Come to the movies with two celebrated spirituality writers--American poet and author Kathleen Norris and Irish storyteller and peace activist Gareth Higgins.

In A Whole Life in Twelve Movies, Norris and Higgins invite readers along as they discuss acclaimed movies that can help us better understand our lives--from before birth to death and beyond.

Featuring 12 films, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Malcolm X, and Babette's Feast, this book is perfect for individuals or groups to watch and discuss movies over the course of a year. Each chapter recommends additional films and includes discussion questions ideally suited for churches, small groups, and book clubs.

As readers watch and read, they will journey through the human life cycle and explore themes of existence, goodness, belonging, vocation, identity, success, generosity, dealing with conflict, and what it means to be human. The book outlines a cinematic path toward a deeper spirituality and a more meaningful life for people across the faith spectrum and seekers alike. It includes a foreword by James Martin, SJ.

A deeply spiritual, deeply moving book about life on the Great Plains, by the New York Times-bestselling author of The Cloister Walk (The New York Times Book Review).
Kathleen Norris invites readers to experience rich moments of prayer and presence in Dakota, a timeless tribute to a place in the American landscape that is at once desolate and sublime, harsh and forgiving, steeped in history and myth. In thoughtful, discerning prose, she explores how we come to inhabit the world we see, and how that world also inhabits us. Her voice is a steady assurance that we can, and do, chart our spiritual geography wherever we go.

The extraordinary New York Times bestselling masterpiece from one of the most eloquent yet earthbound spiritual writers of our time (San Francisco Chronicle).

Kathleen Norris had written several much loved books, yet she couldn't drag herself out of bed in the morning, couldn't summon the energy for her daily tasks. Even as she struggled, Norris recognized her familiar battle with acedia, a word she had discovered in early Church text years earlier. Fascinated by this noonday demon, so familiar to those in the early and medieval Church, Norris knew she must restore this forgotten but important concept to the modern world's vernacular. An examination of acedia in the light of psychology, spirituality, the healing powers of religious practice, and Norris's own experience, Acedia & Me is both intimate and historically sweeping, brimming with exasperation and reverence, sometimes funny, often provocative, and always insightful.

The bestselling author of The Cloister Walk reflects on the sanctifying possibilities of everyday work and how God is present in worship and liturgy as well as in ordinary life. Definitely not for women only. +

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Vivid, compelling... An embrace of moral and spiritual contemplation. -The New York Times

A remarkable piece of writing. If read with humility and attention, Kathleen Norris's book becomes lectio divina, or holy reading. -The Boston Globe

From the iconic author of Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, a spiritual journey that brings joy to the meanings of love, grace and faith.

Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism, to a community of celibate men whose days are centered on a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and scripture? This is the question that poet Kathleen Norris asks us as, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself on two extended residencies at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota.

Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world-- its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community-- can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Cloister Walk, a book about Christianity, spirituality, and rediscovered faith.

Struggling with her return to the Christian church after many years away, Kathleen Norris found it was the language of Christianity that most distanced her from faith. Words like judgment, faith, dogma, salvation, sinner--even Christ--formed what she called her scary vocabulary, words that had become so codified or abstract that their meanings were all but impenetrable. She found she had to wrestle with them and make them her own before they could confer their blessings and their grace. Blending history, theology, storytelling, etymology, and memoir, Norris uses these words as a starting point for reflection, and offers a moving account of her own gradual conversion. She evokes a rich spirituality rooted firmly in the chaos of everyday life--and offers believers and doubters alike an illuminating perspective on how we can embrace ancient traditions and find faith in the contemporary world.

Kathleen Norris had written several much-loved books, yet she couldn't drag herself out of bed in the morning or summon the energy for daily tasks.

Even as she struggled, Norris recognized her familiar battle with acedia. She had discovered the word in an early Church text when she was in her thirties, and instantly recognized herself in a passage describing the affliction as sinking into a state of being unable to care.

Fascinated by this 'noonday demon' so familiar to the early Church, Norris read intensively and knew she must restore this forgotten but utterly important concept to the modern world's vernacular.

As Kathleen explains, 'restless boredom, frantic escapism, commitment phobia, and enervating despair that we struggle with today are the ancient demon of acedia in modern dress.'

Although Kathleen Norris's best-selling Dakota: A Spiritual Geography has brought her to the attention of many thousands of readers, she is first and last a poet. Like Robert Frost, another poet identified with a particular landscape, she can reveal the miraculous in the ordinary, and she writes with clarity, humor, and deep sympathy for her subjects.

Kathleen Norris has touched readers throughout America with her thoughtful and provocative memoirs of faith: Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, The Cloister Walk, and Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith. She is equally admired for her poetry of engagement with the spiritual world and its landscapes. Journey includes poems from three previous books spanning thirty years, along with a generous selection of new work that continues her radically individual celebration of the sacredness of life.

Sisters is one of the romance novel of Kathleen Thompson Norris who was an American novelist and wife of fellow writer Charles Norris, whom she wed in 1909. She was educated in a special course at the University of California and wrote many popular romance novels that some considered sentimental and honest in their prose. Norris was the highest-paid female writer of her time, and many of her novels are held in high regard today. Many of her novels were set in California, particularly the San Francisco area. They feature detailed descriptions of the upper-class lifestyle. After 1910 she contributed to Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion.

Sisters is one of the romance novel of Kathleen Thompson Norris who was an American novelist and wife of fellow writer Charles Norris, whom she wed in 1909. She was educated in a special course at the University of California and wrote many popular romance novels that some considered sentimental and honest in their prose. Norris was the highest-paid female writer of her time, and many of her novels are held in high regard today. Many of her novels were set in California, particularly the San Francisco area. They feature detailed descriptions of the upper-class lifestyle. After 1910 she contributed to Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion.

Mother is the fictional tale of a young lady who leaves home and repudiates family life in the hope of finding personal fulfillment through independence and a career. She decides that home life is a poor choice in the face of life in the big city. But God dramatically changes her heart as she realizes that wealth and position are illusory and that independence can enslave a young lady. She discovers that the greatest woman she has ever known is her mother and now she longs for home and motherhood.

The Heart of Rachel is a novel written by Kathleen Norris. The book tells the story of Rachel Orcutt, a young woman who lives in a small town in South Dakota during the early 20th century. Rachel is a hardworking and independent woman who is determined to make a life for herself despite the challenges she faces.The story begins with Rachel's childhood and follows her through her teenage years and into adulthood. Rachel's life is filled with both joy and sorrow as she experiences love, loss, and betrayal. She falls in love with a young man named Dan, but their relationship is complicated by the fact that he is married.As Rachel grows older, she becomes more and more involved in the community and begins to take on leadership roles. She becomes a teacher and later a businesswoman, running her own successful store. Along the way, she faces many challenges, including the death of her father and the loss of her own child.Throughout the book, Rachel's strength and resilience are tested, but she never loses her faith in herself or in God. The Heart of Rachel is a powerful story of a woman's journey through life and the challenges she faces along the way. It is a story of love, loss, and redemption that will resonate with readers of all ages.1916. Frontispiece by Charles E. Chambers. Kathleen Norris was a writer of romantic novels and short stories that had enormous appeal, particularly to women. A favorite theme involved virtuous women grappling with moral issues, for instance, affairs with married men. Her writings were labeled as sentimental and honest. The book begins: The day had opened so brightly, in such welcome wave of April sunshine, that by mid-afternoon there were two hundred players scattered over the links of the Long Island Country Club at Belvedere Bay; the men in thick plaid stockings and loose striped sweaters, the women�������s scarlet coats and white skirts making splashes of vivid color against the fresh green of grass and the thick powdering of dandelions. It was Saturday, and a half-holiday; it was that one day of all the year when the seasons change places, when winter is visibly worsted, and summer, with warmth and relaxation, bathing and tennis and motor trips in the moonlight, becomes again a reality. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Mother: A Story is a novel written by Kathleen Norris that explores the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. The story follows the life of Mary, a young woman who is struggling to come to terms with her mother's death. As she tries to navigate her grief, Mary uncovers secrets about her mother's past that she never knew before. Along the way, she also confronts her own fears and insecurities as she tries to build a new life for herself. The novel is a poignant and heartfelt exploration of the bonds that tie families together, and the ways in which we are shaped by the people we love.1912. The novel begins: Well, we couldn�������t have much worse weather than this for the last week of school, could we? Margaret Paget said in discouragement. She stood at one of the school windows, her hands thrust deep in her coat pockets for warmth, her eyes following the whirling course of the storm that howled outside. The day had commenced with snow, but now, at twelve o�������clock the rain was falling in sheets, and the barren schoolhouse yard, and the playshed roof, ran muddy streams of water. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 - January 18, 1966) was a popular American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid women writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Her stories appeared in the Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion, and she wrote 93 novels, many of which were best sellers. She used her fiction to promote values including the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others. In this book: The Story of Julia Page The Beloved Woman The heart of Rachel Mother Harriet and the Piper

Kathleen Thompson Norris (1880 - 1966) was a popular American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid women writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Her stories appeared in the Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion, and she wrote 93 novels, many of which were best sellers. She used her fiction to promote values including the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others.

Kathleen Norris: The Author and Her Books is a comprehensive exploration of the life and work of Kathleen Norris, a renowned American author and poet. This book delves into Norris's personal journey, from her childhood in Hawaii to her conversion to Christianity and her eventual move to South Dakota. It also examines her literary career, including her best-known works, such as The Cloister Walk and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography.Through interviews with Norris and her colleagues, as well as analysis of her writing, this book provides insight into Norris's unique perspective on spirituality, community, and the natural world. It also explores the themes and motifs that run throughout her work, such as the importance of silence and solitude, the beauty of the prairie landscape, and the value of contemplative practices.Whether you are a longtime fan of Kathleen Norris's writing or are discovering her work for the first time, Kathleen Norris: The Author and Her Books offers a rich and engaging portrait of this influential author and the ideas that have shaped her life and writing.This is a new release of the original 1933 edition.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature. In an attempt to preserve, improve and recreate the original content, we have worked towards: 1. Type-setting & Reformatting: The complete work has been re-designed via professional layout, formatting and type-setting tools to re-create the same edition with rich typography, graphics, high quality images, and table elements, giving our readers the feel of holding a 'fresh and newly' reprinted and/or revised edition, as opposed to other scanned & printed (Optical Character Recognition - OCR) reproductions. 2. Correction of imperfections: As the work was re-created from the scratch, therefore, it was vetted to rectify certain conventional norms with regard to typographical mistakes, hyphenations, punctuations, blurred images, missing content/pages, and/or other related subject matters, upon our consideration. Every attempt was made to rectify the imperfections related to omitted constructs in the original edition via other references. However, a few of such imperfections which could not be rectified due to intentional\unintentional omission of content in the original edition, were inherited and preserved from the original work to maintain the authenticity and construct, relevant to the work. We believe that this work holds historical, cultural and/or intellectual importance in the literary works community, therefore despite the oddities, we accounted the work for print as a part of our continuing effort towards preservation of literary work and our contribution towards the development of the society as a whole, driven by our beliefs. We are grateful to our readers for putting their faith in us and accepting our imperfections with regard to preservation of the historical content. HAPPY READING