Higher Life

Many academics attack the very idea of a Western canon as chauvinistic, while the general public increasingly doubts the value of the humanities. In Rescuing Socrates, Dominican-born American academic Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how a liberal education transformed his life, and offers an intimate account of the relevance of the Great Books today, especially to members of historically marginalized communities.

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies. Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy—some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.

Actor William Shaksper of Stratford had little education, never left England, and apparently owned no books. How could he have written the great plays and poetry attributed to him? Journalist Mark Anderson's biography offers tantalizing proof that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, courtier, spendthrift, scholar, traveler, soldier, scoundrel, and writer, was the real "Shakespeare".

In "Purpose, Passion, and College," Professor Stemmle takes readers on an enlightening expedition of self-exploration and personal growth. This book transcends the boundaries of a traditional guide by offering a transformative mentorship that supports readers in pursuing a fulfilling and meaningful life. The pages of this book come alive with a rich collection of thought-provoking exercises designed to stimulate introspection and encourage readers to delve deep into their innermost wishes and aspirations. Through these exercises, readers are guided to uncover their true passions and values,...

Matthew is a 16-year-old living in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1976. After he loses his two most important male role models, his father and grandfather, his mother uses her inheritance to uproot Matthew and herself to a posh apartment building in Manhattan. Although only three miles away from his boyhood home, "the city" is a completely new and strange world to Matthew. He soon befriends (and becomes a quasi-assistant to) Lou Reed, who lives with his transgender girlfriend, Rachel, in the same building.

Inspired by the consciousness-shifting traditions that have moved seekers for generations, Material Girl, Mystical World is a fabulous adventure in the "Now Age": a sophisticated upgrade on cosmic thinking for women who know that a closetful of designer shoes can happily coexist with a deeply meaningful life.

Gunslinger tells Brett Favre's full, definitive story for the first time, drawing on more than 500 interviews, including many from the people closest to Favre. Jeff Pearlman charts Favre's journey, from his rough rural childhood and lackluster high school football career to landing the last roster spot at Southern Mississippi to a late-night car accident that nearly took his life. Favre clawed back, getting drafted into the NFL, first to Atlanta, then to Green Bay, where he restored the Packers to greatness and inspired a fan base as passionate as any in the game.

On the eve of Evangeline's wedding, a dead whale is trapped in the harbor of Winter Island, the groom may be lost at sea, and Evie's mostly absent mother has shown up out of the blue. From there, in this mesmerizing, provocative debut, Evie remembers and reckons with her complicated upbringing in this lush, wild land off the coast of Southern California.

It is the mid-'80s, two decades into the kleptocratic, brutal rule of Ferdinand Marcos. The Philippine economy is in deep recession, and civil unrest is growing by the day. But Primi Peregrino has her own priorities: tracking down books and pursuing romantic connections with their authors.

Tired of being told to "just breathe" by people who’ve never had their group chat melt down at 2 a.m.? How to Get the Stick Out of Your Ass is the antidote to toxic positivity, Pinterest perfection, and emotional labor disguised as empowerment. Written in a voice that’s equal parts sharp therapist and fed-up best friend, this book is a survival guide for high-functioning women who are chronically over-committed, emotionally constipated, and sick of pretending they’re fine. This isn’t a mindfulness manifesto or another pep talk about work-life balance. It’s a call to unclench. To ...

GOLD MEDAL WINNER 2024 GLOBAL PUBLISHING AWARDS for Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction Written by an ex-Vogue and Elle Beauty Editor and AWARD WINNING AUTHOR who knows the media inside and out, "Girl Unplugged" lifts the lid on social media, body love and girl group dynamics to show you how to UNPLUG from the pressure - on your own terms! Are you ready to discover unbreakable self-esteem and total body love? Do you want to "unplug" from the comparison culture of social media and peer pressure? You’ve come to the right place! In "Girl Unplugged: Survival Guide for Teens," you’ll ...

Garrison Keillor is the consummate storyteller, gifted with the rare ability, both in print and in performance, to hold an audience spellbound with his tales of ordinary people whose lives contain extraordinary moments of humor, tenderness, and grace. This exclusive recording of Garrison Keillor reading a carefully edited abridgement of the book also includes a few segments taken from live performances recorded during a fundraising tour for public radio stations in 1985.

Change Your Life in 30 Days takes you on a journey that will help you make extraordinary changes in your life. It will break the myths that keep you locked in fear and unable to be true to yourself.

With sensitivity and humor, insight and advice, Rhonda helps define life goals and outline the steps needed to reach those goals. For anyone who has ever wanted a fresh start or tried to make major life changes and failed, the answer lies within this book.

Lion is about an unlikely parent, more legend than presence in his daughter's life. He is a charismatic, dashing bon-vivant, a polo player, race car driver, cocaine addict, ex-con, pilot, and sky-diver. Born in the aftershocks of Argentina's greatest earthquake, he is like a minor god who comes down to earth in a grand manner, falling in all the ways there are to fall.

Did you know that over 300 million people worldwide suffer from low self-esteem, low self-confidence, anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and hopelessness? But it doesn’t have to be this way. Overcoming these bad feelings is way easier than you might think. If we are stuck in this perpetual cycle of negative self-talk, things probably aren’t going to go so well. But if we can flip this script, then self-love, self-mastery, and abundance lie just around the corner.

This is a book about an amazing but simple new concept that has the power to change anybody’s life. The principles of ‘High vibrational thinking’ are explained in great detail, instigating an automatic shift in your awareness. This empowers you to handle the inevitable daily negative events in a more positive and productive way, therefore instantly improving your life in the process. As well as including twelve proven methods to further integrate HVT into your daily routine, which will allow you to work on releasing your trapped negative emotions and raise your vibration permanently. ...

It is now known that we live in a galaxy with more planets than stars. The Milky Way alone encompasses 30 trillion potential home planets. Scientists Trefil and Summers bring listeners on a marvelous experimental voyage through the possibilities of life-unlike anything we have experienced so far - that could exist on planets outside our own solar system.

In the first portrait of James Beard in 25 years, John Birdsall accomplishes what no prior telling of Beard's life and work has done: He looks beyond the public image of the "Dean of American Cookery" to give voice to the gourmet's complex, queer life and, in the process, illuminates the history of American food in the 20th century.

A year from retirement and still reeling from daughter Leena’s kidnapping, Portland PD Detective Wayne Deetz is called upon to check on a domestic violence case. From the moment Deetz and his friend Callie Freeland show up to help Sonny Carlisle, they are blindsided by a lawless, toxic steamroller named Blaine Milligan.

Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.