Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō


Yoshida Kenkō
    As Emperor Go-Daigo fended off a challenge from the usurping Hojo family, and Japan stood at the brink of a dark political era, Kenkō held fast to his Buddhist beliefs and took refuge in the pleasures of solitude. Written between 1330 and 1332, Essays in Idleness reflects the congenial priest's thoughts on a variety of subjects. His brief writings, some no more than a few sentences long and ranging in focus from politics and ethics to nature and mythology, mark the crystallization of a distinct Japanese principle: that beauty is to be celebrated, though it will ultimately perish. Through his appreciation of the world around him and his keen understanding of historical events, Kenkō conveys the essence of Buddhist philosophy and its subtle teachings for all readers. Insisting on the uncertainty of this world, Kenkō asks that we waste no time in following the way of Buddha.In this fresh edition, Donald Keene's critically acclaimed translation is joined by a new preface, in which Keene himself looks back at the ripples created by Kenkō's musings, especially for modern readers.

Leon and June: Our Story: Life, Love & Laughter


June Bernicoff - 2018
    Now, I'll do it for him.' As founding cast members of hit television show Gogglebox, Leon and June won the hearts of a nation with their warm humour and unending love for each other. When Leon sadly died at Christmas 2017, Gogglebox viewers were bereft, calling for a state funeral for our national treasure. In this touching memoir she looks back at all of the laughter and love they have shared together; letting us in on the secrets to a truly happy marriage in this wonderful celebration of two lives well lived.Together for 63 years, coming to terms with life without Leon has been a difficult process for June. But the many treasured memories of their marriage will never leave her. From when, aged 18, she first laid eyes on Leon at teacher training college in 1955; their journey to marry when their parents disapproved; happy recollections of 1960s Liverpool; to building a loving home and family together before finding fame as pensioners. Firm favourites of Gogglebox, they were loved for their gentle teasing, Leon's cheeky gags and humorous rants, and June's unerring patience and caring touch. Leon and June have experienced their fair share of highs and lows, but they always got through everything together. As Leon always said, 'As long as June's here, I'm all right.'

New Year, New Ci: A Novel


Nicole Falls - 2021
    Instead of going along to get along, she bucks the trends, choosing to chart a new course in life that is wholly centered on finding herself and fulfilling her dreams. And on that new course, she is surrounded by a strong support system who just wants to see her win.Along the way, there are bumps and bruises, but in the end Cienna learns that time is the greatest salve for anything that ails you.

Shadow Force: Complete 5-Part Series


Camilla Blake - 2021
    No cliffhangers. Epic action, drama, suspense, clean romance, and happy ever afters. Highly rated authors.PART ONE: Shadow PromiseCade Montgomery will always carry the guilt for the men who died on his watch, and he will stop at nothing to find the people responsible. When Piper Collins, his former foster sister and the woman who stole his heart more than ten years ago, resurfaces, things get complicated.Piper Collins left the FBI after her fiancé died three years ago, to find his killer. That search leads her to Atlanta and back to Cade, the man who broke her heart when he left and never returned. When Cade meets with two men who are working for a known drug lord at the bar where she’s working undercover, Piper is disappointed to find he turned to a life of crime instead of being the man of conviction she used to know. But things aren’t adding up, and Piper hopes that, with his help, her fiancé’s killer will be brought to justice.PART TWO: Shadow SecretCruz Ortiz is no longer the man he used to be. After being taken hostage and almost beaten to death by a Venezuelan drug lord, Cruz joins Shadow Force with a new face, a new identity, and a death certificate for his old self. When Shadow Force is tasked with sending someone in undercover, Cruz is the obvious choice.Lydia Ayala is content with her life as a nurse practitioner in the slums of Miami. Sure, her patients tend to be gang members and drug dealers, but she’s confident she’s making a difference in the world. When she’s kidnapped and forced into a marriage, she plans to find a way out of the death sentence. But Cruz Ortiz keeps a watchful eye on her, and her chances to make a break are growing smaller, while the wedding is drawing closer.PART THREE: Shadow FlightRyder Blake is grateful Shadow Force scooped him up before he died a slow death at his desk at the CIA headquarters. After running for his life during a long-term undercover op, Ryder is convinced he’s put his clandestine days behind him. But when a large shipment of drugs and guns goes missing and the Russian Mafia boss who tried to have him killed is implicated, Ryder agrees to take on his old persona and enter a string of underground fights. Only, Jolie Phillips, the office manager for Shadow Force and a woman determined to be an operative, is assigned to the case with him, and Ryder is not a happy camper.A new organization comes to light as Ryder and Jolie travel around the southeast. As they get closer to the answers, the danger escalates, and Ryder and Jolie are running for their lives.PART FOUR: Shadow RescueFormer army and explosives expert Oscar Cortada is rumored to have one or two screws loose due to his infatuation with making things go Boom! But when he and the team stumble upon a container of women, Oscar is tormented by his memories. Oscar volunteers for the job to help Shadow Force uncover the missing people.Ivy Bell never stopped loving her husband while she pursued a career in acting and modeling. Still, after eleven years apart, it seemed they would never find their way back to each other. But when a new role opens up in Atlanta and Ivy arrives on set, she realizes things aren’t what they seem.PART FIVE: Shadow RedemptionLevi Slater has fought crime since his time with the DEA, but never before has he encountered a more evil and sinister group than the Los Caballeros del Camino, The Knights of the Way.Dr. Drew Bellamy has one objective: keep her son safe. But when she’s taken from outside her home and given an ultimatum, she finds herself scrambling and forcing her way out of captivity. When she runs smack into Levi Slater in the woods outside the compound where she was held, she faces a decision—trust him with her and her son’s life or go it alone.

How To Be a Woman Quick Reads 2021


Caitlin Moran - 2021
    But a few nagging questions remain...Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should we use Botox? Do men secretly hate us? And why does everyone ask you when you're going to have a baby?Part memoir, part protest, Caitlin answers the questions that every modern woman is asking.

What's Best For Me 2: Unapologetically Me Series


Danesha Little - 2020
    

Buddha on the Bus


Nate Damm - 2014
    When various complications arise during the journey, Nate finds himself focusing closely on the characters around him for a bit of entertainment, but ends up getting more than he bargained for. The focal point of the story is Nate's seat-mate, a young man named Bud, whose extremely odd behavior catches the attention of everyone on the bus.

The Arrangement Collection A: Volumes 1-3


H.M. Ward - 2019
    Just when she doesn't think things could get any worse, they do. When her car stalls out at a busy intersection and she gets out to check under the hood, a guy steals her car. Armed with a dress and a pair of Chucks, Avery runs after the thief. When a hot stranger offers to help, she can't say no. That's how Avery mets Sean Ferro, the totally sexy, totally damaged guy with more secrets than she has time for. Avery doesn't have time for anything anymore. Her is life falling apart and it's not just the car. It's everything, and it doesn't matter how tightly she tries to hold on, there's nothing left to hold on to. With the sudden death of her parents, it's only a matter of months until Avery's shot at college is gone, and she's living in a cardboard box. Other students have their families to rely on when things get bad. Avery has no one. But there's one option, one incredibly sexy, morally devoid, option. If Avery takes a job as a call girl, one guy could save her. One client. One time. She just has to say yes. Genre: Romantic Suspense Collection A: Includes Volumes 1-3 Pages: 352 THE FERRO FAMILY The Arrangement (Sean & Avery) Damaged (Peter & Sidney) Stripped (Jon & Cassie) The Proposition (Bryan & Hallie) Easy (Jocelyn Ferro) Broken Promises (Trystan & Mari) The Wedding Contract (Nick & Sky) Secrets & Lies (Kerry) H.M. WARD'S NEW YORK CITY LOVE STORIES REVIEWS: "H.M. Ward writes an emotional, deeply felt story that will rock your world." -Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author "H.M. Ward takes this series to a whole new level of intensity!" -Cary Mattiller "One of the most emotionally charged novels I have read all year." -Crystal via Goodreads "If you love The Arrangement, then you will not be disappointed with The Proposition." Linda Wallace "Amazing, awesome, and unbelievably sexy." -Cheryl, via Goodreads "You can't go wrong with any book written by H.M. Ward." -Christon Benford "This is a story about true love/ first love never dying and making it through all odds. An incredible book." -Gabby's Book Blog "This has to be H.M. Ward's best work yet!" -Sheri via Goodreads "The tension is palpable and so physically powerful; it literally reaches out and tugs at all my emotions. My God, it was beautifully erotic. When a story elicits so much emotion from you, you know it's good." Tessamari Reviews "I want to marry this book and have it's fictional babies" "Move over Christian Grey and welcome Sean Ferro." -Reading, Eating, & Dreaming "You can't go wrong with a book written by H.M. Ward." -Christon Benford "I thought nothing could top Damaged & The Arrangement Series. I was wrong." -Curious Kindle Reader "Serious sexual tension!" -Spare Time Book Blog "Hilarious, witty, with a 'gut punching' story line." -Workman "Amazing, hot, sexy, and leaves you wanting more." -ENA AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: H.M. Ward continues to reign as a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author who is swiftly approaching 13 million copies sold, placing her among the literary titans. Ward has been featured in articles in the NEW YORK TIMES, FORBES, and USA TODAY to name a few.

You Have to Say Something


Dainin Katagiri - 1998
    His first book, Returning to Silence, emphasized the need to return to our original, enlightened state of being, and became one of the classics of Zen in America. In You Have to Say Something, selections from his talks have been collected to address another key theme of Katagiri's teaching: that of bringing Zen insight to bear on our everyday experience. "To live life fully," Katagiri says, "means to take care of your life day by day, moment to moment, right here, right now." To do this, he teaches, we must plunge into our life completely, bringing to it the same wholeheartedness that is required in Zen meditation. When we approach life in this way, every activity—everything we do, everything we say—becomes an opportunity for manifesting our own innate wisdom. With extraordinary freshness and immediacy, Katagiri shows the reader how this wisdom not only enlivens our spiritual practice but can help make our life a rich, seamless whole.

A Heart Full of Peace


Joseph Goldstein - 2007
    Like the songlines that bring sacred aboriginal paths to life, Goldstein’s evocative words bring the concept of metta, or loving kindness, to life for Western readers. Grounded in the basic trainings of body, speech, and mind, this mini-retreat is illuminated by the kind of humor and personal insights that inspire even seasoned travelers, while pithy practice guidelines keep the journey on track.

The Life of Marpa the Translator: Seeing Accomplishes All


Tsangnyön Heruka
    In the West, Marpa is best known through his teacher, the Indian yogin Nâropa, and through his closest disciple, Milarepa. This lucid and moving translation of a text composed by the author of The Life of Milarepa and The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa documents the fascinating life of Marpa, who, unlike many other Tibetan masters, was a layman, a skillful businessman who raised a family while training his disciples. As a youth, Marpa was inspired to travel to India to study the Buddhist teachings, for at that time in Tibet, Buddhism has waned considerably through ruthless suppression by an evil king. The author paints a vivid picture of Marpa's three journeys to India: precarious mountain passes, desolate plains teeming with bandits, greedy customs-tax collectors. Marpa endured many hardships, but nothing to compare with the trials that ensued with his guru Nâropa and other teachers. Yet Marpa succeeded in mastering the tantric teachings, translating and bringing them to Tibet, and establishing the Practice Lineage of the Kagyüs, which continues to this day.

Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts


Shohaku Okumura - 2012
    Exploring eight of Zen's most essential and universal liturgical texts, Living by Vow is a handbook to walking the Zen path, and Shohaku Okumura guides us like an old friend, speaking clearly and directly of the personal meaning and implications of these chants, generously using his experiences to illustrate their practical significance. A scholar of Buddhist literature, he masterfully uncovers the subtle, intricate web of culture and history that permeate these great texts. Esoteric or challenging terms take on vivid, personal meaning, and old familiar phrases gain new poetic resonance.

If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit


Hale Sofia Schatz - 2004
    But the next time you have dinner, what will you eat? With so much processed food in the marketplace, obesity in adults and children dramatically on the rise, and digestive problems increasingly more common, it's clear that we're facing a serious food crisis in this country. The answer, however, isn't just to go on a diet. Reducing the intake of refined and processed foods and increasing whole foods certainly can improve one's health. But we need more. We need to feed ourselves with a sense of purpose, self-respect, love, and passion for our lives. We need to nourish our spirits. Nourishment isn't a fad diet . . . it's a lifelong journey, and Haléofia Schatz is the ideal guide. Gentle, wise, and humorous, she shows us the way to the heart of nourishment--our own inner wisdom that knows exactly how to feed our whole self. A perfect blend of inspiration and practical suggestions, If the Buddha Came to Dinner includes guidelines for selecting vital foods, ideas for keeping your energy balanced throughout the day, a cleanse program, and over 60 recipes to awaken your palate. Open this book and nurture yourself as never before. You'll be fed in a whole new way.

Enlightened Courage: A Commentary on the Seven Point Mind Training


Dilgo Khyentse - 1993
    Commentary on the Seven Point Mind Training, brought to Tibet by the Indian master Atisha.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism


Gary Gach - 2009
    It also includes additional information on Buddhism's effect on popular arts and sciences, the continuing relevance of the Dalai Lama, and an annotated bibliography. Covers all four schools of Buddhism: Zen,Tibetan, Pure Land, and Insight Meditation.For thousands of years, Buddhism has been a source of inner peace and security for millions.