As the obituary writer in a spectacularly beautiful but often dangerous spit of land in Alaska, Heather Lende knows something about last words and lives well lived. Now she’s distilled what she’s learned about how to live a more exhilarating and meaningful life into three words: find the good. It’s that simple--and that hard. Quirky and profound, individual and universal, Find the Good offers up short chapters that help us unlearn the habit--and it is a habit--of seeing only the negatives. Lende reminds us that we can choose to see any event--starting a new job or being laid off from an old one, getting married or getting divorced--as an opportunity to find the good. As she says, “We are all writing our own obituary every day by how we live. The best news is that there’s still time for additions and revisions before it goes to press.” Ever since Algonquin published her first book, the New York Times bestseller If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name, Heather Lende has been praised for her storytelling talent and her plainspoken wisdom. The Los Angeles Times called her “part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott,” and that comparison has never been more apt as she gives us a fresh, positive perspective from which to view our relationships, our obligations, our priorities, our community, and our world. An antidote to the cynicism and self-centeredness that we are bombarded with every day in the news, in our politics, and even at times in ourselves, Find the Good helps us rediscover what’s right with the world. “Heather Lende’s small town is populated with big hearts--she finds them on the beach, walking her granddaughters, in the stories of ordinary peoples’ lives, and knits them into unforgettable tales. Find the Good is a treasure.” —Jo-Ann Mapson, author of Owen’s Daughter “Find the Good is excellent company in unsteady times . . . Heather Lende is the kind of person you want to sit across the kitchen table from on a rainy afternoon with a bottomless cup of tea. When things go wrong, when things go right, her quiet, commonsense wisdom, self-examining frankness, and good-natured humor offer a chance to reset, renew, rebalance.” —Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted “With gentle humor and empathy [Lende] introduces a number of people who provide examples of how to live well . . . [Find the Good] is simple yet profound.” —Booklist “In this cynical world, Find the Good is a tonic, a literary wellspring, which will continue to run, and nurture, even in times of drought. What a brave and beautiful thing Heather Lende has made with this book.” —John Straley, Shamus Award winner and former writer laureate of Alaska “Heather Lende is a terrific writer and terrific company: intimate, authentic, and as quirky as any of her subjects.” —Marilyn Johnson, author of The Dead Beat

Why this little book? What could a seventy- six year old grandfather know about how to find a good husband? That’s a really good question and I should probably explain why that is so. To start with, women are the worst treated people in the world. Most men would agree that it’s a man’s world. Most women do not get paid the same as men, and I recently noted that the stock of one company went down when a woman was added to the board of directors. Personally that is just appalling as it is quite possible that the new female board of directors may be smarter than the men on the board. I guess the problem is the word female? That’s where things part between me and many of my male friends, as I see great value in women and always have. My most wonderful wife from the start of our marriage made it OK to have women friends. I guess the reason for writing this is that I see so many women being abused by men. Most women are more trusting then men and there lies the problem. There is the trust thing that does not fit with reality. The reality is that men are generally messed up and don’t really understand what it is to be a man or they are just in it for themselves. There is not much that can be done about that. Even worse many women think that they can change a man into this Pollyanna ideal person they dream about. Or even worse, he is horrible and nasty but I love him so I’ll just let him mess up my life! So the real reason for writing this book is that I want to be your grandfather at least in this book. I want to tell you that women are wasting their trust if they are being taken for granted or being abused. And generally, women are really bad judges of men. Women can be so wonderful and trusting, but that is where the trouble can start.

A lady once said that finding a good man is like looking for a needle in a haystack. This is not and should not be the case. True love is all around you if earnestly you desire it. The book suggests functional approaches to true love as an alternative to the hit-and-miss approach that almost always ends in divorce or heartbreak. The book is for the married or single woman. It is for the married woman who, perhaps, already has a good man and necessarily must keep him. It is for the single woman who now is in search of a good man for a lifetime of joyful romance and companionship. The book examines the good man's qualifying attributes, the meaning of romantic love, the concrete manifestations of love and, importantly, how you recognize and sustain true love when it comes your way. Find a Good Man and Keep Him is a practical guide that leads you through and away from the hurtful tumbles and stumbles of a failed relationship onto the path of manifest love with a good man.

How to Find a Good, Christian Man is a self-help book for women. Today many women are making poor choices when it comes to finding a man. Poor choices often lead to heartache and pain. The choice of a marriage mate is one of the most important choices that a woman can make. What steps can a woman take to choose a good man? Most women want a man who is faithful, loving, and kind. Where can women find such men? What can a woman do to attract a man? What techniques can a woman use to discern if a man is right for her? How can a woman tell a Christian man from a worldly man? What should a woman do to prepare herself for a relationship? How should a woman behave once she is in a relationship? What should a woman expect from a man? How should Christians behave while they are dating? Are you tired of dating the wrong men? Have you been hurt by men in the past? Are you willing to try something new in order to find a good man? Can you assert yourself in order to find a mature man? Would you like help in finding the right man for you? All these questions will be answered in How to Find a Good, Christian Man. You will find many helpful suggestions in the book. Harold D. Edmunds gives women a step-by-step guide to finding a good, Christian man. Christian men are different than other men because they live by the high standards set down in Gods word the Bible. Edmunds has written a simple, straightforward guide to finding an excellent companion. The suggestions given are easy to follow and will lead to success. Do you want a good, Christian man?

Presents step-by-step plans parents may use to help their children find, make, and keep friends, and deal with teasing, bullying, and meanness, and includes advice on how to help children who are hyperactive, have a bad reputation, are not noticed by classmates, or who have other problems.

A New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller “Doughty chronicles [death] practices with tenderheartedness, a technician’s fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief.” —Jill Lepore, The New Yorker Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Zoroastrian sky burials to wish-granting Bolivian skulls, she investigates the world’s funerary customs and expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity. Her account questions the rituals of the American funeral industry—especially chemical embalming—and suggests that the most effective traditions are those that allow mourners to personally attend to the body of the deceased. Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a fascinating tour through the unique ways people everywhere confront mortality.

Professionals and business people in midlife are increasingly asking themselves "what's next?" in their careers and personal lives. Creating the Good Life draws on the wisdom of the ages to help contemporary men and women plan for satisfying, useful, moral, and meaningful second halves of their lives. For centuries, the brightest people in Western societies have looked to Aristotle for guidance on how to lead a good life and how to create a good society. Now James O'Toole--the Mortimer J. Adler Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute--translates that classical philosophical framework into practical, comprehensible terms to help professionals and business people apply it to their own lives and work. His book helps thoughtful readers address some of the profound questions they are currently struggling with in planning their futures: • How do I find meaning and satisfaction? • How much money do I need in order to be happy? • What is the right balance between work, family, and leisure? • What are my responsibilities to my community? • How can I create a good society in my own company? Bridging philosophy and self-help, O'Toole's book shows how happiness ultimately is attainable no matter one's level of income, if one uses Aristotle's practical exercises to ask the right questions and to discipline oneself to pursue things that are "good for us." The book is the basis for O'Toole's new "Good Life" seminar, where thoughtful men and women gather to create robust and satisfying life plans.