![]() She became an ember carried upward by the heat of an invisible flame. Salzman describes this state of grace in simple, moving terms that are never too overstated or melodramatic: Pure awareness stripped her of everything. After years of spiritual barrenness in which she merely went through the motions, she received a miraculous gift: the ability to connect with the Divine directly in rapturous visions that inspire her to write luminous poetry. Though self-abnegation, humility and sacrifice are paramount to the order's way of life, Sister John can't hide the fact that there is something dazzlingly different about her. ![]() On the outskirts of present-day Los Angeles, Sister John of the Cross lives out her austere and highly disciplined days as a contemplative nun in an isolated Carmelite monastery. In simple language infused with poetry, Salzman tells us what can happen when profound religious commitment collides with the tangled, ambiguous reality of being human. Though Lying Awake is the kind of book that can easily be read in a couple of hours, its impact reverberates like the tolling of chimes long after the final chapter ends. ![]() In his brief, spare psalm of a novel, Mark Salzman probes the mind and heart of a Christian mystic with delicacy, compassion and insight. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() What’s also fun (if you are a total dork already) is to find words that are all standards and can be typed with only one hand, like scare and raze and verses. It’s more like spinning earring racks at gift shops, except bigger and wooden and it has books on it rather than accessories.)ĭoes anyone else take great notice of words whose letters are all standards, which is to say, letters that neither stretch tall (like t) nor drop low (like g)? All-standard words include scarecrows, savannas, and renascence if you are willing to fudge a bit and include the letter i (like I am), you can have reconnaissance and accessories, which is what brought this to mind in the first place. ![]() Rowling, and Rumer Godden.) (Er, just so we’re clear, it doesn’t spin perpetually, like those spinny restaurants. ![]() (The spinning bookshelf denotes great favoritism and also contains Martin Millar, J.K. Diana Wynne Jones is so great that I’ve devoted nearly half of the spinning bookshelf my father made me to her books alone. I am selectively craving Diana Wynne Jones right now. ![]() ![]() ![]() Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. ![]() Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To answers more of the weirdest questions you never thought to ask. Books will be available for pick up at the event. Purchase the book below to attend the event. ![]() Join us for Randall Munroe in conversation with Travis McElroy discussing and signing What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Randall Munroe in conversation with Travis McElroy discussing and signing What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Tuesday, September 27 at 7pm ET ![]() |