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On the Ice with...Mario Lemieux
by Matt ChristopherHockey has been a part of Mario Lemieux's life since his childhood. At the age of six he was holding his own against boys four years older; by the time he was sixteen, he had captured the attention of the National Hockey league, and soon after signed on with NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games he captained the Canadian hockey team, leading them in their gold medal winning performance.
On the Ice with...Tara Lapinski
by Matt ChristopherDescribes the life and skating career of the young woman who won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Olympics.
On the Life of Galileo: Viviani's Historical Account and Other Early Biographies
by Stefano GatteiThe first collection and translation into English of the earliest biographical accounts of Galileo’s lifeThis unique critical edition presents key early biographical accounts of the life and work of Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), written by his close contemporaries. Collected and translated into English for the first time and supplemented by an introduction and incisive annotations by Stefano Gattei, these documents paint an incomparable firsthand picture of Galileo and offer rare insights into the construction of his public image and the complex intertwining of science, religion, and politics in seventeenth-century Italy.Here in its entirety is Vincenzo Viviani’s Historical Account, an extensive and influential biography of Galileo written in 1654 by his last and most devoted pupil. Viviani’s text is accompanied by his “Letter to Prince Leopoldo de’ Medici on the Application of Pendulum to Clocks” (1659), his 1674 description of Galileo’s later works, and the long inscriptions on the façade of Viviani’s Florentine palace (1702). The collection also includes the “Adulatio perniciosa,” a Latin poem written in 1620 by Cardinal Maffeo Barberini—who, as Pope Urban VIII, would become Galileo’s prosecutor—as well as descriptive accounts that emerged from the Roman court and contemporary European biographers.Featuring the original texts in Italian, Latin, and French with their English translations on facing pages, this invaluable book shows how Galileo’s pupils, friends, and critics shaped the Galileo myth for centuries to come, and brings together in one volume the primary sources needed to understand the legendary scientist in his time.
On the Line: Life – and death – in the Metropolitan Police
by Alice Vinten'A warts-and-all memoir of an ex-cop from probationer days on. Fascinating' IAN RANKIN'A humane but unflinching look at the sharp end of contemporary policing' LUKE JENNINGS'I loved this book. Gritty and gripping, moving and shocking, this brilliant police memoir shows that life on the force really is different for girls' ERIN KELLY Welcome to London. Population: 8.7 million. And it's your job to keep them safe. A no-holds-barred account of life on the front line of policing, On the Line follows PC Alice Hearn throughout ten years in the Met, from rookie to constable. As she deals with violent criminals, heart-breaking domestic situations, petty crime, life, death, and everything in between, she builds up a portrait of a living, complex city, and what it means to look after it.'COMPELLING' Sunday Express 'EXTRAORDINARY' Mail on Sunday'I've never read such an authentic and interesting account of what it's like to be a female police officer' Louise Voss'Deeply moving and inspiring' Jane Casey'Alice Vinten is the real deal - all the thrills of a crime novel, only true' Mel McGrath'Heartbreaking, funny and, most of all, honest' Lisa Cutts'Compelling, honest and moving' Laura Wilson
On the Mound with ... Curt Schilling (Matt Christopher)
by Matt Christopher Glenn StoutA biography of Curt Schilling, star pitcher with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
On the Move: A Life (Picador Collection)
by Oliver SacksWhen Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote in his report: 'Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far'. It is now abundantly clear that Sacks has never stopped going. From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, On the Move is infused with his restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California and then in New York, where he discovered a long-forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, as well as with a group of patients who would define his life, it becomes clear that Sacks's earnest desire for engagement has occasioned unexpected encounters and travels - sending him through bars and alleys, over oceans, and across continents.With unbridled honesty and humour, Sacks shows us that the same energy that drives his physical passions - bodybuilding, weightlifting, and swimming - also drives his cerebral passions. He writes about his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual, his guilt over leaving his family to come to America, his bond with his schizophrenic brother, and the writers and scientists - Thom Gunn, A. R. Luria, W. H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick - who influenced him.On the Move is the story of a brilliantly unconventional physician and writer - and of the man who has illuminated the many ways that the brain makes us human.
On the Red Hill: Where Four Lives Fell Into Place
by Mike Parker‘A marvellous book... an uplifting tale of tranquillity sought and found in the nearest Britain gets to paradise.’ Simon Jenkins‘There are worlds on worlds within this lyrical and profoundly cultured book. In an age of toxic artifice, this is the most necessary medicine: the tenderness of reality and the living, elemental, world.’ Jay Griffiths ‘Such a delightful book about beauty, joy, love and home... to be celebrated and read.’ Sara Maitland‘A great queer rural triumph of a book – wonderfully passionate, funny and insightful. It overflows with love.’ Tom BulloughA multi-layered memoir of love, acceptance, finding home and the redemptive power of nature.In early 2006, Mike Parker and his partner Peredur were witnesses at the first civil partnership ceremony in the small Welsh town of Machynlleth. The celebrants were their friends Reg and George, who had moved to deepest rural Wales in 1972, not long after the decriminalisation of homosexuality. When Reg and George died within a few weeks of each other in 2011, Mike and Peredur discovered that they had been left their home: a whitewashed ‘house from the children’s stories’, buried deep within the hills. They had also been left a lifetime’s collection of diaries, photographs, letters and books, all revealing an extraordinary history.On the Red Hill is the story of Rhiw Goch, ‘the Red Hill’, and its inhabitants, but also the story of a remarkable rural community and a legacy that extends far beyond bricks and mortar. On The Red Hill celebrates the turn of the year’s wheel, of ever-changing landscapes, and of the family to be found in the unlikeliest of places. Taking the four seasons, the four elements and these four lives as his structure, Mike Parker creates a lyrical but clear-eyed exploration of the natural world, the challenges of accepting one’s place in it, and what it can mean to find home.
On the Road: Growing up in Eight Journeys - My Early Years
by Richard HammondON THE ROAD: GROWING UP IN EIGHT JOURNEYS - MY EARLY YEARS is a new form of autobiography, in which TOP GEAR presenter Richard Hammond tells the story of his early life through a series of significant driving episodes. He's a child in the back seat of Dad's car on the way to the seaside in Weston-Super-Mare. He's on his first bike, a red one, in Solihull, then on his first motorcycle, a Honda MTX50. He's at the wheel of his first car (and in the back with his first girlfriend). He is driving a furniture delivery van as part of his first job in and around Ripon. Now he is showing off with a friend, risking everything.ON THE ROAD is an emotional road map in which each chapter has its own registration number, and its own distinctive interior. Most importantly, each chapter sets off and arrives. ON THE ROAD surges on to its destination, reversing or moving quickly through the gears, reliving the central episodes and conflicts of Richard's life. Every chapter is a stage in a longer journey. Although there are precious few road-rage monologues against four-wheel drivers and men in vests in white vans, Richard Hammond's readers will quickly recognise the funny self-deprecating and balanced ease that has made him one of Britain's best-loved writers and television presenters.
On the Road... with Kids: One Family's Life-Changing Gap Year
by John AhernCraving a great adventure, John Ahern buys a battered campervan online, aiming to spend a year travelling on the road… with kids. Taking their children through 30 countries on a hilarious and life-changing journey, John and wife Mandy find themselves mugged by monkeys, charmed by snake handlers and inspired by their fellow wanderers.
On the Track with...Jeff Gordon
by Matt ChristopherMatt Christopher delves into the life of Jeff Gordon, the racing sensation, and recreates his memorable moments with exciting turn-by-turn action. This fast-paced biography includes photos, Gordon's stats, and a list of his NASCAR career highlights.
On the Trail of Patrick Geddes (On The Trail Of Ser.)
by Walter StephenPart of a series of guides following key figures and themes, Walter Stephen explores the life and theories of the Scottish biologist, sociologist, geographer, philanthropist and urban planner, Sir Patrick Geddes. His renewal work in Edinburgh’s Old Town is as visible and impressive today as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries and his concepts such as ‘Think Global, Act Local’ are just as relevant. The author is an authority on Patrick Geddes and this book forms part of the On the Trail series.
On the Wagon
by Lennox NicholsonJack Kerouac’s On the Road helped to define freedom for a generation. But when a young recovering alcoholic turned to the Beat classic for inspiration, he saw more warning signs and wreckages than enlightenment and self-discovery. Was that really freedom? Setting off from Australia, Lennox Nicholson retraces the journey of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty but with one crucial twist – he will try to stay sober. Instead of booze, Benzos and stolen cars he will rely on the generosity of strangers he meets in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Along the way, Nicholson talks freedom with everyone he meets. In comparing his own experiences of excess , indulgence and freedom to that celebrated by the Beat writers, he discovers that the chalk-and-cheese forces of Beat and AA have plenty to learn from one another.
On the Way to Myself: Communications to a Friend (Collected Works of Charlotte Wolff)
by Charlotte WolffOriginally published in 1969, Dr Charlotte Wolff was the author of three books of psychology: The Human Hand, A Psychology of Gesture and The Hand in Psychological Diagnosis. This book, though it contains much psychology, is not of the same scientific kind as these. It is an autobiography, but not one of the normal kind. It is the history of a mind, not the chronicle of a life. For this reason it is not arranged chronologically but it is constructed round what the author called the creative shock experiences of her life, some of which belong with their consequences rather than with events adjacent in time. The resulting book is one of imaginative psychology. In the course of a life which began on the borders of Poland and carried her to Germany, France, Russia and England, Dr Wolff had met and known many of the most famous writers, artists and thinkers of the time. In Germany she studied under the founding Existentialists, Husserl and Heidegger; in France she carried out psychological research under Professor Henri Wallon and was also assisted by the Surrealists, André Breton, St. Exupéry, Paul Eluard; in England she was aided in her work by Sir Julian Huxley, Aldous Huxley and his wife, Dr William Stephenson, Dr Earle and others. But Dr Wolff’s earliest creative work was as a poet, and though she turned to psychology, her interest in art brought her into touch at different times with Ravel, Virginia Woolf, Bernard Shaw, Lady Ottoline Morrell, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Baladine Klossowska and many more. Dr Earle wrote of her that she is ‘an artist of psychology’, and it is thus that she appears in this odd and fascinating book. Today it is an interesting glimpse in to the life of an early feminist psychologist. Her later research focused on sexology, her writing on lesbianism and bisexuality were influential early works in the field.
On the Way to Myself: Communications to a Friend (Collected Works of Charlotte Wolff)
by Charlotte WolffOriginally published in 1969, Dr Charlotte Wolff was the author of three books of psychology: The Human Hand, A Psychology of Gesture and The Hand in Psychological Diagnosis. This book, though it contains much psychology, is not of the same scientific kind as these. It is an autobiography, but not one of the normal kind. It is the history of a mind, not the chronicle of a life. For this reason it is not arranged chronologically but it is constructed round what the author called the creative shock experiences of her life, some of which belong with their consequences rather than with events adjacent in time. The resulting book is one of imaginative psychology. In the course of a life which began on the borders of Poland and carried her to Germany, France, Russia and England, Dr Wolff had met and known many of the most famous writers, artists and thinkers of the time. In Germany she studied under the founding Existentialists, Husserl and Heidegger; in France she carried out psychological research under Professor Henri Wallon and was also assisted by the Surrealists, André Breton, St. Exupéry, Paul Eluard; in England she was aided in her work by Sir Julian Huxley, Aldous Huxley and his wife, Dr William Stephenson, Dr Earle and others. But Dr Wolff’s earliest creative work was as a poet, and though she turned to psychology, her interest in art brought her into touch at different times with Ravel, Virginia Woolf, Bernard Shaw, Lady Ottoline Morrell, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Baladine Klossowska and many more. Dr Earle wrote of her that she is ‘an artist of psychology’, and it is thus that she appears in this odd and fascinating book. Today it is an interesting glimpse in to the life of an early feminist psychologist. Her later research focused on sexology, her writing on lesbianism and bisexuality were influential early works in the field.
On the Wilder Shores of Love: A Bohemian Life
by Lesley Blanch Georgia de ChamberetMost famous for The Wilder Shores of Love, her book about four women travellers, Lesley Blanch was a scholarly romantic and a bold writer. Her lifelong passion was for Russia, the Balkans and the Middle East. At heart a nomad, she spent the greater part of her life travelling the remote areas her books record so vividly.Edited by her goddaughter Georgia de Chamberet, who was working with her in her centenary year, this book collects together the story of Blanch's marriage, previously published only in French; a selection of her journalism which brings to life the artistic melting pot that was London between the wars; and a selection of her most evocative travel pieces.Illustrated with photos alongside a selection of line drawings by Lesley Blanch
On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya
by Mick FowlerOn Thin Ice is Mick Fowler's second set of climbing memoirs, following Vertical Pleasure. Here, the celebrated mountaineer records his expeditions since 1990. Despite work and family commitments, he has maintained a regular series of 'big trips' to challenging objectives around the world with a sequence of major successes: Taweche (1995, with Pat Littlejohn), Changabang (1997, with Steve Sustad, Andy Cave and Brendan Murphy), Arwa Tower (1999, with Sustad), Mount Kennedy (2000, with Cave), Siguniang (2002, with Paul Ramsden). Siguniang's hard ice climbing on a fabulous face in deepest China was so admired by the international climbing community that it won the US 'Golden Piton' and the French 'Piolet d'Or', both awards given for the finest alpine achievements in the world during that year. The author describes his travels in the great traditions, with engaging modesty and wit, but the climbs themselves are frequently so dramatic that the anxiety and tension forces its way to the surface to be matched by a corresponding relief and triumph when success and safe descent is achieved. Mick Fowler has thus become Britain's most successful exponent of high-standard lightweight mountaineering in the greater ranges. At 48 he is already something of an elder statesman of a cadre of international activists. They are steadily ticking off the most challenging lines in the world - a 'golden age' of super-alpinism that is now in full swing. How this influences activities on the 8000m peaks where the dangers (rarefied air, weather severity and sheer scale) are greater is an open question. History suggests that as major challenges on the lower peaks are steadily mastered the focus will return to technical challenges offered at the higher altitudes. Whether the results will exceed achievements such as the Kurtyka/Schauer (Gasherbrum 4) and the Bohigas/Lucas (Annapurna 1) remains to be seen. The combination of exotic travel with major climbs provides the ultimate adrenalin-soaked holiday experience that Mick Fowler has mastered to the full. We are transported from the cliffs of Jordan, to remote peaks in deepest Asia, via Taweche and Changabang in the Himalaya, with jaunts to the Andes and Alaska thrown in for good measure. That Fowler has organised this routine for years, while holding down a conventional nine-to-five job with the Inland Revenue, has constantly amazed his peers. In this, his second book, he has also mastered the skills of amusing travel-writing to entertain us as a preliminary to the finale of a titanic struggle on each of his fiendishly demanding climbs.
On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World's Deadliest Roads
by Hugh RowlandFrom floating ice to snowstorms - meet the adrenalin junkie and death-defying star of the History Channel and Five USA's hit show ICE ROAD TRUCKERS.Every year a fleet of men travel to the Arctic Circle, a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating the abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds and gold is relatively easy - but extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The truckers picked to deliver these precious commodities spend two months traveling hundreds of miles on a naturally formed road of ice. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.For more than 20 years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like no other. Known by the ice road trucking community as 'The Polar Bear' - a reference to his legendary stamina, strong personality, bearish attitude and prowess on the ice - Rowland has performed amazing feats and survived spectacular wrecks to become the undisputed king of the ice road truckers. Each year when the temperature plummets to -70°C, Rowland leaves his family, home and successful excavation business north of Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1900 miles to Yellowknife, where he throttles up for another ice road season. ON THIN ICE traces the history of ice road trucking, the preparation for the trek and follows Rowland through his nine week journey across the infamous Ice Road. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, this adrenalin-filled book follows his journey to the edge of endurance and back. It's an extraordinary look at an extreme life.
On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World's Deadliest Roads
by Hugh Rowland Michael LentYou've watched him battle the odds on History's Ice Road Truckers. Now read Hugh "The Polar Bear" Roland's own storm-by-storm account of surviving and conquering the infamous ice roads of the Arctic. Join Hugh in the front seat of his truck as he shares his most chilling, adrenaline-fueled tales of the world's most dangerous job. Every year, a fleet of truckers travels beyond the northern equatorial line to the Arctic Circle, battling subzero temperatures and perilous conditions. Though treacherous, it is a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating this abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds, and gold is relatively easy; extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The elite truckers chosen to deliver materials vital to these efforts spend two months traveling distances greater than Western Europe on naturally formed roads of ice that is only sixteen inches thick. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. For more than twenty years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like none other. Each year when the temperature plummets, Rowland leaves his family in Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1,900 miles to Yellowknife, where he will begin his odyssey. Facing the threat of perilous avalanches, hundred-foot cliffs, and the ever-present danger of cracking through the ice, Hugh must push himself to the limit. The payoff is sweet, but Rowland isn't in it just for the money; he is driven by the camaraderie, the call to adventure, and the chance to battle the odds year after year. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, On Thin Ice traces the history of ice road trucking, chronicles Rowland's preparation for the trek, and follows him through his perilous journey along the infamous ice roads. Take a ride with Rowland as he recounts tales of epic breakdowns and breathtaking heroism that are just a daily part of the job. In this classic battle of man and machine versus cruelest nature, only the strong will survive to see their payday, their families, and the chance to do it all over again . . . on thin ice. WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER . . . "You've never experienced winter until you've lived through one in the far north. It starts in October and doesn't let up until mid-April. The temperatures drop to minus 70, with winds blowing 60 miles an hour. At that temperature, you throw a pot of boiling water or coffee into the air and it will instantly vaporize and turn into snow. It's cold as hell, but it's also full of riches: silver, gold, uranium, diamonds, and oil worth tens of billions of dollars. Locating these treasures in the frozen tundra is the easy part. Getting them out of the ground and bringing them from the frozen wasteland to civilization is a lot tougher. That's my job." --From Ice Road Truckers
On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World's Deadliest Roads
by Hugh Rowland Michael LentYou've watched him battle the odds on History's Ice Road Truckers. Now read Hugh "The Polar Bear" Roland's own storm-by-storm account of surviving and conquering the infamous ice roads of the Arctic. Join Hugh in the front seat of his truck as he shares his most chilling, adrenaline-fueled tales of the world's most dangerous job. Every year, a fleet of truckers travels beyond the northern equatorial line to the Arctic Circle, battling subzero temperatures and perilous conditions. Though treacherous, it is a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating this abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds, and gold is relatively easy; extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The elite truckers chosen to deliver materials vital to these efforts spend two months traveling distances greater than Western Europe on naturally formed roads of ice that is only sixteen inches thick. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. For more than twenty years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like none other. Each year when the temperature plummets, Rowland leaves his family in Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1,900 miles to Yellowknife, where he will begin his odyssey. Facing the threat of perilous avalanches, hundred-foot cliffs, and the ever-present danger of cracking through the ice, Hugh must push himself to the limit. The payoff is sweet, but Rowland isn't in it just for the money; he is driven by the camaraderie, the call to adventure, and the chance to battle the odds year after year. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, On Thin Ice traces the history of ice road trucking, chronicles Rowland's preparation for the trek, and follows him through his perilous journey along the infamous ice roads. Take a ride with Rowland as he recounts tales of epic breakdowns and breathtaking heroism that are just a daily part of the job. In this classic battle of man and machine versus cruelest nature, only the strong will survive to see their payday, their families, and the chance to do it all over again . . . on thin ice. WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER . . . "You've never experienced winter until you've lived through one in the far north. It starts in October and doesn't let up until mid-April. The temperatures drop to minus 70, with winds blowing 60 miles an hour. At that temperature, you throw a pot of boiling water or coffee into the air and it will instantly vaporize and turn into snow. It's cold as hell, but it's also full of riches: silver, gold, uranium, diamonds, and oil worth tens of billions of dollars. Locating these treasures in the frozen tundra is the easy part. Getting them out of the ground and bringing them from the frozen wasteland to civilization is a lot tougher. That's my job." -- From Ice Road Truckers
On Time: Why The World Is Faster And How To Make Time Work For You
by Catherine BlythWhy has time sped up? Why is there never enough? How can you make it yours again? On Time reveals why time sped up, why there never seems to be enough, and how to make it yours again.
On Time: A Princely Life in Funk
by Morris DayA memoir by Morris Day of The Time centering around his lifelong relationship and association with Prince.Brilliant composer, smooth soul singer, killer drummer, and charismatic band leader, Morris Day, has been a force in American music for the past four decades. In On Time, the renowned funkster looks back on a life of turbulence and triumph. He chronicles his creative process with an explosive prose that mirrors his intoxicating music. Morris' story is a fast-paced page-turner replete with unexpected twists and shocking surprises. A major and fascinating theme is his lifelong friendship and years of musical partnership with Prince, from their early days on the Minneapolis scene to selling out stadiums and duking it out as rivals in Purple Rain. Eventually, Morris went on to release four albums with a new band of his very own, the legendary Time. He battled his addictions and came out victorious. But not before increasing tensions and embittered rivalry between Prince and the Revolution and Morris Day and the Time led the two performers towards separate paths. Through the years, the fierce brotherly love between Morris and Prince kept bringing them back together, over and over again-until pride, ego, and circumstance interfered. Two months before Prince's untimely death, the two finally reconnected and started to make amends. But Morris could've never imagined it would be the last time he'd ever see his friend again. This is Morris Day's singular story in which the magic of music is the ultimate healer. On Time is also a deep meditation on friendship, Morris' poetic method of reconciling the loss of his close friend and longtime collaborator, and a way to commemorate an incendiary life cut short. But this book is more than just a walk down memory lane-it's a metaphorical means to bring Prince back to life. Throughout the narrative, Morris allows Prince's "voice" to protect his own legacy, to counter Morris's interpretations of events, and to essentially breathe new life into a tale as old as time-of two brothers, two bands, and a musical culture that even today pulsates with fresh energy.
On Time: A Princely Life in Funk
by Morris DayA memoir by Morris Day of The Time centering around his lifelong relationship and association with Prince"A vital, illuminating, and wildly entertaining autobiography." -Billboard"Great book! Great storytelling!" -LENNY KRAVITZ"Lean, slick, cooler than Santa Claus, and surprisingly tender, this book not only traces Day's history in Minneapolis funk, but doubles as an intimate recollection of his time with Prince." -BEN GREENMAN, author of Dig If You Will The Picture Brilliant composer, smooth soul singer, killer drummer, and charismatic band leader, Morris Day has been a force in American music for the past four decades. In On Time, the renowned funkster looks back on a life of turbulence and triumph, chronicling his creative process with an explosive prose that mirrors his intoxicating music. A major theme throughout the book is Morris's enduring friendship and musical partnership with Prince, from their early days on the Minneapolis scene to selling out stadiums and duking it out as rivals in Purple Rain. Eventually, Morris went on to release four albums with a new band of his very own, The Time; however, before long, increasing tensions between the two performers set them down separate paths. Through the years, the fierce brotherly love between Morris and Prince kept bringing them back together-until pride, ego, and circumstance interfered. Two months before Prince's untimely death, the two finally started to make amends. But Morris never could have imagined it would be the last time he'd ever see his friend again.
On The Trail of Grant and Lee
by Frederick Trevor HillAn examination of the lives of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee
On Tuesdays I'm a Buddhist: Expeditions in an in-between world where therapy ends and stories begin
by Michael Harding'Searingly honest, funny, self-deprecating, Harding's narrative seems to rest on the pulse of Ireland' Irish TimesOne day in the summer of 2016, Michael Harding's wife brought an unusual gift home from Warsaw. All of a sudden, he found himself falling back into the old religious devotions of an earlier time. The meaning he had found through years of engagement with therapy began to dissolve.Here, in On Tuesdays I'm a Buddhist, Harding examines the search for meaning in life which keeps him fastened to the idea of god.After many therapy sessions focused on an effort to uncover personal truth, and long solitary months on the road with a one man show, Harding is finally led to an artists' retreat in the shadow of Skellig Michael.Mixing stories from the road with dispatches from his Irish Times columns, On Tuesdays I'm a Buddhist is a spell-binding and powerful book about the human condition, the narratives we weave around the self, and the ultimate bliss of living in the present moment.'What happens between one story and the next? That's the really interesting part. That's the space where we find bliss; where we float sometimes, suspended, and only for a brief moment. Perhaps only for a few scarce moments in an entire life.'
On Whale Island: Notes from a Place I Never Meant to Leave
by Daniel HaysAfter Daniel Hays and his father built a twenty-five-foot boat and sailed it around Cape Horn, he thought he'd finally put his wanderlust to rest. He went back to school, bought a house, took a job, got married.But as it turned out, in the real world Daniel Hays felt lost. So he took his love for the sea and his need to escape civilization and pushed it further: he bought an island off the coast of Nova Scotia; built a tiny house; packed up his wife and stepson, two dogs, and three boatloads of supplies; and moved there. This is the story of fulfilling a fantasy: to live by your own rules and your own wits. And Daniel Hays, as readers of My Old Man and the Sea will remember, is well equipped to do both. He generates electricity from solar power and a terrifying windmill, funnels rainwater for their showers, creates a toilet seat out of a whale vertebra, strings their bed up on pulleys so that by day it can be lifted out of the way. For him, every morning is a wonder and every storm a blood-coursing thrill.But while Daniel loves this permanent boy's life, his wife longs for the life they left behind, and his spirited stepson is feeling isolated. Soon, their Swiss Family Robinson existence becomes a vision only Daniel can see.Funny, tender, and fascinating, filled with the details of an unconventional life, this is the story of how the Hays family lived on Whale Island, and how, finally, they had to leave.