucidates connections between sexual brutality and economic brutality, and the role of art and free speech. He forcefully addresses America's unabashed pursuit of self–liberation, which he says is ""still the strongest force now operating in our society."" As individuals turn away from their community, they conform to a ""rootless and placeless monoculture of commercial expectations and products,"" buying into the very economic system that is destroying the earth, our communities, and all they represent.

Nothing to See Here

Nothing to See Here
Author: Kevin Wilson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019-10-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062913484

A New York Times Bestseller • A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, People, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, TIME, The A.V. Club, Buzzfeed, and PopSugar “I can’t believe how good this book is.... It’s wholly original. It’s also perfect.... Wilson writes with such a light touch.... The brilliance of the novel [is] that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming. You’re laughing so hard you don’t even realize that you’ve suddenly caught fire.” —Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman is in Trouble, New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability. Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth. Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for? With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera
Author: Gabriel García Márquez
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2014-10-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101911115

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • "A love story of astonishing power" (Newsweek), the acclaimed modern literary classic by the beloved Nobel Prize-winning author. In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Burnout

Burnout
Author: Emily Nagoski, PhD
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2019-03-26
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 198481706X

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This book is a gift! I’ve been practicing their strategies, and it’s a total game changer.”—Brené Brown, PhD, author of Dare to Lead “A primer on how to stop letting the world dictate how you live and what we think of ourselves, Burnout is essential reading [and] . . . excels in its intersectionality.”—Bustle This groundbreaking book explains why women experience burnout differently than men—and provides a roadmap to minimizing stress, managing emotions, and living more joyfully. Burnout. You, like most American women, have probably experienced it. What’s expected of women and what it’s really like to exist as a woman in today’s world are two different things—and we exhaust ourselves trying to close the gap. Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the all-too-familiar cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. They compassionately explain the obstacles and societal pressures we face—and how we can fight back. You’ll learn • what you can do to complete the biological stress cycle • how to manage the “monitor” in your brain that regulates the emotion of frustration • how the Bikini Industrial Complex makes it difficult for women to love their bodies—and how to defend yourself against it • why rest, human connection, and befriending your inner critic are keys to recovering from and preventing burnout With the help of eye-opening science, prescriptive advice, and helpful worksheets and exercises, all women will find something transformative in Burnout—and will be empowered to create positive change. A BOOKRIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR