Authors Read Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ryan Bender
Looking for your next read? The Authors Read Podcast features authors reading from their books.
books, reading, fiction, authors, nonfiction, business books, motivational books, audiobooks, novels
An action-packed thriller, The Sword of David tells the story of an Israeli commando traveling across the globe, following clues in search of a major biblical treasure that could change the destiny of the world.
Chaim Klein—a fearless Israeli Special Forces officer—has his hands full. After Klein unexpectedly finds the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, he must then search the globe for the Ten Commandments tablets. Klein must also confront and stop a consortium of Islamic states and terrorist organizations who are planning a simultaneous attack that would obliterate dozens of Western cities and Israel. Along the way, he comes across the mystical and awe-inspiring Sword of David. In this nonstop action-packed thriller, which draws on supernatural elements, Klein and his crew visit Ethiopia, London, Paris, Lebanon, and Rome. We also see the terrorists plotting in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Istanbul. The final climactic confrontation between Klein and the terrorists is unexpected and inspirational.
In The Sword of David, you will meet colorful characters—including Rafsani, the terrorist who trained under the infamous Carlos the Jackal; the Israeli spy Galit who works undercover in Paris under the alias Sister Chloe; Baroness Collins, who has an important position in the UK government as well as being the head of a secret organization long thought to be defunct; a renegade CIA operative; a Palestinian once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; and the Palestinian’s terrorist grandson.
Based on the author’s painstaking research of biblical artifacts, religion, history, and terrorism, The Sword of David feels authentic and current.
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books, book, podcast, author, reading, audiobook, fiction, action, thriller
It had been quiet along the Santa Fe Trail for more than a year when the Stokes Company set out for California, the Willis family among them. A reluctant traveler, young Grace Willis longs for her fortunate, safe, and comfortable life at home. Just as she is learning to negotiate life in a wagon-train, Grace is kidnapped by fellow travellers and taken into Oklahoma Territory. She must decide if she will cave in to despair or muster the courage to run away and search for her parents. Grace finds help in unlikely places. She discovers that there really is such a thing as magic, and there are some things only a child can do.
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books, audiobooks, author, reading, historical, teen, young adult
It's 1941, and the chill of something evil is spreading around the world like a black plague. Suspicion and fear have replaced the trust of innocence of humankind. The news of unheard-of violence and brutality presses heavily on the hearts of mankind. What is tomorrow going to look like? What has happened to the world as we once knew it? World War II begins its escalation, extending its chaos in all directions, including the outer shores of America, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Annie Elizabeth Jordan (known to most as Cricket) can't make any sense of the turbulence that is swirling around her life. This thing called war, newspapers headlines that are hidden from her, the heartache, the fears of loved ones all around her are very disturbing, and no one seems to want to explain it all to her. She is looking forward to her annual visit with her grandparents, who live in the Northwestern United States. This summer will be slightly different than past visits, for she will be traveling on her own, because her mom is on travel restriction due of the baby that is to arrive in the early fall. Her grandparents live in the small lumber town of Everett, Washington, in a blue-collar neighborhood of hardworking families with a plethora of children. In many ways, Everett is the quintessential example of small-town America in its day. It is peopled with an abundance of vividly unique, colorful characters. To name just a few, there is Doc Miller, who is involved at the start or end of life for most of the population. He also closely guards with the ferocity of a pit bull, the secrets given to him at times of stress or sorrow. Sheriff Davis functions in much the same way when it comes to his town folk. He looks upon every resident as his own personal responsibly. The death, the murder of one of the children in Cricket's neighborhood, sends more than a shock wave through the town. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Who could have done such a horrific thing? Who living among them could be so evil? It is beyond explanation to Cricket, but she would soon see her grandfather, a retired lawyer and judge, untangle this twisted scenario with its many suspects and astonishing conclusion.
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“Sparks” are the doers, thinkers, innovators, and key influencers who are catalysts for personal and organizational change. But these extraordinary individuals aren’t defined by the place they hold on an organizational chart—they are defined by their actions, commitment, and will.
Leadership experts Angie Morgan, Courtney Lynch, and Sean Lynch show how you can become a Spark by cultivating seven key leadership behaviors. Grounded in the latest research on leadership development, this fresh, accessible road map is packed with real-world stories from inside companies like Facebook, Google, and Boston Scientific, and from the authors’ own high-stakes, challenging experiences serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
With SPARK as a blueprint, anyone can become a catalyst for change, and any organization can identify and develop Sparks.
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books, book, podcast, author, reading, audiobook, nonfiction, business, leadership, management, inspiration, self-help
Hani is set to investigate thefts from the king’s household that turn out to be related to a more sinister attempt on the king’s life. Meanwhile, witnesses to the crown prince’s dodgy birth begin to die, and Hani fears for his daughter and her friend, who were also present. More secrets emerge about the prince’s identity, and Hani finds himself caught between the government and the radical revolutionaries who want to restore Amen-Ra by civil war, among them the queen, whom Hani has sworn to serve. Can Hani reconcile his desire for peace with his devotion to the King of the Gods?
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books, audiobooks, author reading, podcast, author audio, historical fiction, mysteries
Bob Nelson, author of the multimillion-copy bestseller 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, and human performance expert Mario Tamayo offer hundreds of practical, creative tips for helping employees--and their managers--make work more fun.
According to the employees that work for firms listed in Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America," the most defining characteristic of these organizations is they are all "fun" places to work.
Fun is the secret sauce every business needs to better engage and motivate its employees today. Work Made Fun Gets Done! gives readers simple, practical ideas for instantly bringing fun into their work and workplace. Based on examples from scores of companies like Zoom, Pinterest, Bank of America, Zappos, Honda, Microsoft, and many more, this book provides clear examples of exactly what managers and employees alike can do to lighten the tone in the work environment and allow employees to have more fun at work.
From AAA's "Dump a Dog" program where workers can pass their least-wanted project on to their manager and Houzz's complimentary office slippers to CARFAX's themed-wardrobe Zoom meetings and Google's company-approved Nerf-gun battles and paper airplane contests, you'll find dozens of ideas you can immediately adapt and implement in your own workplace.
Work and fun have typically been considered polar opposites, but this book proves they can be integrated in ways that produce more motivated workers--and exceptional results.
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books, audiobooks, management, motivation, business, author reading, podcast, book podcast, reading, nonfiction
Although experience is the best teacher, it's also the most costly. Learning business lessons the hard way, through your own mistakes, often results in significant downturns or even failure. Business success doesn't require a fabulous new product or service (doesn't hurt, though) but does require avoiding the big mistakes. I made most of these big mistakes myself and barely lived to tell about it. So please do as I say and not as I did.
Read on to learn business lessons the easy way and achieve success by avoiding the dreaded and expensive ten big mistakes.
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books, audiobooks, author reading, book podcast, reading, nonfiction, business, management
Tales of Little Egypt is a fictional account of small town America and the peculiar, ordinary, eccentric, sturdy, cunning, and contented characters who created it. Set in the years between the Civil War and the great Influenza Plague of 1918, this is a pageant of imaginary people--the narratives of a score of men, women, and children whose lives illustrate the immense changes and challenges of that turbulent era. This was a period of great events and outsized personalities: splendid World's Fairs attended by millions, radical new inventions, devastating wars and violent revolutions; leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. But underneath were the people whose stories are as fascinating, troubled, compelling and triumphant as anything that has occupied the attention of historians. There was the town doctor, the local sheriff, the jeweler, the self-appointed matron of morality, a young black girl and her mother, a boy who ran off to the circus and many others: lovers, criminals, teachers, ministers, and odd characters. As a community, their lives and ambitions, their failures and tragedies--sometimes at their own making--and their small successes intersected and became a part of each other.
Marion, Illinois is both a real place and the imaginary location for these stories. Set in the center of Little Egypt, Marion is a county seat in the middle of this unique area, a river delta wedged between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. These two great highways of American immigration and trade sent millions of settlers North and South, East and West and back. The few who stopped off to make it their home created something distinctive. Theirs was a society that reflected the crossroads it occupied and the mix of cultures and sections that it represented. It was both nowhere and everywhere. Therefore their struggles to make sense of this world exemplify the tale and the memory of modern America in the making.
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books, book podcast, audiobook, author reading, reading, memoir, literature
If you don't have a customer onboarding plan set up for your business, you're losing customers and burning future revenues. It's as simple as that.
Onboarding is the most important part of the customer journey, yet many B2B companies fail to act proactively at the start of the relationship. Instead, Customer Success teams are stuck making heroic efforts to save accounts and fighting fires when customers inevitably run into problems or get stuck. The reactive approach is a problem for your Customer Success teams, your revenues, and your customers.
Customer onboarding matters. More than you may think. A successful customer onboarding program results in more satisfied customer and employees, higher solution adoption, and increased customer lifetime value.
In Onboarding Matters, Donna Weber shares the Orchestrated Onboarding™ framework that she implements with leading B2B companies to turn onboarding from a missed opportunity into a competitive advantage.
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books, audiobooks, customer service, business, nonfiction, author reading, book podcast
Sustainable in a Circular World:design and restore natural ecosystems through innovationThe world needs to move from grey to green, fueled by design techniques that are sustainable in a circular economy. Sustainability intentionally maximizes the environmental, social, governance, and digital actions to fully engage its potential around a long-term motivational direction. These three components environmental, social, and financial come together to build up the digital age and lead to transformation, creating real change in society. Understanding the generational differences will help close the gap that exists when discussing rebuilding the damage that has occurred to the Earth’s natural environmental since the Industrial Revolution.
Communicating and getting everyone on the same pages requires a deep understanding of all the players and helping each individual, company, and country, be heard while having their objectives met.This book takes a deep dive into:•The forces shaping sustainability including generational differences, social connections, and circularity.•A historical look at the technological revolution including the Amazon Effect, Prime, showrooming, ship it my way, among others.•The basics of sustainability including sustainability 101, governance, ESG three pillars, stewardship across generations, the supply chain, the Paris Agreement, generative families, giving back to the community, the Microsoft Way, and going global.•Case studies in industries such as mining, construction, services, smart cities, and agriculture.
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books, nonfiction, audiobooks, reading, book, podcast, environment, ecology, author
"Ehrlich’s insightful self-help guide will resonate with Christians wishing to streamline an overstuffed life."―Publishers Weekly
Logically, we all know our purpose in life is not wrapped up in accumulating possessions, wealth, power, and prestige―Jesus is very clear about that―but society tells us otherwise. Christian Minimalism attempts to cut through our assumptions and society’s lies about what life should look like and invites readers into a life that Jesus calls us to live: one lived intentionally, free of physical, spiritual, and emotional clutter.
Written by a woman who simplified her own life and practices these principles daily, this book gives readers a fresh perspective on how to live out God’s grace for us in new and exciting ways and live out our faith in a way that is deeply satisfying.
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books, book, podcast, audiobook, author reading, author audio, self-help, how to, declutter, lifestyle
Ignition is a book of dispatches from the frontlines of communication strategy. Matthew L. Moseley draws on his eclectic life experiences to investigate the link between success and effective communication. Whether he’s choreographing a fine dining experience at the top restaurant in America, using rock stars to register voters, helping a national chain save its reputation after a gaffe goes viral, or serving as media liaison at the epic ash-blast send-off for author Hunter S. Thompson, Moseley identifies the principles that guide communication strategies toward their goals.
In extensive interviews with a wide variety of experts, including authors, fighter pilots, business leaders, politicians, and astrophysicists, Moseley tests these principles, teases out new, provocative ideas, and anticipates how forming stronger connections will help us address today’s greatest challenges. Though it tackles serious subjects, offers an illuminating perspective on the evolution of human discourse, and shares important insights on interpersonal relations, Ignition is also a good, fun read. A broad range of colorful anecdotes gives this book of philosophical wisdom and practical advice the zest of a juicy memoir.
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books, audiobook, podcast, author reading, communication, nonfiction, business, management
Are you ready to find your way out of your box?
There is a moment when you realize your life is no longer your own. You made it picture perfect. You thought it would make you happy and whole. You thought you could seal the walls tight and feel safe. But the panic doesn’t pass, and the anxiety seeps in through every crack. Your pain uses perfection to hide the unraveling. But deep inside, you still hear the whisper of a voice that’s always been there, calling to you, promising that you were meant for more.
In The Box, Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just 6 years old, Wendy’s first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders: generalized, social and health, eating disorders, phobias, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, and dissociation. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.
Raw and powerful, vulnerable and intimate, The Box is both a triumphant memoir and an irresistible invitation. It portrays a courageous journey to find the source of a debilitating disorder in order to find the power to overcome it. Wendy’s experience reminds us of the redemptive power of forgiveness and the healing power of love, not just for others, but for ourselves. It is a story of courage that reframes mental illness sufferers as survivors—a powerful portrait of a woman who refused to remain caged in a box of her making. Now, the invitation is yours… if you are willing to accept it.
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books, book podcast, audiobook, author reading, memoir, self-help, anxiety, health and fitness
A celebrated strength trainer and trauma practitioner offers a fresh and empowering approach to healing and thriving after trauma.
In this innovative title, celebrated trainer and trauma practitioner Laura Khoudari brings a fresh approach to healing after trauma, using strength training as an embodied movement practice. Compassionate, witty and fastidiously researched, Khoudari’s debut, Lifting Heavy Things, is a breakthrough title that will empower and inspire you to develop resilience and build emotional and physical strength through working out with weights, while mindful of the ways that trauma can compromise the wellbeing of the mind and body.
In Lifting Heavy Things, you’ll learn about:
- Managing chronic pain
- Creating the conditions for training and healing
- Understanding how trauma shows up in daily life
- Using embodied movement practices (beyond yoga) as a tool to comfortably re-inhabit the body
- Navigating interpersonal relationships during and after the healing process
- Why you don’t have to tell your trauma story (to everyone)
- Thriving with and moving beyond trauma
With humor, tenderness and grit, Lifting Heavy Things takes readers on a journey of personal revelation and integration, helping them to lighten their emotional burden and build deep inner strength to lift all of the heavy things that life may bring with greater ease.
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books, book, podcast, author reading, audiobook, inspirational, motivational, health and fitness
When Art Mimics Life, Somebody’s Going to Get What’s Coming to Them
Henry Lindon's flight across the north Atlantic was turbulent and sleepless. His plane has just touched down in Amsterdam, where he’s come to work as a visiting professor. Lindon is torn about leaving his troubled wife, Marylou, behind in Dallas, but relieved and excited to start a new chapter in a lively city. The taxi drops him off at an elegant building at Roetersstraat 8-1, where he’s greeted by his university liaison and soon-to-be neighbor, the lovely and spunky art professor, Bernadette Gordon. After settling into his apartment, Lindon changes clothes and sets out to explore canals and cafés, wondering what the dinner invitation from Bernadette means for his fresh start.
But troubles from the past soon cross the Atlantic. Lindon discovers that notorious Dutch art forger Han van Meegeren, born in 1899, is about to play a part in Lindon’s own personal drama. With evil closing in, Lindon, Bernadette, and Marylou find that secrets of the art world may hold the key to settling old scores and putting a predator away for good.
Whether you are familiar with the world of Henry Lindon from author Clay Small’s first book, Heels Over Head, or this is your introduction to his works, you’re in for an exciting and unusual international adventure with characters that will live on in your memory long after you’ve finished the book.
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books, book, podcast, audiobook, author, reading, fiction, mystery, thriller
Taking shelter from the storm one Thursday evening, rookie banker Cole Johnson is introduced to the Bistro happy hour and the charismatic Bob Vukovich. Their ensuing friendship yields young Cole insightful lessons on success, failure, women, politics, and most importantly serving the perfect martini. But, will Bob, himself, remember life's most important lesson before it's too late? This contemporary parable teaches us many actionable lessons while entertaining us with the intriguing drama of discovering the truth about Bob Vukovich. We all wish we would have had the wisdom and guidance of a mentor like Bob to show us the flavor of life. Take this narrative as a guidebook on how to open our eyes to a life of class and grace, or simply to enjoy a story about overcoming fear and choosing to get back into that game called "life."
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books, book, audiobook, podcast, author reading, reading, fiction, philosophy, leadership
Fiction. Women's Studies. Environmental Studies. Winner of the Bronze 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for Science Fiction. Finalist for the 2021 International Book Awards for Science Fiction. Centuries from now, in a post-climate change dying boreal forest of what used to be northern Canada, Kyo, a young acolyte called to service in the Exodus, discovers a diary that may provide her with the answers to her yearning for Earth's past--to the Age of Water, when the "Water Twins" destroyed humanity in hatred--events that have plagued her nightly in dreams. Looking for answers to this holocaust--and disturbed by her macabre longing for connection to the Water Twins--Kyo is led to the diary of a limnologist from the time just prior to the destruction. This gritty memoir describes a near-future Toronto in the grips of severe water scarcity during a time when China owns the USA and the USA owns Canada. The diary spans a twenty-year period in the mid-twenty-first century of 33-year-old Lynna, a single mother who works in Toronto for CanadaCorp, an international utility that controls everything about water, and who witnesses disturbing events that she doesn't realize will soon lead to humanity's demise. A DIARY IN THE AGE OF WATER follows the climate-induced journey of Earth and humanity through four generations of women, each with a unique relationship to water. The novel explores identify and our concept of what is "normal"--as a nation and an individual--in a world that is rapidly and incomprehensibly changing.
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books, audiobooks, author reading, reading, book, podcast, fiction, science fiction, scifi, women's, dystopian
Tattoo magic. Rival brothers. Lost fae. A war full of betrayals.
Nothing is as it seems.
Fifteen-year-old Mina didn’t ask to become the center of a feud between two monster wielding, near immortal warriors and their faerie followers. Nor did she ask to be a faerie. Everything changes the night a dragon sends her nana’s home up in flames.
Mina is forced into a life of lies, monsters, and magic. But as she searches for answers that might end the fighting, an enemy threatens Mina and the lives of those she loves.
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books, book, podcast, audiobook, author reading, fiction, young adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, narration
This unique guide details a revolutionary approach to lean systems. Whereas traditional lean techniques suffer from less-than-inspiring results, Quantum Lean (QL) rethinks this subject and provides an overdue remedy. The key to this breakthrough is that QL approaches lean systems from an entirely different perspective than conventional methods. Instead of focusing on resource utilization, QL centers on achieving efficiency from the standpoint of a company’s product. The benefits from this simple departure are vast and wide-ranging. In terms of speed, effectiveness, and sustainability, QL offers a superior process for transforming an enterprise and gives practitioners a way to avoid the shortcomings that are commonplace in conventional lean.
In addition to being geared toward lean practitioners and consultants, the book is also useful for the C-suite, managers, supervisors, technical staff, and rank-and-file employees. It is intended for those who work in all economic sectors, including services, manufacturing, and government.
Key Features:
• Provides easy-to-understand QL analysis techniques that are much simpler than standard lean methods and offer uncomplicated rules of thumb for determining priorities and improvement targets
• Details a win/win/win scenario for customers, employees, and shareholders that focuses on a company’s product, avoids conflicting objectives, and enables every stakeholder to benefit
• Identifies and eliminates previously overlooked waste by analyzing operations from a QL standpoint
• Shows how to gain greater buy in and sustainability for lean initiatives by avoiding employee defensiveness and creating a genuine problem-solving mindset throughout an organization.
• Removes the steep learning curve often associated with conventional techniques and promotes rapid implementation from analysis to results
• WAV features an overall equipment effectiveness data collection form, a time study data collection sheet, and a standard work priority method, among other valuable documents—available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center at www.jrosspub.com
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books, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, management, business, reading, book podcast, podcast
In the modern age of remote working and flexible work hours, why have most office spaces remained relatively unchanged for decades? In Where is My Office?, Chris Kane draws upon his extensive knowledge and experience in commercial property to investigate the new-found significance of innovative corporate real estate thinking in the modern workplace. With the rise of agile working, hot-desking and new technological innovations, the traditional office space no longer serves the needs of the modern workforce. With a foreword from Mark Thompson, CEO of The New York Times, this fascinating book highlights the bold new solutions to workplace practices which have the potential to invigorate employee productivity while simultaneously trimming excess costs.
Chris poses his ground-breaking 'Smart Value' formula which underpinned the success of his redevelopment of the property portfolio of the BBC, and which can be adapted to enact meaningful and lasting organizational change in any business. This formula is supported through in-depth case studies from Chris's prestigious career, while interviews with prolific industry insiders such as Ronen Journo, SVP of WeWork and Mark Dixon, founder of Regus, provide fascinating insights into the ground-breaking strategies that are transforming the commercial property sector. Where is My Office? is a must-read for any business leader looking to revitalise their workplace and develop a greater understanding of the beneficial impacts that innovative workplace strategies can have upon their organization's success.
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books, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, management, business
Can you sell with integrity and still make a profit? Yes!
In Selling Ethically: A Business Parable Connecting Integrity with Profits, author Joel Malkoff--a.k.a. the Ethics Giver--reveals the powerful and surprising link between business ethics and profits.
Drawing on the wisdom of biblical sages, modern thought leaders, and the tenets of Malkoff's faith, this heartfelt and relatable business parable is inspired by experiences from the author's own business career.
Having generated more than a half-billion dollars in sales, Malkoff proves that ethical business conduct isn't just the right thing to do--it's essential for:
• building better customer relationships
• selling more products and services via customer referrals
• increasing your sales revenue and profits
In Selling Ethically, business executive David King, the parable's protagonist, has a near-death experience; he suddenly finds his life--and his business career--on trial in a heavenly court. There, he fights not only to defend a lifetime's worth of business decisions-but for the ultimate fate of his soul.
King's journey leads to powerful professional and personal discoveries and the realization that ethical business practice and profits are inextricably linked.
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books, book podcast, audiobooks, nonfiction, business, author reading, sales
Flow To Learn offers weekly ideas for parents & educators to encourage the flow state of optimal learning in children and themselves.
Flow To Learn is an uplifting, illustrated guide with 52 weeks of insights into flow states, mindful support, and practical suggestions to create inspiring play and learning environments. Child-led learning opportunities readily entice children to focus deeply, which boosts their love for learning, creativity, and well-being while freeing up the adult’s time.
Have you seen your child focus so deeply that they lose themselves in a task?
When did you last lose track of time because you were having so much fun?
What did you spend hours doing as a child? Do you remember that feeling?
Flow is the focused, fulfilling state of learning that children and adults naturally experience during play, movement, and hands-on activities they love. In flow, we feel alive, we are authentically interested and deeply absorbed—and this is how we learn best and achieve more!
FLOW (in order) TO LEARN invites parents to reinvigorate their life with children using practical elements and compassionate insights from child development, psychology, and child-centered education to bring the joy and inspiration of learning in flow into their homes.
Explore the 52 inspiring chapters to enrich every week of the year:
✩ Create activity stations in your home to free up your time while strengthening your child’s intelligence and mental health
✩ Discover your child’s vibrant inner world, and support them through the ups and downs of childhood
✩ See children as guides to your own flow state to bring more fun, meaning, and purpose into your lives
Each of the 52 Weeks offers two parts: first, you will find reflections and information about flow, then an array of practical suggestions, “Try This,” on how to facilitate flow in life with children.
Some Weeks offer authentic and encouraging insights from an experienced mother who incorporates the flow-parenting approach with her family.
Throughout the book, you will be delighted by the many illustrations of children and adults learning in flow.
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books, audiobooks, author, book podcast, author reading, authors read podcast, nonfiction, parenting, advice
Coping with cancer is hard. It is an emotional ordeal as well as a physical one, with known and somewhat predictable psychological responses. And yet, patients often feel isolated and alone when dealing with the stress, anxiety, depression, and existential crises so typical with a cancer diagnosis.The Big Ordeal, written in collaboration with a psychologist and two oncologists, tackles the emotional side of the experience head-on, to help newly diagnosed patients and their loved ones anticipate, understand, and deal with the psychological turmoil ahead. Based on interviews with scores of patients and experts across a variety of fields, combining patient stories with medical insights and advice from those who have been there, and structured around the typical phases of the process, this book is an accessible resource for anyone who receive a cancer diagnosis.
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books, book podcast, author reading, author, podcast, self-help, nonfiction, health and wellness
Two worlds are set to collide. Only one will remain.
Life has been anything but easy for veteran Brady Sullivan this summer. Marital difficulties pushed him out of his house and set him on a collision course with a powerful crime syndicate in the area.
Alone for the season at a Sandusky campground, Brady runs afoul of aspiring crime lord Randy Gorey. Gorey runs the underground in Ohio’s largest tourist area, providing illicit services to those in need. It is a dark secret giving him unprecedented power.
Trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life, Brady is in for the most harrowing experience of his life. Survival is anything but assured. It will take every ounce of knowledge and cunning, and the help of an unexpected ally, for Brady to have a shot at turning the tables and reclaiming his life.
Sandusky Burning is the explosive new thriller from author and veteran Bryan W. Conway.
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books, audiobooks, author, book podcast, author reading, fiction, thriller, crime
"Our baby weighed 450 grams. I learned that day that there are 454 grams in a pound." Life had been good to Karen and Bob Krech. They had traveled the world as overseas teachers. They were blessed with a strong marriage, a nice house, great jobs, and a happy, healthy, two-year-old son. Was God a part of their lives? Some. But He was about to reenter in a very big way through a very small baby.
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books, book podcast, author reading, memoir, nonfiction, author
It's easy to feel stuck in the grind, struggling to simply get through the day, especially as we all try to define a new normal. But what if you could start achieving your goals and living with purpose? Authors Dustin Hillis and Ron Alford can show you how.
As record-breaking business coaches and sales leaders, Hillis and Alford have helped thousands of people realize their dreams, including hundreds of top leaders and executives. They share their proven formula for goal setting and personal success in their book Redefining Possible: Proven Strategies to Break Belief Barriers and Create Your New Normal.
The authors' seven success strategies will provide you with a blueprint for creating a happier and more fulfilling life. You'll redefine your potential with strategic activities and actionable tools. Learn how to get unstuck by using the RAFT technique. Uncover and break belief barriers by rewiring your inner dialogue with positive self-talk and targeted affirmations. And be inspired with relatable anecdotes from high achievers who demonstrate what can happen when you live a life of intention.
Redefining Possible challenges readers to take an honest look at their lives and ask, "What would happen if I stopped holding myself back...and started believing that I really can achieve everything I desire?"
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books, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, self-help, motivation, book podcast
Corey Logan was set up by a ruthless killer, Nick Season, who's running for state attorney general.
Coming out of prison all she wants is to be with her son. To get him back, she needs to make a good impression on the psychiatrist evaluating her, Dr. Abe Stein. Dr. Abe Stein doesn't believe Corey was framed-until his well-heeled mother falls for the charming state attorney general candidate, Nick Season.
The last man that Corey -- strong, fearless, at home on the street and able in wild country -- could ever imagine having a relationship with is Dr. Abe Stein. He's distracted. He sideswipes cars. He sets fires in ash trays or in waste baskets, where he carelessly throws lit matches from his pipe, but he's a master of emotional complexity. Abe and Corey must find a way to stop Nick Season together.
As the dogs of war are unleashed, Corey and her son run for their lives, taking her boat up the Pacific Northwest's remote Inside Passage. Abe finds her and convinces her to take down Nick Season. Together they contrive a plan that shocks even them. But the worst is yet to come.
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books, audiobooks, book podcast, thriller, author reading, novels
Why do some people achieve seemingly limitless success while others drift from day to day? How do some, despite extremely challenging circumstances, rise up to make a big impact or achieve great things and others, given the benefit of significant talent or opportunity, end up settling for so much less? What makes the difference?
This book was written for those, young and old, who simply don’t want to settle for the status quo or for “good enough” and have dreams they want to chase, not give up on.
Based on research of accomplished people and his own personal experiences of successes and failures, Peter G. Ruppert provides a step- by-step guide to help readers positively impact the trajectory of their own future. Filled with real life examples for each step, extra learning resources to dig deeper, and a workbook style recap after each chapter, Ruppert provides a simple yet powerful program so readers can launch their own limitless life.
All net proceeds will be donated to the Fusion Scholarship Foundation.
Link to the book on Amazon
book podcast, nonfiction, books, audiobooks, motivational, self-help
A kinder, more compassionate world starts with kind and compassionate kids. In Raising Good Humans, you’ll find powerful and practical strategies to break free from “reactive parenting” habits and raise kind, cooperative, and confident kids.
Whether you’re running late for school, trying to get your child to eat their vegetables, or dealing with an epic meltdown in the checkout line at a grocery store—being a parent is hard work! And, as parents, many of us react in times of stress without thinking—often by yelling. But what if, instead of always reacting on autopilot, you could respond thoughtfully in those moments, keep your cool, and get from A to B on time and in one piece?
With this book, you’ll find powerful mindfulness skills for calming your own stress response when difficult emotions arise. You’ll also discover strategies for cultivating respectful communication, effective conflict resolution, and reflective listening. In the process, you’ll learn to examine your own unhelpful patterns and ingrained reactions that reflect the generational habits shaped by your parents, so you can break the cycle and respond to your children in more skillful ways.
When children experience a parent reacting with kindness and patience, they learn to act with kindness as well—thereby altering generational patterns for a kinder, more compassionate future. With this essential guide, you’ll see how changing your own “autopilot reactions” can create a lasting positive impact, not just for your kids, but for generations to come.
An essential, must-read for all parents—now more than ever.
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books, audiobooks, author reading, book podcast, parenting, nonfiction
The Walk-On Method features 31 underdog athletes who parlayed their college experience into habits that led to career and business success. While each walk-on’s individual path is unique, the mindset, skills, and behaviors they developed and the post-college outcomes they achieved are similarly remarkable. These athletes applied The Walk-On Method first to college football, basketball, rowing, golf, or track & field, and then they parlayed that behavior pattern into success in business ownership, engineering, coaching, law, finance, broadcasting, medicine, insurance, film, management, education, banking, acting, and ministry. These former walk-ons were behaving subconsciously, unaware that scrambling to make a college sports team and fighting to keep their roster spot was foundational to their life’s work. Going the extra mile in their profession is second nature, and they wonder why others don’t take that same (and seemingly obvious) path. Most people don’t realize they’re in control of their career trajectory. When we read about a successful person, their accomplishments are often painted as a one-in-a-billion anomaly, a lightning strike of genius or opportunity. This book destroys those myths one walk-on success story at a time and reveals this important reality: your professional success is within your control. Ordinary people will accomplish extraordinary feats when their energy is properly channeled. The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success shows you how through inspiring stories and the proven five-step Walk-On Method.
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books, book podcast, author reading, author podcast, audiobooks, motivational books, motivation
Our world has increasingly become fear-based, but when we don't understand the sources of this fear, we can't heal them. We each hold collective fears, like dying in a pandemic, and individual fears, many of which we aren't aware of because they arise from conditioning and deeply embedded beliefs.
We are meant to live in joy, not in fear. Even if everyone around us is in fear, this doesn't have to be our personal experience. By taking us on a treetop journey through quantum physics, psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and more, A Book On Fear gives us tools and awarenesses to see where our fear comes from. When we see how our belief systems were created, how they limit us, and what we have become attached to that creates fear, we will come to know ourselves at a deeper level. Then we can make different choices to transform our fears.
The end of each chapter includes a suggested simple exercise that can be done quickly but that will shift the reader into an immediate higher state of awareness about that chapter’s topic. Once we bring awareness to how we may have operated unconsciously before, we set out on the road to positive change.
Author and entrepreneur Lawrence Doochin is someone who has experienced, processed, and released a great amount of fear. Allow him to guide you out of the fear tunnel and back into the sunlight.
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book podcast, books, audiobooks, author reading, podcast, nonfiction, motivational, fear
Research in cognitive science over the last 30 years shows much of what we know about culture in the business world is based on myth, wishful thinking, outdated science, or is just plain wrong. This is why culture-shaping and change programs in organizations often amount to little more than sloganeering with minimal impact on the lived experience of employees.
This book bridges the gap between the latest research on cognitive science and culture, providing a valuable guide for change leaders, CEOs, and practitioners on how to sustainably work with and change this important resource. It answers many of the major questions that have plagued culture work, such as:
- Why so many CEOs and management consultants preach culture change when so few culture interventions actually succeed
- Why CEOs persist in believing "culture starts at the top" when virtually no research in anthropology supports that claim
- Why most culture shaping approaches have no answer for how to affect culture in global companies
- Why culture doesn’t cause us to do anything, yet we persist in believing that somehow it does
- Why so many culture-shaping projects focus on corporate values despite the fact modern science shows why changing personal values is exceedingly difficult
What we are learning about culture from the last 30 years of cognitive science gives us the foundation for far more impactful and sustainable interventions than have been possible to date. This book explains why, showing how everyday business practices well beyond HR are key to culture change. Why? Because the brain’s synaptic plasticity can only be altered through new sustained and widespread organizational habits and routines. This groundbreaking, practical guide will show you finally how to realize the full power of culture as a transformational, empowering, and competitive resource.
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books, book podcast, author reading, audiobooks, nonfiction, management, leadership, corporate culture
It's official. For the first time, the World Health Organization has classified burnout as a health problem. Renowned motivational speaker Eileen McDargh proposes that to tackle it, we must learn to break out of energy-draining thoughts and behaviors.
Resilience, she argues, is strictly a matter of energy management--by better managing your energy, you can both build resiliency and overcome burnout. Breakthrough happens when our energy is consciously distributed to what matters most in our lives. So after a short survey that will tell you where you fit in a burnout and resiliency profile, McDargh helps pinpoint the causes of your burnout and examine the energy demands that keep you from refueling and recharging. She provides an in-depth energy analysis and gives you the keys to master the four dimensions that can give you a resilience breakthrough: head, heart, hands, and humor.
McDargh guides the reader through the process of identifying energy drains and implementing strategies for handling them, whatever phase of life you are in. Her intention is to help you not only to successfully manage work and life demands but also make even larger strides in understanding how to put together a life by design and not by default.
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books, audiobooks, book podcast, author reading, leadership books, nonfiction, management, business
The nation has transformed. The calls for racial equity are loud and insistent and they are now being listened to. And yet, companies across the country are still far behind when it comes to equity in the workplace. For decades, we've heard variations on the same theme on how to increase diversity and inclusion and we have still not moved. If we want equity to matter inside and outside the workplace, if we want to be real allies for change, then we need a new approach. We need to stop following trends. We need to lead change.
In Authentic Diversity, culture change expert and diversity speaker, Michelle Silverthorn, explains how to transform diversity and inclusion from mere lip service into the very heart of leadership. Following the journey of a Black woman in the workplace, leaders learn the old rules of diversity that keep failing her and millions like her again and again, and the new rules they must put in place to make success a reality for everyone. A millennial, immigrant, and Black woman in America, Michelle will show you how to lead a space centered on equity, allyship, and inclusion and how together we can build a new organization, and nation, centered on justice.
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books, audiobooks, book podcast, author reading, nonfiction, leadership, management, diversity, business
A vivid account of life in the NFL—and an inspiring story of everything that comes after.
Against seemingly impossible odds, Sean Conley became the starting kicker for the University of Pittsburgh in his senior year. A year later, he suited up for the Detroit Lions. But when he joined the New York Jets soon after, Conley’s injuries caught up to him, and his lifelong dream came crashing down in a crisis of denial and fear.
The Point After is an all-access look at the NFL, one of the most intense workplaces in sports. Conley describes pushing through pain at NFL training camps, surrounded by rookies, All-Pro veterans, and long-shot undrafted free agents, all hell-bent on staying in the game. He recounts the insecurities he dealt with on and off the field, and the despair that overtook him when his career ended.
But while Conley thought life was over, it was just beginning. Transcending football, this is the story of an ex–football player who discovered the true meaning of sports and life, and found happiness in the most unexpected way. Embodying the spirit of the underdog, this is a moving tale of strength, determination, and spiritual grit.
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Too many people associate creativity solely with the arts, even though to be an incredible scientist, engineer, or entrepreneur requires immense creativity. And it's the key to developing breakthrough products and services. Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist with a background in cultural anthropology, fashion, and service design, says that in the fourth industrial revolution a creativity leap is needed to bridge the gap that exists between the churn of work and the highly sought-after prize called innovation.
Nixon says that since humans are hardwired to be creative, it is a competency anyone can develop. She shows that it balances wonder (awe, audacity, and curiosity) with rigor (discipline, skill-building, and attention to detail), and that inquiry, improvisation, and intuition are the key practices that increase those capacities. Drawing on interviews with fifty-six people from diverse backgrounds--farming, law, plumbing, architecture, perfumery, medicine, education, technology, and more--she offers illuminating examples of how creativity manifests in every kind of work.
Combining creativity tools and techniques with real-world stories of innovative people and businesses, this book is a provocation, an inspiration, and an invitation to unleash the innate creativity that lies within each of us. It offers a more dynamic and integrative way to adapt and innovate, one that allows us the freedom to access our full human selves.
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books, book podcast, author reading, nonfiction books, business books, management books
Many of us live paycheck-to-paycheck. We dream of a better and brighter life; but never achieve it. We hope and pray for a better job or pay; but never reach our goals. We never seem to feel financially independent or free. Living the American dream is a myth for most of us. Mom to Millionaire explains how an individual, who had all the odds stacked against her, became successful in life. It was not an easy journey, but she did it, and so can you and everyone else. In this book, you will learn:•The paths to financial freedom•How to increase your net worth•How to create generational wealth•How to gain control of your life and thoughts•How a regular job cannot guarantee financial peace
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3l5AqaD
book podcast, author reading, books, audiobooks, memoir, finance, nonfiction
They had been friends who fought side by side for better things. Now both were running from crimes neither could have imagined of themselves just a few days ago . . .
"A thrilling work of serpentine intrigue and crisp characterization" --Kirkus Reviews (starred review).
Heartsick that the towering trees that once sheltered him are being cut, Rinn van Ness commits a minor felony on a remote Alaska island. A woman he once loved, Kit Olinsky, is arrested for his crime--and the murder of a Tlingit elder broken by the loss of the Native way of life.
Out on bail, Kit fights a scorched-earth battle in the state legislature to save the Alaska she loves. It's not a battle she can win. But she will fight to the end even if she has to betray her secret lover, a Tlingit fighting desperately for what was promised to his people a generation ago.
Rinn slips out of the forest to protect Kit, never suspecting that he has more at stake than a lonely prison cell.
Heath's plotting is taut and propulsive, and the pages seem to fly through your hands.-- Red City Review (5-star review)
The ending was exceptional and will bring a tear to your eye. --Readers Favorite (5-star review)
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3iJTD1a
Book podcast, author reading, audiobook, thriller book, literary thriller
As the diversity, equity, and inclusion wave widens and deepens its reach, introversion is becoming a natural part of that movement. After all, about half the population identify as introverts, but many organizations are stuck in traditional extrovert-centric workplace cultures that reward people for speaking up publicly, expect them to log face time, and employ hiring and promotion practices rooted in the past. This ultimately discourages introverts from contributing and reaching their full talent potential, which could have a major impact on the bottom line.
"Champion for introverts" Jennifer Kahnweiler offers a road map for everyone in the workplace--including leaders, human resource managers, and team members--to create inclusive, introvert-friendly cultures. Kahnweiler provides an assessment to determine how introvert friendly your organization is and looks at every aspect of organizational life--hiring, training, leading, communicating, meeting, designing workplaces, and more--through an inclusive lens.
You'll discover how to make open-space offices introvert friendly, what the best practices are for encouraging introverts to participate on teams, which training techniques work best for introverts, and how to make remote positions work.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hX89SD
book podcast, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction books, leadership books, management books, authors
Leading futurist Bob Johansen shows how a new way of thinking, enhanced by new technologies, will help leaders break free of limiting labels and see new gradients of possibility in a chaotic world.
The future will get even more perplexing over the next decade, and we are not ready. The dilemma is that we're restricted by rigid categorical thinking that freezes people and organizations in neatly defined boxes that often are inaccurate or obsolete. Categories lead us toward certainty but away from clarity, and categorical thinking moves us away from understanding the bigger picture. Sticking with this old way of thinking and seeing isn't just foolish, it's dangerous.
Full-spectrum thinking is the ability to seek patterns and clarity outside, across, beyond, or maybe even without any boxes or categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choices. It reveals our commonalities that are hidden in plain view. Bob Johansen lays out the core concepts of full-spectrum thinking and reveals the role that digital media--including gameful engagement, big-data analytics, visualization, blockchain, and machine learning--will play in facilitating and enhancing it. He offers examples of broader spectrums and new applications in a wide range of areas that will become possible first, then mandatory. This visionary book provides powerful ways to make sense of new opportunities and see the world as it really is.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EmGb3D
book podcast, author reading, books, audiobooks, nonfiction books, management books, authors, business books
The Blendification® System breaks down and rebuilds these core concepts within your company's DNA, setting the foundation for an energizing, engaging, and impactful organization. It is based on the belief that many organizations fail to maximize their potential because they simply do not comprehend the magnitude of their personal and collective untapped capabilities.
Many workplaces are stuck in "second gear," not quite embracing and pursuing their full potential. Corporate missions are based on market dominance and incremental profit growth, leaving a massive blind spot in terms of the connection between employees, customers, and communities. This short-sightedness may provide a clear focal point, but it leaves the company, its leadership, and its employees with limited sustained motivation to realize potential.
The Blendification® System embraces the connection between culture, strategy, and execution using the Strategy Whiteboard and integrating emotional and system intelligence into the following three-step model:
- Strategic Analysis including Culture
- Strategic Focus, Strategic Outcomes, and Strategic Actions
- Strategic Execution
The Blendification® System connects culture, strategy, and execution in a meaningful way that fosters an inspired, exceptional workforce. By focusing on the unifying purpose within each organization, the platform promotes alignment between leadership and employees setting a clear, strong foundation in which every individual can thrive. With this foundation in place, organizations activate their employee's potential who then take care of their customers. By fully engaging those with whom organizations directly interact, these individuals then become the spark that ignites community-wide advancement.
This is not a theory-based, philosophical book. This is an in-depth operating system by which organizations reshape their infrastructure to realize potential. The methodology outlined in The Blendification® System creates agile and efficient action maximizing success in periods of economic expansion and times of uncertainty such as the COVID-19 outbreak, the Great Recession, and 9/11. By following the structure outlined in The Blendification® System and using the Strategy Whiteboard, organizations will move beyond financial success to uplifting employees, customers, and entire communities.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39XQEyi
book podcast, author reading, nonfiction books, nonfiction audiobooks, leadership books, business books, management books
Speak up and stand out.
Whether you want more social confidence in your day-to-day life, are hosting an event or appearing on a podcast, Find Your Voice will empower you to be bold, be present and captivate any audience.
Based on decades of helping broadcasters, celebrities, teachers and top-level professionals speak effortlessly in front of others, renowned voice teacher and communication expert Caroline Goyder will show you how to:
- Harness the full potential of your body, breath and voice
- Genuinely connect to others in a dizzyingly distracted world
- Stand out as calm speaker whatever the situation
Link to the audiobook on Amazon: https://amzn.to/30H1Uet
book podcast, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction books, self-help books, author podcast
Intelligence in the Digital Ageexamines how our current Internet age and people’s use of digital technologies may be affecting their mental capacities and emotive lives in ways in which it will become increasingly difficult for those people to explore a larger, more expansive consciousness.
After beginning with an examination of how people’s attention spans, working memories, and capacity for deep thought and reading are being imperiled by their addictive use of smart phones and PCs, the discussion continues with how this may be occurring at a deep level at which the brain creates short and long-term memories, pays attention, and thinks creatively.
- The book then explores how these negative effects may impede the search to explore the limits of one’s thinking mind and memories in pursuit of a larger intelligence. People may have fewer opportunities to be successful in this pursuit simply because they will have lost access to important personal dynamics due to the effects of the digital world on their minds, brains, and inner lives.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O8MLMV
author reading, audiobooks, author audio, book reading, book podcast, nonfiction books, books about education, education
Someone is experimenting with...death!
Rookie detective Frank Nagler has barely had time to arrange his desk, when a new homicide case is assigned to him. Could a serial killer be stalking his hometown of Ironton, NJ?
One by one the bodies pile up. Nine victims are killed over several months, all from different walks of life and different parts of Ironton. Each killed in a different way, forming no clear pattern, as might be expected from a single killer. The Red Hand is the prequel to The Swamps of Jersey, the book that launched the Frank Nagler Mysteries. This investigation takes place before economic hard times, political corruption and a government money scandal hit the former industrial center of Ironton, NJ.
This story is atmospheric, moody, dark, and thrilling.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hYo97b
author reading, author podcast, audiobooks, mystery books, book podcast
A heinous conspiracy—a volcano exacting revenge—an island paradise in anguish Having killed his father's nemesis and gotten away with it, Hilo, Hawai?i Chief Detective Koa Kane, is not your ordinary cop. Estranged from his younger brother, who has been convicted of multiple crimes, he is not from a typical law enforcement family. Yet, Koa's secret demons fuel his unwavering drive to pursue justice. Never has Koa's motivation been greater than when he learns that an elementary school was placed atop a volcanic vent, which has now exploded. The subsequent murders of the school's contractor and architect only add urgency to his search for the truth. As Koa's investigation heats up, his brother collapses in jail from a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. Using his connections, Koa devises a risky plan to win his brother's freedom. As Koa gradually unravels the obscure connections between multiple suspects, he uncovers a 40 year-old conspiracy. When he is about to apprehend the perpetrators, his investigation suddenly becomes entwined with his brother's future, forcing Koa to choose between justice for the victims and his brother's freedom. Perfect for fans of Michael Connelly and James Lee Burke
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2A2hIz1
audiobooks, author reading, book podcast, fiction, thriller books
Are you looking to cut through the crowd of graduate job-seekers? To craft your edge in the saturated job market? Then you need the BE-EDGE Method. The BE-EDGE Method provides a step-by-step guide that connects job seekers to target employers through a process of case consulting. It creates an opportunity for the new or established professional to carve out their own space in an industry of choice, by establishing a relationship of trust with and proving their value to an industry insider. The method shows readers how to:
Elucidate their professional CORE, strategically identifying a space in the market that will best fit their multidimensional profile and selecting a case to work on;
Develop TRUST with an industry insider on the basis of deep understanding and storytelling--as an industry researcher, company biographer, and case writer;
Generate VALUE for a company by making a concrete contribution and offering action-based solutions in the form of a consulting case report; and
Excite insiders with the candidate's fit for a company and their potential to add value in the industry.
These steps allow the BE-EDGE Method to help young graduates to enhance their employability, as well as helping life-long learners to redefine and craft their own space in the market when looking to change careers. Including testimonials from students of this method, this book is unmissable for anyone looking to create their own space in industry.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2zXmCg6
books, nonfiction books, business books, author reading, reading, job hunting books, book podcast, audiobooks
An Incredible Journey of Determination and Recovery
In 2005, Ted W. Baxter was at the top of his game. He was a successful, globe-trotting businessman with a resume that would impress the best of the best. In peak physical condition, Ted worked out nearly every day of the week. And then, on April 21, 2005, all that came to an end. He had a massive ischemic stroke. Doctors feared he wouldn’t make it, or if he did make it, he would be in a vegetative state in a hospital bed for the rest of his life.
But miraculously, that’s not what happened . . .
In Relentless, Ted W. Baxter describes his remarkable recovery. Not only did he live, but he's walking and talking again. He moves through life almost as easily as he did before the stroke; only now, his life is better. He’s learned that having a successful career is maybe not the most important thing. He’s learned to appreciate life more. He's learned that he wants to help people—and that’s what he does. He gives back, volunteering his time and effort to help other stroke victims.
Relentless is a wonderful resource for stroke survivors, caregivers, and their loved ones, but it is also an inspiring and motivating read for anyone who is facing struggles in their own life.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cdoQ9v
When Manhattanite Sarah Rock meets a mysterious and handsome stranger in the park, she is drawn to him. Sarah wants to get away from her daily routine, her cheating husband and his crazy mistress, her frequent sessions with her heartless therapist, and her moody children. But nothing is as it seems. Her life begins to unravel when a woman from the park goes missing and Sarah becomes the prime suspect in the woman's disappearance. Her lover is nowhere to be found, her husband is suspicious of her, and her therapist is talking to the police. With no one to trust, Sarah must face her inner demons and uncover the truth to prove her innocence. A thriller that questions what is real-with its shocking twists, secrets, and lies—The Woman in the Park will leave readers breathless. Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IUMxq8 books, audiobooks, thriller books, author reading, author audio, book podcast
"This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in leadership and human potential." Frank Blake, Former Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot WHAT'S GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOU LEADING AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE? How does anyone get to a point in life where they can say unequivocally that they feel fulfilled and fully alive? Why are some leaders more effective than others? Why are some people happily married and others not? Why are some individuals more prone to depression while others seem to possess a magical resilience? Why do some elite athletes become professionals and others remain mere amateurs? Why are some of us happy and others unhappy despite almost identical circumstances? It's your program. A subconscious set of rules that drive the actions you take and limit the results you get. To be extraordinary in any area of your life, you must write and master your own code. This is your guidebook for doing that now. By reading this book you will learn how to: Be the shaper of your life, not a prisoner of your circumstances Take full responsibility for your life and give up the right to complain Honor your word and live a life of integrity Let go of grudges and forgive unconditionally *Do what you were born to do in this world Darren Gold is Managing Partner at The Trium Group where he is one of the world's leading executive coaches and advisors to CEOs and their teams. His mission is to unlock the full potential of leaders and their organizations. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and children. Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ImFVAI books, audiobooks, nonfiction, motivational books, inspirational books, book podcast
In today’s world of interconnected and "always-on" information, companies that succeed are those that compete by leveraging strategic control points. A strategic control point is a part of a market that, if controlled by one party, can be used to leverage power elsewhere. This can occur throughout the supply chain, in a related business, or even in an unrelated market The Carrot and the Stick uses detailed examples and case studies – ranging from historic cases like Vanderbilt’s railroad in New York to current cases like Amazon’s control of the value chain – to explain how finding and leveraging points of strategic control can be the key to success in today’s convergent, fast-paced markets. The book focuses on how to spot and own potential points of strategic control, how to extend them to multiple markets, what tools and processes can be implemented in order to utilize the principle in practice, and how to "pry loose" existing points of strategic control owned by others. Applicable to all industries, this book can help alter business outcomes. Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/37IvdyC books, audiobooks, author reading, business books, nonfiction, leadership books, book podcast
It is within everyone's ability to switch on the energy attached to living consciously and stepping into leadership as a limitless enterprise. Conscious Leadership: 7 Principles that WILL change your business and change your life, offers leaders from all walks of life insightful alternatives and practices that will enrich your leadership skills while bringing into alignment the whole you, with all your unique and essential humanness. "When you operate as a conscious leader, present and engaged in lifting up those you lead and serve, you switch on your highest self, the human being you were designed to be. Remember that this is not a dress rehearsal, but the real deal. Are you practicing to live your life or embracing your most powerful and luminescent self? The choice is yours to make. The real you can and will be more than what others say you are. Be courageous, be fulfilled and be the director of a joyful and meaningful life. Illuminate your ambitions to make a significant difference." Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GYWORm books, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, leadership, motivational
This is a true story of resilience, courage and the power of choice. After the publication of Conscious Leadership: 7 Principles That Will Change Your Business and Change Your Life, many inquired as to how these principles were formed. Dying to Live is a compelling account of the author’s life stories, from abandonment to enlightenment, shared with sensitivity, illumination and humor. Michael Bianco-Splann guides the reader through vignettes of his life’s adventures, the losses, the successes and the treks into the dark night of the soul. Along the journey, great lessons emerged, creating the building blocks of conscious leadership and a life centered on the power of choosing love, compassion and understanding. Choosing to live means stepping into the real you, operating in the present tense and lovingly accepting the call and belief that one person can make a difference in the lives of others. Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2S37H9x books, authors reading, audiobooks, nonfiction books, memoirs
Live True vividly illustrates and breaks down the philosophy of Mindfulness, and what it means to live in the present moment; authentically. “Mindfulness and authenticity are inexorably linked. It keeps us honest,” writes Ora Nadrich in her timely, and much needed book on raising awareness and consciousness of who we are, and more importantly; who we are not. Each of the thirty brisk, informative chapters, not only showcase Ora’s effective techniques for living in the present moment with authenticity, but also, in her knowledgeable, and warm narrative style, guides us through various aspects of effective Mindful behavior, while pinpointing the challenges that impede us from connecting to ourselves authentically, and the dangers of not living in total awareness. Each chapter then culminates with a unique, useful meditation for readers to practice: thirty meditations for each of the thirty days in a month to help us discover, awaken and connect ourselves – in a mindful way - to all those qualities and core values that make us unique only to ourselves. In this thoughtful and straightforward book, Ora shares with us the principles of effective Mindfulness, and combines them with specific meditations that are simple, direct and applicable to everyone, and helps connect us to our true nature. Authenticity is her mantra. Live True provides practical, tangible information and meditations to help us connect with our authentic selves, and keep us connected. Ora, who adheres to the Buddhist principle, “What we believe, we become,” has helped awaken hundreds with her Mindfulness Meditation techniques to overcome the obstacles that hold us back, and keep us from achieving the many benefits of being mindful. Fake news and “alternative facts” permeate our modern culture, causing ever more confusion to what is real and true. Authenticity is more important than ever as a prescription for peace, happiness and fulfillment. Live True fills that prescription. Written in a down-to-earth, supportive voice, Ora’s Live True offers the modern approach to Buddhist teachings of awareness and compassion; making them instantly accessible and adaptable to everyday life and everyday people. The book is expertly divided into four sections – Time, Understanding, Living, and ultimately, Realization -- to take the reader through the necessary stages of understanding how to connect to our authentic selves and experience the joy and peace – the ever-present wholeness - that comes from living Mindfully. “Everyone needs a daily discipline,” Ora advises, “to attain clarity and focus, to make it easier to envision and attain goals. This book will help guide you through the mindful practice of meditation and connecting to your inner awareness, in order to live more truthfully and authentically, which will help you stay on track and take control of your destiny.” Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RjnL6N books, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, mindfulness books, meditation books, health and wellness, book podcast
The playbook for building a great culture Culture is the key to success for every organisation, but what do great cultures do and what makes them successful? In Culture Fix, author Colin D Ellis shows you how to change the way you do things and create a winning culture that will keep your organisation relevant today and into the future. No matter your business, industry or country, your culture’s success depends on the emotional intelligence and engagement of people within it. Whether you’re a CEO, a manager, or a team leader, this comprehensive playbook provides everything you need to build self-motivating teams capable of delivering great value and great employee experiences for your organisation. Many organisations lack the knowledge for creating cultures that are uniquely suited for their people. Culture Fix offers real-world solutions to problems of culture change in organisations and teams of all types and sizes. * build an aspirational vision for your organisation or team * create a set of values that mean something * enhance the communication between your people * adopt the mindsets and behaviours for a successful culture create the right environment for innovation and creativity Practical, insightful, honest and funny, Culture Fix: How to create a great place to work will show you how to create a workplace where great people can accomplish great things. Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/36FcDrt books, audiobooks, author, reading, business books, management books, business culture, leadership books, nonfiction books
Introducing The Power of Agency, a science-backed approach to living life on your own terms. Agency is the ability to act as an effective agent for yourself―reflecting, making creative choices, and constructing a meaningful life. Grounded in extensive psychological research, The Power of Agency gives you the tools to help alleviate anxiety, manage competing demands and help you live your version of success. Renowned psychology experts Paul Napper and Anthony Rao will help you break through your state of overwhelm by showing you how to access your personal agency with seven empowering principles: control stimuli, associate selectively, move, position yourself as a learner, manage your emotions and beliefs, check your intuition, deliberate and then act. Featuring stories of people who have successfully applied these principles to improve their lives, The Power of Agency will give you the insights and skills to build your confidence, conquer challenges, and live more authentically.
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Marketers are harnessing the enormous power of AI to drive unprecedented results. The world of marketing is undergoing major change. Sophisticated algorithms can test billions of marketing messages and measure results, and shift the weight of campaigns—all in real time. What’s next? A complete transformation of marketing as we know it, where machines themselves design and implement customized advertising tactics at virtually every point of digital contact. The Invisible Brand provides an in-depth exploration of the risks and rewards of this epochal shift—while delivering the information and insight you need to stay ahead of the game. Renowned technologist William Ammerman draws from his decades of experience at the forefront of digital marketing to provide a roadmap to our data-driven future. You’ll learn how data and AI will forge a new level of persuasiveness and influence for reshaping consumers’ buying decisions. You’ll understand the technology behind these changes and see how it is already at work in digital assistants, recommendation engines and digital advertising. And you’ll find unmatched insight into how to harness the power of artificial intelligence for maximum results. As we enter the age of mass customization of messaging, power and influence will go to those who know the consumer best. Whether you are a marketing executive or concerned citizen, The Invisible Brand provides everything you need to understand how brands are harnessing the extraordinary amounts of data at their disposal—and capitalizing on it with AI.
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An accomplished and honored professor, psychotherapist, author, and chocolate connoisseur, Diane Gehart identifies surprisingly efficient and fun ways to increase your daily dose of joy. Drawing on positive psychology, Eastern wisdom, and three decades of psychotherapist know-how, she outlines a no-nonsense yet good-humored path to get you where you want to go. She will teach you step-by-step how to: Identify the essential elements necessary for life-long happiness and add them to your everyday habits. Develop an unshakable sense of inner joy that sustains you in good times and bad. Engage your most painful life circumstances to dramatically improve your life for the better. Navigate common pitfalls and challenges, including skillfully handling the most difficult personalities and relationships. Transform how you journey through life—making it a joy ride regardless of weather or other unforeseen circumstances. First, she debunks popular myths that have us looking for happiness in all the wrong places and then offers an accurate map for getting where we want to go. Next, readers will learn the hardest but ultimately most liberating lesson: making friends with life and all that is, including the good, the bad, and the ugly—which includes black widow spiders for some of us. From there, you will learn surprisingly playful and palatable options for maximizing your joy, including mindfulness, crazy wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. Finally, you will learn how to avoid—or at least survive—the common pitfalls and the dangerous snakes that line the path from where you are to where you want to go. If you have avoided meditation and similar practices for most of your life because they are dull and boring, you may find something that suits your refined and zesty taste for living here. Along the way, you will have numerous opportunities to laugh, to cry, and to reconnect with the best within yourself. You will suddenly discover your most desperate challenges dissolving before you, revealing an easier path and renewing your delight in living and loving. Worst-case scenario: You will have educational excuses to savor some chocolate delights, enjoy a few good laughs, and gain a handful of new insights about your life. Whether you are reeling from a devastating break-up; feeling adrift professionally; struggling with depression, anxiety, or more severe mental health issues; or simply wanting to feel happier given the numerous blessings in your life, this book will help you make changes that you could never accomplish before because you will now be motivated to do something different. Ultimately, this book invites you to play. To laugh. To love. To heal old heartbreaks. To overcome what was once impossible. To open your heart to life and all it has to offer: white, milk, and dark. The stresses of modern life often create the illusion that life is hard, painful, and lonely. You are only a few bites away from an entirely different approach to living a sweeter life.
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Do you ever feel overwhelmed and powerless after watching the news? Does it make you feel sad about the world, without much hope for its future? Take a breath – the world is not as bad as the headlines would have you believe. In You Are What You Read, campaigner and researcher Jodie Jackson helps us understand how our current twenty-four-hour news cycle is produced, who decides what stories are selected, why the news is mostly negative and what effect this has on us as individuals and as a society. Combining the latest research from psychology, sociology and the media, she builds a powerful case for including solutions in our news narrative as an antidote to the negativity bias. You Are What You Read is not just a book, it is a manifesto for a movement: it is not a call for us to ignore the negative but rather a call to not ignore the positive. It asks us to change the way we consume the news and shows us how, through our choices, we have the power to improve our media diet, our mental health and just possibly the world.
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Who hasn't dreamed of going to the moon? That dream for eleven-year-old Leo Gray is about to come true—but he’s in for the surprise of his life! In the year 2113, most people live in robotically maintained homes, ride around in self-flying cars, and wear ozone-resistant clothes. Most people that is; just not Leo Gray’s parents. They’re stuck in the past, and science know-it-all Leo is completely fed up with his beyond-embarrassing living arrangement with them. But when he enters a rocket-building competition for a chance to attend the Lunar Academy, Leo’s luck finally seems to turn in his favor! However, it's not long after stepping foot into his dorm room that Leo discovers the moon’s celebrated city is harboring a world of dark secrets. It's soon a race against the clock for Leo and his friends Andromeda Groves (a code-hacking whiz from Canada), Pavo Digbi (a history buff from Brazil), and Grus Pinwheel (a musically gifted and comically endearing Aussie) to intercept and foil plans to destroy the city—leaving the group’s leader faced with a decision that no eleven-year-old should ever have to make: save Earth or save himself and the city he fought so hard to reach. Leo Gray and the Lunar Eclipse is an epic adventure set in a wonderfully imaginative, futuristic world overflowing with robots, anti-gravity sports, superhero-esque suspense, and page after page of laughter and heart that will leave boys and girls equally gripped under its spell!
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2019 Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist 2019 Indie Excellence Award Winner in Crime Fiction 2019 Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Legal Thriller2019 International Book Awards Finalist in Mystery/Suspense 2018 Florida Book Awards GOLD Medal Winner in Popular Fiction Amazon Best Seller in Historical Thrillers Amazon Best Seller in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Amazon Best Seller in Serial Killers The brutal murder of a friend leaves lawyer John Coleman stunned and sends shockwaves through the city of Cleveland. The technique of the killing recalls memories of the Torso Murderer, who dismembered at least twelve people decades ago and then vanished--eluding even legendary crime fighter Eliot Ness. Jennifer, the victim's beautiful daughter, hires John to handle her father's estate, and romantic feelings for her soon complicate his already troubled marriage. When John finds himself entangled with a cold-blooded biker gang, an ex-cop with a fuzzy past, and the drug-addicted son of the dead man, he struggles to make sense of it all. But he cannot shake a growing sense of dread.
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She gave me her blood, and my life changed forever. Anastasia. My sire. The only influential figure in my already-fragile life. She did this to me. She caused all the pain and suffering. There was a time I believed I owed her everything. After all, she gave me immortality and the never-ending thirst for the energy contained in the blood of my victims. But now vampires hunt me and the humans want to use me as their personal weapon. They believe I'm some kind of apotropaic figurine that can damn all Deamhan and force us back into hell where we belong. Me? I just want to live. I just want to be Maris. That way, the only one I can damn is myself.
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Discover Your Purpose and Design a Life That Is Fully Yours In Exceptional Every Day, Jason M. Valadão, M.D. will help you transform your life. Using a method called The Process, this book enables you to create and achieve personal goals by helping you understand how to prioritize what is meaningful to you, allocate your time appropriately, and maximize productivity. By gaining control of your life and mastering your time, you’ll be empowered to explore your passions and interests, and create an exceptional and fulfilling life for yourself and your loved ones. It all starts with you. In this book, you’ll learn how to manage your life and value the journey along the way instead of focusing only on the end results. This “why,” the core desire that motivates you to succeed, will help you discover the steps that you can take each day to grow, and will inspire you to share your energy with others so that you can live out your purpose. Filled with exclusive tools and insightful stories, Jason will guide you to discover and create an individualized roadmap that will lead you to the life that you desire. Exceptional Every Day not only promises to transform lives, it delivers.
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AMAZON BESTSELLER IN CHILDREN'S DYSTOPIAN, CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION, AND INTERMEDIATE READERS Zert Cage accepts a dare. The 13-year-old sneaks out of his house to engage in a Trash War with his friends. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. Except that it’s 2083, and the world is falling apart. The Nuclear Mistake has left the oceans dead and brown, and grime and pollution are the way of life for anyone not wealthy enough to live in the Up Cities, which float high above the surface of the earth. Those left behind in the Low Cities wear gas masks when they go outside to avoid the Superpox, a highly infectious and deadly disease with a vaccine that few can afford. When the Trash War goes all wrong—Zert encounters Superpox and also has a brush with the law—he must do something drastic to secure a vaccine and avoid a long stint in Teen Jail. Zert and his father get wind of a top secret project to save people from both the disease and the wasteland that the earth has become and agree to allow themselves to be shrunk to the size of their thumbs and transported to an as-yet-undisturbed national park. With signs of infection appearing on Zert’s arm, they act quickly, and overnight, they become outsiders in a community of minimized people who are trying to thrive in the wild using insects as food. Roach stew? Cricket farming? Predators bigger than he is? Zert must find a way to fit in with this new world if he’s going to survive. Surviving Minimized is a thrill-ride of a young adult novel that will make you both laugh and think. This is the story of a flawed, but good-hearted kid who wants to do the right thing when everything around him has gone wrong.
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"Our work should be a manifestation of who we are and what we believe." Do you want more from work than just a paycheck or a title? Are you ready to manifest a work life rooted in joy, purpose, and contentment? Career expert Kourtney Whitehead will guide you on a self-discovery journey to bridge the gap between your spiritual life and your work, and help you bring intention and satisfaction to your professional life. In Working Whole, she shares eight principles that will free you to be inspired and joyful in your life and work callings. She advises that when we commit to living our beliefs in these eight core areas (humility, surrender, discipline, gratitude, connection, love, power and patience), we can work authentically and live fulfilled. Drawn from her long career as a recruiter, counselor and coach and her work with everyone from new hires to seasoned executives in transition to high-achievers preparing for retirement, Kourtney shares tips and tools for handling the expectations, choices, conflicts, challenges and opportunities we face in our work life. She leads you through a transformative experience to become more creative, energized, observant, accepting of change and open-hearted. In this book, you'll learn: * How to assess the particular conflicts that work life exerts on your spiritual values * How well you're integrating your spiritual beliefs into your life * What actions will move you from feeling disconnected and uninspired in your work, to realizing a deep level of satisfaction * How to negotiate real-world obstacles, like an untrustworthy boss or a job that makes you feel trapped With a warm tone and featuring informative content, exploratory exercises and actionable suggestions throughout, Working Whole provides a clear framework for making life and career decisions, both big and small, allowing you to reach your highest potential and live your most fulfilled life. About the expert: Kourtney Whitehead has focused her career on helping people reach their work goals, from executive searches to counseling to career transitions, through her positions at top executive recruiting firms and consulting companies. Her site, SimplyService.org, is an online community focused on supporting the creation of spiritually centered work lives. She is a sought-after speaker and podcast guest. Her new book, Working Whole, shares how to unite spiritual and work life. Learn more at SimplyService.org.
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A slow burn Reverse Harem-style series. After learning her family plans to kill her, Aeyli escapes the prison she’s been kept in ‘for the greater good’. She manages to stay one step ahead of her pursuers until a stroke of bad luck leaves her alone, defenseless, and out of options. Faced with certain death, Aeyli flees into the night and lands in the middle of a battlefield. Is she brave enough to ally herself with the monster she finds there, or will she die, never learning the true nature of the power burning inside her? Agent Fourteen has no thought beyond the current mission—his mind, his life, and his will are bound tightly under the yoke of The Company. A momentary break in his conditioning is all it takes for him to yearn for freedom. Can Fourteen fight his programming long enough to attain true freedom, or is he doomed to be a mindless puppet for the rest of his life? Following a tragic event, Guardian Marshall has spent the past five years trying to patch up the crumbling walls of his soul. The hauntingly familiar details of a new case draw his attention like nothing has since that terrible day. Will he be able to separate fact from fiction? Or will Marshall lose what is left of his soul?
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Conventional wisdom about Chiefs and power is all wrong. It says Chiefs are special. Chiefs are chosen. Chiefs have titles. And only those at the top have the power to be Chief.
But today, reports indicate that 7 in 10 workers are not giving 100% on the job. Why? Mostly, they feel powerless. Researchers estimate the cost of this lost productivity at over $500B annually.
We need a new way to think about Chiefs and power, and we need new tools to create powerful organizations. To Rick Miller, being Chief has nothing to do with position or title. And power has nothing to do with authority or control. Rather, Rick defines a Chief as anyone who fully and enthusiastically connects what they do to who they are, personally and professionally. Rick defines power in terms of the clarity, energy, and impact we can all choose to build.
Miller is a different kind of turnaround specialist who has led million- and billion-dollar organizations that have unlocked employee productivity, tripled growth rates, and delivered sustainable growth using a strategy to cultivate teams of powerful Chiefs. As a student-teacher and a player-coach Miller, shares strategies that work for Chiefs at all levels.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2D090QA
60 Years of Existence — GONE Unless one kid can outrun and outsmart the man who would destroy everything...
Winston Chase has nothing but an old photo to prove he ever had a whole family. One day, though, a gym class showdown exposes an inexplicable mystery and ignites a long-feared chain of events. Winston’s search for answers reveals clues and strange artifacts left by his old man — clues that lead deep into America’s wartime past and artifacts clearly not man-made. With only his friend Shade to aid him, Winston must discover the truth of his own beginnings and claim his father’s legacy before the world falls to a would-be tyrant.
If you love pulse-pounding adventure spiced with high stakes and wicked snark, dive into the Winston Chase universe!
Link to the book: https://amzn.to/2H3QzhP
Few of us know how to navigate the territory of traumatic loss successfully. Sweet Sorrow shows how we can respond and grow stronger from loss and suffering. Written by a psychologist and certified bereavement trauma specialist in the decade following the loss of her husband, father, mother, and only sibling, this carefully considered work provides perspective on grief and healing over time. This longer-term approach allows readers to have a more complete and accurate picture of the oscillations of grief over time. The book describes not only the immediate agony of the author’s losses, but also the process of starting over and making a successful new life as a single person full of hope and joy.
Sweet Sorrow combines the author’s psychological expertise and clinical experience with the compelling art of memoir to illuminate the surprising ways in which loss survivors can grow and even thrive to achieve wholeness after heartbreaking, traumatic losses. Using findings from post-traumatic growth, as well as evidence-based psychological approaches, Sweet Sorrow illustrates through story and example, ways for grief survivors to start over, to manage chaos and stress, to let go, and to heal with new strategies and re-storying. Sweet Sorrow also provides resources and recommendations for self-care, as well as tips and suggestions for all of us trying to respond creatively and helpfully to those around us suffering loss.
Ultimately, Sweet Sorrow is a book of inspiration intended to accompany readers through the processes of loss and grief much like a helpful Sherpa might guide a lost traveler.
Link to the book: https://amzn.to/2TwPLn4
Most of us don’t seek advice or reach out to others for help very easily. In part, it’s because we’re conditioned to see life as an individual endeavor rather than a team sport. Or because we believe that asking for help makes us look weak or incapable. We regard self-help as by-yourself-help. News flash: no one in the history of the world has ever achieved any level of happiness or success totally by themselves.
In his 1976 book The Long Run Solution, Joe Henderson suggested that becoming truly accomplished at running (or at anything) doesn’t typically require us to perform superhuman feats. In fact, success is frequently realized by those who simply do the things anyone can do that most of us never will.
In What Anyone Can Do, with the help of Leo Bottary’s Year of the Peer podcasts guests (and playful illustrations by Ryan Foland), you’ll discover that if you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll do the things anyone can do far more often. And when you do that, you and the people around you will realize more of what you want out of business and life. It’s that simple.
The Power of Peers (2016) made a strong case for how and why formal peer groups are so effective. This book steps outside the formal peer group arena to examine all the important relationships we have in our lives (parents, teachers, spouses, mentors, children, mentees, etc.) and provides a practical approach and specific framework for harnessing their power for your benefit (and theirs). It’s what anyone can do. You’re anyone, right?
Link to the book: https://amzn.to/2RBTxOv
No one goes into The Headmaster's Cave.
George Stewart is no hero, but when his friend disappears he must confront his deepest fears to rescue Dougie and finally uncover the mystery of The Headmaster's Cave. The 100th anniversary of the disappearance of seven children and their Headmaster is approaching. The knowledge that the infamous Headmaster Henry Morris, George’s ancestor, may have been implicated in their disappearance has haunted his family for generations. When George and Dougie receive an unexpected email stating that the mystery has been finally solved, Dougie and Katie try to persuade George to journey with them. But not even the enticement of uncovering the mystery can tempt George to follow the word of a stranger to the dangerous and ‘haunted’ cave. Only when Dougie goes missing, will George and his friend Katie, accompanied with his dog Flanagan, journey to rescue their friend.
On their way, they must not only battle their fears, but overcome the local bullies, nature's deadly obstacles, and Old Maggie and her dog pack. But that’s nothing compared to the terror that awaits them in The Headmaster's Cave, when the mystery is finally revealed.
Link to the book: https://amzn.to/2QyoDlw
Lucifer brings magic, dragons, and his gargoyle horde through to terrorize downtown Toronto by taking advantage of a tear in the fabric between the two dimensions of Earth and magical Anandria. His goal? It is time to conquer the universe!
Cousins Raonull and Kathryn, grandchildren of Laura and Vaaron, grow up between Earth and Anandria. They both exhibit exceptional powers in Anandria and lately on Earth, too. When Kathryn has a vision, they don't hesitate to venture to England on a quest to help Laura in her fight against Lucifer. However, no one predicts that they will come back from England with a Druid and fairy in tow.
Can the universe be saved?
And who is the woman Lucifer has enslaved... Or is it the other way around?...
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2shHt6N
Amazon Best Seller in Human Resources & Personnel Management Amazon Best Seller in Teams Bridge the Gap and Reach the Why Generation
If you've ever struggled to motivate the young people in your sphere of influence, Answering Why is the game-changer you've been looking for. From the urgent skills gap crisis to the proven strategies to inspire our youngest generations, Answering Why addresses the burning questions faced by educators, employers, and parents everywhere.
Author, CEO, and generational expert Mark C. Perna shares his wide experience and profound success as both a single dad and performance consultant for education and workforce development across North America. Readers will be empowered to:
- Embrace the branch-creak crisis moments of life
- Make meaningful, productive connections with the Why Generation (anyone under 40 today)
- Bring relevance, self-discovery, and passion to the learning process
The Why Generation is asking a serious question, and it's time to answer it. This book will help awaken the incredible potential of young people everywhere and spur them to increased performance on all fronts, so they can make a bigger difference--which is exactly what they want.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SDwEHP
From birth, Prince Jameson has been groomed to reign. On the heels of a victory against a barbarian force, he is welcomed home as a savior. His father toasts his impending marriage to the daughter of a key ally. Everything is in place for the young monarch-in-waiting. Yet all is not what it seems in Arcporte Castle. In the shadows, barons speak of usurping their sovereign. Kings doubt their alliances on the eve of signing a treaty. And one royal is much more than the man he claims to be. In the midst of this mystery and intrigue, a throne is challenged. Kin Saliswater, having ruled their island nation of Marland for over two centuries, find their dynasty in tatters. Only by marshaling every resource – and blood relative – available, do they stand a chance to defend their rule and secure a lasting legacy for the next generation to rise as King.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AzbhjZ
Originally, the bottom piece of the totem pole was actually viewed as the most critical structure of the totem pole. They would contract the best artists to carve out what would end up being the foundation of the entire piece. Somewhere along the lines we’ve lost sight of this concept and have begun undervaluing the critical role that each of us plays, regardless of title or hierarchy. We’ve handed over our power to be an “employee” vs. business owner. But the workplace is going through a revolution. We are experiencing more career fluidity than ever before. Organizations are getting flatter and flatter. At the same time, we are coming out of a tradition of extremely high levels of command and control that were great for efficiency when the work place was a simple assembly line structure, but severely limits the productivity of our current complex work environments. You owe it to yourself to take ownership of your work back, regardless if you are a an independent contractor, run your own business, or set up shop under the umbrella of a larger organization; you are a business owner. This book provides a road map where there is none. The tips, insights, and real-world examples are set up to help any individual carve out their own path, regardless if they are currently working in a job to make ends meet, sitting in an executive leadership position trying to carve out a stronger brand and broader influence, or a career “employee” getting ready to reinvent into the next chapter of work successfully.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RDce4I
Are you the busy parent of an anxious child or teen? “Do you wonder why your child or teen seems on edge, unduly nervous, or restless at times—maybe all the time? Are you uncertain if and when you should be worried? Are you so busy that sometimes you dismiss these thoughts but later reconsider them? You may be noticing that you have an anxious child or teen.” (excerpt from Introduction).
Do you know the signs of generalized anxiety, panic attacks, obsessional compulsive behavior or separation anxiety? In this book, vignettes of this wide range of anxiety states in children and teens are discussed along with how to help these kids master their anxiety the Parental Intelligence Way. Parenting tips are elaborated in this quick read that offers powerful solutions.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VqoUL4
We are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are heading into retirement in droves (about 10,000 a day, in fact). Joan Tabb is on a mission to bring the best of them to this new stage of life -- one she terms as "Revitalment." Her new book, Building Blocks for the New Retirement: An Easy, Interactive 8-Step Guide for a Retirement with Meaning, Purpose and Fun (Great In 8 Coaching, 2018) reinvigorates the retirement paradigm for Baby Boomers age 55+ and shows us how to channel our energy into opportunities for meaning, purpose and fun. She answers the key question: How do you best use your gifts of time, energy and experience? Tabb takes readers from confused and worried to confident and energized. In her interactive "seminar in a book," she walks them step-by-step through eight areas of exploration, prompting readers to examine goals and aspirations around their abilities, relationships, community, legacy and more. Her process hones in on what will bring the most satisfaction through this next stage of life. Along with posing specific questions to answer, Tabb offers stories of real people pursuing new roles and adventures in their retirement.
The author guides readers in: - How to rediscover the essential "you" that you'd love to further develop - How to move from an "outside-in" to an "inside-out" perspective - How to build a full Action Plan with built-in accountability to ensure follow through - How to cultivate a new spirit of exploration and enrichment - What research reveals about happiness and longevity through social interaction and serving others - How "anchor points" in your weekly schedule can provide needed structure - Where retirees are finding meaningful roles that allow them to give back Today, people can embrace their inner gifts and apply them in new areas of their choosing. Building Blocks for the New Retirement helps them chart a course to follow as they travel exciting and unexplored realms.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2F8oLXZ
Following the success of his award-longlisted Childish Spirits and its sequel The Spirit of London, prolific children's author Rob Keeley is back with The Sword of the Spirit, the third instalment in his thrilling and suspenseful Spirits series. Ellie's investigations into the spirit world have reached a medieval castle, where archaeologists are digging for the fabled Sword of St Merrell. But she didn't expect to meet a real medieval knight. Nor was she expecting him to be an ancestor of Edward Fitzberranger. Ellie discovers that behind a legend of chivalry and bravery lies a dark and nasty truth. And worse is to come. Ellie's meddling has consequences she could never have foreseen. This time, she may have gone too far...The Sword of the Spirit works both as a standalone novel and as part of a series. It will appeal to girls and boys of upper primary and lower secondary age - primarily 8-12 - and to parents and teachers reading the book aloud.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GZcnLq
Circlework is a nurturing and spacious practice that honors the feminine spirit. Developed by Jalaja Bonheim, PhD, it addresses women’s hunger for authenticity and intimacy while also connecting them with their feminine essence. Through a wide range of tools that include not only talking but also movement, touch, and immersion in nature, a space is created that feels equally safe and sacred. Here, women have space to listen deeply, both to their own hearts and souls and to one another. Circlework has also proven its value as an effective peace practice that is being used in the Middle East to unite Jewish and Palestinian women.
Though Jalaja is an award-winning author, none of her previous books reveal the concepts and tools that make Circlework such a magical experience. Until now, the only way to access the secrets of Circlework was to attend her retreats or trainings. Now, for the first time, she explains how ordinary circle gatherings are transformed into true mandalas—fields of sacred presence imbued with love, peace and joy.
The Magic of Circlework includes the stories and voices of many women who are using Circlework to heal their lives and relationships. Inspiring embodiments of feminine power, they have bonded to form a global sisterhood that transcends all national and religious boundaries. Anyone interested in the process of healing and evolution will love their stories of life-altering encounters and awakenings.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2C2W1vA
Twenty years have passed, and Mandy has helped to raise Laura’s fraternal twins David and Diana. When Laura is suddenly pulled back to Anandria, she must find a way to unite her fractured family. Vaaron is eager to meet his adult children for the very first time - but both are missing.
Diana awakens to find herself the centre of attention in a cult-like gathering. They revere and fear her, and she finds she has to rely upon their High Priest for help.
David opens his eyes to find he’s in a forest with a creature hovering over him. Confused and disoriented, it takes an unsettling act of magic, and the persistence of the creature following him, to lead them into an unusual relationship.
Both siblings eventually discover they are in Anandria - a world they had believed to be a figment of their Aunt Mandy’s imagination - where they must face challenges with their unlikely partners as their guides.
Lucifer is delighted when he lands in Anandria and feels his powers stir. Better still, he discovers that at least one of Laura’s children has come to Anandria, too. And since he still desires the destruction of Laura’s soul, what better way to lure Laura to her death than to use one of her children?
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2F4fmQa
One failed marriage. Two jobs lost. Three maxed out credit cards. “Schex” Schexnaydre was a failure as a lawyer. Until three weeks ago, he had no clients and no cash — no clients except for infamous toxic waste entrepreneur G.G. Guidry, who's just been murdered, and no cash, except for the $4,452,737 Guidry had stashed with him for safekeeping.
When Schex's estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry's murder, she pleads with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper Schex gets dragged into the fall-out from Guidry's nefarious schemes, ending up as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry's millions for themselves.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2BWJfP7
A practical step-by-step, room-by-room guide to simple modifications that can help seniors make their homes safer and easier to navigate, this reference offers readers clear and practical solutions. Author Lynda Shrager is a registered, national board certified occupational therapist, a master’s level social worker and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) with more than thirty-seven years’ experience in the field of geriatrics and more than thirteen years working with seniors in their homes. It is this mix of qualification and experience that makes her an expert in adapting the environment to increase patient safety and independence. This book is designed to help seniors and their caregivers address these new challenges together to make life at home safer, more manageable and less stressful for all.
Features include: • Room-by-room walk through to evaluate and modify safety of the home • Photographs of modifications from patients’ homes • Recommendations for the best home medical equipment • Where to obtain services and additional helpful resources • Check list for the reader to complete their own room by room walk through with a quick and easy guide to making each space safe and manageable • “Hacks for Health and Home” at the end of each chapter with occupational therapy tips • Vital Documents Guide for easy retrieval of important papers in case of an emergency
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LM0K9l
After accelerating their studies and graduating high school early, two teenagers set off from their hometown in Minnesota to embark on a 2200-mile canoe journey up the heart of North America. Their destination: the permafrost shores of Hudson Bay. Inspired by a passion for the simple life, where gadgets and schedules are replaced by nature and its harsh beauty, the duo found something that many believe is lost: a true adventure.
Follow the pair up the flooding Minnesota River and through the prairie plains of North Dakota, across man-sized waves on Lake Winnipeg, and down the foaming rapids of the Canadian north. The triumphs and trials of the unforgiving wild challenged their friendship, dreams, and lives in a way that even they could have never predicted. For those who have dreamt of wilderness escape, or those who prefer to simply read about it, Adventure North will spur the imaginative spirit and remind you that adventure is always just around the next bend.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Tm8EsI
If you're struggling to find time in your day to do the “leadership stuff” you know you should be doing, this book is for you.
Whether you're a CEO, a manager, or an individual contributor who wants to make a difference, Finding Time to Lead will provide you with perspectives and tools to maximize your capacity to lead.
Drawing from more than twenty years of experience working side-by-side with leaders of new organizations and new leaders in established companies, Leslie Peters offers a framework of clear and concise shifts, practices, and tools to put you in the fast lane toward becoming the leader you want to be.
What does it take to be a good leader? Are there shortcuts? How can you prioritize the limited time you have available for all of this “leadership stuff”? What should you spend your time on that will help you build a culture that will attract and keep great people?
You'll learn about five specific skill sets that shape great leaders:
Identify and quickly access the powerful places from which your best work comes;
Productively engage with others to build the kind of trust that leads to commitment, collaboration, and innovation;
Confidently lead through change;
Prioritize your time to have maximum impact on your corporate culture;
Unleash the outrageous potential in your company and its people. Leadership is not what you do; it’s who you are. When you take this approach to leadership, it’s easy to find time to lead.
“Finding Time to Lead compels us to explore the intersection of what it truly means to be a leader and to be human. Leslie Peters brings a no-bullshit, straight-talk perspective to the unique responsibility of leadership – with compelling real-life stories and a clear pathway to guide the very human leader inside us all.” –Dean Carter, Head of Finance, HR and Legal at Patagonia
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SA8SMM
Snatched into a magical dimension by a demon, art student Laura Evans has to grapple with the unimaginable. Lucifer wants to destroy her soul because, apparently, she's all that stands between him and total domination over all creation. People here say she is their saviour and it's up to her to save the universe with her new found powers of healing.
And then there's a man, determined to protect her. He claims that not only is she his soul mate, but his wife! Really? He's persistent - and is very convincing…Could it all be true?
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rZmJAO
Max and Del did everything together. They bought the same bikes, wore the same clothes, and competed with one another as best friends often do in high school. As their summer together looms on the horizon, and the school year comes to an end, their friendship is tested when Max realizes their blue-collar upbringing in New Athens provides a life of limitations he didn't imagine. His only escape from it is in his true feelings for Annika, Del's girlfriend, who he can't be with. To prevent any wrongdoing, Max forms a simple plan: to find a way to escape his working a class destiny after high school for something greater than what's in Milltown.
"The Boy from the Forge is a coming-of-age story that skillfully combines nostalgia for friendship, first loves, and choosing one's path into adulthood...Max's moments of internal dialogue about how to move forward in life are true to the difficult choices teenagers face." --Foreward Reviews
"...wide-ranging observations intrinsic to the story made by the teen characters (about art, beliefs, parents, teachers, love, secrecy, adult hypocrisy, future plans) ring true, as does the author's vivid depictions..." --Kirkus Reviews
"Brandt's strength lies in his descriptive power." --BlueInk Reviews
"...an excellent study in character writing and descriptive environment about mischief and romance, relationships and revenge. It tugs at the heartstrings, gently." --IndieReader
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LK0qZ0
A young woman raised in the South Pacific, captured by pirates. The Dey of Algiers, torn by conflicts in religion and love. Their stories intertwine.
Raised by her Scottish father and the natives of a remote island in the South Pacific, Sarah and her father embark on a perilous journey to Scotland. Sarah knew that her life would change when she left her beloved island. Never did she imagine that she would be sold into a harem. Only Hassan Aziz, the most feared pirate on the Barbary Coast can save her. But is Hassan willing to jeopardize his secret mission and risk his life and the lives of his crew to shield this intoxicating maiden from slavery?
Naa’il is the Dey of Algiers, a man who has everything including, wealth, power, wives, slaves, concubines. Drawn to two beautiful American captives, Naa’il tests their loyalty to each other. Little did he know that his game would have devastating consequences… especially for him.
"This story is quite complex, but, there is so much description of the people, times, and places, that you can almost imagine being there." ~ Amazon Reviewer
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TkrNeE
Lucinda White is a happy-go-lucky nature child raised by a young single mother in the 1960s. In a dramatic turn of events, her wild nature is broken. She is shaped into a yuppie and becomes the wife of a prominent Silicon Valley CEO and a glamorous socialite. Successful by all accounts of external measure, she feels trapped by the shallow values of a dominant culture and ever more alienated from her true nature. Something primal awakens in Lucinda when she unearths and touches an ancient buffalo bone, and the experience impels her to secretly collect dead animal parts and learn the art of curing their decomposing flesh. As Lucinda challenges convention, her curiosity about the animal kingdom leads to wild and unlikely adventures rescuing road kill, tracking wolves, and encountering lions face to face. Confessions of a Bone Woman is one woman’s story of how she recognizes and learns to express her authentically wild nature in order to heal bone by bone and become her full self, redefining what it means to be a modern woman.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QdBGc4
A delightful historical fantasy for the holidays, based on real events and inspired by two favorite holiday classics: A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SwyF8H
What if a reality show had real stakes?
Grayson Hartford needs a change in his life. A new documentary promises the adventure and riches he craves. All he needs to do is navigate a booby-trapped temple, collect treasure, and then escape a jungle. It seems easy enough.
Instead, he soon regrets not taking the Death and Dismemberment clause seriously. What starts as a friendly contest of skills quickly devolves into murder and no shortage of betrayals. Anything goes in the name of entertainment on "The Borrowed Faces".
Link to the book no longer available.
There was a reason they called it the Speckled City Whitten was just what Indira hoped for. It was a city that had banned heroes and villains, which meant no more rebuilding her home after a disaster, no more texts from her mother about how her father had been kidnapped, and no more worrying that she might be forced to become a hero herself one day. Indira soon finds out that the city holds a dangerous secret. Keeping superheroes and supervillains out of the city comes at a cost and, if she isn't careful, she may disappear with the others.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SrDpw9
Sargrenti is the name by which Major General Sir Garnet Wolseley, KCMG (1833 – 1913) is still known in the West African state of Ghana.
Kofi Gyan, the 15-year old boy who spits in Sargrenti's eye, is the nephew of the chief of Elmina, a town on the Atlantic coast of Ghana. On Christmas Day, 1871, Kofi’s godfather gives him a diary as a Christmas present and charges him with the task of keeping a personal record of the momentous events through which they are living. This novel is a transcription of Kofi's diary.
Elmina town has a long-standing relationship with the Castelo de São Jorge da Mina, known today as Elmina Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482 and captured from them by the Dutch in 1637.
In April, 1872, the Dutch hand over the unprofitable castle to the British. The people of Elmina have not been consulted and resist the change. On June 13, 1873 British forces punish them by bombarding the town and destroying it. (It has never been rebuilt. The flat open ground where it once stood serves as a constant reminder of the savage power of Imperial Britain.)
After the destruction of Elmina, Kofi moves to his mother’s family home in nearby Cape Coast, seat of the British colonial government, where Sargrenti is preparing to march inland and attack the independent Asante state. There Melton Prior, war artist of the London weekly news magazine, The Illustrated London News, offers Kofi a job as his assistant. This gives the lad an opportunity to observe at close quarters not only Prior but also the other war correspondents, Henry Morton Stanley and G. A. Henty. Kofi witnesses and experiences the trauma of a brutal war, a run-up to the formal colonialism which would be realized ten years later at the 1885 Berlin conference, where European powers drew lines on the map of Africa, dividing the territory up amongst themselves.
On February 6, 1874, Sargrenti's troops loot the palace of the Asante king, Kofi Karikari, and then blow up the stone building and set the city of Kumase on fire, razing it to the ground.
Kofi’s story culminates in his angry response to the British auction of their loot in Cape Coast Castle. The loot includes the solid gold mask shown on the front cover of the novel. That mask continues to reside in the Wallace Collection in London.
The invasion of Asante met with the enthusiastic approval of the British public, which elevated Wolseley to the status of a national hero. All the war correspondents and several military officers hastened to cash in on public sentiment by publishing books telling the story of their victory. In all of these, without exception, the coastal Fante feature as feckless and cowardly and the Asante as ruthless savages.
The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye tells the story of these momentous events for the first time from an African point of view. It is told with irony and with occasional flashes of humor. The novel is illustrated with scans of seventy engravings first published in The Illustrated London News.
This book won a Burt Award for African Literature which included the donation by the Ghana Book Trust of 3000 copies to school libraries in Ghana. In 2016, at the annual conference of the African Literature Association held in Atlanta, GA, it received the ALA’s Creative Book of the Year Award.
Prof. Kwesi Kwaa Prah writes:“The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's War takes history out of the recesses of memory and obscurity, and expresses it in vivid and dazzling light.”
The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye is a story for adults of all ages, both young adults and those no longer so young.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GS7m7s
"It was a dark and stormy night. Just kidding, who starts a story that way? I mean, other than that cartoon dog with the typewriter."
Meet Will, the guy whose childhood was ruined by an outlaw motorcycle club. Now that he's grown, he's decided to do something about it. That something may allow the motorcycle club to ruin his adult life too. When the family member of a politician is found dead from a drug overdose, Will is recruited to run the investigation. Will returns to his tiny hometown of Rough River Falls, Kentucky to save it from itself and exact vengeance for his missed youth. Can he infiltrate a group of outlaws and keep his hidden agenda a secret, or will they find out what he's up to? Can one man actually make a difference when he faces off against a criminal organization? Is there anyone worth the hassle of saving in Rough River Falls, or is the whole town a lost cause? Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2F001A9
Three days before Christmas, Aurora wakes up in a strange bed in a meadow, beneath a sky that looks like an ocean. She doesn't know where she is, only that she fell asleep in her bed and woke up somewhere else.
A bobcat named Yule and a wolf named Woe appear nearby, and they offer to take her to their king and queen. They don't seem trustworthy, but what other choice does she have? Along the way, Aurora learns that she's a jundhela, a weaver of windows that offer a view of what's happening back in her world. Yule and Woe insist she ignore them and move on.
When they finally arrive at Lonesome Castle, Aurora discovers a battlefield of steam-powered robot soldiers fighting. The king and queen each want Aurora to join their side.
Aurora's only hope is to find a boy named Dusk and convince him to help. One way or another, she must find her way home.
Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VlBHyu
