How to Hold a Cockroach: A book for those who are free and don't know it


Matthew Maxwell - 2020
    It's a truth both astounding and powerful in its simplicity, and Maxwell skillfully builds a window through which readers of all ages can observe its emergence as they watch his protagonist's seemingly pitiful day unfold.How to Hold a Cockroach is Maxwell's delightful and moving love letter to humankind. A quick, compelling read, it is indeed a book for those who are free and don't know it. . . yet.

Renovate or Die: 10 Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission


Bob Farr - 2011
     Bob Farr asserts that to change the world, we must first change the Church. As Adam Hamilton says in the Foreword, "Read [this book] carefully with other leaders in your church. . . . You'll soon discover both a desire to renovate your church and the tools to effectively lead your church forward." If we want to join Robert Schnase and claim radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity, we must also engage pastors and motivate churches. We must renovate and overhaul our churches and not merely redecorate and tinker with our church structure. With straightforward language and practical tips, this book will inspire and help you organize your church for new life on the mission field. Learn how to grow your church and discover the commitments that denominational leaders must make to guarantee the fruitfulness of local congregations.

The Psychoanalysis of Fire


Gaston Bachelard - 1938
    But, within the French context, he is almost as important as they are because he has a pseudo-religious force, without taking a stand on religion. To define him as briefly as possible – he is a philosopher, with a professional training in the sciences, who devoted most of the second phase of his career to promoting that aspect of human nature which often seems most inimical to science: the poetic imagination ..." – J.G. Weightman, The New York Times Review of Books

Eternal Maze PEEPs Lite 3.1


Alexie Aaron - 2012
    Plagued with my characters’ constant chatter in my head, I’ve decided to tell a few stories in between the novels of the Haunted series. Each novella will deal with one haunt investigated by the PEEPs (Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners) team with Mia and Murphy along for the ride. The novellas start after "Sand Trap," the third book in the series. I hope you enjoy them. Alexie AaronOctober thirtieth is a beautiful day. Partly cloudy skies top the Carver County Corn Maze where Ted Martin is testing his new micro-com technology on the determined puzzle solvers. It’s a beautiful view from the spotter’s tower with all the colorful flags dancing above the cornstalks, marking the progress of the individual groups. But one flag hasn’t moved in a while. It was issued to two teenage couples and their two young charges. Upon further investigation, Ted discovers that the group has disappeared with the exception of the lone flag bearer who lies dead on the ground. Ted, fearing that more than a possible kidnapping has occurred, calls Mia who rushes to help in the search. Within a few minutes Ted’s instincts are proven true. There are paranormal entities at play in the corn, and they’re playing for keeps.Join Mia, Murphy and the PEEPS team as they investigate the "Eternal Maze."

Her Temptations


Amber Thielman - 2020
    Boy, was I wrong. Now they’ve become my temptations… and they’re willing to share.Matt, Dereck, and Bryce made sure my high school experience was hell. They pushed me to the edge until I saw no other way out, but to run.After transferring and finishing high school far away from the cruel trio, I’m on my way to becoming the best goddamn nurse ever.Then, the boys show up on my campus, and everything goes to shit. Working as a firefighter, cop, and paramedic while going to school, they might’ve fooled everyone into thinking they’re the saviors, but I know they’re up to their old tricks. Only this time, it’s not my mind, but my body they’re after.Too bad I’m not the weak girl I used to be. This time, I won’t run. This time, I’ll face the trio and bring them down to their knees.Yet the more time I spend with them, the more I see that they’ve changed. My heart is telling me I can trust them. My soul wants all three. Will I be able to leave my past demons behind and give myself to my three men?Her Temptations is a steamy reverse harm, enemies to lovers, college romance. No cheating, No cliffhanger, plenty of heat, and a guaranteed HEA!

How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture


Rob Alexander - 2010
    This book's opening chapter analyzes traditional architectural shapes that include arches, columns, towers, vaults, and buttresses. Chapters that follow apply principles of lighting, shadow, and perspective to the architectural forms, and discuss ways of creating surface textures and adding dramatic atmosphere to illustrations. Readers are then guided through a series of projects of increasing complexity in which they create illustrations dominated by fantasy castles, palaces, dungeons, and more. Here is comprehensive instruction in the techniques required for capturing fantastic buildings, alien architecture, and alternate realities. More than 250 enlightening color illustrations.

Draplin Design Co.: Pretty Much Everything


Aaron James Draplin - 2016
    Ford Motors. Burton Snowboards. The Obama Administration. While all of these brands are vastly different, they share at least one thing in com­mon: a teeny, little bit of Aaron James Draplin. Draplin is one of the new school of influential graphic designers who combine the power of design, social media, entrepreneurship, and DIY aesthetic to create a successful business and way of life.  Pretty Much Everything is a mid-career survey of work, case studies, inspiration, road stories, lists, maps, how-tos, and advice. It includes examples of his work—posters, record covers, logos—and presents the process behind his design with projects like Field Notes and the “Things We Love” State Posters. Draplin also offers valuable advice and hilarious commentary that illustrates how much more goes into design than just what appears on the page. With Draplin’s humor and pointed observations on the contemporary design scene, Draplin Design Co. is the complete package for the new generation of designers.

Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan


Rem Koolhaas - 1978
    Back in print in a newly designed edition, this influential cultural, architectural, and social history of New York is even more popular, selling out its first printing on publication. Rem Koolhaas's celebration and analysis of New York depicts the city as a metaphor for the incredible variety of human behavior. At the end of the nineteenth century, population, information, and technology explosions made Manhattan a laboratory for the invention and testing of a metropolitan lifestyle -- "the culture of congestion" -- and its architecture. "Manhattan," he writes, "is the 20th century's Rosetta Stone . . . occupied by architectural mutations (Central Park, the Skyscraper), utopian fragments (Rockefeller Center, the U.N. Building), and irrational phenomena (Radio City Music Hall)." Koolhaas interprets and reinterprets the dynamic relationship between architecture and culture in a number of telling episodes of New York's history, including the imposition of the Manhattan grid, the creation of Coney Island, and the development of the skyscraper. Delirious New York is also packed with intriguing and fun facts and illustrated with witty watercolors and quirky archival drawings, photographs, postcards, and maps. The spirit of this visionary investigation of Manhattan equals the energy of the city itself.

Atget's Paris


Eugène Atget - 2001
    His skilled, wonderfully atmospheric photos of Paris's parks, buildings, streets, store windows, prostitutes, workers, and even door handles are a joy to behold. This abbreviated volume contains a selection of Atget's best photographs and is the perfect introduction to this master photographer's work.

Drawing: A Creative Process


Francis D.K. Ching - 1989
    It also requires thought which, in, turn, builds understanding. Drawing cannot be detached from seeing and thinking about the fundamental nature of the subject matter being represented. The knowledge and understanding gained through drawing from life directly enhances our ability to draw from the imagination. Just as thought can be put into words, ideas can be made visible in a drawing to promote visual thinking and further stimulate the imagination. Once what is seen or imagined is made visible in a drawing, the image takes on a life of its own and communicates graphically. However eloquently or crudely, all drawings, speak to the eye. From the Preface . Francis D.K. Ching

Master Builders of the Middle Ages


David Jacobs - 1969
    It is difficult for us now, even with all our engineering and architectural skills, to imagine the extraordinary ways these medieval houses of worship were constructed. Midway through the twelfth century, the building of cathedrals became a crusade to erect awe-inspiring churches across Europe. In their zeal, bishops, monks, masons, and workmen created the architectural style known as Gothic, arguably Christianity’s greatest contribution to the world’s art and architecture. The style evolved slowly and almost accidentally as medieval artisans combined ingenuity, inspiration, and brute strength to create a fitting monument to their God. Here are the dramatic stories of the building of Saint-Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Reims, and other Gothic cathedrals.

Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding


David Airey - 2019
      Written by best-selling writer and renowned designer David Airey, Identity Designed formalizes the process and the benefits of brand identity design and includes a substantial collection of high-caliber projects from a variety of the world’s most talented design studios.   You’ll see the history and importance of branding, a contemporary assessment of best practices, and how there’s always more than one way to exceed client expectations. You’ll also learn a range of methods for conducting research, defining strategy, generating ideas, developing touchpoints, implementing style guides, and futureproofing your designs. Each identity case study is followed by a recap of key points.   The book includes projects by Lantern, Base, Pharus, OCD, Rice Creative, Foreign Policy, Underline Studio, Fedoriv, Freytag Anderson, Bedow, Robot Food, Together Design, Believe in, Jack Renwick Studio, ico Design, and Lundgren+Lindqvist.  Identity Designed is a must-have, not only for designers, but also for entrepreneurs who want to improve their work with a greater understanding of how good design is good business.

The Mystery at Chadwick House


Kate Parker - 2019
    All of that can be explained. An attraction to an enigma can't.Adam Chadwick is the biggest puzzle of all. He's a stranger in town, and he won't tell Emma about his past. Is he behind the attacks at the old Victorian mansion? Or is something more sinister happening?

The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses


Juhani Pallasmaa - 1996
    This new, revised and extended edition of this seminal work will not only inspire architects and students to design more holistic architecture, but will enrich the general reader's perception of the world around them. The Eyes of the Skin has become a classic of architectural theory and consists of two extended essays. The first surveys the historical development of the ocular-centric paradigm in western culture since the Greeks, and its impact on the experience of the world and the nature of architecture. The second examines the role of the other senses in authentic architectural experiences, and points the way towards a multi-sensory architecture which facilitates a sense of belonging and integration.

Witches Gone Wild


Amanda M. Lee - 2018
    As usual, trouble is on the menu and family hijinks are around every corner. This omnibus includes three full novels, including Murder Most Witchy, A Witch Before Dying and A Breath of Witchy Air. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and be careful not to land on Aunt Tillie's list.