This absorbing work contains stories illustrating two of the seven deadly sins: Envy and Indolence. The intriguing stories and their unique characters will keep the readers engaged till the very end of this work. Moreover, this volume includes some beautiful illustrations making it even more enjoyable.

Drawing on centuries of wisdom from the Christian ethical tradition, this book takes readers on a journey of self-examination, exploring why our hearts are captivated by glittery but false substitutes for true human goodness and happiness. The first edition sold 35,000 copies and was a C. S. Lewis Book Prize award winner. Now updated and revised throughout, the second edition includes a new chapter on grace and growth through the spiritual disciplines. Questions for discussion and study are included at the end of each chapter.

Here is a rollicking parody of the self-help genre, one that skewers the couch-bound, apathetic mentality so pervasive in America today. With tongue in cheek, Sloth guides readers step-by-step toward a life of noncommittal inertia. "You have the right to be lazy," writes Wasserstein. "You can choose not to respond. You can choose not to move." Readers will find out the importance of Lethargiosis--the process of eliminating energy and drive, the vital first step in becoming a sloth. To help you attain the perfect state of indolent bliss, the book offers a wealth of self-help aids. Readers will find the sloth songbook, sloth breakfast bars (packed with sugar, additives, and a delicious touch of Ambien), sloth documentaries (such as the author's 12-hour epic on Thomas Aquinas), and the sloth network, channel 823, programming guaranteed not to stimulate or challenge in any way. ("It may be difficult to distinguish between this and other channels, but only on channel 823 can you watch me sleeping.") Readers will also learn the top ten lies about Sloth, the ten commandments of Sloth, the SLOTH mantra, even the "too-much ten"--over-achievers such as Marie Curie, Shakespeare, and William the Conqueror. You will discover how to become a sloth in your diet, exercise, work, and even love-life (true love leads to passion, she warns, and passion is the biggest enemy of sloth). Wendy Wasserstein is one of America's great comic writers--one who always has a serious point to her humor. Here, as she pokes fun at the self-help industry, she also satirizes the legion of Americans who are cultural and political sloths.

A classic study of the allegorical power of love in literature, traced through the medieval and Renaissance periods.

"Are you a sinner when it comes to investing? During his long and successful career at Salomon Brothers, Maury Fertig witnessed many smart people making very bad investment decisions -- all because they let their emotions influence their judgment. He realized that whether the result of ego, competitiveness, or just plain laziness, these dire behaviors were rooted in seven common and recognizable human weaknesses: * Envy: focusing on the success of others * Vanity, or Pride: an unwillingness to take advice * Lust: an infatuation with an investment, despite warnings that it is not sound * Avarice: a tendency to hold onto a stock for too long, decreasing its return * Anger, or Wrath: irrational behavior that sacrifices steady progress for a quick hit * Gluttony: compulsive and excessive investing * Sloth: ignoring finances altogether The Seven Deadly Sins of Investing helps readers recognize their investing vices, and offers practical strategies to help them correct the error of their ways. Illustrated by real stories about real investors who have given in to temptation, the book provides solid financial advice for avoiding common pitfalls and staying on the path to "salvation" -- and wealth."