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Recent Additions to Our Collection |
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Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First-Century Life
by Ana Garriga
A not-so-saintly self-help book that dives into the wild, wise, and unconventional lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns and proves one thing: No matter the century, nuns know best. When most of us think of nuns, we picture hands clasped in prayer, solemn shuffles down cloistered halls, and that iconic habit silhouette. But what about the nuns who ate spiderwebs, erupted into jealous fights over makeup, or chain-produced manuscripts for extra cash? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. 16th- and 17th-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious, and refreshingly relatable—and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today. Convent Wisdom is your guide to navigating everything from patriarchal bureaucracy to an all-consuming friend crush with help from history's most fascinating nuns. Struggling with money? Saint Teresa and her fellow Carmelites have recession-proof advice. Scrolling social media and drowning in FOMO? Mary of Jesus of greda's miraculous ability to engage in bilocation might help you cope. Confounded by a lesbian situationship? The yearnings of Sor Juana In s de la Cruz contain unexpected insights. Blending rigorous research with tongue-in-cheek takeaways and weaving pop culture and personal anecdotes throughout, Brown University scholars and best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita spill the juicy inside scoop on monastic life so you can better conquer today's anxiety-ridden, hyper-connected world. Be it work woes, unholy diets, or crises of the soul, the nuns of Convent Wisdom are here to guide you—with a wink and a prayer.
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Hiking Zen: Train Your Mind in Nature
by Phap Xa
Discover the joy of mindful walking and hiking, cultivate deep connection with the world around you, and ultimately embrace the path of happiness as a way of life A mobile monastery to stick in your pack whenever you go out on the trail, this book by veteran hikers and Buddhist monks Phap Luu and Phap Xa offers mindfulness practices to explore as you walk to generate inner and outer peace. Grounded in the rich traditions of Zen practice, this book invites you to experience the fundamental connection between humans and the natural world.
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The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging by Noelle CookLeafing through photos from the January 6 insurrection, extremist researcher Noelle Cook was struck by how many women looked like her: middle-aged white women in puffy coats. Women were not on the fringes of the extreme right, she realized. They were radicalizing each other, and the pandemic was changing them. So who were the women of J6? And why did some of them believe in shape-shifting reptilians and the health benefits of colloidal silver? This is the world scholars call conspirituality, in which New Age religion, online wellness culture, and extremism blend and become laced with antisemitic and racist theories. With acute attention to the emotional lives of women and research on conspiracism, Cook introduces us to Tammy, who believed storming the Capitol would help take down a global cabal of pedophiles. We also meet Yvonne, convinced she is a starseed destined to lead others into the fifth dimension. We visit a trade show where vendors hawk everything from quantum healing devices to government cover-ups, and trace the movement's roots to a nineteenth-century mystical philosophy. With arresting detail, The Conspiracists draws us into the lives of conspiratorial women to explore how and why women are becoming radicalized. Women are crafting entire worlds, Cook argues, and we ignore these worlds at our own peril. As misinformation spreads and extremism intensifies, The Conspiracists does not seek to excuse women's conspiracism but rather to understand it. Otherwise, we have no hope of countering its force.
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The Way of the Wildflower: Gospel Meditations to Unburden Your Anxious Soul by Ruth Chou SimonsDiscover how to live freely and release your burdens with gospel meditations that turn your focus to the God who cares deeply for you. Are you looking for a new way of living? A way to stop anxious thoughts and release heavy burdens you aren't meant to carry? In The Way of the Wildflower, bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons invites you to draw inspiration for your weary soul from the flowers of the field through thirty gospel focused meditations covering five ways of the wildflower: Dependency, Freedom, Resilience, Unhurriedness, and Belovedness. This gorgeous, full-color devotional features Ruth's signature art and stunning hand-painted botanicals, alongside: Bible verses to meditate on; Practical applications of God's Word; Key truths to preach to yourself when you feel burdened; Prayers to help you practice the way of the wildflower; Wildflower facts and the lessons we can learn from them. If you're wrestling with your past, struggling in your present, or fearful for your future, pause and be still. Consider how the wildflowers grow, remember that the God who cares for them cares for you, too, and let your anxious soul find rest in Him.
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How to Love
by Thich Nhat Hanh
The most popular book in the How To series: advice, practices, and food for thought from a Zen Master on our most universal emotion. The third book in the bestselling Mindfulness Essentials series, a back-to-basics collection from world-renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh that introduces everyone to the essentials of mindfulness practice. Nhat Hanh brings his signature clarity, compassion, and humor to the thorny question of how to love. He distills one of our strongest emotions down to four essentials: you can only love another when you feel true love for yourself; love is understanding; understanding brings compassion; deep listening and loving speech are key ways of showing our love. Pocket-sized, with original two color illustrations by Jason DeAntonis, How to Love shows that when we feel closer to our loved ones, we are also more connected to the world as a whole. With sections on Love vs. Need, Being in Love, Reverence, Intimacy, Children and Family, Reconciling with Parents, and more, How to Love includes meditations you can do alone or with your partner to go deep inside and expand your own capacity to love. Scientific studies indicate that meditation contributes tremendously to well-being, general health, and longevity. How to Love is a unique gift for those who want a comprehensive yet simple guide to understanding the many different kinds of love, along with meditative practices that can expand the understanding of and capacity for love, appropriate for those practicing in any spiritual tradition, whether seasoned practitioners or new to meditation.
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Light for the Way: Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World
by Sojourners
Explore the work of beloved writers from Sojourners magazine on spiritual thriving, living simply, and engaging with our communities. For five decades, Sojourners magazine has been deeply engaged with the world while calling its readers to a new kind of life and faith rooted in justice and peace. This legacy stands in stark contrast to our culture, which too often links a person's value to the amount they produce or consume, pushing each of us to do and be more, fraying our connections and deadening our souls. As Christian nationalism and authoritarianism gain more and more cultural power, we don't need less soul, but more. We need a more resilient faith that can resist power and principalities and prophetically imagine an alternative world, centered in justice and love. Integral to this kind of prophetic faith is a commitment to simple spiritual practices and communal connections. Even in the most dire and demoralizing times, practices of contemplation, sabbath rest, and community offer sustenance and power. Light for the Way is a powerful, yet meditative collection of pieces from the last fifty years of Sojourners magazine, exploring how contemplative practices, rest, simplicity, environmental engagement, and communal care are essential for sustaining our resistance and repairing our world. And Sojourners continues that work today. With essays from beloved spiritual writers, including Julia Alvarez, Margaret Atwood, Walter Brueggemann, Kaitlin Curtice, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, and Richard Rohr, Light for the Way is a soulful companion.
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Awakening: The Path to Freedom and Enlightenment
by Deepak Chopra
In this groundbreaking guide to spiritual and personal wellness, Deepak Chopra unveils profound discoveries on how we can connect with our true self and construct a life free from fear. Building on decades of spiritual teachings, Chopra illustrates through enlightening sutras how to move from a state of simply surviving to leading an awakened life that unlocks the dormant potential within each of us. He also offers a Wellbeing Index by which we can track our progress on this journey towards awakening, helping increase intuition, access to insight, and a growing sense of ourselves as constantly changing beings which are part of a larger whole. Awakening offers the power to free you from the limitations of ego into a life marked by inner and outer peace, purpose, and boundless possibility. Featuring mental exercises, meditations, and personal stories from his own spiritual journey, Chopra shakes us from the nightmare of a limited self, where worry and anxiety reign.
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