In this thoughtful, affectionate collection of interviews and letters spanning three decades, beloved poet Gary Snyder talks with South African writer and scholar Julia Martin. Over this period many things changed decisively—globally, locally, and in their personal lives—and these changing conditions provide the back story for a long conversation. It begins in the early 1980s as an intellectual exchange between an earnest graduate student and a generous distinguished writer, and becomes a long-distance friendship and an exploration of spiritual practice. At the project’s heart is Snyder’s understanding of Buddhism. Again and again, the conversations return to an explication of the teachings. Snyder’s characteristic approach is to articulate a direct experience of Buddhist practice rather than any kind of abstract philosophy. In the version he describes here, this practice finds expression not primarily as an Asian import or a monastic ideal, but in the specificities of a householder’s life as lived creatively in a particular location at a particular moment in history. This means that whatever “topic” a dialogue explores, there is a sense that all of it is about practice—the spiritual-social practice of a contemporary poet.

In her long career, Ugresic has published several novels (e.g., The Ministry of Pain), but she made her name with her essay collections, which have caused controversy and earned her the admiration of writers and critics abroad. In these latest musings, written over the course of several years, Ugresic leaves no stone unturned and no thought contained, doing what she does best: writing about the human condition through her own experience. Refusing to establish a central theme, she touches upon a wide range of topics: the paradox of multiculturalism, metaphors as our "defense against nightmares," the eerie similarities between capitalism and communism, and ways in which we try to rise hopelessly above our less-than-perfect existence. Along the way, she pays homage to the works of literature that have influenced her own creative process, in an effort to pay "a symbolic literary tax on narcissim" because "writing is not the humblest of vocations." Perhaps not, but Ugresic certainly knows how to balance being a critic with being criticized. Recommended for all libraries collecting cultural criticism.--Mirela Roncevic, Library Journal Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

After caring for his mother at the end of her life, Thomas Gass took a job as a nursing home aide in a for-profit long term care home. This graphic, poignant & chilling book details his experiences in this 'warehouse' for the elderly & asks fundamental questions about care in American nursing homes.

In this broad-based study of American fiction, canonical and otherwise, Arnold Weinstein examines closely the strong ties between language, history and culture, with a particular focus on freedom of the self.

The scourge of the monster house affects communities all across Canada, so while the Toronto neighbourhood of York Mills is not unique in this respect, it has suffered more than most, owing to the generous size of its residential lots in what has now become the centre of the city. York Mills was still a rural community until after the Second World War, when a post-war population boom created a housing boom that gobbled up the local woods and farmland. By 1960 most of this land had been sacrificed for housing, and by the mid-1970s it was all gone. Then a strange thing began to happen. Developers, who had the money to outbid legitimate home buyers, started tearing down perfectly liveable post-war homes to build monster houses. Today, over fifty years later, this destructive practice continues. The environmental costs have been devastating, as affordable houses are demolished—their remains dumped in landfills—and mature trees are cut down to facilitate the new construction: construction that demands copious amounts of wood, cement, and other new building materials. The social cost has been equally damaging, as affordable homes are destroyed and replaced by multi-million-dollar houses that are out of reach of families who once called these neighbourhoods home. The three hundred colour photos in this book recall but a fraction of the homes we have lost in this one community alone. The text tells their stories, stories that take us back to a time when houses were places to live, not get-rich-quick schemes.

...sometimes we need to go through the darkness to get to the light and that it may be emotionally painful...” the Needs Based Method of [overcoming] alcohol and drug abuse,” and how Oden deals with the why dependency happens. Many can benefit from Oden’s eye-opening and highly successful method. —”the emotional, physical, or social absence of or ‘neglect’ by a caretaker, or when nobody’s home.” -US Review of Books

For the first time in his esteemed career, Tim Powers returns to the setting (and a central character) from his landmark time travel novel, "The Anubis Gates." Tracking the murderer of her fiancee through 19th century London's darkest warrens, Jacky Snapp has disguised herself as a boy but the disguise fails when, trying to save a girl from the ghost of her jealous husband, Jacky finds that she has made herself visible to the ghosts that cluster around the Thames And one of them is the ghost of her fiancee, who was poisoned and physically transformed by his murderer but unwittingly shot dead by Jacky herself. Jacky and the girl she rescued, united in the need to banish their pursuing ghosts, learn that their only hope is to flee upriver to the barge known as Nobody's Home where the exorcist whose name is Nobody charges an intolerable price.

This book can be used as an initiation into a new way of seeing, into the recognition that there is another possibility, which simply transforms everything. There is no guarantee that reading this book is going to bring you new insights or take away your problems, but it will take away several conditionings and belief systems so you finally understand that there is no path to follow to find liberation. Nobody can tell you what to do or where to go. You may discover that your true nature is so much more than you always imagined it to be, and that your awareness is not limited to the function of your brain, but that it goes beyond the limitations of your body and mind. From that discovery, a lot of concepts and beliefs are put in perspective which may bring you peace of mind. You may rediscover infinity in the simplicity of everyday life. And when all illusions are taken away, life may become simpler.

THE LATEST SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB THRILLER PICK FROM THE AUTHOR OF YOU WERE GONE Nine neighbours gather for a dinner party. But by the next morning, they had disappeared without a trace. No bodies. No evidence. No clues. Two and a half years later, it remains a mystery. Desperate for answers, the families of the missing turn to investigator David Raker. How did an entire village vanish overnight? And is he looking for nine missing people, or nine dead bodies? 'The terrific David Raker series - bliss!' LEE CHILD 'I was hooked from beginning to end. A dark, thrilling rollercoaster of a read that is not only unputdownable but has heart' Claire Douglas 'From the moment I read the intriguing premise for this book, I couldn't wait to dive in - and I wasn't disappointed. A clever and original plot, expertly executed' Rachel Abbott Praise for Tim Weaver: 'So many twists and surprises' Times 'Impressive' Guardian 'I couldn't put it down' Sun 'It had me racing to the end' Fiona Barton 'Genuinely original' Gillian McAllister