The Slow Breath of Stone

The Slow Breath of Stone
Author: Pamela Petro
Publisher: Fourth Estate (GB)
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2005
Genre: Art
ISBN:

In the years following the devastations of the first world war, a brilliant, young American couple, Kingsley and Lucy Porter, travelled to south-west France to document the abbeys and basilicas of the Romanesque period. Their extraordinary photographs revealed some of the most feverishly inventive stonescapes in Europe, stories chiselled from the Bible and nightmares: rams playing harps and devils eating men's brains; a female centaur pulling a mermaid's hair; women suckling snakes at their breasts. For the Porters, these were images of an imagined world that unlocked secrets of the eleventh century but, menacingly, cast a dark shadow over their marriage. In The Slow Breath of Stone, Pamela Petro rents a car and, using the Porter's photographs and Lucy's journal as her map, retraces their journey through the wild landscapes of the Rouergue. She visits the beautiful and disturbing sculptures of monsters and animals devouring prey that adorn the cathedrals of Cahors and Carcassonne, and she explores a limestone quarry from where these great slabs of stone were hewn a thousand years ago. She walks the routes of pilgrimages, testaments to the tenacity of human hope, meeting people along the way and savouring the local food and wine. Above all, she journeys deep into the strange relationship of the sexually incompatible Lucy and Kingsley, following them to Donegal where their marriage was to end tragically and mysteriously on the cliffs of Inishbofin. An absorbing travel book, a meditation on geology, photography, Romanesque art and the romance of physical decline, The Slow Breath of Stone throws a mirror on Europe of the Middle Ages and its hold on us today.

The Long Field

The Long Field
Author: Pamela Petro
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2023-08-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1956763767

For readers of H Is for Hawk, an intimate memoir of belonging and loss and a mesmerizing travelogue through the landscapes and language of Wales Hiraeth is a Welsh word that's famously hard to translate. Literally, it can mean "long field" but generally translates into English, inadequately, as "homesickness." At heart, hiraeth suggests something like a bone-deep longing for an irretrievable place, person, or time—an acute awareness of the presence of absence. In The Long Field, Pamela Petro braids essential hiraeth stories of Wales with tales from her own life—as an American who found an ancient home in Wales, as a gay woman, as the survivor of a terrible AMTRAK train crash, and as the daughter of a parent with dementia. Through the pull and tangle of these stories and her travels throughout Wales, hiraeth takes on radical new meanings. There is traditional hiraeth of place and home, but also queer hiraeth; and hiraeth triggered by technology, immigration, ecological crises, and our new divisive politics. On this journey, the notion begins to morph from a uniquely Welsh experience to a universal human condition, from deep longing to the creative responses to loss that Petro sees as the genius of Welsh culture. It becomes a tool to understand ourselves in our time. A finalist for the Wales Book of the Year Award and named to the Telegraph's and Financial Times's Top 10 lists for travel writing, The Long Field is an unforgettable exploration of “the hidden contours of the human heart.”

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See
Author: Anthony Doerr
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2014-05-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1476746605

*NOW A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES—from producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia Loberti* Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller and New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris, and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the Resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge. Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

The Slow Breath of Stone: A Romanesque Love Story

The Slow Breath of Stone: A Romanesque Love Story
Author: Pamela Petro
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2011-11-24
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0007445806

An absorbing travel book, a meditation on geology, photography, Romanesque art and the romance of physical decline, The Slow Breath of Stone throws a mirror on Europe of the Middle Ages and its hold on us today.

Glenveagh Mystery

Glenveagh Mystery
Author: Lucy Costigan
Publisher: Merrion Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2012-11-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1908928166

Arthur Kingsley Porter, (1883 1933) renowned American, Harvard professor and owner of Glenveagh Castle, vanished without trace from Inishbofin Island, Co. Donegal, in 1933. No trace of the professor was ever found. Over the decades stories of Porter's disappearance turned into legend. A strong swimmer and always fond of the outdoors, was it likely that Porter had been drowned by misadventure or was foul play involved? Perhaps Porter took off alone to pursue new adventures? By the late 1920s Porter and his wife Lucy possessed every asset that most mortals can only dream of. But was there a dark secret that led the enigmatic professor to jump from the rocks on that fateful morning? The truth about the secret inner world of Arthur Kingsley Porter has only recently been revealed. In a historical thriller set in Ireland, America and Europe in the 1920s and 30s, Lucy Costigan conjures up the world of Irish cultural and rural life, examines Porter s friendship with the literary figure AE and Irish society luminaries, and celebrates the raw beauty of Glenveagh and Donegal.

The Seven Stones

The Seven Stones
Author: A. Mussbacher
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2024-06-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1039161448

In the aftermath of a brutal war spanning two decades, the Empire of Lamora finds itself on the brink of surrender. With a fragile ceasefire in place, the Lamoran empress ventures into enemy territory, guided by the renowned military hero, General Leona Almadzi. Yet, a sense of trepidation gnaws at the general, as she suspects that this act of diplomacy may be a carefully laid trap. While General Almadzi remains focused on safeguarding the empress, an opportunity presents itself to Leas Steele, the cunning mastermind behind the notorious Thieves' Guild. Seizing the chance to exploit the political turmoil, Leas aims to satisfy her own ambitions. Little do they know that their paths are about to intersect in the most unexpected way. An audacious assassination attempt shatters the ceremony, throwing both the general and the thief into a whirlwind of chaos. Bound together by circumstance, they become entangled in a web of deceit, murder, and betrayal. As Leas manipulates the situation to prevent General Almadzi from slipping away, the general uncovers a sinister plot that not only threatens her nation but also poses a grave danger to the world at large. Desperate for answers and driven by a shared desire for justice, General Almadzi reluctantly turns to Leas, recognizing that the thief may hold the key to unveiling the truth. Engaged in a perilous game of cat and mouse, the general must set aside her pride and outwit Leas to navigate a landscape fraught with danger. Yet, lurking behind their every move are forces far more formidable than either of them could have anticipated. As they grapple for control, they soon realize that the puppeteers pulling the strings are far too powerful to be subdued. Step into a world where honor clashes with cunning, and loyalties are tested against the backdrop of an ancient conflict. In this thrilling tale of mystery and suspense, General Leona Almadzi and Leas Steele will discover that the fate of nations and the destiny of their own lives hang in the balance. Will they uncover the truth in time, or will they succumb to the machinations of a hidden enemy? The answers lie within these pages, waiting for you to delve deeper into a realm where nothing is as it seems.

Stones, Stars and Solutions

Stones, Stars and Solutions
Author: John Chapman
Publisher: John Chapman
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2011-07-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1476113572

Who are the Sky People and what is the Sky’s Eye? What do they have to do with the ancient document held by the Triplet family since 1099? What is the purpose of the mysterious stone, kept with the document? Why was the document written in thirteen different languages? Does the number thirteen provide a clue? When translated, what is the ultimate power the document speaks of? Sir Richard and his ‘family’ begin a quest for the answers. Unfortunately, he and his group aren't the only ones looking for this ultimate power. His opponents already have a two-day head start. Their journeys will lead them to the cradles of civilisation, but where does their journey start? What will they discover at the end? Why are James and Donna so important to this quest? What about the situation between Richard and Donna? Is he still lying to her? Did he send the threatening letter? Everyone, including Joyce believes Richard would be the logical choice. Richard swears he didn't send it, but if he didn't then who did? Who sought Joyce's help through a mysterious phone call to the Complex? Would Joyce regret the choice she made? Where does Kate fit in? Does she hide a secret of her own? Is Tom an ordinary little boy, or is he special like James and Donna? Why does he know so much about the Dine’é Yá? Who told him? Who is Candice Stuart and what important part will she play in James’s future?

The Ultimate Guide to Emotional Healing with Crystals and Stones

The Ultimate Guide to Emotional Healing with Crystals and Stones
Author: Uma Silbey
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2023-11-21
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1510776508

This follow-up to Uma Silbey's The Ultimate Guide to Crystals and Stones is designed to be instructional as well as inspirational, creating an opportunity through her extensive level of expertise so that you can examine and heal your emotional turmoil as well as that of others. This groundbreaking book provides detailed information about how to use crystal and stone energy to transform painful feelings and emotional turmoil into inner harmony and peace. These step-by-step crystal instructions show the reader exactly how to vanquish and transform both the most painful feelings as well as the underlying deep core wounding that supports their continual reoccurrence. Beautiful pictures and descriptions of the most important emotional healing stones supplement each set of instructions and accompanying meditations. This book is for all of those who want to have a happier life as well as those who want to successfully help others. Within the opening pages of The Ultimate Guide to Emotional Healing with Crystals and Stones, Silbey provides you with an understanding of how emotional pain works, forming the basis that supports later instructions for crystal and stone usage. Then you'll be introduced to actual healing techniques as well as specific emotional healing crystals and stones. Emotional upsets explored throughout the book include: anger, blame, grief, jealousy, sadness, boredom, apathy, withdrawal, anxiety, impatience, shyness, disgust/contempt, fear, eating disorders, obsession/control/compulsion, unhappiness, confusion, and suicide. Emotional core wounds discussed include: shame, inadequacy, fear of anger, abuse, domination, distrust, rejection, abandonment, feeling guilty, inability to accept self/others, feeling unlovable, and depression. While being inspired, you'll discover a deeper level of wisdom that will guide you further in your emotional healing work with stones and crystals through Silbey's informative and eye-opening text.

Trial of Flowers

Trial of Flowers
Author: Jay Lake
Publisher: Gateway
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2018-12-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473225574

The City Imperishable's secret master and heir to the long-vacant throne has vanished from a locked room, as politics have turned deadly in a bid to revive the city's long-vanished empire. The city's dwarfs, stunted from spending their childhoods in confining boxes, are restive. Bijaz the Dwarf, leader of the Sewn faction among the dwarfs, fights their persecution. Jason the Factor, friend and apprentice to the missing master, works to maintain stability in the absence of a guiding hand. Imago of Lockwood struggles to revive the office of Lord Mayor in a bid to turn the City Imperishable away from the path of destruction. These three must contend with one another as they race to resolve the threats to the city.