Experience God's Presence in a Whole New Way There's just something about people who are close to God. Through the ups and downs of life, they remain secure, hopeful. If you want a more rewarding spiritual life, if you want the pleasure of knowing your Creator's heart, this soul-lifting book is for you. Learn from Dutch Sheets as he shares his life lessons for cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Each of the thirty short chapters reveals a simple practice or biblical mindset that will help draw you away from the noise of life and into the Lord's peaceful presence. With profound insights from the Bible and stories you won't soon forget, The Pleasure of His Company is like a spiritual mentor, showing you simple ways to enjoy God more. This powerful book can also be enjoyed as a daily devotional.

From the bestselling author of Shopgirl comes the tender story of a troubled man who finds love, and life, in the most unexpected place. Daniel resides in his Santa Monica apartment, living much of his life as a bystander: He watches from his window as the world goes by, and his only relationships seem to be with people who barely know he exists. He passes the time idly filling out contest applications, counting ceiling tiles, and estimating the wattage of light bulbs. It is through Daniel's growing attachment to Clarissa, and to Teddy, that he finally gains the courage to begin to engage the world outside, and in doing so, he discovers love, and life, in the most surprising places. Filled with his trademark humor, tenderness, and out and out hilarious wordplay, The Pleasure of My Company is a tour de force sure to delight all of Steve Martin's fans.

Charles Warren Stoddard (1843–1909) was, during his life, an acclaimed and prolific writer in multiple genres: poetry, travel sketches, personal memoir, and conversion narrative. His most popular works were dispatches primarily from the South Sea Islands but also extended into Palestine, Egypt, and what would become known as Hawai‘i, most of which were published in the San Francisco Chronicle and then collected into books. For the Pleasure of His Company: An Affair of the Misty City, Thrice Told (1903) is Stoddard’s only novel. This new edition, as with other works in Penn Press’s series Q19: The Queer American Nineteenth Century, returns and reframes an important queer literary text to print. Set mostly in and around San Francisco in the late nineteenth century, the novel features a protagonist, Paul Clitheroe, who is an aspiring writer living among the Bohemian artistic circles of that place and time—the same circles Stoddard himself inhabited. The novel is both formally experimental and largely autobiographical. Thus Paul comes into contact, as Stoddard did, with writers, artists, actors, directors, priests, adventurers, and many others as he attempts to begin his career. Bohemian artistic life and erotic experimentation go hand in hand here: Paul has multiple relationships with other men even as he writes a novel that features similar liaisons. At the very end of the story, while on a cruise in the Pacific, Paul impulsively leaves his ship and disappears in a canoe with some young Hawaiian men. This parallels Stoddard’s life too: he spent many long periods of his life in Hawai‘i, where he found the local homoerotic customs to his liking. This Q19 volume also includes three of Stoddard’s Hawaiian travel sketches, which chronicle his intimate personal relationship with a Hawaiian youth he calls Kána-Aná. The volume contains a full critical introduction as well as extensive annotations explaining textual references of various kinds and identifying parallels with Stoddard’s own life.

A taste of paradise For two weeks each year, Kingsley Diallo puts aside his responsibilities as CEO of a multibillion-dollar company and heads to Aruba. It’s his chance to surf, unwind and enjoy the anonymity of just blending into a crowd. Then one day he sees Adah Palmer-Mitchell on the edge of the beach and wants to make a meaningful connection with her. Instinct tells him she’s keeping a secret, but the stunning island setting and Adah’s sensual beauty are an irresistible combination… Disillusioned by romance, Adah agreed to an engagement to bolster her parents’ business interests. Suddenly that love-free arrangement is a sacrifice she’s not sure she can make. Handsome, charismatic and confident, Kingsley awakens her dormant desires, tantalizing her with the possibility of a passionate future. As their dangerous game of attraction escalates, can she choose between family loyalty…and the call of her heart?

Need a break? You're invited to "Come with me," Jesus said, "to a quiet place and get some rest." Will you accept His invitation?

For His Pleasure is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, and with each new book in the series, the romance only gets hotter... This volume contains the first two books in the For His Pleasure series (FOR HIS PLEASURE & FOR HIS TAKING) When twenty-two year old Nicole Masters gets a highly coveted internship working for one of the largest advertising companies in the world, she can't believe her luck. But Jameson International isn't just any company. It's owned by thirty-two-year-old business mogul and celebrity, Red Jameson. Red is known for his high flying lifestyle; dating models and hanging with the rich and famous. The powerful billionaire can have any woman he wants, and the naive college graduate can't imagine making much of an impression on her new CEO. But when Red Jameson takes notice of her and invites her up to his secluded office one day, everything changes.

(Amadeus). The New York Times music and drama critic recalls friends and associates over a 57-year career. HARDCOVER.