{"title":"Michael McGirr","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the captivating collection of works by \u003cem\u003eMichael McGirr\u003c\/em\u003e, a celebrated Australian author known for his unique ability to weave wisdom, solace, and entertainment into his writing. McGirr's books offer delightful insights into the realms of literature, philosophy, and personal reflection, appealing to both avid readers and those seeking a deeper understanding of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the standout titles in this collection, \u003cem\u003eBooks that Saved My Life: Reading for Wisdom, Solace and Pleasure\u003c\/em\u003e, invites readers on a literary journey, celebrating classic novels that provide comfort and inspiration. With a keen eye for detail and the heart of a bibliophile, McGirr imparts his passion for reading and the profound impact it can have on our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDelve into \u003cem\u003eBypass\u003c\/em\u003e, where McGirr combines memoir and travelogue as he embarks on a compelling journey along Australia's Hume Highway. His narrative not only entertains but also offers reflective insights into the human experience and the land itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor those curious about the intersection of philosophy and daily life, \u003cem\u003eIdeas to Save Your Life\u003c\/em\u003e presents thought-provoking perspectives and practical wisdom. It is an accessible guide that encourages readers to explore life's big questions with humility and humour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSnooze\u003c\/em\u003e, McGirr elegantly explores the science and culture of sleep, a universal yet mysterious aspect of our lives. His exploration is both enlightening and engaging, making the book a delightful discovery for anyone interested in understanding the essential nature of rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael McGirr's works, spanning categories like Arts \u0026amp; Culture, Biography \u0026amp; Memoir, and Philosophy \u0026amp; Psychology, offer readers enriching experiences filled with intellect and heart. Whether you're seeking intellectual stimulation or a comforting literary companion, McGirr's books are sure to captivate and inspire.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"snooze-by-michael-mcgirr-9781925498585","title":"Snooze","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom bestselling author Michael McGirr comes \u003cem\u003eSnooze\u003c\/em\u003e, a revised edition of the entertaining and enlightening \u003cem\u003eThe Lost Art of Sleep\u003c\/em\u003e (2009). Michael always had trouble sleeping, but the arrival of twins made him realise he'd never known true exhaustion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile he celebrated these small children who brought him so much joy, he also found himself desperately searching for a few extra winks a night. In \u003cem\u003eSnooze\u003c\/em\u003e, McGirr delves into the mysterious world of sleep: its many benefits, its stubborn elusiveness and what our brains get up to while we're in bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe takes readers on a tour through the odd sleep patterns of some of history's greatest figures, including Plato and Homer, Shakespeare and Dickens, Florence Nightingale (who slept a great deal) and Thomas Edison (who hardly slept at all).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe looks at the demise of sleep in our ever more fragmented world, and what that means for everyone from average sleepers to those with serious sleep disorders. And he describes his own family's quest to master the ancient art of getting a decent kip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA profound and humorous exploration of the precious resource of sleep—and the causes and consequences of getting too little of it—\u003cem\u003eSnooze\u003c\/em\u003e is the perfect book for sleepless nights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46355082084588,"sku":"9781925498585","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15311183482873.jpg?v=1744296747"},{"product_id":"books-that-saved-my-life-reading-for-wisdom-solace-and-pleasure-by-michael-mcgirr-9781922268471","title":"Books that Saved My Life: Reading for Wisdom, Solace and Pleasure","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA profound, funny and uplifting collection of reminiscences about a life in books, now available in a smaller, competitively priced format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGreat literature is thrilling. It will feed your hungry mind and take your heart on a journey. It will help you on the wonderful path to one of life's most elusive and hard-won freedoms, freedom from the ego.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHere is a book about the sheer joy of living, exploring forty texts that can enrich us in all manner of ways. Some are recent, such as \u003cem\u003eHarry Potter\u003c\/em\u003e; some ancient, such as Homer and Lao Tzu. There are memoirs (Nelson Mandela), poetry (Les Murray) and many of the world's great novels, from George Eliot's \u003cem\u003eMiddlemarch\u003c\/em\u003e to Toni Morrison's \u003cem\u003eBeloved\u003c\/em\u003e. This book uses them to muse upon life in all its glorious complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOur guide, in entertaining short accounts of personal encounters with these works, is Michael McGirr—schoolteacher and father, reviewer of hundreds of books and lifelong lover of literature. His humour and insight shine through in essays that connect the texts he has selected with each other, and connect us to them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the ideal companion for a keen reader—and it may just inspire someone you know to become one, too. Never prescriptive, and often very funny, \u003cem\u003eBooks that Saved My Life\u003c\/em\u003e is an invitation to reflect on the extraordinary gift of reading. 'It is a gift that is taking me a lifetime to unwrap,' McGirr writes. 'The excitement has never worn off.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46370055323884,"sku":"9781922268471","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11095833482872.jpg?v=1744803664"},{"product_id":"bypass-by-michael-mcgirr-9781922330888","title":"Bypass","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eForty and flabby, Michael McGirr hits the Hume Highway on a cheap bicycle. Having stopped working as a Jesuit priest, he is on a quest to find heaven knows what. Along the way, he is joined by Jenny.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBypass\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of Australia’s main street, the much-unloved highway between Sydney and Melbourne. The Hume has plenty of tales to tell—of bushrangers and bus drivers, publicans and poets, runners and refugees—and McGirr discovers he has one to add to the swag. The road is a source of wisdom and comedy, and maybe even a fine romance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most popular books by the author of \u003ci\u003eThings You Get For Free\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBooks that Saved My Life\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBypass\u003c\/i\u003e is both a personal memoir and an unconventional biography of the road most travelled. This edition includes ‘Passing By’, a new afterword bringing the story up to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46370104639724,"sku":"9781922330888","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11720003482872.jpg?v=1744805360"},{"product_id":"ideas-to-save-your-life-by-michael-mcgirr-9781922458919","title":"Ideas to Save Your Life","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis book is about the quest for order in a perplexing world.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIdeas to Save Your Life\u003c\/em\u003e explores the wisdom of more than twenty eminent thinkers across history, from Pythagoras to the contemporary Australian philosopher Frank Jackson; from Mungo Woman to Martha Nussbaum, by way of Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch. It ranges widely across subjects to ask: from where do we draw a sense of life’s purpose? And how can philosophy make life better?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael McGirr’s approach is warm and personal. \u003cem\u003eIdeas to Save Your Life\u003c\/em\u003e is often funny, but it is always serious about the task of philosophy. It makes the impenetrable accessible, the indescribable palpable, and invites you to change how you see the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000643109100,"sku":"9781922458919","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13000313482872.jpg?v=1763292959"},{"product_id":"books-that-saved-my-life-by-michael-mcgirr-9781925773149","title":"Books that Saved My Life","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA profound, funny and uplifting collection of reminiscences about a life in books.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHere are forty texts to read at some stage in your life—forty texts that can enrich you in all manner of ways. Some are recent, like \u003cem\u003eHarry Potter\u003c\/em\u003e; some ancient, like Homer and Lao Tzu. There are memoirs (Nelson Mandela), poetry (Les Murray) and many of the world's great novels, from George Eliot's \u003cem\u003eMiddlemarch\u003c\/em\u003e to Toni Morrison's \u003cem\u003eBeloved\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOur guide, in entertaining short essays about personal encounters with each of these works, is Michael McGirr—schoolteacher and former priest, reviewer of hundreds of novels and lifelong lover of literature. His humour and insight shine through in stories that connect the texts he has selected with each other, and connect us to them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNever prescriptive, and often very funny, this book is an invitation to reflect on—and share with others—the extraordinary gift of reading. \u003cem\u003eIt is a gift that is taking me a lifetime to unwrap,\u003c\/em\u003e McGirr writes. \u003cem\u003eThe excitement has never worn off.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47076316840172,"sku":"9781925773149","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18056823482873.jpg?v=1765195216"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/michael-mcgirr.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}