Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt now enters this fractious debate with his lively and deeply informed narrative that traces the latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. The slyly humorous Holt takes on the role of cosmological detective, suggesting that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to Yahweh vs. the Big Bang. Tracking down an eccentric Oxford philosopher, a Physics Nobel Laureate, a French Buddhist monk who lived with the Dalai Lama, and John Updike just before he died, Holt pursues unexplored angles to this cosmic puzzle. As he pieces together a solution--one that sheds new light on the question of God and the meaning of existence--he offers brisk philosophical asides on time and eternity, consciousness, and the arithmetic of nothingness.“The pleasure of this book is watching the match: the staggeringly inventive human mind slamming its fantastic conjectures over the net, the universe coolly returning every serve.... Holt traffics in wonder, a word whose dual meanings—the absence of answers; the experience of awe—strike me as profoundly related. His book is not utilitarian. You can’t profit from it, at least not in the narrow sense.... And yet it does what real science writing should: It helps us feel the fullness of the problem.” (Kathryn Schulz, New York Magazine)" Jim Holt leaves us with the question Stephen Hawking once asked but couldn't answer, ‘Why does the universe go through all the bother of existing?’” (Ron Rosenbaum, Slate )

    At the center: Cass Seltzer, a professor of psychology whose book, The Varieties of Religious Illusion, has become a surprise best seller. He's been dubbed the atheist with a soul, and his sudden celebrity has upended his life. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum-the goddess of game theory-and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. But he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his teacher Jonas Elijah Klapper, a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism, and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius, heir to the leadership of an exotic Hasidic sect. The rush of events in a single dramatic week plays out Cass's conviction that the religious impulse spills out into life at large. In 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein explores the rapture and torments of religious experience in all its variety. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and intellectually captivating, it is a luminous and intoxicating novel.

    It is an integral part of their marriage, child rearing, and community. In this daring new book, distinguished philosopher Daniel C. Dennett takes a hard look at this phenomenon and asks why. Where does our devotion to God come from and what purpose does it serve? Is religion a blind evolutionary compulsion or a rational choice? In "Breaking the Spell," Dennett argues that the time has come to shed the light of science on the fundamental questions of faith. In a spirited narrative that ranges widely through history, philosophy, and psychology, Dennett explores how organized religion evolved from folk beliefs and why it is such a potent force today. Deftly and lucidly, he contends that the "belief in belief" has fogged any attempt to rationally consider the existence of God and the relationship between divinity and human need."Breaking the Spell" is not an antireligious screed but rather an eyeopening exploration of the role that belief plays in our lives, our interactions, and our country. With the gulf between rationalists and adherents of "intelligent design" widening daily, Dennett has written a timely and provocative book that will be read and passionately debated by believers and nonbelievers alike.

    It will leave you breathless and reading way past your bedtime!★★★★★There is a secret order called The Journeyers. They are a group of people that live their lives over and over. For the most part, they keep to themselves and enjoy their special kind of immortality. They have a vested interest in making sure the timeline doesn’t change too much. The only issue is someone with knowledge from the future is making ripples and ripples are never good. ••••Gerald Holstrom is an inmate at Folsom Prison. He’s served 47 years of his life sentence. He spends every day filled with regret, trying desperately to survive in a world of concrete and barbed wire. His regrets flood his mind. He’s constantly plagued by visions of the crime he committed when he was only 19. The blood on his hands weighs him down. When his young friend makes enemies out of the wrong people, he makes a snap decision that costs him his life. His vision fades as the blood pools around his dying body. He wishes to see the sky without barbed wire blocking his vision. He sees her face.Gerald dies, but his life isn’t over. He’s a Journeyer. His past isn’t written. He has a chance to change things for the better. It isn’t going to be that easy.

    The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion compares the contrasting worlds of present-day Southern life and Midwestern immigrant cities during World War II. After learning that she was adopted, Sookie is filled with questions of self-doubt and becomes determined to learn the truth behind her roots. Fannie Flagg depicts adventurous and courageous women as WASPs during WWII as she tells the story of the Jurdabralinski sisters. These roles contradict Sookie's upbringing in Alabama where society is ruled by social norms and status. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion offers an inspirational tale with accurate historical details that are presented through an engaging plot. This review of Flagg's novel gives you a broader view of the author and her writing style. Read quotes from literary critics to discover the book's appeal, or lack thereof. Sookie counters a cast of larger-than-life characters as she finds adventure and realizes her underlying identity. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion captures a journey of self-discovery mixed with realism and humor to delight all readers.

    Quick, lightning-paced, action from the first page to the last. The first three stories in a convenient anthology edition.Book 1: ScorpionThey call him 'Scorpion.' No-one knows his real name and the only people who have seen his face are dead. He works for the highest bidder, and he’s never missed a target.The assassin appears in London with the name of an investigative reporter on his list. But has Scorpion met his match? The reporter has a protector - John Milton. And Milton might be the only man in the world more dangerous than him.Book 2: Witness XBryan Duffy is Witness X - a government agent implicated in a national scandal and banished to Spain until the agenda can be moved on.But when North Korean hitmen attack a seeming innocent on the streets of London, Duffy is called back to the fold. He is tasked with finding the woman's assailants and bringing them to justice.Why has the woman been attacked? Duffy investigates, and finds himself sucked into a whirlwind of action and mayhem that is particularly well suited to his special set of skills...Book 3: Little SisterBjorn Thorsson joined the Special Air Service to forget the horrors of his childhood. He killed for Queen and country, and he was good at it.He quits the army and settles down, looking for a quieter life. When his beautiful sister Gudrun finds herself in trouble with the owner of a hedge fund, Bjorn promises to get her out of danger. But there’s another factor in play. Group 15, a clandestine government agency, has plans for the financier, and Bjorn is in their way. Bjorn must outwit the Group in the streets of London and in the Highlands of Scotland if he is to protect his sister and survive.------------------------------Praise for Mark Dawson:"It’s impossible not to think of Lee Child’s super-selling Jack Reacher. " - The Times"A literary sensation." - The Daily Telegraph "Dawson writes the kind of thrillers I love. Non-stop, grab-you-by-the-throat tales of doing the right thing no matter the odds. Simply excellent." - USA Today bestselling author Brett BattlesMore than 1m copies sold in the John Milton and Beatrix Rose series and 1000s of five star reviews.

    Grisham's twenty-second legal thriller takes readers from the sky-scrapers of high-powered New York law firms to the dusty offices of a free legal clinic in small-town Virginia. Gray Mountain is both an exciting story of murder and intrigue and a thoughtful examination of the effects of the coal industry on life in Appalachia. Grisham's tight plotting, wry humor and three-dimensional characters bring the legal profession to life. Gray Mountain begins in the tempestuous, nerve-wracking and paranoid atmosphere of Manhattan set in the confusing months after the economic blow-out in 2008. We see the offices with their ignored vistas, the busy, dirty sidewalks, the cramped apartments shared by young professionals. After a brief sojourn in her hometown of Washington, D.C., protagonist Samantha, along with the story, heads for rural Virginia. Most of the novel takes place in the small town of Brady, Virginia, which is poor and somewhat down-at-heel. You also get the following in this Summary & Analysis of Gray Mountain: • Detailed Book Review from Experts • Story Setting Analysis of Gray Mountain • Gray Mountain Plot Analysis that will make you see the book from another angle. • Pick up bits you might have missed as we decipher the novel. • Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis of Gray Mountain fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

    When God Doesn't Listen by Francis Chan- Prayer should not be taken lightly in connection with individual and communal sin. Submission through Prayer by James MacDonald - Prayerful submission enables us to experience God’s grace and peace. Waiting On God by John Ortberg- Waiting on the Lord is the hardest work of hope.Why We Shouldn't Give Up On Prayer by Bill Hybels- We must persevere through hindrances to prayer.

    He didn't know who they were, or where they might strike. All he knew was that he wanted to keep his family safe.In SAFE, Chris Ryan has compiled all the personal security expertise he acquired during his time serving with the Regiment - he was awarded the military medal for his quick-thinking and survival instincts. He reveals the skills that kept him safe working undercover in Northern Ireland, on the dangerous streets of central Africa and in the war zones of the Middle East. He explains how civilians can employ these techniques to keep themselves:· Safe on the streets and in their vehicles· Safe in a fight or in the midst of a terror incident· Safe on aircraft or in hostage situations· Safe from cyber attacks· Safe in riots· Safe from sexual predators and much more. Chris Ryan analyses real-life incidents, such as the Manchester Arena bombing, the London Bridge terror attack and the Tunisian beach shootings, and explains how ordinary people should act if they find themselves in similar scenarios. And he reveals fascinating stories, never before told, about life in the Regiment and the dangers faced by SAS soldiers. In a world of ever-present, ever-changing threats, this is a book that will empower you to take personal responsibility for your own security.

    Birthplace of the Taliban decades earlier, this fertile region had since become Afghanistan's most deadly turf. It would soon turn deadlier still. Advised in the night by his intelligence officers that the Taliban had secretly amassed for a full-scale military assault, Fraser knew it would fall to him, his Canadians and their allies to avoid the wholesale slaughter of NATO troops, keep the Taliban from laying siege to Kandahar and restore control of the south of the country to a newly formed, democratic Afghan government.     The odds were solidy against Fraser's forces. The Taliban knew every millimetre of their own terrain. During the months of secret manoeuvres they had stocked every farmhouse, school, grape hut and tunnel with weapons and ammunition. They had drilled Soviet-era landmines into all of the marijuana and poppy fields, and dug IEDs into every roadway. Protected from detection by corrupt officials, their sophisticated warfare schools had successfully readied an army of zealous fighters to attack and fight to the death. And now their top commanders were poised to launch decisive military operations against freshly arrived troops who had never seen combat.     The bloodiest battle in NATO's history was about to begin.

    Yet many Christians don’t know how to pray both effectively—in a way that gets results—and humbly—in a way that aligns with God’s will. Prayer is a powerful weapon against the true adversaries of God’s people: principalities, powers, dark rulers and spiritual wickedness in high places. These forces are the perpetrators of all kinds of evil: Addiction, abuse, poverty and spiritual bondage run rampant through families, churches, cities and nations. What can believers do to battle these forces? They can pray.Not just any prayer: the prayer of petition, known throughout Christian history as the prayer that gets results. Prayer of Petition explores this powerful prayer in detail, from the many examples found in God’s Word to more recent instances of incredible miracles ushered in by this prayer. Readers will learn the biblical definitions of petition and supplication, and examine the key components of preparation, thanksgiving and humility. As readers learn to petition the Ruler of All, their confidence that God will prevail—no matter what—will grow, and as they learn to rest in His promises, peace will reign over their hearts through the coming revival.

    He did not claim he was God’s agent. Did he believe in God? Did he look for a sign when he was desperate? Did he follow the Divine Will? Many believers are not followers; many followers are not believers. Is he a believer or a follower or both?

    But when the EMP strikes, will anything be left to reclaim? Garrett is an architect, of sorts. A renovator of unique dwellings, he makes his living creating luxury doomsday bunkers for a wealthy, paranoid clientele. He never thought he’d end up living in one… As a mysterious “nano virus” ravages the world above, Garrett hunkers down in a former missile silo in the New Mexico desert. Underground, he’s as equipped and prepared as can be, save for the grinding loneliness, and mounting horror of witnessing the fall of human civilization. Then one night, everything changes. A series of blasts in the sky, and then all of a sudden, every electronic device is rendered useless, including — he hopes — the nanobots responsible for decimating the population. In the wake of the EMP, Garrett’s doomsday bunker goes from survivalist haven to ready-made grave. He knows he’s going to have to leave, but has no idea what will be waiting for him, or what kind of people will have survived to tell the tale… This is the first book in the At Any Cost series. It’s set within the same universe as the Enter Darkness series.

    Letter to A Christian Nation is his reply. Using rational argument, Harris offers a measured refutation of the beliefs that form the core of fundamentalist Christianity. In the course of his argument, he addresses current topics ranging from intelligent design and stem-cell research to the connections between religion and violence. In Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris boldly challenges the influence that faith has on public life in our nation.

    Exploring the entire range of "contrary positions"—from noble dissident to gratuitous nag—Hitchens introduces the next generation to the minds and the misfits who influenced him, invoking such mentors as Emile Zola, Rosa Parks, and George Orwell. As is his trademark, Hitchens pointedly pitches himself in contrast to stagnant attitudes across the ideological spectrum. No other writer has matched Hitchens's understanding of the importance of disagreement—to personal integrity, to informed discussion, to true progress, to democracy itself.