![]() As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen what heaven is intermarriage forgiveness doubting God and the importance of faith in trying times. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor - a reformed drug dealer and convict - who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof. Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. ![]() ![]() What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds - two men, two faiths, two communities - that will inspire readers everywhere. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Booth’s hatred for Lincoln was the primary motive for the assassination. He was the second youngest child of the Booths, flamboyantly proud Confederates who despised the idea of abolishing slavery and eventually hated Abraham Lincoln for his role in the Civil War. Booth was born in 1838 to a well-known theater family. As the story begins, Swanson focuses on Booth’s background. Thus, the book covers events between April 14th and April 26th 1865. Additionally, the narrative presents a well-rounded view of the cast of characters involved in every aspect of the crime and ensuing manhunt. He alternates focus between Booth and the law enforcement officials who pursued and finally captured him. ![]() Swanson’s tale does not limit itself to merely one perspective. The narrative focuses primarily on twelve-day chase for the president’s assassin, recounting events from the moment Booth decided to kill Lincoln, to the time the manhunt ended. James Swanson’s Manhunt tells the chilling story of the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Highlights of the volume include a section of full-color glossy photos of the cast, detailed props, make-up and set design signage. Supernatural: The Official Companion: Season 7 follows the exploits of Sam and Dean through all 23 episodes. With guest stars in the seventh season like Faran Tahir (Star Trek 2009), James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Felicia Day (The Guild), and more of Mark Sheppard (Doctor Who, Warehouse 13, Leverage) as recurring character Crowley, this is probably not the episode guide for fans of the Winchester brothers to miss. It’s a format that should be emulated by other publishing houses, and we hope to see other series like CW Network’s Arrow and Beauty and the Beast work with a publisher to release similar books for those series next year. Writer Nicholas Knight uses a nice mix of what you’d find in a standard series guide plus some nice extras, and he writes in a manner that will directly appeal to “Supernaturalinos”. This week Titan Books published Volume 7 of its Supernatural: The Official Companion series, documenting season by season both CW Network’s episodes but also providing behind the scenes information fans of the series should love. ![]() ![]() Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world's first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California's first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes." Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I doubted that I could ever work without "observing" and judging every moment. I don't take it on as my own.So this allows me not to be scared to go there, which allows me freedom as an actress to do anything, because I don't own it. I don't take ownership of that pain with me. With your technique, in character prep, when I visit a character's life, her past and create an event good or tragic - that belongs to her. "I was able to find my voice, and to find tears and to find levels, because I was able to have a safe place to go, that I could come back from. The Warner Loughlin Technique changes the way acting will be taught for generations to come. Her insight into life and art is remarkable. Loughlin debunks the myth of the tortured actor and guides you step by step through her groundbreaking technique revealing powerful ways to unlock your creativity in a psychologically safe way. ![]() Discover the technique used to help create some of the most remarkable performances of our time from actors such as Amy Adams, Ryan Reynolds, Kyra Sedgwick and countless other Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Grammy nominees and winners. Not a copy of the old masters, The Warner Loughlin Technique empowers the actor to create rich, nuanced and unique characters. For the first time in print, comes the revolutionary acting technique from the premiere acting coach of our era. ![]() ![]() ![]() In this bed on this island where no one else lives. I’m still not used to sleeping in this bed where she died, beneath her stained glass window-the blues and yellows and reds that form a cross, encircled in the Celtic way. ![]() ![]() My body is still and flat beneath the heavy quilts-the smell of them part mothball, part cedar, part mildew, part beach rose, part my grandmother. By nature, I didn’t much notice what wasn’t.Īgnes-this Agnes-comes from different stock. Which is to say: By nature, I made do with what was given. She might have been the first, my grandmother, or it may have entered sooner-I know so little of those who came before. There was a lack of practical concern that ran in our blood. Sometimes, I sensed, against her husband’s counsel. Agnes-the first Agnes, who was my father’s mother, not long dead, on whose island I find myself now, and whom I named my daughter after (if only to pretend to understand a mystery)-had always protected her love for her only child. ![]() ![]() I look forward to hearing his thoughts about the characters, and the choices that they make. I have no doubt my avid Christian reader will finish this book in one day long sitting. ![]() We do not fear reading materials that make us question someone's devotion to God. I see this summer reading assignment as a great opportunity to approach important subjects with my son when he gets back from Christian church camp next week.yes, we are religious. When a meteor knocks the moon closer to earth, Miranda, a high school sophomore, takes shelter with her family. The book makes us think about what is really important in life. I agree this book covers a terrifying subject, but the message in the book is strong. It is a book that a kid would want to read for entertainment. ![]() How should her family prepare for the future when. My aggravation disappeared when I read the book. Mirandas disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. ![]() Its a tribute to how long its been since I so indulged, that the most interesting place I found myself plopped into was an article from a year ago about a teacher winning a 1000.00 prize. Haven't we worked our overachievers enough this school year? A few days ago, I did something I hadnt done in a very long time. I wasn't too happy when I learned that my soon to be sixth grader has a summer reading assignment for his pre-AP English class next year. ![]() ![]() It replayed like a high definition film in her mind. She recalled the bitter row she’d had with her boyfriend that morning. Clare couldn’t tell if she knew the woman or not.Īs Clare stared at the body of the young woman, she couldn’t help thinking how short and fragile life was, and what a lucky escape she had just had. Her brown hair had, at some point, been twisted into the regulation chignon, which Air London cabin crew were required to wear if their hair was longer than chin length, but it had come loose and covered her face. The dead woman was wearing an Air London stewardess uniform, identical to the one Clare herself wore. Clare gasped and took a step back, hands over her mouth, then, as her initial shock subsided, she leaned forward for a closer look. So was her handbag – he'd robbed her, too, then.Ĭlare felt a cold wetness between her toes and realised she was barefoot.Īs she glanced around looking for her shoes, she saw a woman’s body lying on the ground at her feet, lying face down in a muddy puddle. All she heard was the rustling of leaves in the breeze. ![]() All she saw were the outlines of the great oak trees, barely visible against the night sky. She glanced over her shoulder, dreading what she might see. ![]() She was surprised to have regained consciousness at all. Oddly, there was no pain, not even in her throat. Clare was trembling as she slowly and carefully got to her feet. ![]() ![]() ![]() We speak Nyanja, Namwanga, Mwambe and Bemba. My parents speak two different Bantu languages, and even my sister and I speak different languages so we all speak to each other in English. The local news is still delivered in seven languages. I wanted readers to get a sense that Zambia contains a multitude of cultures that are lassoed together. We’re seen as happy and sweet and a little moony, stargazey. There’s a mix of Bantu languages woven into the text. I also had timelines, to make sure that one character reached Victoria Falls after bungee jumping started - or that another character is the right age to play with He-Man figurines as toys. ![]() ![]() Then there’s a large Excel document that describes the entire plot - each scene, each episode, each sequence - in a synecdochic fashion, like fractals. How did you keep track of all the characters?I work on planes and trains a lot, so there are lots of cocktail napkins with A, B, C, C, B, A and spiral drawings. I was very much influenced by “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez, and “Midnight’s Children” and “The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie. I figured out that if you were to sketch out the movement between the families as a triangle it forms a spiral. I wanted the reader to get a sense of circulating between three families, and I knew that I wanted to move generationally from the oldest to the youngest generation - with hinges from the grandmothers to the mothers, and from the mothers to the children. ![]() ![]() ![]() This book focuses on the dramatic fall of Anne Boleyn, and, despite the inevitability of the outcome, Mantel manages to fill the book with tension. In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell is a much darker and more ruthless character, willing to enact revenge on others and do anything he can to retain the King’s favour. ![]() The touching moments from the first book that helped to humanise Cromwell, such as the loss of his wife and daughters, are not present in this second book. Perhaps because there is a greater focus on character building in Wolf Hall, I found the sequel to be more plot-driven and fast-paced than the original. ![]() (Read my review of the first book here.) I really enjoyed this book, maybe even more so than Wolf Hall. Bring Up the Bodies is the second book in Hilary Mantels’ Wolf Hall series, a trilogy of historical fiction novels that follow the life of Thomas Cromwell and his rise to power in the Tudor Court. ![]() |