Okay, I know this is a “big fish in a small pond” moment. Indeed, it’s a VERY small pond.
But still!
Over the last 24 hours, Befriending Silence (which will be published in four weeks) has been listed as Amazon’s “in Christian Monasticism & Asceticism“!
Woo hoo!
My little book on Cistercian spirituality has topped several books by authors I admire (like Joan Chittister, Charles Cummings and William of St. Thierry) to land this coveted spot.
Granted, I’m being a bit silly here, as befits the humility of my topic (not to mention the humbleness of this particular list). Nevertheless, I bet I can honestly say it’s every author’s dream to land a #1 spot on at least one of Amazon’s various lists (the closest I’ve ever gotten before was #2 on Amazon’s “Christian Mysticism” list with The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, which never managed to unseat Richard Rohr’s The Naked Now from the top position).
But what really matters here is how much I appreciate all of you, dear readers, for showing interest in this book and pre-ordering it. That’s the only reason the book earned that cool “#1” graphic.
Thank you. Truly, humbly, I am grateful.
If, by chance, you have not yet pre-ordered your copy (or copies) of Befriending Silence, I hope you’ll do so now.
Click here to pre-order it from Amazon. If Amazon is not your thing, please consider pre-ordering it through any of these outlets…
- Ave Maria Press (the publisher)
- Aquinas & More Catholic Goods
- Barnes & Noble
- Books-A-Million
- Christian Book Distributors
- Cokesbury
- Malaprop’s Bookstore
- Powell’s City of Books
- Tattered Cover Bookstore
…or — maybe best of all — Indiebound.org (a website for Independent Bookstores, online or near you).
In fact, please encourage your local bookstore to carry Befriending Silence. As a former bookseller, I can assure you that bookstore owners and managers listen to their customers for suggestions and ideas. If you take the time to request a book, they will be more likely to stock it. The more bookstores that stock it, the wider the audience. So please take a moment to do this.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your interest in contemplative, mystical and monastic spirituality. I write about this stuff because it means so much to me, and it’s so gratifying to know that it’s meaningful for people like you as well.
Update 10/28/15: Amazon is now taking pre-orders for the Kindle edition of the book. To purchase it for your Kindle, please click here.
Note: if you run an online bookstore and you’ve listed Befriending Silence on your website, let me know and I’ll add your store to the list in this post.
Mr. McColman:
Just finished reading your book, “The Big Book of Christian Mysticism”. It was more helpful in my search for God than you can imagine. Thank you for your faith and your love of God.
Unus apud Deum in Caritate
Koz
Hello Mr. McColman: I just attended your lecture at the Charlotte Spirituality Center on 18 June 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Somewhere during the course of your lecture and then latter on in silent prayer the following thought happened. I did my best to put it to paper but of course I failed. Still, I wanted to share it with someone who I believe adores silence with God.
“Through the senses the heart captures a thought which silences all words of the brain and a brief period of tears, warmth and ecstasy happen. I call this instant my connection with God and it cannot be controlled. When this happens I perceive God beholding me and whispering to me that this is just a taste of heaven. This connection can happen at any time day or night but most often while in prayer and or contemplation. ”
I have three images borrowed from the internet that I arrange at the top of the page that in some way are related to the words. I will be happy to send it to you in a word document but I need an email address. Just wanted to share…
Peace
–bob hayes
Bob, thank you for sharing your lovely meditation.
I don’t post my email address online since it only attracts the spammers but I’ll send it to you directly. For anyone else reading this, you can always send me a message using this link: http://www.carlmccolman.net/connect