To those who see aright, this vast and mysterious universe is packed with deep joy. Its stars throb with joy, its radiations hum with it, its dark or glowing nebula embed it. The dances of the atoms and galaxies are dances of joy. Here below, joy lies hidden deep down at the hearts of all things---of boulders, trees, sharks and ourselves. So says eminent Theosophist Robert Ellwood, who sees the joy pervading the universe as accessible to everyone, not just mystics and saints. Joy can enhance the happiest of circumstances and ease the most adverse. It is our birthright and true nature. Humph! Not mine, you say? Ellwood frankly acknowledges our shifting moods, life's tedium, and the reality of pain and despair. But he invokes Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi wisdom to affirm joy despite all conditions---for richer of poorer, in sickness and in health. Then he leads us to find deep joy for ourselves, one precious moment at a time. At once simple and profound, this warm, gentle book is one you will cherish for yourself and as a gift for old friends, young people seeking vision, and any loved one in need.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • Buzzfeed • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly • Chicago Public Library “Redefines friendship as something that must be protected, sacrificed for, and tended to with wisdom, patience, and love.” —Ocean Vuong, New York Times bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous A poignant coming-of-age novel about two best friends whose friendship is tested when they get the opportunity to leave their impoverished small town for an elite prep school. For fans of Looking for Alaska. Life in a small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He's been spending his summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen. But when Delaney manages to secure both of them full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash will have to grapple with his need to protect and love Delaney, and his love for the grandparents who saved him and the town he has to leave behind. Jeff Zentner's new novel is a beautiful examination of grief, found family, and young love.

Now ordinary meditators (and non-meditators) can understand how to attain non-ordinary states with relative ease. Blended with contemporary examples, pragmatic exercises, and ''how to'' instructions that anyone can try, Focused and Fearless provides a wealth of tools to cultivate non-distracted attention in daily life and on retreat. Shaila Catherine has a friendly, wise approach to the meditative states (jhanas) that lead to liberating insight. Focused and Fearless is about much more than merely meditation or concentration. It offers a complete path towards bliss, fearlessness, and true awakening.

"A Deep and Subtle Joy is an introduction to Benedictine - and indeed Christian - spirituality. It takes the reader on a twenty-four-hour personal tour of Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, England, the monastery where Father Joe, the subject of Tony Hendra's best-selling book, lived. The reader is invited to share in the lives of the monks and enter into their rhythm of worship, work, reading, prayer, and recreation."--BOOK JACKET.

The promise of Spring in Deep Lakes, Wisconsin brings the community out of hibernation to plan the annual Roots Festival. Bubble and Bake owner Frankie Champagne just wants to help the Granite Mansion quarry heiress plan the keynote presentation. So, why does she find herself in the middle of the legendary and deadly Quarry Curse?