Download or read book Finding the Gems The Search for Meaning in Life s Traumas and Losses written by Dr. Gwen Hecht and published by House of Ruach. This book was released on 2023-04-14 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During her career spanning four decades as a Therapist, Dr. Gwen Hecht has often been asked by patients: "Why did that happen to me?" "Why isn't life more joyful?" "Why can't I have what others seem to have so effortlessly?" "Why do I feel stuck?" "Why didn't my previous therapy help?" "Was I born only to suffer?" "Where was God when this was happening?" "What is spirituality?" "How can I let go of my grief?" In Finding the Gems, she explores these themes, paying particular attention to how the losses and traumas we've experienced as children affect us in our adult lives. Even if your most significant losses or traumas occurred as an adult, lessons learned in childhood will inform your interpretation of adult experiences. Personalizing the work of the great Viennese psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, she blends psychology, spirituality, humanism, meaning and purpose in a soulful and penetrating account of her own traumas and bereavement. She argues that finding the meaning in painful experiences is what can free each one of us to be who we want to be. Each chapter is introduced by a quote and concludes with a spiritual lesson that will help you find the gems in painful memories and experiences.

Download or read book Finding the Gems written by Gwen Finestone MFT Ph.D. CT and published by Balboa Press. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During a career spanning four decades, Dr. Finestone has often been asked by patients: Why did that happen to me? Why isnt life more joyful? Why cant I have what others seem to have so effortlessly? Why do I feel stuck? Why didnt my previous therapy help? Was I born only to suffer? Where was God when this was happening? What is spirituality? How can I let go of my grief? In Finding the Gems, she explores these themespaying particular attention to how the losses and traumas weve experienced as children affect us in our adult lives. Even if your most significant losses or traumas occurred as an adult, lessons learned in childhood will inform your interpretation of adult experiences. Personalizing the work of the great Viennese psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, she blends psychology, spirituality, humanism, meaning and purpose in a soulful and penetrating account of her own traumas and bereavement. She argues that finding the meaning in painful experiences is what can free each one of us to be who we want to be. Each chapter is introduced by a quote and concludes with a spiritual lesson that will help you find the gems in painful memories and experiences.

Download or read book The Sense of an Ending written by Julian Barnes and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Download or read book Emergent Gems written by Manish Chopra, PhD and published by Pariyatti. This book was released on with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept of this book came about several years ago when I observed insights emerging spontaneously during periods of silent meditation. Introspective contemplation producing wisdom wasn’t a surprise, yet the unexpected and effortless nature of certain deeper mysteries of life revealing themselves was startling and have left a lasting imprint on my mind. The purpose of sharing these insights is two-fold: to pass on beneficial ideas and life-lessons that have arisen in moments of meditation, and importantly, to encourage the reader to introduce (or enhance, as the case might be) a practice of contemplation in their lives, which would bestow similar bounties upon them directly. This book is written in the form of short distinct vignettes that each present an insightful gem. I have organized them into loosely defined sections, but you may choose to explore them in any order and in a piecemeal manner. I am grateful that these insights have emerged in my mind and provided me much needed guidance and self-direction at critical life junctures and on a day-to-day basis. I hope others might draw benefit from the ideas expressed in this book and be inspired to pursue their own paths to enrich their lives with self-discovery and emergent gems. —Manish Chopra, PhD _________________________ “A thoughtful series of vignettes revealing the ruminations of a dedicated meditation practitioner and business leader. Manish Chopra's openness and commitment to seeking the truth makes his writing relatable and pleasurable. Each insight and story presented can be a powerful daily contemplation. Filled with timeless wisdom, Emergent Gems will inspire its readers to walk mindfully along the spiritual path in a pragmatic and memorable manner.” —Deepak Chopra, MD, Author of Quantum Body and numerous other NY Times bestsellers on spirituality “Emergent Gems is a wonderful therapy for those seeking wisdom and inspiration on the road to a life of meaning. As a prominent business executive, devoted father and dedicated meditator, Manish’s reflections and gems are a gift for introspection that are accessible to anyone who is willing to look honestly inside.” —Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto and former global managing partner of McKinsey & Co. “Manish Chopra's Emergent Gems is like a great box of chocolates for the reflective mind! Meditators and non-meditators alike will benefit from savoring each of these short pieces. Don't eat them all at once!” —Robert Kegan, Meehan Professor Emeritus, Harvard University; co-author, Immunity to Change

Download or read book I Love Jesus But I Want to Die written by Sarah J. Robinson and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Download or read book Hola Papi written by John Paul Brammer and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The popular LGBTQ advice columnist and writer presents a memoir-in-essays chronicling his journey growing up as a queer, mixed-race kid in America's heartland to becoming the "Chicano Carrie Bradshaw" of his generation.

Download or read book Beyond the Garden Wall written by Elizabeth Ann Kuhn and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2023-06-06 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Confessions and Adventures of a Former Trappistine Nun reveals the difficulty she encounters after leaving the cloistered Cistercian abbey. She realizes she must face her past in order to find identity in the outside world. It is her conversion story. This book is a sequel to her first book, Behind the Wall (Authorhouse, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47403; www.behindthewallbook.com).Her intention is not to cast an unfavorable light on any one or any institution but to find peace and healing despite all the difficulties she encounters and to pray for lost souls, souls lost like she was when she first came out, and for lost shepherds who have failed to pasture their sheep. Hopefully these souls will see how much God loves them and how He never gives up on them.After seven years of prayer, austerity, and silence under simple vows, she finds herself out in the modern world. Returning from any religious order can be traumatic.Silence reigns in a monastic cloister; the only sound heard is the chanting of the Divine Office. There is no contact with the outside world--no TV, phones, newspaper nor visitors, except for parents seen behind a double grill twice a year. Coming out of this order is like returning from outer space and finding the world--so different. Emerging from this eternal silence, all of a sudden, she is thrust into this chaos of noise. Her journey is to find a path through this rubble and feel at home with God beyond the cloistered walls.The Cistercian novice studies for two years before she pronounces vows. She does not take a vow of silence, but silence permeates her whole being--because that is where God lives. After pronouncing vows, she is then consecrated to God and becomes His spouse--a bride of Christ. Once something is consecrated to God, you just don't throw it away. It is burnt because it is holy. She remains committed to God throughout her life, hoping for union with Him here and hereafter.This book was written with an abundance of love and concern for all those passing through troubling times and who are truly seeking God. There are always a few bad apples in every profession, but that does not necessarily make the profession or those who embrace it bad."All things work together for the good of those who love God" (Rom. 8:28).

Download or read book Grief 2 Growth written by Brian D Smith and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-07-08 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grief. We avoid talking about it. We avoid thinking about it. However, every one of us who lives long enough will experience it. Since you are reading this, you are likely experiencing grief at this moment. It is also likely you've given little thought as to how you were going to cope with grief when it came to you, and the pain caught you off guard.In Grief 2 Growth, Brian Smith explores what grief is, what you can expect while in grief, and how you can best cope with the universal human experience of grief. Grief is not an emotion. Grief is a container for a myriad of emotions that ebb and flow. Rather than a linear process, grief is more like a dance. Once Brian has explained what grief is and what you can expect from grief, Brian gives simple, practical methods for coping. You can do more than deal with grief. You can transform your pain into an opportunity for growth. When a great tragedy befalls us, we can see ourselves as either planted or buried. Being buried means we are done. Being planted means, we are in a position where growth is about to take place. Brian's approach to handling grief is rooted in a firm understanding of who we are as spiritual beings having a human experience.About The AuthorBrian became well acquainted with grief in 2015 after the sudden passing of his fifteen-year-old daughter Shayna. Brian first learned how to survive for the sake of his wife and surviving daughter. Brian studied in depth the nature of life and death and how to progress through grief. Currently, Brian does volunteer work with organizations dedicated to helping parents heal from the passing of a child. Brian also operates a life coaching and small business consulting practice. You can find Brian at www.grief2growth.com.iversal human experience of grief. Grief is not an emotion, grief is a container for a myriad of emotions that ebb and flow (credit to R. Glenn Kelly for this insight). Once he has explained what grief is and what you can expect from grief, Brian gives simple, practical methods you can use to not only cope with grief but to transform your grief into an opportunity for growth. When a great tragedy befalls us, we can see ourselves as either planted or buried. Brian's approach to handling grief is rooted in a firm understanding of who we are as spiritual beings having a human experience.About The AuthorBrian became well acquainted with grief in 2015 after the sudden passing of his fifteen-year-old daughter Shayna. After turning inward to learn how to survive for the sake of his wife and daughter, Brian turned outward. Brian studied in depth the nature of life and death and how to progress through grief. Turning outward, Brian does volunteer work with organizations dedicated to helping parents heal from the passing of a child and in a life coaching and small business consulting practice.

Download or read book Everything Is Figureoutable written by Marie Forleo and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A #1 New York Times Bestseller "This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Now in paperback with a new prologue, the indispensable handbook for becoming the creative force of your own life by the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast. While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward." If you're having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn't you. It's that you haven't yet installed the one belief that changes everything. Marie's mom once told her, "Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you roll up your sleeves. Everything is figureoutable." Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to dance, heal a relationship, or grow a business, Everything is Figureoutable will show you how. In this revised and updated edition, you'll learn: The habit that makes it 42% more likely you'll achieve your goals. How to overcome a lack of time and money. How to deal with criticism and imposter syndrome. It's more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. Most important, it's about to make you unstoppable.

Download or read book It s Not Supposed to Be This Way written by Lysa TerKeurst and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER What do you do when God’s timing seems questionable, his lack of intervention hurtful, and his promises doubtful? Lysa TerKeurst unveils her heart amid shattering circumstances, inviting you to live assured when life doesn't turn out like you expected. Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. Some events may simply catch us off guard for a season, but others shatter us completely. We feel disappointed and disillusioned at best and overwhelmed and hopeless at worst. We quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness and why he allows us to suffer and experience grief and loss. Lysa TerKeurst understands this deeply. But after many tears, godly counseling, and prayerful seeking, she's also discovered that our disappointments can be the divine appointments our souls need to radically encounter God. In It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa invites us into her own journey of faith and, with grit, vulnerability, and honest humor, helps us to: Stop being pulled into the anxiety of disappointment by discovering how to better process unmet expectations and other painful situations. Train ourselves to recognize the three strategies of the enemy, so we can stand strong and persevere through unsettling relationships and uncertain outcomes. Discover the secret of being steadfast and not panicking when God actually does give us more than we can handle. Shift our suspicion that God is cruel or unfair to the biblical assurance that God is protecting and preparing us. Know how to encourage a friend and help her navigate hard realities with real help from God's truth, the Bible. Look for additional biblically based resources and devotionals from Lysa: Good Boundaries and Goodbyes Forgiving What You Can't Forget Uninvited You're Going to Make It Embraced Seeing Beautiful Again

Download or read book Four Funerals and a Wedding written by Jill Smolowe and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When journalist Jill Smolowe buried her husband, sister, mother, and mother-in-law in the space of seventeen months, she assumed that it was only a matter of time before she fell apart. That’s what all the movies and memoirs say will happen, after all. But when she never “lost it”—and when friends began to insist that her strength was amazing and unusual—she began to think there might be something freakish about her way of grieving, so she did what any self-respecting journalist would: she researched it. In Four Funerals and a Wedding, Smolowe jostles preconceptions about caregiving, defies clichés about losing loved ones, and reveals a stunning bottom line: far from being uncommon, resilience like hers is the norm among the recently bereaved. With humor and quiet wisdom, and with a lens firmly trained on what helped her tolerate so much sorrow and rebound from so much loss in her own life, she offers answers to questions we all confront in the face of loss, and ultimately reminds us all that grief is not only about endings—it’s about new beginnings.

Download or read book Forgetting the Former Things written by Tamara Puffer and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-02-11 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In August 1996 Tamara Puffer was a young, newly married violinist-turned-pastor serving a large suburban church. Her growing work with people living on Atlanta's streets was beginning to reshape her theology and her calling, but a serious car accident derailed her carefully planned career path. Forgetting the Former Things is a rare tapestry of first-person faith journey woven with gritty theological reflection and persistent hope. Puffer writes honestly, poignantly, and often humorously about her efforts to accept limitations and to reimagine her life under radically altered circumstances. She finds solace in the stories of biblical women as she also wrestles with negative images of disability in Scripture. She embraces her self-described role as a "minister of vulnerability" in this troubling national moment--as jobs, healthcare, and affordable housing are evaporating for so many, as countless people feel terrorized by discrimination or the threat of deportation--boldly casting her lot with others whose marginalization cuts deeper. At a time when traumatic brain injury is in the national spotlight, and many families, churches, and communities seek deeper understanding, Tamara Puffer provides in these pages an insightful, inspiring, and much-needed gift.

Download or read book Ambiguous Loss written by Pauline BOSS and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss? In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives. Table of Contents: 1. Frozen Grief 2. Leaving without Goodbye 3. Goodbye without Leaving 4. Mixed Emotions 5. Ups and Downs 6. The Family Gamble 7. The Turning Point 8. Making Sense out of Ambiguity 9. The Benefit of a Doubt Notes Acknowledgments Reviews of this book: You will find yourself thinking about the issues discussed in this book long after you put it down and perhaps wishing you had extra copies for friends and family members who might benefit from knowing that their sorrows are not unique...This book's value lies in its giving a name to a force many of us will confront--sadly, more than once--and providing personal stories based on 20 years of interviews and research. --Pamela Gerhardt, Washington Post Reviews of this book: A compassionate exploration of the effects of ambiguous loss and how those experiencing it handle this most devastating of losses ... Boss's approach is to encourage families to talk together, to reach a consensus about how to mourn that which has been lost and how to celebrate that which remains. Her simple stories of families doing just that contain lessons for all. Insightful, practical, and refreshingly free of psychobabble. --Kirkus Review Reviews of this book: Engagingly written and richly rewarding, this title presents what Boss has learned from many years of treating individuals and families suffering from uncertain or incomplete loss...The obvious depth of the author's understanding of sufferers of ambiguous loss and the facility with which she communicates that understanding make this a book to be recommended. --R. R. Cornellius, Choice Reviews of this book: Written for a wide readership, the concepts of ambiguous loss take immediate form through the many provocative examples and stories Boss includes, All readers will find stories with which they will relate...Sensitive, grounded and practical, this book should, in my estimation, be required reading for family practitioners. --Ted Bowman, Family Forum Reviews of this book: Dr. Boss describes [the] all-too-common phenomenon [of unresolved grief] as resulting from either of two circumstances: when the lost person is still physically present but emotionally absent or when the lost person is physically absent but still emotionally present. In addition to senility, physical presence but psychological absence may result, for example, when a person is suffering from a serious mental disorder like schizophrenia or depression or debilitating neurological damage from an accident or severe stroke, when a person abuses drugs or alcohol, when a child is autistic or when a spouse is a workaholic who is not really 'there' even when he or she is at home...Cases of physical absence with continuing psychological presence typically occur when a soldier is missing in action, when a child disappears and is not found, when a former lover or spouse is still very much missed, when a child 'loses' a parent to divorce or when people are separated from their loved ones by immigration...Professionals familiar with Dr. Boss's work emphasised that people suffering from ambiguous loss were not mentally ill, but were just stuck and needed help getting past the barrier or unresolved grief so that they could get on with their lives. --Asian Age Combining her talents as a compassionate family therapist and a creative researcher, Pauline Boss eloquently shows the many and complex ways that people can cope with the inevitable losses in contemporary family life. A wise book, and certain to become a classic. --Constance R. Ahrons, author of The Good Divorce A powerful and healing book. Families experiencing ambiguous loss will find strategies for seeing what aspects of their loved ones remain, and for understanding and grieving what they have lost. Pauline Boss offers us both insight and clarity. --Kathy Weingarten, Ph.D, The Family Institute of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School

Download or read book the tiller of waters written by hoda barakat and published by American Univ in Cairo Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This spellbinding novel narrates the many-layered recollections of a hallucinating man in devastated Beirut. The desolate, almost surreal, urban landscape is enriched by the unfolding of the family sagas of Niqula Mitri and his beloved Shamsa, the Kurdish maid. Mitri reminisces about his Egyptian mother and his father who came back to settle in Beirut after a long stay in Egypt. Both Mitri and his father are textile merchants and see the world through the code of cloth, from the intimacy of linen, velvet, and silk to the most impersonal of synthetics. Shamsa in turn relates her story, the myriad adventures of her parents and grandparents who moved from Iraqi Kurdistan to Beirut. Haunting scenes of pastoral Kurds are juxtaposed against the sedentary decadence of metropolitan residents. Barakat weaves into her sophisticated narrative shreds of scientific discourse about herbal plants and textile crafts, customs and manners of Arabs, Armenians, and Kurds, mythological figures from ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, and Arabia, the theosophy of the African Dogons and the medieval Byzantines, and historical accounts of the Crusades in the Holy Land and the silk route to China.

Download or read book House of Leaves written by Mark Z. Danielewski and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2000-03-07 with total page 738 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Download or read book This Book Will Make You Kinder written by Henry James Garrett and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An I Weigh Book Club Pick “I have been a fan of Henry’s work for a long time and I’m excited for more people to see it.” —Jameela Jamil From the creator of Drawings of Dogs, a warmly illustrated and thoughtful examination of empathy and the necessity of being kinder The kindness we owe one another goes far beyond the everyday gestures of feeding someone else's parking meter--although it's important not to downplay those small acts. Kindness can also mean much more. In this timely, insightful guide, Henry James Garrett lays out the case for developing a strong, courageous, moral kindness, one that will help you fight cruelty and make the world a more empathetic place. So, how could a book possibly make you kinder? It would need to answer two questions: • Why are you kind at all? and, • Why aren't you kinder? In these pages, building on his academic studies in metaethics and using his signature-sweet animal cartoons, Henry James Garrett sets out to do just that, exploring the sources and the limitations of human empathy and the many ways, big and small, that we can work toward being our best and kindest selves for the people around us and the society we need to build.

Download or read book Piranesi written by Susanna Clarke and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food and waterlilies to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone. Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims? Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous