A disastrous error on the field sends five lives into a tailspin in this widely acclaimed tale about love, life, and baseball, praised by the New York Times as "wonderful...a novel that is every bit as entertaining as it is affecting." Named one of the year's best books by the New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg, Kansas City Star, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Time Out New York. At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment -- to oneself and to others. "First novels this complete and consuming come along very, very seldom." --Jonathan Franzen

Discover the secret to real, realistic, non-rules-based rest For some of us, resting seems like a waste of time-it means we're missing out on other things. For others, rest seems like a luxury-there's simply too much to do. And for almost all of us, we crave rest, but don't always know how to. This warm, realistic, humorous book shows us the huge spiritual, emotional and physical rewards of rest. It shows us how rest gives us time to spend with God and remember his grace. Discover how rest fuels our joy and confidence in God's sovereignty as we learn to depend on him, and not our own efforts, and are refreshed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Adam Mabry shows us how rest helps us make space for relationships, shared experiences and moments to remember; how it liberates us from the pressure of self-reliance; how it gives us a chance to think and reflect; and how it stops us from burning out. Finally, this book casts a realistic vision for rest that is less rule and more rhythm-less onerous restriction and more liberating art form. Adam Mabry helps us to learn the 'art of rest' with some practical suggestions. The world never stops. But we need to. And as Christians we can by having faith to hit pause and experience the rich rewards of God-given rest.

“Enthralling - full of 'aha' moments about why some ideas soar and others never get off the ground. This book picks up where The Tipping Point left off." —Adam Grant Nothing “goes viral.” If you think a popular movie, song, or app came out of nowhere to become a word-of-mouth success in today’s crowded media environment, you’re missing the real story. Each blockbuster has a secret history—of power, influence, dark broadcasters, and passionate cults that turn some new products into cultural phenomena. Even the most brilliant ideas wither in obscurity if they fail to connect with the right network, and the consumers that matter most aren't the early adopters, but rather their friends, followers, and imitators -- the audience of your audience. In his groundbreaking investigation, Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson uncovers the hidden psychology of why we like what we like and reveals the economics of cultural markets that invisibly shape our lives. Shattering the sentimental myths of hit-making that dominate pop culture and business, Thompson shows quality is insufficient for success, nobody has "good taste," and some of the most popular products in history were one bad break away from utter failure. It may be a new world, but there are some enduring truths to what audiences and consumers want. People love a familiar surprise: a product that is bold, yet sneakily recognizable. Every business, every artist, every person looking to promote themselves and their work wants to know what makes some works so successful while others disappear. Hit Makers is a magical mystery tour through the last century of pop culture blockbusters and the most valuable currency of the twenty-first century—people’s attention. From the dawn of impressionist art to the future of Facebook, from small Etsy designers to the origin of Star Wars, Derek Thompson leaves no pet rock unturned to tell the fascinating story of how culture happens and why things become popular. In Hit Makers, Derek Thompson investigates: * What Taylor Swift, the printing press, and the laugh track have in common * The secret link between ESPN's sticky programming and the The Weeknd's catchy choruses * How advertising critics predicted Donald Trump * The 5th grader who accidentally launched "Rock Around the Clock," the biggest hit in rock and roll history * How Barack Obama and his speechwriters think of themselves as songwriters * How Disney conquered the world—but the future of hits belongs to savvy amateurs and individuals * The French collector who accidentally created the Impressionist canon * Quantitative evidence that the biggest music hits aren’t always the best * Why almost all Hollywood blockbusters are sequels, reboots, and adaptations * Why one year--1991--is responsible for the way pop music sounds today * Why another year --1932--created the business model of film * How data scientists proved that “going viral” is a myth * How 19th century immigration patterns explain the most heard song in the Western Hemisphere

"An Atlantic senior editor presents an investigation into the lucrative quality of popularity in the 21st century to share economic insights into what makes ideas, productions and products successful, "--NoveList.