The Good Life was a publication that was sent out on a semi-regular basis to a small group of friends/colleagues/subscribers beginning in November 1993 and concluding in September 2002. This book is a compilation of those issues. The subject material is varied and diverse---the bulk of it is a recounting of real life experiences, both mundane and dramatic, frequently analyzed from sociological, philosophical, psychological and humanistic perspectives. It also includes commentary on sociological issues, as well as topical commentary on the events of the day: the O.J. Simpson trial, the death of Princess Diana, and September 11, 2001. Sports topics of the day are discussed, and a smattering of poetry is also included, as well as reader commentary. It is an open-minded and multi-faceted book unlike any other you have read or will read.

Updated a decade after its original publication, this memoir by Jean Hay Bright chronicles the years in the 1970s when the author and her first husband, a traumatized Vietnam veteran, homesteaded on 25 rugged Maine acres sold to them by Living the Good Life authors Helen and Scott Nearing, and the aftermath of that experience in the decades that followed. Jean also used her investigative reporting skills to try to resolve some long-standing and nagging questions about the Nearings, focusing particularly on their finances over the decades. Her research also turned up some surprising and enlightening facts about how Helen and Scott Nearing actually lived and died. The revised edition has a new Prologue by Susan Hand Shetterly, more family photos, an expanded Afterword, as well as details and a new chapter pulled from Scott Nearing's FBI file, including documentation of Scott's listing in J. Edgar Hoover's Custodial Detention program.

"Disillusioned with their lives, Linda Cockburn and Trevor Wittmer decide this is how to break the cycle of too much work and too little time for doing the things that are important, like spending time with their son, Caleb. Their idea of living sustainably on a suburban block is simple and perfect. By drawing all their power from the sun, harvesting their water from the rain and growing enough produce to give them variety, they can do something positive for the environment and for themselves. For six months they take it to the extreme - and come up against a drought, an onslaught of fruit fly, and the demands of an unruly goat called Possum. But they also become fitter, healthier and happier, and delight in the simple pleasures of being reconnected with nature. Join them on their journey - share their recipes and tips for how to live more sustainably and learn astounding facts on the state of the Earth. This is a practical, fascinating and inspiring read that will have you looking afresh at your own backyard." -Back cover.

When I started blogging almost 10 years ago, on the 4th of August 2016, my goal was to have a place where I could capture and express my thoughts and feelings about stuff, i.e., a place where I could digress about the things that interested me (Shakespeare, SF, Opera, Film, etc.) It also provided a kind of repository where my kids, say, could go to get glimpses of me that may go unexplored otherwise. For me, blogging was never about numbers, instead it was about meaning and sharing meaning with those who cared. I'm not a writer, not even an aspiring one. I am an Engineer with a lot going on in heart and mind that I'd like to build into a legacy of sorts. So I'm not into volume in terms of blog hits and the like. You won't find on my blog the answer why we go to Shake-speare's plays even when we know the outcome of everyone of them. Are there people interested in knowing this? I doubt it. I don't even know whether there are still people reading Shakespeare in Elizabethan English!

Can we know how the ancient Israelites lived 'the good life'? In his last work, Norman Whybray brings his considerable learning to this question in a social and theological study of the Hebrew Bible. He discovers that far from giving a faint or undifferentiated picture of 'the good life', the books of the Old Testament each yield a distinct impression of what this life entails, underpinned by divine guidance and protection. Comprehensive in scope, and marked by Professor Whybray's lucid thought and style, this book is a fitting addition to the work of an illustrious scholar. It will richly reward any reader interested in the social world as depicted in the Bible, and in God's relationship with it.

Peace of the Mind is D.J. Blues follow-up to 2005s The Good Life Chronicles. Once again, he covers a wide array of topics, this time including several chapters on Christian spirituality. Included among them: an in-depth analysis of the Bible, covering questions answered as well as questions raised while reading the Bible; the debate between Catholics and Protestants on different spiritual issues is discussed; and Rick Warrens best-selling spiritual book The Purpose Driven Life is also reviewed, including eerie parallels to topics brought up in The Good Life Chronicles. Readers of that preceding book will recognize other familiar topics: the annual Taconite Trophy Classic continues to be immortalized via the written word, as each years golf tournament has been chronicled herein; the fourth installment chapter on women, always popular yet provocative with the female crowd, is included; and a complete Seinfeld episodic list (partially referenced in the previous book) is now given its just duethe entire classic series is reviewed, episode by episode. This is just a sample of the various topics and experiences covered. Peace of the Mind concludes the Thousand Page Trilogy with an overall introspective and occasionally subtle spiritual theme running through many of the chapters, reflecting the accomplishments, the struggles and the aspirations of life itself.

The Velvet Machine is a unique blend of thought-provoking essays, humorous anecdotes and real-life adventures as told by two of today's most bold and candid authors. In Part One, D.J. Blue (The Good Life Chronicles) features sociological food for thought in his Velvet Communique series. He tackles a variety of issues, including the root of all sociological evil, a hypothetical explanation of the sleep mechanism from a mathematical perspective, the meaning of dreams, as well as opinions on education, marriage, baseball, and glazed doughnut selection. In Part Two, newcomer S.K. Black paints a colorful, honest and sometimes amusing portrait of Midwestern culture. He also pushes the boundaries of decency with some eyebrow-raising poetry. But the cornerstone of Black's piece is his droll yet insightful narrative of a trip through America's heartland, where everything from Kansas cowgirls to Texas State Troopers is experienced and discussed. The Velvet Machine is a cerebral, boldly provocative, and sometimes amusing book which will make an impression on the reader and will not soon be forgotten.