In an unorthodox approach, Georgetown University professor Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice, and sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving their careers. Not only are pre-existing passions rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work, but a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers. Cal reveals that matching your job to a pre-existing passion does not matter. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it. With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

From the formation of the first institutions of representative government and the use of slavery in the seventeenth century through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the civil rights movement, and into the twenty-first century, Virginia’s history has been marked by obstacles to democratic change. In The Grandees of Government, Brent Tarter offers an extended commentary based in primary sources on how these undemocratic institutions and ideas arose, and how they were both perpetuated and challenged. Although much literature on American republicanism focuses on the writings of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, among others, Tarter reveals how their writings were in reality an expression of federalism, not of republican government. Within Virginia, Jefferson, Madison, and others such as John Taylor of Caroline and their contemporaries governed in ways that directly contradicted their statements about representative—and limited— government. Even the democratic rhetoric of the American Revolution worked surprisingly little immediate change in the political practices, institutions, and culture of Virginia. The counterrevolution of the 1880s culminated in the Constitution of 1902 that disfranchised the remainder of African Americans. Virginians who could vote reversed the democratic reforms embodied in the constitutions of 1851, 1864, and 1869, so that the antidemocratic Byrd organization could dominate Virginia’s public life for the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. Offering a thorough reevaluation of the interrelationship between the words and actions of Virginia’s political leaders, The Grandees of Government provides an entirely new interpretation of Virginia’s political history.

Stop trying to become who you are already are! "Prone to Love is a straightforward and disarming, a breath of fresh air!" --Bonnie Chavda, Founder and Pastor of All Nations Church If you have been around Christian circles long enough, you have heard the phrase, “child of God.” As believers, we use language like this all the time describing our relationship with the Father—but do we really know what it means? What if we actually lived out of the relationship and reality we talked, preached, and sung about? Easy. We would change the world. The roadblock preventing us from stepping into our identities as sons and daughters of God is not lack of discipline, resources, or creative ideas. We have all of this… What’s missing? To discover who you are, first, you must know Who the Father is and what He’s like. "You can't read Prone to Love and not recall the goodness of God in your life." -- Shawn Ring, Executive Pastor, Gateway Church

Let Me Perish From Starvation's Love By: Limelight When Limelight’s mind goes a-wandering, look out! From uproariously funny to tragic, this collection of short stories and poems will have you scratching your skull and wondering what kind of person can come up with these weird, wacky words. LET ME PERISH FROM STARVATION’S LOVE will surely keep you entertained and, ultimately, expose you to seeing the world in a new light.

Explore the African American neighborhood of Warwick Lawns, the hub of African American society in Newport News, Virginia, and the people that grew up there, where they went, what they did, and the circle of friends they did it with. You’ll be amazed at their resourcefulness in a neighborhood with no recreational facilities, not even sidewalks.

Throughout the ages and stages of American history, grandmothers have been the guardians of the generations, the dispensers of wisdom, the instillers of pride and dignity, the conveyors of important religious values, the financial and emotional supporters of the family during times of need, and the promoters of cultural standards and traditions. From Maya Angelou to Martin Luther King Jr. to Oprah Winfrey, the success of many African Americans can be traced back to the love and support of a grandmother. Author Reginald E. Hicks is no exception. For Hicks, An Angel's View began as a labor of love to chronicle the life of his own beloved grandmother, from her birth on the family farm in rural New Kent County, Virginia in 1923; through her personal, social, and political trials and tribulations; to her quickly approaching eighty-ninth birthday. However, his humble commemoration eventually blossomed into an emotional story of love, betrayal, triumph, and tragedy embedded in a riveting and dynamic Southern history. Through this exceptional work, Hicks makes a unique and valuable contribution to his family and to the world of black literature.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A powerful memoir of a love that leads two people to find a courageous way to part—and a woman’s struggle to go forward in the face of loss—that “enriches the reader’s life with urgency and gratitude” (The Washington Post) “A pleasure to read . . . Rarely has a memoir about death been so full of life. . . . Bloom has a talent for mixing the prosaic and profound, the slapstick and the serious.”—USA Today ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease. Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace. In this heartbreaking and surprising memoir, Bloom sheds light on a part of life we so often shy away from discussing—its ending. Written in Bloom’s captivating, insightful voice and with her trademark wit and candor, In Love is an unforgettable portrait of a beautiful marriage, and a boundary-defying love.