Life can make sense. All it takes is an open mind, a few good numbers, and some simple arithmetic. In The Arithmetic of Life and Death, George Shaffner brings to life the great wisdom inherent in equations as elementary as 1 + 1 = 2. For in the Information Age, numbers are the bottom line. Though many of us live in a blissful state where the memory of high school math classes have long receded from our synapses, if you can't master simple math--from your raise to the rise of inflation, your weekly family budget to the yearly federal deficit, sales tax to income tax, peaks in the stock market to drops in your cholesterol levels--you may go down for the count. But don't despair. Shaffner's math meditations can show you how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide your way to deeper understanding. His math philosophy gives you real life lessons on how to think about numbers--minus the pain. The Arithmetic of Life and Death applies the basic principles of mathematics to some of the most profound, troubling, and just plain puzzling questions of our time. Each chapter explains a unique facet of life that can only be understood through the magic of numbers. Whether it's a daring rumination on why more things go wrong in life than right, how much it will cost you to smoke for a lifetime, why crime (accumulatively) doesn't pay, why the probability that you would turn out to be you is one in billions of trillions, why meetings were invented (now there's a mystery), or the likelihood of life after death, this illuminating and lucidly reasoned book will forever change the way you think about numbers. It's a contemplative philosophy for the post-modern age. It's The Arithmetic of Life and Death.

The Arithmetic of Life

Politics & Social Sciences

Shaffner, George

Philosophy

Ballantine Books

Whether you realize it or not, numbers are everywhere--and integral to almost every facet of your life . . . from your next raise in pay to the inevitable rise of inflation, your weekly family budget to your end of the national debt. And as George Shaffner amazingly reveals, there are discerning answers (and a great measure of comfort) in numbers. In The Arithmetic of Life, he applies the basic principles of mathematics--addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division--to some of the most profound and just plain puzzling questions of our time. Illuminated with anecdotes, humor, and insight, each chapter explains a unique part of life that can be understood only through the magic of numbers. Whether it's an unconventional theory on why more things go wrong than right, a simple calculation of how much it will cost you to smoke for a lifetime, why crime (accumulatively) doesn't pay, or a glimpse into the probability of life after death, this enlightening and lucidly reasoned book will forever change the way you think about numbers--and the world around you.

The Arithmetic of Life and Death

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

Random House Publishing Group

In Ebb, Nebraska, things are pretty much as they were fifty years ago–aside from that coffee shop–and that’s just the way folks like it. Plucky Wilma Porter is the proprietress of Ebb’s only Bed and Breakfast, and she knows everything there is to know in town: the mental state of Clara Tucker Booth Yune, a rich recluse who says only two words at a time; the gossip at Loretta Parson’s Bold Cut Beauty Salon; and the sad series of events that have led poor Calvin Millet to the edge of desperation. Calvin is the owner of Millet’s Department Store, a village mainstay for generations, but many fear that it–and the downtown–won’t survive his terrible run of bad luck. Wilma prays for a miracle to save Ebb’s special way of life, but she’s surprised when it arrives in the form of a traveling salesman, if that’s what he is. Vernon L. Moore claims to peddle games of chance, but he sticks his nose in odd places and says things like, “uncertainty is the spice of life.” He is welcomed nonetheless, because he seems to have the power to change minds, save fortunes, and fix broken hearts.

In the Land of Second Chances: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

United States

The residents of Ebb, Nebraska, could use another miracle. The last time they needed one, their salvation came in the form of a mysterious, well-dressed traveling salesman named Vernon Moore. Though he turned the town around in six days, now Ebb is right back in the soup, and plucky Wilma Porter–owner of the Come Again Bed and Breakfast–is praying for a return visit from the famous Mr. Moore. Wilma’s prayers are answered, but not everyone is happy to see Vernon again. Clem Tucker, the richest man in town, is cooking up a business deal that could have dire consequences for Ebb–and he doesn’t like Vernon’s meddling. Nor does the recently arrived Reverend Gault, whose Divine Temple of the Everlasting God Almighty may have something to do with the town’s current troubles. Vernon aims to set them straight, even if it means putting himself and others in danger. But it’s Loretta Parson who needs his strange brand of magic the most–and in the end, Vernon just might need her even more . . . if he’s going to save the little town of Ebb.

One Part Angel: A Novel

Contemporary

One Part Angel

Algonquin Books

Meet Wilma Porter, the plucky and kindhearted owner of the only bed and breakfast in Ebb, Nebraska. Wilma knows everybody in town and everybody is in a bit of trouble. No one more so than Calvin Millet, though. His wife has up and left him and their ailing daughter. His department store is close to bankruptcy. His house has been destroyed by a tornado. The folks of Ebb, including Wilma and her indomitable gang of friends, watch Calvin's fortunes wane with great dismay, for in Ebb, everyone's fate is connected to his. When a handsome stranger named Vernon L. Moore comes to town selling games of chance, more than a few eyebrows are raised. A consummate salesman, he befriends the troubled townspeople one by one. He listens to their stories and asks them intriguing questions that make them see their situations differently. The father of a dying child, the reclusive widow who's taken permanent board at the B &amp; B, the banker with ulterior motives, and the outspoken Wilma Porter are all changed by their encounters with this mysterious man who seems not of this world. After all, no one has seen a traveling salesman in Ebb for more than thirty years. But wherever he's from and whoever he is, he leaves behind a town where second chances are not only possible, they can—and do—happen.

In the Land of Second Chances

Literary

This big-hearted novel about small-town miracles is the entertaining follow-up to Shaffner’s popular debut, In the Land of Second Chances. Welcome to Ebb, Nebraska—home of the Corn Palace, the Quilting Circle, the Come Again Bed and Breakfast, and Wilma Porter and her indomitable gang of friends. Loretta Parsons, Wilma’s best friend and the owner of the Bold Cut Beauty Salon, called the town “the Last Oasis of Nice.”And it is. But Ebb also has more than its share of troubles. Loretta is in a coma and her salon is burned to the ground. Wilma’s grandson, Matt, is in the county jail awaiting sentencing for arson and attempted murder. Clem Tucker, the richest man in town, is cooking up a business deal that could have dire consequences for everyone. Even the powerful Quilting Circle, which includes almost every woman in Ebb, is at its wit’s end. Wilma’s prayers for help are answered when the mysterious traveling salesman Mr.Vernon Moore returns to save the day . . . and a life or two while he’s at it.

It hasn't rained in a hundred days, it's hotter than Beelzebub's oven, and the ground is harder than a castiron skillet. The good folks of Ebb, Nebraska, could surely use a miracle. Lifelong residents are fleeing, and the town is on the verge of collapse. Wilma Porter, the plucky owner of the Come Again Bed and Breakfast, and her indomitable friends from the Quilting Circle need to do something to save Ebb, and fast. But short of praying for rain, there's little even the powerful Quilting Circle can do. Enter Vernon L. Moore. The last time this mysterious traveling salesman came to stay at the Come Again B &amp; B, he turned the town around in six days. When he left, he became a legend. Wilma and her friends have come to expect surprises from Mr. Moore, but this time they're stunned when he brings help: three widows from the town of Eden with pasts as enigmatic as his. The Widows of Eden is an entertaining, inspiring novel about community, hope, and a new way of looking at the things that matter most.

The Widows of Eden: A Novel

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Books by Shaffner, George

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Shaffner, George. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Arithmetic of Life

The Arithmetic of Life and Death

In the Land of Second Chances: A Novel

One Part Angel: A Novel

One Part Angel

In the Land of Second Chances

One Part Angel

The Widows of Eden: A Novel