Book picks similar to
Leprechauns, Legends & Irish Tales by Hugh McGowan
mythology
pagan
books-i-read-as-a-kid
art
Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales
Kate Forrester - 2016
Perilous quests, true love, and animals that talk. The traditional stories of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales transport us to the fantastical world of Celtic folklore. These timeless tales brim with wit and magic, and each on is brought to life with elegant silhouette art in this special illustrated edition.
Sex, Drugs & Opera
Roland Orzabal - 2014
With his gorgeous, successful wife, Jenny, his country pile, and gold discs hanging in his plush bathroom, he seems to have it all. But all is not well between Jenny and Solomon; as her business continues to grow, her affection for her husband begins to diminish, and soon divorce is on the cards. To try and win Jenny back, Solomon throws his bruised heart into trying out for a reality TV show that turns lapsed pop acts into opera singers. The ace up his sleeve is an eccentric octogenarian opera coach he employs to get ahead of the competition but, to his surprise, Solomon learns far more than how to improve the quality of his vibrato; especially when his coach asks Solomon to duet with newly single Samantha... Sex, Drugs & Opera is the debut novel of Tears for Fears musician, Roland Orzabal.
Life to the Fullest: A Story About Finding Your Purpose and Following Your Heart (Sports for the Soul Book 4)
Darrin Donnelly - 2017
But how, exactly, do you find your purpose? And, once you find it, how can you be sure that it’s “safe” to follow that path in life? This book answers those two life-changing questions. Written as an inspirational fable in the style of previous Sports for the Soul books, Life to the Fullest reveals a powerful five-step process for finding your purpose while also dealing with the questions we all have about whether it’s “safe” to follow the dreams in our hearts. In a story that pays homage to the holiday classics, It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, John Callahan is a man who has spent his life listening to his heart and following his passion as a high school football coach just like his legendary father. But his dream life is suddenly being crushed. Just days before the state championship game, John receives news that his beloved school is declaring bankruptcy and will be shutting down at the end of the year. Everything John has worked his whole life for—his team, his community, his pension—is being taken away from him. John now finds himself angry at his long-deceased father for advising him to follow his heart and he’s angry at himself for not taking “better” opportunities when they came along. When all hope seems lost, John receives a miraculous visit from his father on the eve of his team’s final game. John is given the opportunity to revisit past moments in his life and to see how things would’ve turned out differently if he had chosen more “practical” opportunities. This is a story about fathers and sons. It’s a story about faith, family, and community. Most of all, it’s a story about having the courage to follow your heart and live your true purpose. As this story plays out, you will find the answers to two of life’s most important questions: How do I find my life’s purpose and is it safe to follow that purpose once I find it?
Faeries, Elves and Goblins: The Old Stories
Rosalind Kerven - 2013
Interspersed with spotlight features on faery folklore, including fascinating quotes drawn from medieval manuscripts and both written and oral folklore, these tales cover faery morals, elvish misdemeanors, the spells cast by goblins, and the sightings of the creatures, as well as their dealings with mortals. The enchanting stories, rewritten to engage a new generation, are each attributed to a British region. With charming illustrations from favorite illustrators throughout, this book reminds readers of the enduring appeal of folklore and mystery for all generations.
The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok
Ben Waggoner
Warriors, raiders, and rulers, Ragnar and his sons inspired unknown writers to set down their stories over seven centuries ago. This volume presents new and original translations of the three major Old Norse texts that tell Ragnar's story: the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, the Tale of Ragnar's Sons, and the Sogubrot. Ragnar's death song, the Krakumal, and a Latin fragment called the List of Swedish Kings, complete the story. Extensive notes and commentary are provided, helping the reader to enter the world of these timeless stories of Viking adventure.
Why Homer Matters
Adam Nicolson - 2014
Homer's poems occupy, as Adam Nicolson writes "a third space" in the way we relate to the past: not as memory, which lasts no more than three generations, nor as the objective accounts of history, but as epic, invented after memory but before history, poetry which aims "to bind the wounds that time inflicts."The Homeric poems are among the oldest stories we have, drawing on deep roots in the Eurasian steppes beyond the Black Sea, but emerging at a time around 2000 B.C. when the people who would become the Greeks came south and both clashed and fused with the more sophisticated inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean.The poems, which ask the eternal questions about the individual and the community, honor and service, love and war, tell us how we became who we are.
Leonardo and Gabriel
Tim Tigner - 2019
A serious problem. The soul-wrenching kind. The career killing kind. He needs to finish a piece for the Pope—but doesn’t know how. Alas, figuring it out is no trivial task. In fact, nobody ever has. Of all the great and grand quests that humans have undertaken, none has been more attempted or elusive than gaining a comprehensive grasp of God. When seeking to know Him with the head rather than the heart, to rely on reason rather than faith, the obstacles appear insurmountable. If He is all powerful, and we are His children, why do so many suffer so horribly? Why would He punish people who don’t believe in Him? Why haven’t we seen or heard from Him for thousands of years? Join Leonardo and the Archangel Gabriel as they survey and surmount these stumbling blocks. Listen in as Gabriel reveals why obvious answers remain obscured. Follow along as he leads Leonardo all the way to an intuitive understanding of the Almighty. Set during Da Vinci’s struggle to give God a face in his masterpiece, The Last Supper, Leonardo and Gabriel is no less entertaining than it is educational. Although the framework is historically accurate, the conclusions of this original work are as unpredictable as they are compelling. Engage with an open mind—as Gabriel councils Leonardo to do—and it may even change your life. _________________________ Do you like logic puzzles? Pondering big philosophical questions? Are you open-minded and eager to learn life-improving lessons? Then this book’s for you. On the other hand, if you prefer to sit in the pews, repeating along while scripture is passionately delivered from the pulpit, then you should probably pass on this one. _________________________ BEFORE YOU BUY, PLEASE NOTE TWO THINGS: 1) This novella is considerably shorter than the author’s novels. The price reflects the caliber of the content, not the page count, and was selected to discourage impetuous purchase. 2) This is essentially an entertaining self-help book, a philosophy text that reads like a thriller. It is intended to stimulate life-improving thought and adequately answer one of history’s most perplexing questions by creatively presenting original analysis on an important topic that touches us all. _________________________ The publisher recommends Leonardo and Gabriel for use in undergraduate logic and philosophy courses, and will make copies of the ebook available free of charge to the faculty and students of accredited academic institutions. Kindly Submit inquiries to edu@timtigner.com.
The Day Democracy Died (Kindle Single)
Anselm Audley - 2014
With the fortunes of the Peloponnesian War turning inexorably against it, a beleaguered Athens badly needed a victory – and it got one. The Battle of Arginusae, won by raw recruits against a battle-hardened Spartan armada, saved Athens from disaster at a heavy cost in sunken ships. Yet in the confusion following the battle, neither the survivors nor the bodies of the dead were ever recovered.When the fleet returned to an apprehensive, overcrowded Athens, recriminations between its leaders escalated into a vicious, hysterical witch-hunt which convulsed the democracy and swept aside custom, sense, and law. In an extraordinary and chilling sequence of events, six victorious generals were arrested and put on trial for their lives before the Athenian people.On a day of violent passions, before a crowd of thousands, a handful of brave men including the philosopher Socrates struggled to save Athens from itself. As public anger and political tensions were stoked by inflammatory speeches, the principles of democracy would be tested to breaking point. The final verdict of the Trial of the Generals would haunt Athens for ever – and decide the outcome of the war.Anselm Audley holds BA and Master’s degrees in ancient history from Oxford, as well as a degree in planetary science from University College London. He is a published fantasy novelist, the author of Heresy, Inquisition, Crusade, and Vespera.
New American Haggadah
Jonathan Safran Foer - 2012
Read each year around the seder table, the Haggadah recounts through prayer, song, and ritual the extraordinary story of Exodus, when Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to wander the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land. Now, Jonathan Safran Foer has orchestrated a new way of experiencing and understanding one of our oldest, most timeless, and sacred stories, with a new translation of the traditional text by Nathan Englander and provocative commentary by major Jewish writers and thinkers Jeffrey Goldberg, Lemony Snicket, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and Nathaniel Deutsch. Ravishingly designed and illustrated by the acclaimed Israeli artist and calligrapher Oded Ezer, New American Haggadah is an utterly unique and absorbing prayer book, the first of its kind, that brings together some of the preeminent voices of our time. "The best book of modern religious thought in recent memory." --The Millions
"What makes this haggadah shine is the combination of commentary, design, and illustration." --Financial Times
Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology
Jess Zimmerman - 2021
In our language, in our stories (many written by men), we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds--who are angry or greedy or ambitious, who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough--aren't just outside the norm. They're unnatural. Monstrous. But maybe, the traits we've been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths.Through fresh analysis of 11 female monsters, including Medusa, the Harpies, the Furies, and the Sphinx, Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology. She guides women (and others) to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger, anger, ugliness, and ambition, teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero: one that looks a lot like a monster, with the agency and power to match.Often, women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness, of being grotesquely alien, by tamping down those qualities that we're told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity. But monsters also get to do what other female characters--damsels, love interests, and even most heroines--do not. Monsters get to be complete, unrestrained, and larger than life. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us. After seeing where compliance gets us--harassed, shut out, and ruled by predators--women have never been more ready to become repellent, fearsome, and ravenous.