The Geography of Bliss


Book Description

What makes a nation happy? Is one country's sense of happiness the same as another's? In the last two decades, psychologists and economists have learned a lot about who's happy and who isn't. The Dutch are, the Romanians aren't, and Americans are somewhere in between... After years of going to the world's least happy countries, Eric Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent, decided to travel and evaluate each country's different sense of happiness and discover the nation that seemed happiest of all. ·He discovers the relationship between money and happiness in tiny and extremely wealthy Qatar (and it's not a good one) ·He goes to Thailand, and finds that not thinking is a contented way of life. ·He goes to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and discovers they have an official policy of Gross National Happiness! ·He asks himself why the British don't do happiness? In Weiner's quest to find the world's happiest places, he eats rotten Icelandic shark, meditates in Bangalore, visits strip clubs in Bangkok and drinks himself into a stupor in Reykjavik. Full of inspired moments, The Geography of Bliss accomplishes a feat few travel books dare and even fewer achieve: to make you happier.




A Place in the World


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A lyrical and evocative collection of personal stories from the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, in which the queen of wanderlust reflects on the comforts of home. Longlisted for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award • Veranda Book Club Pick • “A soulful meditation on ‘what home means, how it hooks the past and pushes into the future’ . . . spellbinding.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Though Frances Mayes is known for her travels, she has always sought a sense of home wherever she goes. In this poetic testament to the power of place in our lives, Mayes reflects on the idea of home, from the earliest imprint of four walls to the startling discoveries of feeling the strange ease of homes abroad, friends’ homes, and even momentary homes that spark desires for other lives. Her musings are all the more poignant after so many have spent their long pandemic months at home. From her travels across Italy—Tuscany, of course, but also Venice and Capri—to the American South, France, and Mexico, Mayes examines the connective tissue among them through the homes she’s inhabited. A Place in the World explores Mayes’s passion and obsessions with houses and the things that inhabit them—old books, rich food, beloved friends, transportive art. The indelible marks each refuge has left on her and how each home influenced the next serve as the foundations of its chapters. Written in Mayes’s signature intimate style, A Place in the World captures the adventure of moving on while seeking comfort in the cornerstone closest to all of us—home.




What's Wrong With The World By G. K. Chesterton


Book Description

What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton. What's Wrong with the World opens with an analysis of the predicament of modern humanity, too obsessed in the great age of political idealism with visions of the future. I originally called this book “What is Wrong,” and it would have satisfied your sardonic temper to note the number of social misunderstandings that arose from the use of the title. Many a mild lady visitor opened her eyes when I remarked casually, “I have been doing ‘What is Wrong’ all this morning.” And one minister of religion moved quite sharply in his chair when I told him (as he understood it) that I had to run upstairs and do what was wrong, but should be down again in a minute. Exactly of what occult vice they silently accused me I cannot conjecture, but I know of what I accuse myself; and that is, of having written a very shapeless and inadequate book, and one quite unworthy to be dedicated to you. As far as literature goes, this book is what is wrong and no mistake.




Ainslee's


Book Description




Judaisms


Book Description

"An introductory textbook that examines how Jews are a culture, ethnicity, nation, nationality, race, and religion. With each chapter revolving around a single theme--Narratives, Sinais, Zions, Messiahs, Laws, Mysticisms, Cultures, Movements, Genocides, Powers, Borders, and Futures--this introductory textbook interrogates readers' understanding of the Jewish community. Written for a new mode of teaching--one that recognizes the core role that identity formation plays in our lives--this book weaves together alternative, marginalized voices to illustrate how Jews have always been in the process of reshaping their customs, practices, and beliefs. Judaisms is the first book to assess and summarize Jewish history from the time of the Hebrew Bible through today using multiple perspectives"--Provided by publisher.




The Human Origins


Book Description

There is more to the human origins, development, intelligence, and civilization, than the epic debate Creationism versus Evolution, simply because there is more to the human condition than what authorities and ideologies want you to believe. Therefore, when you study the human origins, you have to search beyond the moment when the first humans had detached from the firmament or previous species, since there are other significant events in humanity’s lifespan and achievement defining its specific timeline. While you have to study everything, otherwise you risk understanding these significant events only from simplistic empirical or ideological perspectives, ending up learning what you already know, while following the crowd throughout unending debates. Since you want the accurate truth, because you already know all theories, beliefs, speculations, and debates regarding the human origins. And this is why, when you study the human origins, you expect to understand everything about the origins of life, the nature and origins of this world, the nature of the human higher self and intelligence, the origins and debut of the human consciousness and human intelligent reasoning, along with all details related to the Creator of this entire world, of Life, and of humanity. Additionally, it is relevant to know how all these affect you personally, and how they affect your family, your genetic line, and your nation, how your family and genetic line originate, where and how it happened, under what circumstances, and with what status and privileges for you, for your family, for your nation, and for the humankind. And this is exactly what we cover throughout this book, in all details and from all perspectives. This book studies the human origins, along with the origins of life, human intelligence, human species, human development, human society, human current civilization along with various past civilizations of Earth, integrating humans, their origins, and their original and current conditions in an elaborate comprehensive model.




Escape Routes


Book Description

A collection of the author's favorite twenty adventure stories from the last eleven years




Hearings


Book Description




50 Maps of the World


Book Description

Discover the most awesome places on Earth. 50 Maps of the World is an essential addition to the bookshelf of any young travel lover, map maestro or geography genius. Geography, history and culture spill from the pages of this luxuriously illustrated treasure trove of travel knowledge for 7-to-10-year-olds. Each two-page spread is dedicated to a different country, providing both quick-fire facts and the chance to delve deeper into what makes every nation unique. Natural wonders, bustling metropolises, storied pasts and cultural icons are all presented in expert detail from experienced explorers Ben Handicott and Kalya Ryan, alongside Sol Linero's eye-popping artwork. Meet our earliest ancestors in Ethiopia, marvel at Machu Picchu in Peru and visit the floating villages of Cambodia in this colorful guide to 50 fascinating countries. It's a diverse guide that spans from Spain to Singapore, Colombia to Canada, Turkey to Tanzania, and more. Each spread includes dozens of spotlighted locations, a timeline of the nation's history and introductions to the people who have helped shape it. With the expertise of Ben Handicott (Hello Atlas, Atlas of Adventures: Wonders of the World) and Kalya Ryan, alongside the stunning illustrations of Sol Linero (The 50 States, 50 Cities of the U.S.A.), experience the diversity of our world like never before. 50 Maps of the World reimagines what maps for kids can be, providing not just a geographical fact-fest but a vivid insight into the history, culture and wildlife that shape our living world. This is the perfect way for aspiring adventurers to find out more about all the exciting destinations around the world. This is a quirky, dynamic book of atlases that makes a perfect companion for vacations and during trip planning.




Skiing


Book Description