Books with author Christopher Routly

"A captivating read notable for off-the-cuff candor and measured, eloquent prose."—Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewA funny and revealing travelogue of Kazakhstan, a country rich with wild tulips, oil, nomads who hunt with golden eagles, and a disappearing landlocked sea. Closed to foreigners under Tsar and Soviet rule, Kazakhstan has remained largely hidden from the world, a remarkable feat for a country the size of Western Europe. Few would guess that Kazakhstan—a blank in Westerners' collective geography—turns out to be diverse, tolerant, and surprisingly modern, the country that gave the world apples, trousers, and even, perhaps, King Arthur. Christopher Robbins enjoyed unprecedented access to the Kazakh president while crafting this travelogue, and he relates a story by turns hilarious and grim. He finds Eminem-worship by a shrinking Aral Sea, hears the Kazakh John Lennon play in a dusty desert town, joins nomads hunting eagles, eats boiled sheep's head (a delicacy), and explores some of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on earth. Observant and culturally attuned, Robbins is a master stylist in the tradition of travel writing as literature, a companion to V. S. Naipaul and Paul Theroux. 39 black-and-white illustrations

Michel Thomas survived starvation in French concentration and slave labor camps and endured torture as a fighter with the French Resistance. He saw combat with the U.S. Army and after the war hunted Nazis as an officer with U.S. Counter Intelligence. He captured important war criminals and was a witness in the trial of Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon. His incredible experiences enabled him to forge a revolutionary learning system that made him the world's language master. His passion for life is a story of hope and inspiration and part of his lasting legacy.

Adam Tennant sees dead people. The theft of a mysterious book and a meeting with shade Coldboy draws him into a strange and dangerous world, quite similar to 18th century London in many ways, populated by a number of intriguing characters including Investigator of the Incorporeal Mrs Arabella Peck, Historian Professor Meckl, and Titus Grimes, Supreme Apostle of the sinister Hesslerites.Adam will discover he is more than he thought, and will find his destiny inexorably linked to the fate of the Revenant Michael in the dramatic struggle to prevent the Rule of Silence from conquering England.

Every few decades a strange hill appears in a secluded part of rural England bringing an ancient visitor. Two passing strangers decide to try and get to the bottom of this mystery, which proves far harder than they think. The Old Man on the Hill is the first in this collection of six short ghost stories, inspired by classics such as those by M.R. James. In the other stories find out why a long-dead girl haunts a hidden stream, what monster hides in an idyllic holiday cottage, as well as cautionary tales about the dangers of selfishness, corruption and greed.

It's not easy feeling forgotten. This was never more true than the Christmas Eve when Finnegan Easton V turned ten years old. It wasn't easy living in Snowdenbeld where snowfall was prevalent 282 days a year. But even worse . . . being the eldest son and future heir of the Easton family estate was a fate Finn would have given anything to relinquish. He had come to dread birthdays, and this one was turning out to be the worst. So awful in fact that Finn devised a plan to run away that very night. Just before the strike of midnight, however, Finn found himself the owner of an intriguing family gift which had been passed down for generations. But this was no ordinary object . . . in fact, it held the secret of a forgotten history thousands of years old. Within the flurry of a moment, Finn's world is turned upside down as the mysterious object transports him to a land where the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten: The Land of NO Christmas. A land arrested in time, a land ruled by a terrifying king, a land awaiting the arrival of a promised child who would restore everything . . .

It seems we've lost what children inhabit. Wonder. Somehow, when a thing has become common to us grown-ups, we pretend it’s not a miracle. We are content with knowing the WHAT. We use science to determine the HOW. But we never pry into the mystery of WHY. And that’s where we find God, in all of his glory, in all of his grace, in all of his goodness. That’s where he surprises us by doing the unexpected. That’s where the WONDER is... --- Features all new 5-part Devotional Guide, designed to encourage discussion in your family about the Wonder of Christmas.

Northwest Nativity is a modern retelling of the Advent story, meant to help us to view the birth of Jesus through contemporary eyes. Our vision has been dimmed a bit by the sepia toned poetry build up of the last two thousand years. But when the first century heard of the miraculous nativity, it would have sounded very much to them like the story that you just read, about Maria, Joe, and Jesus. In other words, it was filled with people and places that were very familiar, and yet at the same time amazingly wonderful The juxtaposition of the miraculous and the mundane were never more evident than the night that Jesus arrived. (Includes family devotional study guide.)