C. S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller


Beatrice Gormley - 1997
    Readers of all ages will enjoy stories of Lewis's boyhood in Ireland and the imaginary world he and his brother created. They will also gain an understanding of Lewis's quest for joy, his personal struggles, and the ways his stories reflect his deep and powerful experience of God.

The Devil's Mariner: A Life of William Dampier, Pirate and Explorer, 1651-1715


Anton Gill - 1997
     A self-taught geographer, hydrographer and navigator, Dampier was also a keen natural historian who showed his contemporaries then-unknown regions of the world, and vividly described the exotic creatures and plants that inhabited them without exaggeration. Impressing the Admiralty with his book, A New Voyage round the World, Dampier was given command of the infamous Roebuck expedition and became the first Englishman to explore parts of Australia. But Dampier's past reared its head when he employed acquaintances from his buccaneering days, and numerous problems beset him along the way; upon his eventual return Dampier was court-martialled for cruelty. Though he lived and worked like a buccaneer Dampier filled in blank spaces on the map, and in pioneering the seaways he opened up the oceans for exploration, thus laying the foundations for the British Empire. Although lauded in his day and going on to influence many in both literary and scientific spheres, Dampier died in obscurity and his name, associated with piracy, disappeared for many years. Comprehensive and compellingly told, Anton Gill's biography charts the life and endeavours of William Dampier, his successes and his failings, and reinstates him into the pantheon of great explorers. Anton Gill has been a freelance writer since 1984, specialising in European contemporary history but latterly branching out into historical fiction. He is the winner of the H H Wingate Award for non-fiction for 'The Journey Back From Hell'. He is also the author of 'Into Darkness', 'Dance Between the Flames' and 'An Honourable Defeat'. 'The Devil's Mariner' was his first biography.

Full of Grace: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion Through Mary's Intercession


Christine Watkins - 2010
    Each story is accompanied by scripture, prayer, and discussion exercises designed to remind readers of Mary of Medjugorje's intercession on their behalf and God's personal love for them. Watkins gives nationwide talks and workshops and works as a spiritual director in the Bay Area, in addition to maintaining an active website and e-mail newsletter.

Dorie: Woman Of The Mountains


Florence Cope Bush - 1992
    Before the Great Smoky Mountains became a national park, the region was a lush wilderness dotted with isolated farms.  Into this land of unspoiled beauty, Dorie Woodruff Cope was born in 1899.  In this evocative memoir, Dorie's daughter, Florence Cope Bush, traces a life at once extraordinary and yet typical of the many Appalachian farm families forced to leave their simple mountain homes for the cities; abandoning traditional ways for those born of "progress."Dorie's story begins with her childhood on an isolated mountain farm, where we see first hand how her parents combined back-breaking labor with intense personal pride to produce everything their family needed—from food and clothing to tools and toys—from the land.  Lumber companies began to invade the mountains, and Dorie's family took advantage of the financial opportunities offered by the lumber industry, not realizing that in giving up their lands they were also letting go of a way of life.  Along with their machinery, the lumber companies brought in many young men, one of whom, Fred Cope, became Dorie's husband.  After the lumber companies stripped the mountains of their timber, outsiders set the area aside as a national park, requiring Dorie, now married with a family of her own, to move outside of her beloved mountains.Through Dorie's eyes, we see how the mountain farmers were forced to abandon their beloved rural life-style and customs and assimilate into cities like Knoxville, Tennessee.  Her experiences were shared by hundreds of Appalachians during the early twentieth century.  However, Dorie's perseverance, strength of character, and deep love of the Smokies make this a unique and moving narrative.The Author: Florence Cope Bush is a former newspaper reporter and freelance writer in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She is the author of Ocona Lufte Baptist—Pioneer Church of the Smokies, and a regular contributor to Smoky Mountain Historical Society publications.Durwood Dunn is professor history at Tennessee Wesleyan College.  He is author of Cades Cove: The Life and Death of a Southern Appalachian Community, 1818-1937.

Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women


Annabel Abbs - 2021
    In captivating and elegant prose, Abbs follows in the footsteps of women who boldly reclaimed wild landscapes for themselves, including Georgia O’Keeffe in the empty plains of Texas and New Mexico, Nan Shepherd in the mountains of Scotland, Gwen John following the French River Garonne, Daphne du Maurier along the River Rhône, and Simone de Beauvoir—who walked as much as twenty-five miles a day in a dress and espadrilles—through the mountains and forests of France.Part historical inquiry and part memoir, the stories of these writers and artists are laced together by moments in Abb’s own life, beginning with her poet father who raised her in the Welsh countryside as an “experiment,” according to the principles of Rousseau. Abbs explores a forgotten legacy of moving on foot and discovers how it has helped women throughout history to find their voices, to reimagine their lives, and to break free from convention.As Abbs traces the paths of exceptional women, she realizes that she, too, is walking away from her past and into a radically different future. Windswept crosses continents and centuries in a provocative and poignant account of the power of walking in nature.

Breaking the Limit: One Woman's Motorcycle Journey Through North America


Karen Larsen - 2004
    Realizing that years of work and travel in other people's countries made her a stranger in her own, and with an invitation to meet her biological father for the first time, Karen Larsen set out on a fifteen-thousand-mile trip with nothing but her motorcycle and the barest of essentials.Larsen's journey tests the limits of her own endurance, challenges her long-held beliefs and values, and asks what it means to belong to a family. Through the the fields of Iowa and the deserts of the Southwest, over the Rockies and across Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, Larsen confronts questions of femininity, family, independence, and personal identity.Her journey speaks to the immense space and over-whelming beauty of North America, as well as to the diversity and vitality of the people she meets along the way. Breaking the Limit invites you to join her as she braces against the wind, trades security for freedom, sacrifices stability for motion, and opens herself up to the vast canopy of a continent.

A Wall of White: The True Story of Heroism and Survival in the Face of a Deadly Avalanche


Jennifer Woodlief - 2009
    A Wall of White: The True Story of Heroism and Survival in the Face of a Deadly Avalanche

Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva's Down-To-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening


Annie Spiegelman - 2010
     Annie Spiegelman's down-to-earth wit and wisdom create the perfect primer for anyone with a passion for home-grown veggies or fresh-cut flowers, no matter what their skill level, location, or resources. Includes advice on: •Learning to worship the worm and build a compost pile •Landscape designs-start small in order to create a basic plan for a plot •The secret to healthy soil (the only way to have a healthy garden) •Irrigation systems and strategies to conserve water •Proper pruning-from roses to trees •How to combine vegetables to make them thrive •How to let your garden go native and become drought tolerant •Edible landscaping and gardening in small spaces Talking Dirt is a one-stop handbook that features resources for shopping, learning, and promoting environmentally sound garden practices within local communities.

Edward Abbey: A Life


James M. Cahalan - 2001
    Cahalan’s meticulous research and thoughtful interviews have made this book the authoritative source for Abbey scholars and fans alike.” —Doug Peacock, author, environmentalist activist and explorer, and the inspiration for Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang He was a hero to environmentalists and the patron saint of monkeywrenchers, a man in love with desert solitude. A supposed misogynist, ornery and contentious, he nevertheless counted women among his closest friends and admirers. He attracted a cult following, but he was often uncomfortable with it. He was a writer who wandered far from Home without really starting out there. James Cahalan has written a definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions. Edward Abbey: A Life sets the record straight on "Cactus Ed," giving readers a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. It separates fact from fiction, showing that much of the myth surrounding Abbey—such as his birth in Home, Pennsylvania, and later residence in Oracle, Arizona—was self-created and self-perpetuated. It also shows that Abbey cultivated a persona both in his books and as a public speaker that contradicted his true nature: publicly racy and sardonic, he was privately reserved and somber. Cahalan studied all of Abbey's works and private papers and interviewed many people who knew him—including the models for characters in The Brave Cowboy and The Monkey Wrench Gang—to create the most complete picture to date of the writer's life. He examines Abbey's childhood roots in the East and his love affair with the West, his personal relationships and tempestuous marriages, and his myriad jobs in continually shifting locations—including sixteen national parks and forests. He also explores Abbey's writing process, his broad intellectual interests, and the philosophical roots of his politics. For Abbey fans who assume that his "honest novel," The Fool's Progress, was factual or that his public statements were entirely off the cuff, Cahalan's evenhanded treatment will be an eye-opener. More than a biography, Edward Abbey: A Life is a corrective that shows that he was neither simply a countercultural cowboy hero nor an unprincipled troublemaker, but instead a complex and multifaceted person whose legacy has only begun to be appreciated. The book contains 30 photographs, capturing scenes ranging from Abbey's childhood to his burial site.

Lady Long Rider: Alone Across America on Horseback


Bernice Ende - 2018
    According to Bernice Ende, the trip was all that and more. Since swinging her leg over the saddle for that first long ride in 2005 (at the age of 51), Ende has logged more than 29,000 miles in the saddle, crisscrossing North America on horseback - alone. More than once she has traversed the Great Plains, the Southwest deserts, the Cascade Range, and the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, she discovered a sense of community and love of place that unites people wherever they live. From 2014-2016, she was the first person to ride coast to coast and back again in one trek, winning acclaim from the international Long Riders' Guild and awe from the people she met along the way. Saddle up and come along for the journey of a lifetime.

Harold Larwood


Duncan Hamilton - 2009
    During the MCC's notorious 1932–3 Ashes tour of Australia, his "Bodyline" bowling left Australia's batsmen bruised and battered, halved the batting average of the great Don Bradman—and gave England a 4–1 series victory. But the diplomatic row that followed brought Anglo-Australian relations to the brink of collapse. Larwood was used as a scapegoat by the MCC, which demanded he apologize for bowling Bodyline. Arguing that he had simply obeyed the instructions of his captain, Douglas Jardine, Larwood refused. He never played for England again. The Bodyline saga has been told before, but Larwood’s story has not. Using materials provided by the fast bowler’s family, Duncan Hamilton has created an intimate and compelling portrait of Larwood's life: from his mining village upbringing, through the trauma of 1932–3 and its bitter aftermath, to his emigration to Australia, where he and his family found happiness. A moving recreation of the triumph, betrayal and redemption of a working-class hero, Harold Larwood will enthrall not only cricket fans, but all those who relish biographical writing of the highest quality.

Vanabode: Travel and Live Forever on $20 a Day


Jason Odom - 2009
    Author Jason Odom and his wife Kelly have traveled over 700,000 miles in 15 years enjoying the sumptuous beauty of pristine national parks and the exciting nightlife of big cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas. Vanabode shows you how to earn a living working in some of the most exciting places in the United States like national parks and state recreational areas, how to sleep safely and comfortably in your own bed every night; how to eat better than you ever have, how to cook for free without electricity, fire or fuel; how to get rid of all our current debt and regain your freedom; and most importantly - how you can do it forever if you want. Do you want to travel for 3 months? How about 3 years? Vanabode shows you how down to the tiniest detail and you do NOT need to make any expensive purchases to make it happen. The Vanabode sales page states "I will show you how to safely travel ANYWHERE in the United States, sleep in your own luxurious clean bed every night, have a hot bath every day, eat fresh delicious meals, and experience incredible adventures for $20 a day. You will never feel neglected, bored or uncomfortable. I promise to show you how to sleep better than you ever have, how to get the time you want and need to relax or pursue your favorite hobby, how to eat healthier, and how to travel to new exciting destinations of your choosing forever. For those that don't have any savings or retirement income I include a list of more than 30 legitimate easy ways to earn money while traveling all over the country. You need this book if any of the following apply to you: if you are so bored with your lifestyle that you don't feel like you're living at all, if you have household expenses so great that you never get ahead or get to do anything fun, if you would like to happily camp, travel or live anywhere on $20 a day, if you are retired and want to keep a house but still travel cheaply, if you would like to downsize from a large RV to save money and time while adding destinations, if you have children you would like to travel and camp easily and cheaply with, if you would like to take time off work to write a book, recover from a tragedy, or change your life, if you are a foreign tourist coming to the U.S. for a long holiday, if are you a survivalist who wants to live off the grid, if you want to disappear and leave your past behind, becoming invisible escaping creditors or stalkers, if you are heading for divorce, blaming your marriage instead of your life, for the boredom killing you, if you want to run your own mobile business? Readers thoughts on Vanabode follow: "I've been motorhome traveling for 14 years and I've never seen anything like this" Brandon in Florida; "If you want to travel a lot, and do it cheaply, this is the only way I see to do it", Percy; "This is absolutely the best money I have ever spent on a practical show me how to do it book" Maggie, professor at a Florida Community College; "If enough people get a grasp on this book the housing recovery will really be far off. I mean after reading Vanabode who needs a house?" Donald; "I was stunned when I saw his list of all the places I could work, without experience, while camping." Sandra; "Lots of pictures that show you exactly what he is talking about. Love it!" Wayn; "If you believe life is more than a 2 week vacation once a year then this book is your ticket out, at least it was for me". NEW THIRD EDITION! Contains 60% more pictures and 22% more content. More on these subjects vandweller, vehicle dwelling, van dwelling, living in vehicle, living in van, rv, travel, camp, explore, road, adventure, fun, offgrid, cheap, live, retire, early, quit, work, travel, vacation, van, motorhome, camper, travel trailer, disappear,

The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story


Julia Reed - 2007
    Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck.With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame—like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home.Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, The House on First Street is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city.

From Darkness unto Light: Joseph Smith’s Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon


Michael Hubbard MacKay - 2015
    Drawing from firsthand accounts of Joseph himself and the scribes who served with him, From Darkness unto Light explores the difficulties encountered in bringing forth this book of inspired scripture. Recent insights and discoveries from the Joseph Smith Papers project have provided a fuller, richer understanding of the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. This book helps readers understand that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was a miracle. Faith and belief are necessary ingredients for one to come to know that Joseph Smith performed the work of a seer in bringing the sacred words of the Book of Mormon from darkness unto light.

Nothing Venture, Nothing Win


Edmund Hillary - 1975
    A man of outstanding physical bravery and skill, yet heart-warming modesty. A man whose triumphant achievements will ave a permanent place in the records of human endeavour.