Companion Of Life

2022 QUILL & QUIRE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A bold and absurd new take on the dystopian plague novel, where people are treated like IKEA furniture Distraught and hopeless, an eighteen-year-old distance runner, Regan, decides to end her life. And she’ll do it through an unusual new method available only on the dark web. Enter Ülle, a woman with amnesia, who will, inadvertently, make Regan’s wish come true. But Ülle begins to remember her past and the outrageous steps her government took to combat a deadly pandemic of parasitic infections, which have brought her to this new country and to Regan’s house. Meanwhile, Regan might be changing her mind, and she finds herself more and more concerned about keeping both Ülle and herself alive. But the shadowy organization that brought them together wants to keep them both quiet – permanently. A Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life is a darkly comic dystopian tale that probes our anxieties around boundaries, whether territorial or bodily, and our fraught desire not to die alone. "Gripping from the first page, Robert McGill’s A Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life is a dark, speculative novel with echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale, set against the backdrop of a plague. Some of us would do anything to survive, down to flatpacking ourselves like IKEA furniture, while others would do anything to make our miserable lives end. This is timely, provocative, ethically challenging fiction that asks whether the drive to survive is stronger than the inevitability of death." –Ian Williams, author of Reproduction "Terrifying and tender, A Suitable Companion's sci-fi angle serves to frame a fascinating parable about the post-post-modern family. Unpredictable and completely original, this is a propulsive, rewarding, and thought-provoking read." –Michael Redhill, author of Bellevue Square ​​“The guy knows what he’s doing, from missing children to silk parachutes, you are never lost and he will catch you.” – Zadie Smith, author of Swing Time “A storyteller who refuses to keep things straight, and for this produces freshly captivating effects.” – Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist “A writer of striking talent and originality.” – Daily Mail on The Mysteries “McGill is a talented writer, adept at expressing the nuanced, unspoken truths that beg the lies by which we live.” – Observer on The Mysteries

Martha (Patty) Jefferson is often seen as little more than a background figure overshadowed by her husband's political, literary, and scientific achievements. Dear Companion, by contrast, vividly depicts a wife, mother, and busy mistress of a plantation. We come to know the Jeffersons as a young couple very much in love and share in all the joys and sorrows of their ten-year marriage. Although presented as historical fiction, this biography is actually reconstructed from the author's past-life recall. Ms. Neff's intense familiarity with the period enables her to bring wonderfully to life a time and family that will be forever of interest to all Americans.

This is a dense, erudite collection of finely crafted poems that powerfully reflect on vices such as war, bad governance, deforestation, dissipation, greed, oppression and cruelty. The poems also tackle other important phenomena of life such as love, anxiety, weather, time, politics, morality, economics, justice, culture and the environment. The virtue of these finely tuned poems does not only lie in their philosophical questioning, but their artistic merit and audacious reflection of issues pertinent in human life of all ages. While some of the poems provoke amusement and others tears, the corpus of the collection educates through entertainment. The poetry penetrates into the greater depths of the publics psyche to appraise, query, empty and expose their concerns in such a manner that should hopefully make those who cause or ignite human tribulations to rethink their actions and those haunted by the same to stay vigilant.

The Four Agreements Companion Book takes you further along the journey to recover the awareness and wisdom of your authentic self. This book offers additional insights, practice ideas, a dialogue with don Miguel about applying The Four Agreements, and true stories from people who have transformed their lives.

Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most. Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. The Five Invitations is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. In The Five Invitations, he distills the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation. The Five Invitations: -Don’t Wait -Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing -Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience -Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things -Cultivate Don’t Know Mind These Five Invitations show us how to wake up fully to our lives. They can be understood as best practices for anyone coping with loss or navigating any sort of transition or crisis; they guide us toward appreciating life’s preciousness. Awareness of death can be a valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go of regret. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to impart to all of us.

We are so excited for you and the journey that you are about to embark upon in this book Companion for Life: The Foundations for Living. The Cornerstone: Mindfulness for Life program is comprehensive on every level and will guide you to self-empowerment. In reading this book, you will remember how to properly care for and understand your body. You will remember how to work with your emotions in the most intelligent of ways. You will remember your true work and purpose. You will remember awareness, which is beyond your limited thoughts, and ultimately embrace your true self with complete consciousness and compassion. The goal of this book is to help you be a fully alive human being and remember to be true to yourself in daily life by being mindful. Meditation is the key. Every aspect of your life, including your body, emotion, behavior, and mind, is important and dependent upon each other. Your individual personality is meaningful and essential. Your personality is always present in daily life. It is the thread that pulls the different elements of your life together and gives it cohesion. Life is always changing and your true self is the still point from which your life revolves. This still point is bigger than and holds your personality. Your true self is constant and your body, emotion, behavior, and thought are constantly changing. Conscious compassion is that still point (your foundation), your companion for life. Your true self is conscious compassion. It is the deepest part of you that never changes and is infinitely wise and loving. It is the part of you that inherently knows without thinking and is connected to everything. Meditation is the way to connect to conscious compassion. Compassion is love and consciousness is being aware of that love. This book is a reminder of everything you already know, its all inside of you. Are you ready? Lets get started.

This volume discusses the philosophical issues connected with the nature and significance of life and death, and the ethics of killing. It will be of interest to all those taking courses on the philosophy of life and death, applied ethics covering abortion, euthanasia, and suicide, and ethics and metaphysics.

From the customs of religious life to common domestic and social practices, The Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times is your quick and reliable guide to the cultural backgrounds that formed the backdrop of biblical writings. Unlike many similar works, this Bible companion is organized thematically, making it easier to scan over broad subjects at one go. Topics include: The family—describes what the Bible says about children and childbirth, education, the different roles performed by men and women; as well as topics like sex, marriage, divorce, old age, death, and burial. The household—from house architecture and furniture to topics of everyday survival, such as food and its preparation, water access, and how illnesses were handled. Work life—discusses major Old Testament occupations and trades, from livestock and woodworking to commerce. Social life—includes explanations of population, the calendar, economics, crafts, travel and trade, dress, and music. Government—how different aspects of governance were handled in towns, larger cities, and the state, including the roles of the king, elders, and officials. Israel's religious life—from the use of high places and altars, to the importance of the tabernacle and the temple, to the role of priests and Levites. Between the brief introductions you might find in a study Bible and the overwhelming amount of detail in an exhaustive reference handbook, Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times strikes the perfect balance of manageable information, giving any student of Scripture the keys to unlock commonly misunderstood passages as well as deepen your appreciation of even the most familiar Bible stories.