Justin's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:19:04 -0800 60 Justin's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment]]> 207567968 New York Times bestselling author and the gaming industry's preeminent investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment leading up to a hostile corporate takeover and a sexual misconduct scandal that put the legendary developer in a world of (Warcraft) trouble.

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company celebrated the joy of gaming over all else, and every product it released was an instant classic: StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which forever changed the video game landscape. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission ¡ª to make games they wanted to play ¡ª launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.

But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside, driving away throngs of key employees in a push for predictability over creativity. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company¡¯s once pristine image. In 2021, the state of California filed a staggering lawsuit against the company for sexual misconduct and discrimination, leading to a widespread reckoning and a $69 billion acquisition that sent shockwaves through the industry.

Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment ¡ª and explores the delight and despair of what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.]]> 384 Jason Schreier 1538725428 Justin 0 4.14 2024 Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment
author: Jason Schreier
name: Justin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Game Feel (Morgan Kaufmann Game Design Books)]]> 3385050 Game Feel exposes feel as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatures, chord progressions, verse)¡ªno matter the instruments, style or time period¡ªthese building blocks come into play. Feel and sensation are similar building blocks where game design is concerned. They create the meta-sensation of involvement with a game.

The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be overlooked as a method or course of study, yet a game's feel is central to a game's success. This book brings the subject of feel to light by consolidating existing theories into a cohesive book.

The book covers topics like the role of sound, ancillary indicators, the importance of metaphor, how people perceive things, and a brief history of feel in games.

The associated web site contains a playset with ready-made tools to design feel in games, six key components to creating virtual sensation. There's a play palette too, so the designer can first experience the importance of that component by altering variables and feeling the results. The playset allows the reader to experience each of the sensations described in the book, and then allows them to apply them to their own projects. Creating game feel without having to program, essentially. The final version of the playset will have enough flexibility that the reader will be able to use it as a companion to the exercises in the book, working through each one to create the feel described.]]> 376 Steve Swink 0123743281 Justin 0 to-read 3.91 2008 Game Feel (Morgan Kaufmann Game Design Books)
author: Steve Swink
name: Justin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mere Christianity 11138 191 C.S. Lewis 0684823780 Justin 0 currently-reading 4.32 1952 Mere Christianity
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Justin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1952
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Infinite Game 38390751 Do you know how to play the game you're in?

In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified.

In infinite games, like business or politics or life itself, the players come and go, the rules are changeable, and there is no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers in an infinite game; there is only ahead and behind.

The more I started to understand the difference between finite and infinite games, the more I began to see infinite games all around us. I started to see that many of the struggles that organizations face exist simply because their leaders were playing with a finite mindset in an infinite game. These organizations tend to lag behind in innovation, discretionary effort, morale and ultimately performance.

The leaders who embrace an infinite mindset, in stark contrast, build stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations. Their people trust each other and their leaders. They have the resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world, while their competitors fall by the wayside. Ultimately, they are the ones who lead the rest of us into the future.

Any worthwhile undertaking starts with Why - the purpose, cause or belief that inspires us to do what we do and inspires others to join us. Good leaders know how to build Circles of Safety that promote trust and cooperation throughout their organizations. But that's not enough to help us chart a course through the unpredictable, often chaotic landscape of today's marketplace.

I now believe that the ability to adopt an infinite mindset is a prerequisite for any leader who aspires to leave their organization in better shape than they found it.]]> 251 Simon Sinek 073521350X Justin 0 currently-reading 4.15 2017 The Infinite Game
author: Simon Sinek
name: Justin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Way Forward (The Inward Trilogy)]]> 100697520
In these rapidly changing times, it is more important than ever to know ourselves well and fully, even and especially in the face of turmoil. The Way Forward encourages readers to connect more deeply to their intuition, using it to remain focused and grounded amidst a world in constant flux.

In his latest collection of poetry and short prose, Yung Pueblo offers clear strategies for managing the unknown, inhabiting your personal power, and bringing your truest, healthiest self to relationships. Progressing naturally from both Inward and Clarity & Connection , The Way Forward is exactly that??¡ªan inspired beginning.]]> 240 Yung Pueblo 1524874833 Justin 0 4.38 The Way Forward (The Inward Trilogy)
author: Yung Pueblo
name: Justin
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/22
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]]> Meditations 30659 Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.]]> 254 Marcus Aurelius 0140449337 Justin 0 to-read 4.29 180 Meditations
author: Marcus Aurelius
name: Justin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 180
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness]]> 171681821
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech¡ªand a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

¡°With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids.¡± ¡ªShannon Carlin, ,i>TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the ¡°play-based childhood¡± began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the ¡°phone-based childhood¡± in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this ¡°great rewiring of childhood¡± has interfered with children¡¯s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the ¡°collective action problems¡± that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes¡ªcommunities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children¡ªand ourselves¡ªfrom the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 400 Jonathan Haidt 0593655036 Justin 0 to-read 4.35 2024 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Justin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It]]> 42818638 250 David Zahl 1506449433 Justin 5 key
10/10, would gladly shove it in your face.]]> 4.23 Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It
author: David Zahl
name: Justin
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves: key
review:
If the title intrigues you at all, yes it is worth a read. This is for those of you out there that wonder why our culture is so polarized, and why the pressure to perform feels so stifling. This book is a breath of fresh air, and an invitation to really reflect on what our culture is, and what it does to us.

10/10, would gladly shove it in your face.
]]> <![CDATA[You Can Negotiate Anything: How to Get What You Want]]> 53232637
For readers of the bestsellers Atomic Habits and Never Split the Difference --this bestselling classic will teach you to hone your intuition to effectively communicate and negotiate...making sure you win every time. These groundbreaking methods will yield remarkable results!

YES, YOU CAN WIN!

Master negotiator Herb Cohen has been successfully negotiating everything from insurance claims to hostage releases to his own son's hair length and hundreds of other matters for over five decades. Ever since coining the term "win-win" in 1963, he has been teaching people the world over how to get what they want in any situation. In clear, accessible steps, he reveals how anyone can use the three crucial variables of Power, Time, and Information to always reach a win-win negotiation.

No matter who you're dealing with, Cohen shows how every encounter is a negotiation that matters. With the tools and skill sets he has devised, honed, and perfected over countless negotiations, the power of getting what you deserve is now a practical necessity you can fully master.

"Flawlessly organized."
--Kirkus Reviews]]> 256 Herb Cohen 0806541229 Justin 4 3.74 1980 You Can Negotiate Anything: How to Get What You Want
author: Herb Cohen
name: Justin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
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]]> Infinite in All Directions 320561 321 Freeman Dyson 0060728892 Justin 0 currently-reading 3.98 1988 Infinite in All Directions
author: Freeman Dyson
name: Justin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/31
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)]]> 34002132 Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance.

Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together--and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past--even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.]]> 1248 Brandon Sanderson Justin 5
So, you've read Words of Radiance and you are trying to decide whether it is worth diving into another multi-month journey of reading *another* Sanderson novel. Well, if you have something else you have been dying to read, maybe go read that first...because this book will consume you, just like the last two probably did.

Somehow, the last two books were really just a primer so we had characters to care about. Now, the majesty of Roshar has opened before us, with all its bickering, false alliances and past tragedies. This book is shows us a world at war, and reflects upon war, culture, and purpose. It once again crafts a narrative with complex and engaging characters that are capable of musing upon those more nuanced aspects, giving the book a contemplative energy, without robbing it of any childlike wonder that could be found. It strikes a balance that kept me grounded. The writing is still rich without being overbearing, witty without being too concerned with its own merit.

As a reader, I love the feeling of progressing through a book, getting closer to the grand finale and having everything laid out bare, seeing all the threads reach and wrap around one another. The progression of moving through these books though feels like a herculean task every time. About halfway through I took another one of my classic Sanderson breaks to read something else. I read 3 - 4 other shorter non-fiction books, but then, the craving returned and I dived right back in. The book felt like a good friend that comes and goes, but every time we meet they have another grand story to tell.

SPOILER TIME
...
...
...
SO DALINAR MAKES THREE INTO ONE. WHAT A BLOODY LEGEND.

ALSO JASNAH IS A QUEEN AND THE MOST BADASS CHARACTER HERE.

ALSO ADOLIN IS SUCH A GOOD BOY.

ALSO...Shallan really gotta check with herself, I haven't decided whether I should be worried she considers herself three people, definitely better than a hundred though.

ALSO, Kaladin is there, we like him.

Ok actually, Syl is great too, I love she has gotten an indirect way of shining and really has become Kaladin's bestie.

The final arc of this book was an absolute storm (pun intended). I could barely put the book down for more than an hour at a time. Such an incredible trip of emotion, character progression and...Avenger energy? I should have seen it coming, but I delighted in it nonetheless. Seeing so many different surges on display and used in such creative ways is incredibly fun and is part of what makes me adore this series.

I really feel like we got a lot of character threads wrapped up, ones that have been dangling since the first book. But perhaps that is what book 4 will be about, discovering what comes next when your "thirst is sated".

I am definitely going to take a little break before reading book 4, but when that break is broken, we are diving right in, once again.]]> 4.60 2017 Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves:
review:
My first instinct is to nerd out about how cool this book is. However, that would be spoilers, and I will leave that for the second half of my review ;)

So, you've read Words of Radiance and you are trying to decide whether it is worth diving into another multi-month journey of reading *another* Sanderson novel. Well, if you have something else you have been dying to read, maybe go read that first...because this book will consume you, just like the last two probably did.

Somehow, the last two books were really just a primer so we had characters to care about. Now, the majesty of Roshar has opened before us, with all its bickering, false alliances and past tragedies. This book is shows us a world at war, and reflects upon war, culture, and purpose. It once again crafts a narrative with complex and engaging characters that are capable of musing upon those more nuanced aspects, giving the book a contemplative energy, without robbing it of any childlike wonder that could be found. It strikes a balance that kept me grounded. The writing is still rich without being overbearing, witty without being too concerned with its own merit.

As a reader, I love the feeling of progressing through a book, getting closer to the grand finale and having everything laid out bare, seeing all the threads reach and wrap around one another. The progression of moving through these books though feels like a herculean task every time. About halfway through I took another one of my classic Sanderson breaks to read something else. I read 3 - 4 other shorter non-fiction books, but then, the craving returned and I dived right back in. The book felt like a good friend that comes and goes, but every time we meet they have another grand story to tell.

SPOILER TIME
...
...
...
SO DALINAR MAKES THREE INTO ONE. WHAT A BLOODY LEGEND.

ALSO JASNAH IS A QUEEN AND THE MOST BADASS CHARACTER HERE.

ALSO ADOLIN IS SUCH A GOOD BOY.

ALSO...Shallan really gotta check with herself, I haven't decided whether I should be worried she considers herself three people, definitely better than a hundred though.

ALSO, Kaladin is there, we like him.

Ok actually, Syl is great too, I love she has gotten an indirect way of shining and really has become Kaladin's bestie.

The final arc of this book was an absolute storm (pun intended). I could barely put the book down for more than an hour at a time. Such an incredible trip of emotion, character progression and...Avenger energy? I should have seen it coming, but I delighted in it nonetheless. Seeing so many different surges on display and used in such creative ways is incredibly fun and is part of what makes me adore this series.

I really feel like we got a lot of character threads wrapped up, ones that have been dangling since the first book. But perhaps that is what book 4 will be about, discovering what comes next when your "thirst is sated".

I am definitely going to take a little break before reading book 4, but when that break is broken, we are diving right in, once again.
]]> <![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203578847 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive¨Dthe iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare¨Dand the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium¡¯s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide¨DAdolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium¡¯s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]> 1344 Brandon Sanderson 1250319188 Justin 0 to-read 4.35 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World ¨C and Why Things Are Better Than You Think]]> 34890015 Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.

When asked simple questions about global trends¡ªwhat percentage of the world¡¯s population live in poverty; why the world¡¯s population is increasing; how many girls finish school¡ªwe systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.

In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective¡ªfrom our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse).

Our problem is that we don¡¯t know what we don¡¯t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases.

It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.

Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. ]]> 342 Hans Rosling 1473637465 Justin 5 key 4.34 2018 Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World ¨C and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
author: Hans Rosling
name: Justin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: key
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)]]> 58416952 At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic ¨C the Hierarchy ¨C may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus ¨C what they call Will ¨C to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy¡¯s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.]]> 639 James Islington 1982141190 Justin 0 to-read 4.60 2023 The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)
author: James Islington
name: Justin
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Hero (Ranger's Apprentice, #11.1)]]> 16049065 58 John Flanagan 1101577797 Justin 0 4.40 2012 Death of a Hero (Ranger's Apprentice, #11.1)
author: John Flanagan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
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]]> <![CDATA[World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1]]> 29227531 163 Matt Burns 1630085650 Justin 5 4.46 2016 World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1
author: Matt Burns
name: Justin
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts]]> 205363955 Meditations for Mortals takes us on a liberating journey towards a more meaningful life ¨C one that begins not with fantasies of the ideal existence, but with the reality in which we actually find ourselves.

Addressing the fundamental questions about how to live, it offers a powerful new way to take action on what counts: a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls ¡®imperfectionism¡¯. How can we embrace our non-negotiable limitations? Or make good decisions when there¡¯s always too much to do? What if purposeful productivity were often about letting things happen, not making them happen?

Reflecting on ideas drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help, Burkeman explores practical tools and shifts in perspective. The result is a bracing challenge to much familiar advice, and a profound yet entertaining crash course in living more fully.

To be read either as a four-week ¡®retreat of the mind¡¯ or devoured in one or two sittings, Meditations for Mortals will be a source of solace and inspiration, and an aid to a saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life. In anxiety-inducing times, it is rich in truths we have never needed more.]]> 208 Oliver Burkeman 0374611998 Justin 0 to-read 4.26 2024 Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
author: Oliver Burkeman
name: Justin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives]]> 2272880
By showing us the true nature of chance and revealing the psychological illusions that cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives us the tools we need to make more informed decisions. From the classroom to the courtroom and from financial markets to supermarkets, Mlodinow's intriguing and illuminating look at how randomness, chance, and probability affect our daily lives will intrigue, awe, and inspire.]]> 252 Leonard Mlodinow 0375424040 Justin 0 to-read 3.93 2008 The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
author: Leonard Mlodinow
name: Justin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection]]> 157981748 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593243916.

Who and what are supercommunicators? They're the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They're brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it?

In this groundbreaking book, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art - and the science - of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine sceptic.

Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.]]> 320 Charles Duhigg Justin 5
Charles does a great job of picking interesting and compelling stories that act as great examples for his points. Because of this, I found myself devouring this book much faster than I think I really should have, and I'm already going back and rereading just to make sure I caught everything.

If you have ever had an argument with anyone, and you couldn't figure out why you were arguing, the answer is probably in here.]]> 3.99 2024 Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Justin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:
The kind of book that makes you reevaluate every conversation you've had in the last 3 years.

Charles does a great job of picking interesting and compelling stories that act as great examples for his points. Because of this, I found myself devouring this book much faster than I think I really should have, and I'm already going back and rereading just to make sure I caught everything.

If you have ever had an argument with anyone, and you couldn't figure out why you were arguing, the answer is probably in here.
]]> <![CDATA[12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos]]> 30257963 What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.

What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant, and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith, and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners.]]> 409 Jordan B. Peterson 0345816021 Justin 0 to-read 3.90 2018 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
author: Jordan B. Peterson
name: Justin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience]]> 66354 303 Mih¨¢ly Cs¨ªkszentmih¨¢lyi 0060920432 Justin 0 key 4.11 1990 Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
author: Mih¨¢ly Cs¨ªkszentmih¨¢lyi
name: Justin
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: key
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Theory Of Fun For Game Design]]> 18182 A Theory of Fun for Game Design is not your typical how-to book. It features a novel way of teaching interactive designers how to create and improve their designs to incorporate the highest degree of fun. As the book shows, designing for fun is all about making interactive products like games highly entertaining, engaging, and addictive. The book's unique approach of providing a highly visual storyboard approach combined with a narrative on the art and practice of designing for fun is sure to be a hit with game and interactive designers.

At first glance A Theory of Fun for Game Design is a book that will truly inspire and challenge game designers to think in new ways; however, its universal message will influence designers from all walks of life. This book captures the real essence of what drives us to seek out products and experiences that are truly fun and entertaining. The author masterfully presents his engaging theory by showing readers how many designs are lacking because they are predictable and not engaging enough. He then explains how great designers use different types of elements in new ways to make designs more fun and compelling. Anyone who is interested in design will enjoy how the book works on two levels--as a quick inspiration guide to game design, or as an informative discussion that details the insightful thinking from a great mind in the game industry.]]> 279 Ralph Koster 1932111972 Justin 5 key For game designers, this is a gem of inspiration and a joy to read. For everyone else, it is a joy to read and inspires you to become a game designer]]> 3.88 2004 A Theory Of Fun For Game Design
author: Ralph Koster
name: Justin
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: key
review:
So you wanna think like a game designer? What if you also accidentally learned about how to enjoy life?
For game designers, this is a gem of inspiration and a joy to read. For everyone else, it is a joy to read and inspires you to become a game designer
]]> <![CDATA[Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want]]> 60394834 224 Tracy McCubbin 1728263816 Justin 0 3.82 Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want
author: Tracy McCubbin
name: Justin
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism]]> 43708708 7 Robin DiAngelo 0807071161 Justin 4
DiAngelo wastes no time and hits you with the honest truth, one that (hopefully) will shatter some worldviews, and that is her intention. Racism, true implicit racism is something radically complex, and isn't something to be "solved" but needs to be understood if we are to make any true progress. I feel like it would be a disservice to try and describe it here, when you could read the book yourself.

But as the book itself (structure, presentation, literary things) it definitely strayed into the very repetitive realm, which may be helpful if you are having trouble grasping the message, but once it clicks, it can feel rather monotonous in the way non-fiction topic books can be. This is not a devastating blow to the book though, because the message it is trying to deliver (depending on your own awareness) can be quite difficult to truly digest at first, and continued exposure will make sure it sinks in.

If you have any friends that are people of color, or an interest in social issues, do yourself and society a favor and give this a read.]]> 4.14 2018 White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
author: Robin DiAngelo
name: Justin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves:
review:
For my fellow white people, if you think you are ready to start understanding what racism is, this is the one.

DiAngelo wastes no time and hits you with the honest truth, one that (hopefully) will shatter some worldviews, and that is her intention. Racism, true implicit racism is something radically complex, and isn't something to be "solved" but needs to be understood if we are to make any true progress. I feel like it would be a disservice to try and describe it here, when you could read the book yourself.

But as the book itself (structure, presentation, literary things) it definitely strayed into the very repetitive realm, which may be helpful if you are having trouble grasping the message, but once it clicks, it can feel rather monotonous in the way non-fiction topic books can be. This is not a devastating blow to the book though, because the message it is trying to deliver (depending on your own awareness) can be quite difficult to truly digest at first, and continued exposure will make sure it sinks in.

If you have any friends that are people of color, or an interest in social issues, do yourself and society a favor and give this a read.
]]> <![CDATA[Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World]]> 41795733
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see.

Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.]]> 339 David Epstein 0735214484 Justin 0 to-read 4.12 2019 Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
author: David Epstein
name: Justin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction]]> 53343 On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.]]> 321 William Zinsser 0060891548 Justin 0 to-read 4.23 1976 On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
author: William Zinsser
name: Justin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life]]> 53487237 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it¡¯s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times.

In his introduction, Saunders writes, ¡°We¡¯re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn¡¯t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art¡ªnamely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?¡± He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.]]> 403 George Saunders 1984856049 Justin 0 to-read 4.55 2021 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
author: George Saunders
name: Justin
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)]]> 34703445 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, a special gift edition of Edgedancer, a short novel of the Stormlight Archive.

Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from growing older--a wish she believed was granted. Now, in Edgedancer, the barely teenage nascent Knight Radiant finds that time stands still for no one. Although the young Azish emperor granted her safe haven from an executioner she knows only as Darkness, court life is suffocating the free-spirited Lift, who can't help heading to Yeddaw when she hears the relentless Darkness is there hunting people like her with budding powers. The downtrodden in Yeddaw have no champion, and Lift knows she must seize this awesome responsibility.

]]> 272 Brandon Sanderson 1250166543 Justin 0 to-read 4.14 2016 Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)]]> 17332218 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance, Book Two of the Stormlight Archive, continues the immersive fantasy epic that The Way of Kings began.

Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status "darkeyes." Now he must protect the king and Dalinar from every common peril as well as the distinctly uncommon threat of the Assassin, all while secretly struggling to master remarkable new powers that are somehow linked to his honorspren, Syl.

The Assassin, Szeth, is active again, murdering rulers all over the world of Roshar, using his baffling powers to thwart every bodyguard and elude all pursuers. Among his prime targets is Highprince Dalinar, widely considered the power behind the Alethi throne. His leading role in the war would seem reason enough, but the Assassin's master has much deeper motives.

Brilliant but troubled Shallan strives along a parallel path. Despite being broken in ways she refuses to acknowledge, she bears a terrible burden: to somehow prevent the return of the legendary Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that will follow. The secrets she needs can be found at the Shattered Plains, but just arriving there proves more difficult than she could have imagined.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the Shattered Plains, the Parshendi are making an epochal decision. Hard pressed by years of Alethi attacks, their numbers ever shrinking, they are convinced by their war leader, Eshonai, to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled. The possible consequences for Parshendi and humans alike, indeed, for Roshar itself, are as dangerous as they are incalculable.]]> 1088 Brandon Sanderson 0765326361 Justin 5 Bran San man did it, again.
If there is one thing I've learned from reading Sanderson works, it starts good, but the 75% mark is when wild things hit. Every time I start reading one of these behemoths, the beginning lays these breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are usually fairly tasty, but they're all leading to this mountain shrouded in fog with little trees, peaks and random objects poking out. And I have to wonder, "Why is a mountain leaving breadcrumbs? Does it eat bread?" until I inevitably realize I won't get the answer, and let myself be swept away.

This book, like the last one, is massive. When a book is this long, my "okay you've read enough fiction time to switch" reflex is prone to triggering multiple times. The typical argument for a book of such length is asking the question, "Well is this all required to make the story?" To my dismay, and childish mocking glee, yes it is necessary.
Brandon is committed to sculpting this expansive world with a nail file. The world beyond is teased out constantly. He continues to whittle out details and potential plot points, drawing you more and more into the intrigue of the world. Every character has motive, desire and a personal set of morals to carry. The rules of the world are not clearly defined, but clearly adhered to; part of the fun for the reader, is guessing what the rules truly are.
If the first book established the framework and vessels by which we may explore the world, Words of Radiance lets us begin submerging in the ocean of cryptic clues and looming questions.
The stakes are higher, the feats become more grand and the interconnecting narrative is woven nicely to create an incredible climax.

The stand out piece is once again the characters. Our main crew continues to flesh itself out, with our leads - Shallan and Kaladin - holding the spotlight extremely well. This time, Shallan truly shines as an incredibly deep and interesting character to follow as she grapples with her (no spoilers) "new circumstances" and it is exciting to watch unfold.
Also, half her lines are gold, many of them have been submitted to be enshrined in the "comeback bible".

Final thoughts? It is everything great about the first book, part 2. Conclusion: Time to read book 3.]]> 4.76 2014 Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.76
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves:
review:
(No spoilers here)
Bran San man did it, again.
If there is one thing I've learned from reading Sanderson works, it starts good, but the 75% mark is when wild things hit. Every time I start reading one of these behemoths, the beginning lays these breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are usually fairly tasty, but they're all leading to this mountain shrouded in fog with little trees, peaks and random objects poking out. And I have to wonder, "Why is a mountain leaving breadcrumbs? Does it eat bread?" until I inevitably realize I won't get the answer, and let myself be swept away.

This book, like the last one, is massive. When a book is this long, my "okay you've read enough fiction time to switch" reflex is prone to triggering multiple times. The typical argument for a book of such length is asking the question, "Well is this all required to make the story?" To my dismay, and childish mocking glee, yes it is necessary.
Brandon is committed to sculpting this expansive world with a nail file. The world beyond is teased out constantly. He continues to whittle out details and potential plot points, drawing you more and more into the intrigue of the world. Every character has motive, desire and a personal set of morals to carry. The rules of the world are not clearly defined, but clearly adhered to; part of the fun for the reader, is guessing what the rules truly are.
If the first book established the framework and vessels by which we may explore the world, Words of Radiance lets us begin submerging in the ocean of cryptic clues and looming questions.
The stakes are higher, the feats become more grand and the interconnecting narrative is woven nicely to create an incredible climax.

The stand out piece is once again the characters. Our main crew continues to flesh itself out, with our leads - Shallan and Kaladin - holding the spotlight extremely well. This time, Shallan truly shines as an incredibly deep and interesting character to follow as she grapples with her (no spoilers) "new circumstances" and it is exciting to watch unfold.
Also, half her lines are gold, many of them have been submitted to be enshrined in the "comeback bible".

Final thoughts? It is everything great about the first book, part 2. Conclusion: Time to read book 3.
]]> The War of Art 1319 168 Steven Pressfield 0446691437 Justin 4 Pressfield has a connection to his craft that many artists would envy, from reading this book, you'd believe it is his entire world. What he does, is personify each part of the creative process and makes it an enemy to defeat, an obstacle to overcome.
To this artist's eyes, I'm empathetic. There are certainly days when I could use another push toward getting my work done, but I have little interest in making Pressfield's war my own. I appreciated and respected his resolve and let it inspire my own, I took from his ideology what I could, and simply nodded to the rest.
Perhaps you will read this and find a new way of approaching art, and if so, kudos. And if you don't, I hope you still gain value from it like I did. ]]> 3.95 2002 The War of Art
author: Steven Pressfield
name: Justin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/18
shelves:
review:
4/5 is a very strange rating for me to give this book. My main conundrum being the fact I did not particularly *like* the book by the end, but I *respected* it.
Pressfield has a connection to his craft that many artists would envy, from reading this book, you'd believe it is his entire world. What he does, is personify each part of the creative process and makes it an enemy to defeat, an obstacle to overcome.
To this artist's eyes, I'm empathetic. There are certainly days when I could use another push toward getting my work done, but I have little interest in making Pressfield's war my own. I appreciated and respected his resolve and let it inspire my own, I took from his ideology what I could, and simply nodded to the rest.
Perhaps you will read this and find a new way of approaching art, and if so, kudos. And if you don't, I hope you still gain value from it like I did.
]]> <![CDATA[Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World]]> 25744928 One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.

Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way.

In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill.

A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.]]> 296 Cal Newport 1455586692 Justin 4
Truly though, if you have never read a book in this field before, it can be extremely inspiring and an incredible page turner. Pick it up when you wanna work, put it down when you are ready to work.]]> 4.16 2016 Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
author: Cal Newport
name: Justin
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves:
review:
It said nothing new, but sometimes, when you need a kick in the butt to get to work, nothing new is required.

Truly though, if you have never read a book in this field before, it can be extremely inspiring and an incredible page turner. Pick it up when you wanna work, put it down when you are ready to work.
]]> <![CDATA[Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams]]> 34466963 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781501144318.

Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.]]> 368 Matthew Walker Justin 0 to-read 4.37 2017 Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
author: Matthew Walker
name: Justin
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action]]> 7108725 Why do you do what you do?

Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. It was their natural ability to start with why that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things.

In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way¡ªand it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not money or profit¡ªthose are always results. WHY does your organization exist? WHY does it do the things it does? WHY do customers really buy from one company or another? WHY are people loyal to some leaders, but not others?

Starting with WHY works in big business and small business, in the nonprofit world and in politics. Those who start with WHY never manipulate, they inspire. And the people who follow them don't do so because they have to; they follow because they want to.

Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them.]]> 256 Simon Sinek 1591842808 Justin 0 4.10 2009 Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
author: Simon Sinek
name: Justin
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/09
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Bird by Bird 12543 A newer edition of this title can be found here.

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. [It] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said. 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

With this basic instruction always in mind, Anne Lamott returns to offer us a new gift: a step-by-step guide on how to write and on how to manage the writer's life. From "Getting Started,' with "Short Assignments," through "Shitty First Drafts," "Character," "Plot," "Dialogue." all the way from "False Starts" to "How Do You Know When You're Done?" Lamott encourages, instructs, and inspires. She discusses "Writers Block," "Writing Groups," and "Publication." Bracingly honest, she is also one of the funniest people alive.

If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this book is for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eyes open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.

]]> 238 Anne Lamott Justin 0 to-read 4.24 1994 Bird by Bird
author: Anne Lamott
name: Justin
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered]]> 18290401 In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by ¡°stealing¡± from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in an even more forward-thinking and necessary book, he shows how to take that critical next step on a creative journey¡ªgetting known.

Show Your Work! is about why generosity trumps genius. It¡¯s about getting findable, about using the network instead of wasting time ¡°networking.¡± It¡¯s not self-promotion, it¡¯s self-discovery¡ªlet others into your process, then let them steal from you. Filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples, Show Your Work! offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, productive.

In chapters such as You Don¡¯t Have to Be a Genius; Share Something Small Every Day; and Stick Around, Kleon creates a user¡¯s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity¡ª what he calls the ¡°ecology of talent.¡± From broader life lessons about work (you can¡¯t find your voice if you don¡¯t use it) to the etiquette of sharing¡ªand the dangers of oversharing¡ªto the practicalities of Internet life (build a good domain name; give credit when credit is due), it¡¯s an inspiring manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age.

]]> 215 Austin Kleon 076117897X Justin 0 to-read 4.09 2014 Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
author: Austin Kleon
name: Justin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life]]> 254799 In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. In The Creative Habit, Tharp takes the lessons she has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career and shares them with you, whatever creative impulses you follow -- whether you are a painter, composer, writer, director, choreographer, or, for that matter, a businessperson working on a deal, a chef developing a new dish, a mother wanting her child to see the world anew.

When Tharp is at a creative dead end, she relies on a lifetime of exercises to help her get out of the rut, and The Creative Habit contains more than thirty of them to ease the fears of anyone facing a blank beginning and to open the mind to new possibilities.

Tharp's exercises are practical and immediately doable -- for the novice or expert. In "Where's Your Pencil?" she reminds us to observe the world -- and get it down on paper. In "Coins and Chaos," she provides the simplest of mental games to restore order and peace. In "Do a Verb," she turns your mind and body into coworkers. In "Build a Bridge to the Next Day," she shows how to clean your cluttered mind overnight.

To Tharp, sustained creativity begins with rituals, self-knowledge, harnessing your memories, and organizing your materials (so no insight is ever lost). Along the way she leads you by the hand through the painful first steps of scratching for ideas, finding the spine of your work, and getting out of ruts into productive grooves. In her creative realm, optimism rules. An empty room, a bare desk, a blank canvas can be energizing, not demoralizing. And in this inventive, encouraging book, Twyla Tharp shows us how to take a deep breath and begin!

]]> 247 Twyla Tharp 0743235274 Justin 0 to-read 4.08 2003 The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
author: Twyla Tharp
name: Justin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase]]> 17415726 The idiosyncratic, erudite and brilliantly funny new book from Mark Forsyth, bestselling author of The Etymologicon and The Horologicon.

In an age unhealthily obsessed with substance, this is a book on the importance of pure style.

From classic poetry to pop lyrics and from the King James Bible to advertising slogans, Mark Forsyth explains the secrets that make a phrase - such as ¡®Tiger, tiger, burning bright¡¯ or ¡®To be or not to be¡¯ - memorable.

In his inimitably entertaining and witty style he takes apart famous lines and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde. Whether you¡¯re aiming for literary immortality or just an unforgettable one-liner, The Elements of Eloquence proves that you don't need to have anything to say - you simply need to say it well.]]> 205 Mark Forsyth 1848316216 Justin 0 4.35 2013 The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase
author: Mark Forsyth
name: Justin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2024/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art]]> 48890486
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.

Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren't found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.

Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.

Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.]]> 280 James Nestor 0735213615 Justin 0 4.13 2020 Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
author: James Nestor
name: Justin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones]]> 40121378 Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving¡ªevery day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
-?Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
-?Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
- Design your environment to make success easier;
- Get back on track when you fall off course;
...and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.]]> 319 James Clear Justin 5 Three years later, it was more brilliant the second time I read it.
I can't wait to read it again three years from now.

Because hopefully I'll still be sticking to my habits]]> 4.34 2018 Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
author: James Clear
name: Justin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves:
review:
It was brilliant the first time I read it.
Three years later, it was more brilliant the second time I read it.
I can't wait to read it again three years from now.

Because hopefully I'll still be sticking to my habits
]]> <![CDATA[Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals]]> 54785515 The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks.

Nobody needs to be told there isn¡¯t enough time. We¡¯re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and ceaseless battle against distraction; we¡¯re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient and life hacks to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks.

Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with ¡°getting everything done,¡± Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing that many of the unhelpful ways we¡¯ve come to think about time aren¡¯t inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we¡¯ve made as individuals and as a society¡ªand that we could do things differently.]]> 271 Oliver Burkeman 0374159122 Justin 5 key
And while I'm at it, plan the rest of my life.

Four Thousand Weeks is one of those books that take your strongly held methodologies and beliefs, and breaks them at the knees. It confronts today's "productivity culture" and presents a surface level opposing argument. "Time is not a resource", "You will never feel secure in your work", "Forget your schedule". All these ideas fly in the face of so many self help gurus and productivity icons, on a surface level.

I've read my fair share of productivity handbooks, and consumed more than enough online content on the topic. Usually, after "consuming" some of the topic, I become filled with a vigor to face my backlog of tasks, sort them alphabetically, and attack with unbridled focus and intensity...Until I become intimidated by the whole ordeal, or the steam runs out.

When reading this book though, it...warped my perception. The perception wasn't quite the antithesis, but more of an inversion pointing in the same direction. The book repeats, over and over, the fact that you cannot possibly ever - no never - do everything you want to do. It hammers this point from every angle, repeatedly slamming the crushing weight of reality onto your mountainous to do list...until all that is left, are the tasks worth more than diamond.

I've rarely had a book so quickly move in rent free in my mind, because I fought every point it made tooth and nail. I wanted so desperately to "win" against this book, but I couldn't help but yield to at least some of what it proposed. It slowly chipped away at the delicate framework I've been using to approach work, until what remained, I believe to be a more clean and clear purpose of work.

There are no shortcut methods here, no get rich quick schemes. It says your running out of time, then tells you to slow down. We cannot properly plan for life, we can barely plan for tomorrow. We will never be fully prepared for life, no matter how many plans and skills you acquire. That is why we just do, or it will never get done.

So did this book make me stop planning? Absolutely not. It made me start planning the things that matter. Because I'm only mortal, and if I can't get everything done, I'm gonna start simply, by pushing Post.]]> 4.20 2021 Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
author: Oliver Burkeman
name: Justin
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/04
date added: 2024/01/04
shelves: key
review:
Never before have I so strongly ached to throw my calendar off the Empire State Building, while simultaneously planning the perfect, most elegant angle to throw it...so I can catch it at the bottom.

And while I'm at it, plan the rest of my life.

Four Thousand Weeks is one of those books that take your strongly held methodologies and beliefs, and breaks them at the knees. It confronts today's "productivity culture" and presents a surface level opposing argument. "Time is not a resource", "You will never feel secure in your work", "Forget your schedule". All these ideas fly in the face of so many self help gurus and productivity icons, on a surface level.

I've read my fair share of productivity handbooks, and consumed more than enough online content on the topic. Usually, after "consuming" some of the topic, I become filled with a vigor to face my backlog of tasks, sort them alphabetically, and attack with unbridled focus and intensity...Until I become intimidated by the whole ordeal, or the steam runs out.

When reading this book though, it...warped my perception. The perception wasn't quite the antithesis, but more of an inversion pointing in the same direction. The book repeats, over and over, the fact that you cannot possibly ever - no never - do everything you want to do. It hammers this point from every angle, repeatedly slamming the crushing weight of reality onto your mountainous to do list...until all that is left, are the tasks worth more than diamond.

I've rarely had a book so quickly move in rent free in my mind, because I fought every point it made tooth and nail. I wanted so desperately to "win" against this book, but I couldn't help but yield to at least some of what it proposed. It slowly chipped away at the delicate framework I've been using to approach work, until what remained, I believe to be a more clean and clear purpose of work.

There are no shortcut methods here, no get rich quick schemes. It says your running out of time, then tells you to slow down. We cannot properly plan for life, we can barely plan for tomorrow. We will never be fully prepared for life, no matter how many plans and skills you acquire. That is why we just do, or it will never get done.

So did this book make me stop planning? Absolutely not. It made me start planning the things that matter. Because I'm only mortal, and if I can't get everything done, I'm gonna start simply, by pushing Post.
]]> The Nature of Code 16123828 520 Daniel Shiffman 0985930802 Justin 0 to-read 4.60 2012 The Nature of Code
author: Daniel Shiffman
name: Justin
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Creative Act: A Way of Being]]> 60965426 From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.

"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment." --Anne Lamott

"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." --Rick Rubin

Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn't, he has learned that being an artist isn't about your specific output, it's about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities.

The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.]]> 406 Rick Rubin 0593652886 Justin 5 The book is a collection of short thought experiments, musings and just random things that feel extremely evocative in a way that stimulates my creative core. Some of the chapters contradict each other, others make no sense at all. I would pick this up for 5 minutes and sometimes leave completely bewildered. But, oddly enough, I would always leave creatively inspired.
This is a book I want next to me every time I have a block, every time I feel like I have no idea what I am doing.
It is a loving slap to the face when my brain needs to wake up and smell the art in front of me.
And I think I'll continue to take slaps from this book for years to come.]]> 4.00 2023 The Creative Act: A Way of Being
author: Rick Rubin
name: Justin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves:
review:
This is not a traditional book, and I love it for that reason alone.
The book is a collection of short thought experiments, musings and just random things that feel extremely evocative in a way that stimulates my creative core. Some of the chapters contradict each other, others make no sense at all. I would pick this up for 5 minutes and sometimes leave completely bewildered. But, oddly enough, I would always leave creatively inspired.
This is a book I want next to me every time I have a block, every time I feel like I have no idea what I am doing.
It is a loving slap to the face when my brain needs to wake up and smell the art in front of me.
And I think I'll continue to take slaps from this book for years to come.
]]> Ink Blood Sister Scribe 62854842 In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection--a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements--books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna's isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they'll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .]]> 416 Emma T?rzs 0063253461 Justin 0 to-read 3.98 2023 Ink Blood Sister Scribe
author: Emma T?rzs
name: Justin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wishing Game 62926992
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it¡¯s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher¡¯s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he¡¯s finally written a new book. Even better, he¡¯s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.

For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack ¡°the Mastermind¡± Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.

. . . You might just get it.]]> 304 Meg Shaffer 0593598830 Justin 0 to-read 4.01 2023 The Wishing Game
author: Meg Shaffer
name: Justin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Yellowface 62047984
So what if June edits Athena¡¯s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song¡ªcomplete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena¡¯s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 319 R.F. Kuang 000853277X Justin 0 to-read 3.69 2023 Yellowface
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Justin
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #6)]]> 63048246 236 Rick Riordan 1368098274 Justin 0 to-read 4.39 2023 The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #6)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)]]> 13538873
Clay Jannon tells how serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has sent him from Web Drone to night shift at Mr. Penumbra¡¯s 24-Hour Bookstore. After just a few days on the job, Clay realizes just how curious this store is.

A few customers come in repeatedly without buying anything. Instead they ¡°check out¡± obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. All runs according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes.

He embarks on a complex analysis of the customers¡¯ behavior and ropes in friends to help. Once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore. A quest to New York City dips in a world conspiracy for eternal life. The current of romance pulls Clay onward.]]> 288 Robin Sloan 0374214913 Justin 0 to-read 3.71 2012 Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)
author: Robin Sloan
name: Justin
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1)]]> 35271523
Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants.

Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure.

This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

The first book in the stunning and strange debut fantasy series that's receiving major praise from some of fantasy's biggest authors such as Mark Lawrence and Django Wexler.]]> 448 Josiah Bancroft 0316517917 Justin 0 to-read 4.08 2013 Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1)
author: Josiah Bancroft
name: Justin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)]]> 7235533 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of The Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.]]> 1007 Brandon Sanderson 0765326353 Justin 5
Way of Kings does not have this issue. Perhaps the "issue" is how much *world* there is to discover. The book opens with many "Proper Nouns" (as I like to call them) and offers little explanation as to how they work. Some of it is revealed over time, while the rest is left for you to piece together on your own. Slowly having the mysteries of the world revealed allows you as the reader to conjure theory and watch it be tested against the world. So if you are willing to stay, this is a very gratifying approach.

However "staying" is harder than you might think.
Perhaps my greatest grievance with this novel is the commitment required to read it.
This book clocks in at almost 400,000 words, which totals to over 1,000 pages. (I read on a Kindle, so I don't know exactly) I am an above average reader and it took me somewhere between 30 - 50 hours to make my way through this behemoth.

It can feel daunting because the book has a very slow burn, the first third will be confusing and strange. All this to set the stage for the next third, which creates incredible tension and intrigue, especially now that you understand more of the stakes. But once you reach the final bits, all the little threads are brought together in such a jaw dropping manner that you cannot possibly resist reading one more chapter. But even as all these things are brought in and loose ends are tied up, the harmonious whole explodes outward again creating more questions and theories and raw mania in the mind.

I was fortunate to have a friend at my back, a veteran that already knew the way, pushing me to carry on. And dang it Juan you were right, this journey was absolutely worth carrying a bridge across the Shattered Plains and back just to fully experience an ending filled with pure elation, pride, wonder...and immense foreboding.
If you are prepared to strap into what is considered only the introduction to this incredibly fascinating world, I can almost assure you, it is worth your time.


!!! Spoiler Section !!!

Alright this book is actually a ridiculous undertaking.
Not only is the world so deeply fleshed out, but dang does it have some good characterization.
Our main characters each have a rich depth to them that makes them engaging to follow. The dialogue is snappy and full of wit and even minor characters still have personality that helps sell the story.
Kaladin's story feels the most linear to me, showcasing a man struggling with his inner values juxtaposed with the world around him. He proves himself an inspiring leader, almost to the level of cult leader with amount of sway he has over his bridgemen. Kaladin is a man of honor and ideals, grappling with the burden of leadership and the past he feels he must leave behind. His struggle is almost wholly internal as he is trying to discover what kind of path he wishes to take. What is interesting is how Dalinar's experience is placed side by side with Kaladin's.
Dalinar is also a man of honor, one might say the penultimate version Kaladin aspires to. Dalinar has already walked the path Kaladin seems to fancy, which lets us see the struggles found at the end of the road. Instead of internal, Dalinar faces the external questions of leadership, morality and perception. He has to deal with the politicking frustrations men like himself and Kaladin loathe. They both experience struggle in the realm of leadership, but from different sides, allowing both to create a holistic picture.
And then we have Shallan.
In the beginning, I had no idea why she was here. She was in a distant land far from our other characters, almost like a separate realm entirely. Her story is still a deeply personal one, dealing with an inner conflict of interests. But it also serves as a front seat to the deeper mysteries of this world and while the reason is not clear at first, it becomes immensely obvious by the end.
Which speaking of the end,
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
On the one hand, the end is one of the greatest narrative culminations I've ever read. On the other, I wish it could have been drizzled throughout the book! It left so many questions about the future, making it a perfect setup for the next book. And if it wasn't for the fact I was so absolutely exhausted at the end, I would've immediately jumped into the next...So instead, that's a tomorrow thing.]]> 4.66 2010 The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/21
date added: 2023/09/21
shelves:
review:
When was the last time a fantasy world truly flexed what it could be? Many such worlds simply add dragons and "magic" and call it a day. While some are well executed and enjoyable, they often leave the world building lacking.

Way of Kings does not have this issue. Perhaps the "issue" is how much *world* there is to discover. The book opens with many "Proper Nouns" (as I like to call them) and offers little explanation as to how they work. Some of it is revealed over time, while the rest is left for you to piece together on your own. Slowly having the mysteries of the world revealed allows you as the reader to conjure theory and watch it be tested against the world. So if you are willing to stay, this is a very gratifying approach.

However "staying" is harder than you might think.
Perhaps my greatest grievance with this novel is the commitment required to read it.
This book clocks in at almost 400,000 words, which totals to over 1,000 pages. (I read on a Kindle, so I don't know exactly) I am an above average reader and it took me somewhere between 30 - 50 hours to make my way through this behemoth.

It can feel daunting because the book has a very slow burn, the first third will be confusing and strange. All this to set the stage for the next third, which creates incredible tension and intrigue, especially now that you understand more of the stakes. But once you reach the final bits, all the little threads are brought together in such a jaw dropping manner that you cannot possibly resist reading one more chapter. But even as all these things are brought in and loose ends are tied up, the harmonious whole explodes outward again creating more questions and theories and raw mania in the mind.

I was fortunate to have a friend at my back, a veteran that already knew the way, pushing me to carry on. And dang it Juan you were right, this journey was absolutely worth carrying a bridge across the Shattered Plains and back just to fully experience an ending filled with pure elation, pride, wonder...and immense foreboding.
If you are prepared to strap into what is considered only the introduction to this incredibly fascinating world, I can almost assure you, it is worth your time.


!!! Spoiler Section !!!

Alright this book is actually a ridiculous undertaking.
Not only is the world so deeply fleshed out, but dang does it have some good characterization.
Our main characters each have a rich depth to them that makes them engaging to follow. The dialogue is snappy and full of wit and even minor characters still have personality that helps sell the story.
Kaladin's story feels the most linear to me, showcasing a man struggling with his inner values juxtaposed with the world around him. He proves himself an inspiring leader, almost to the level of cult leader with amount of sway he has over his bridgemen. Kaladin is a man of honor and ideals, grappling with the burden of leadership and the past he feels he must leave behind. His struggle is almost wholly internal as he is trying to discover what kind of path he wishes to take. What is interesting is how Dalinar's experience is placed side by side with Kaladin's.
Dalinar is also a man of honor, one might say the penultimate version Kaladin aspires to. Dalinar has already walked the path Kaladin seems to fancy, which lets us see the struggles found at the end of the road. Instead of internal, Dalinar faces the external questions of leadership, morality and perception. He has to deal with the politicking frustrations men like himself and Kaladin loathe. They both experience struggle in the realm of leadership, but from different sides, allowing both to create a holistic picture.
And then we have Shallan.
In the beginning, I had no idea why she was here. She was in a distant land far from our other characters, almost like a separate realm entirely. Her story is still a deeply personal one, dealing with an inner conflict of interests. But it also serves as a front seat to the deeper mysteries of this world and while the reason is not clear at first, it becomes immensely obvious by the end.
Which speaking of the end,
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
On the one hand, the end is one of the greatest narrative culminations I've ever read. On the other, I wish it could have been drizzled throughout the book! It left so many questions about the future, making it a perfect setup for the next book. And if it wasn't for the fact I was so absolutely exhausted at the end, I would've immediately jumped into the next...So instead, that's a tomorrow thing.
]]> <![CDATA[The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)]]> 34814099 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

On the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed skill. She makes her living swindling Ottoman nobles, hoping to one day earn enough to change her fortunes. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, during one of her cons, she learns that even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

Forced to flee Cairo, Dara and Nahri journey together across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, to Daevabad, the legendary city of brass.

It¡¯s a city steeped in magic and fire, where blood can be as dangerous as any spell; a city where old resentments run deep and the royal court rules with a tenuous grip; a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound¡ªand where her very presence threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.

*Finalist for the World Fantasy Award: Best Novel

*Nominated for the Locus Award: Best First Novel

*Finalist for the British Fantasy Award: Best Newcomer

Featuring a stepback and extra content including a bonus scene and an excerpt from The Kingdom of Copper.]]> 569 S.A. Chakraborty Justin 0 to-read 4.27 2017 The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)
author: S.A. Chakraborty
name: Justin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)]]> 43587154 JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu.

The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.

The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion--but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.

When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.]]> 540 Fonda Lee 0316440884 Justin 0 to-read 4.06 2017 Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)
author: Fonda Lee
name: Justin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> Dragon Rider 147045511 A boy, a dragon, a quest.
Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel are in search of the mythical place where dragons can live in peace. They embark on a journey where they meet marvelous creatures - and a ruthless villain. Along the way, they discover allies in odd places, courage, and a hidden destiny.]]> 0 Cornelia Funke Justin 0 4.50 1997 Dragon Rider
author: Cornelia Funke
name: Justin
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1997
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)]]> 50548197
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) ¡ª until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won¡¯t allow its students to leave until they graduate¡­ or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don¡¯t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school¡¯s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.]]> 320 Naomi Novik 0593128486 Justin 0 to-read 3.93 2020 A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Justin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[From Minor To Millionaire: An All-In-One Guide To Finding Oneself And Generating Both Active and Passive Income As A Young Adult]]> 123221070
Well...who isn't? Nowadays there are books everywhere on anything you want. On top of that we have YouTube channels and TikTok to provide us with information. There is one problem with all of this though. Do you know what it is?

Content overload.

There's just too many places to go. Too many creators. Too many videos. I know it. I lived it.

In this book, you will have compiled for you every single lesson I have learned through my late teens and 20's. It took me years of reading 100's of books and making hundreds of thousands of dollars in mistakes along the way. My goal in this book is to give you the information to skip all of that. In this book I filter out the noise, providing you with the right advice, the most inspirational quotes on each topic, and a detailed step by step's on each subject. You will see real stories of my life, real work experiences, and real numbers to get you from where you are today to becoming the best version of yourself.

You will receive this information in the most user friendly way possible. Each lesson will build on top of earliar ones so that by the end of this book you have a clear path to unlock any opportunity life may have in store for you. And don't worry, you're not going to have to buy this book before I tell you the exact topics to be covered. You will see all of the topics right here.

In this book you will learn in detail about the following:

In Part 1 you will find your identity and we will discuss
- Seeking and eliminating all of your fears
- Finding the link between identity, confidence, and self-respect to maximize all three
- Developing habits to move you toward your ideal life
- Organizing your life to get the most from it
- Prioritizing mental, physical, and spiritual health

In Part 2 we go over active income topics such as:
- Learning how to learn so you can shorten skill acquisition time and improve memory
- Marketing principles and applications
- Sales methods, procedures, and specific closes
- Networking
- Leadership tactics so that you can grow a company or guide those around you
- Getting employed in a high paying, flexible job so that you can progress toward financial independence (with example jobs)
- Self-Employment opportunities (with examples)
- The skills and knowledge necessary when building a business and the ways you will move from working in your business to on it
- How to exit your business and move toward full time investing

Part 3 will teach you passive income skills and investing such as:
- Principles of financial independence
- Credit and arbitrage to leverage as much money as necessary
- Real estate opportunities and key metrics
- Stock market principles, types of securities, and do's and don'ts
- Cryptocurrency discussion on the technology, use cases, and investment potential
- Benefits to annuities as you move out of the accumulation phase of life and into an asset protection role

You will finish all of this off with a 20 day challenge that will enable you to take action on everything you learned. This book contains absolutely everything I have learned from every mentor I have ever had. I can't make a sequel because I have yet to live more life, but if you are just getting started and want to skip years of research this is the book for you.]]> 366 C.J. Dinsmore Justin 0 0.0 From Minor To Millionaire: An All-In-One Guide To Finding Oneself And Generating Both Active and Passive Income As A Young Adult
author: C.J. Dinsmore
name: Justin
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> ¥Ö¥ë©`¥Ô¥ê¥ª¥É 1 [Blue Period 1] 37686647 224 Tsubasa Yamaguchi 4065105862 Justin 0 4.43 2017 ¥Ö¥ë©`¥Ô¥ê¥ª¥É 1 [Blue Period 1]
author: Tsubasa Yamaguchi
name: Justin
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/15
date added: 2023/08/15
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]]> Divergent (Divergent, #1) 13335037
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are¡ªand where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024035 Justin 3 4.13 2011 Divergent (Divergent, #1)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Justin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2011
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[World of Warcraft: Streifzug durch Azeroth: Die ?stlichen K?nigreiche (Exploring Azeroth, 1)]]> 56181665 128 Christie Golden 3833239565 Justin 0 to-read 4.50 2020 World of Warcraft: Streifzug durch Azeroth: Die ?stlichen K?nigreiche (Exploring Azeroth, 1)
author: Christie Golden
name: Justin
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook: The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn (Gaming)]]> 59981527 Take a culinary adventure through one of gaming's most beloved franchises!

With stunning photography and step by step instructions, this book gives you everything you need to recreate some of this game's most iconic dishes.]]> 188 Victoria Rosenthal Justin 4 4.64 2021 The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook: The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn (Gaming)
author: Victoria Rosenthal
name: Justin
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2021
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)]]> 30046289 20 Rick Riordan 1484760352 Justin 0 to-read 4.30 2015 The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> The Thief Lord 35678110 "Do you sometimes wish you were grown-up?" Venice. Autumn.
Rich Aunt Esther wants only angelic orphan Boniface 5, not serious Prospero 12. She hires PI Victor Getz. Thief Lord Scipo brings loot, clothes, to runaways in abandoned theatre Stella. Hornet adds brothers to gang with tall Mosca and scrawny Riccio.

But Scipio hides a secret. And old Conte from a cursed isle wants a wooden wing, from grown orphan photographer Ida Spaveno, for his magic merry-go-round that changes ages. Interior illustrations by author.]]> 349 Cornelia Funke 1435233751 Justin 3 3.91 2000 The Thief Lord
author: Cornelia Funke
name: Justin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2000
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Habit - Dahsyatnya Kebiasaan]]> 17839710 371 Charles Duhigg 979910565X Justin 5 4.25 2012 The Power of Habit - Dahsyatnya Kebiasaan
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Justin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)]]> 33571709 Better Than Before and The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you do at home, at work, and in life.

During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.

More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change.

The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...

¡¤ People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.
¡¤ How can I help someone to follow good advice?
¡¤ People say I ask too many questions.
¡¤ How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you.]]> 7 Gretchen Rubin 0525496262 Justin 4 3.93 2017 The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)
author: Gretchen Rubin
name: Justin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently]]> 20485769 Learn how small behavioral changes can lead to major personal and professional self-improvementWhether trying to lose weight, save money, get organized, or advance on the job, we¡¯re always setting goals and making resolutions, but rarely following through on them.? According to longtime Wall Street technology strategist Caroline Arnold, the ¡°big push¡± strategy of the New Year¡¯s resolution is designed to fail, because it broadly pits our limited willpower stores against an autopilot of entrenched behaviors and attitudes that is far more powerful.? To change ourselves permanently, we need to focus our self-control on precise behavioral targets and overwhelm them.? Small Move, Big Change is Arnold¡¯s guide to turning broad personal goals into meaningful and discrete behavioral changes that lead to permanent improvement. Providing scores of engaging real-world examples and new scientific findings, she shows us that while the traditional resolution promises rewards on a distant ¡°someday,¡± microresolutions work because they reward us today by instantly altering our routines and, ultimately, ourselves.]]> 272 Caroline L. Arnold 1101620250 Justin 3 3.86 2014 Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently
author: Caroline L. Arnold
name: Justin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything]]> 33810154 299 Neil Pasricha Justin 5 4.34 2015 The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything
author: Neil Pasricha
name: Justin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> Who Moved My Cheese 19690381 26 Spencer Johnson Justin 4 3.69 1999 Who Moved My Cheese
author: Spencer Johnson
name: Justin
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Stop Worrying and start Living]]> 29553309 Stress is a lot like love ¨C hard to define, but you know it when you feel it.

In this classic work, 'How to Stop Worrying and Start Living', Carnegie offers a set of practical formulas that you can put to work today. It is a book packed with lessons that will last a lifetime and make that lifetime happier!

This book will explore the nature of stress and how it infiltrates every level of your life, including the physical, emotional, cognitive, relational and even spiritual. Through techniques that get to the heart of your unique stress response, and an exploration of how stress can affect your relationships, you'll discover how to control stress instead of letting it control you. This book shows you how.

Using the power of habit and several techniques for smoothing out the stressful wrinkles in our day-to-day lives, we'll move towards a real-world solution to living with less stress, more confidence and a deep spiritual resilience that will insulate you from the inevitable pressures of life.

The target of the book is to help readers understand what suits their respective lives best to help them reframe it in a constructive manner, subtracting worry from it and how they could focus on living each day with joy and contentment.

----------------------------------------------

Dale Carnegie (1888¨C1955) was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills.?

He was born in an impoverished family in Maryville, Missouri. Carnegie harboured a strong love and passion for public speaking from a very early age and was very proactive in debate in high school. During the early 1930¡¯s, he was renowned and very famous for his books and a radio program. 'When How to Win Friends and Influence People' was published in 1930, it became an instant success and subsequently became one of the biggest bestsellers of all time.?

Carnegie loved teaching others to climb the pillars of success. His valuable and tested advice was used in many domains and has been the inspiration of many famous people¡¯s success. One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them.

]]> 462 Dale Carnegie Justin 4 4.46 1944 How to Stop Worrying and start Living
author: Dale Carnegie
name: Justin
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1944
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Win Friends and Influence People]]> 33389679
(How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, ebook, 9788180320217)]]> 250 Dale Carnegie Justin 5 4.39 1936 How to Win Friends and Influence People
author: Dale Carnegie
name: Justin
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1936
rating: 5
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]]> Inkheart (Inkworld, #1) 15749030 Meggie, now a young lady, knows nothing of her father's bizarre and powerful talent, only that Mo still refuses to read to her. Capricorn, a being so evil he would "feed a bird to a cat on purpose, just to watch it being torn apart," has searched for Meggie's father for years, wanting to twist Mo's powerful talent to his own dark means. Finally, Capricorn realizes that the best way to lure Mo to his remote mountain hideaway is to use his beloved, oblivious daughter Meggie as bait!]]> 545 Cornelia Funke Justin 3 3.96 2003 Inkheart (Inkworld, #1)
author: Cornelia Funke
name: Justin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2003
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)]]> 2120932
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.]]> 361 Rick Riordan 1423101464 Justin 5 4.41 2008 The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)]]> 28187 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends¡ªone a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.]]> 377 Rick Riordan 0786838655 Justin 5 4.31 2005 The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)]]> 40727118
But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia--only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name...the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends--Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson--must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.]]> 279 Rick Riordan 0120000318 Justin 4 4.24 2006 The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Titan¡¯s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)]]> 561456
But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...]]> 352 Rick Riordan Justin 4 4.37 2007 The Titan¡¯s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)]]> 4556058
While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.]]> 381 Rick Riordan 1423101472 Justin 5 4.59 2009 The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)]]> 7736182 JASON HAS A PROBLEM. He doesn¡¯t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo. They¡¯re all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for ¡°bad kids," as Leo puts it. What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly? Jason doesn't know anything¡ªexcept that everything seems very wrong.

PIPER HAS A SECRET. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn¡¯t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn¡¯t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she¡¯s going to find out, whether she wants to or not.

LEO HAS A WAY WITH TOOLS. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there¡¯s weird stuff, too¡ªlike the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who's gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them¡ªincluding Leo¡ªis related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?

Join new and old friends from Camp Half-Blood in this thrilling first book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Best-selling author Rick Riordan has pumped up the action, humor, suspense, and mystery in an epic adventure that will leave readers panting for the next installment.]]> 576 Rick Riordan 142311339X Justin 4 4.28 2010 The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> La Marca de Atenea 33153835 Una Lucha Milenaria.
Siete adolescentes en apuros.
Y el fin del mundo a la vuelta
de la esquina.

El destino de la humanidad pende de un hilo: Gea, la madre Tierra, ha abierto de par en par las Puertas de la Muerte para liberar a sus despiadados monstruos. Los ¨²nicos que pueden cerrarlas son Percy, Jason Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo y Annabeth, el equipo de semidioses griegos y romanos elegido por una antigua profec¨ªa. Pero su misi¨®n es todav¨ªa m¨¢s dif¨ªcil de lo que parece: sospechan que para encontrar las puertas deber¨¢n cruzar el oc¨¦ano, tienen solo seis d¨ªas para conseguirlo y, por si fuera poco, acaba de estallar la guerra entre sus campamentos y ahora ellos son un objetivo... ?Lograr¨¢n ganar esta carrera de obst¨¢culos contrarreloj?]]> 511 Rick Riordan Justin 4 4.52 2012 La Marca de Atenea
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2012
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Il figlio di Nettuno (Eroi dell'Olimpo, #2)]]> 23548096 468 Rick Riordan 8804644451 Justin 5 4.24 2011 Il figlio di Nettuno (Eroi dell'Olimpo, #2)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, #4)]]> 20246699
Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And, if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them.

Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain - in the Underworld, evil is inescapable.]]> 609 Rick Riordan Justin 5 4.64 2013 The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> The Blood of Olympus 22779175 648 Rick Riordan 1410472868 Justin 4 4.49 2014 The Blood of Olympus
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[La Pir¨¢mide Roja (Las Cr¨®nicas de Kane #1)]]> 17979966
SI EST?S OYENDO ESTA HISTORIA, YA CORRES PELIGRO.

MI HERMANA SADIE Y YO PODR?AMOS SER TU ?NICA ESPERAZA.

Todo empez¨® en Londres, la noche en que nuestro padre hizo explotar el Museo Brit¨¢nico con un extra?o conjuro. Fue entonces cuando nos enteramos de que, adem¨¢s de un reconocido arque¨®logo, era una especie de mago del Antiguo Egipto. Rodeado de valiosas antig¨¹edades, empez¨® a entonar extra?as palabras... Algo debi¨® de salir mal porque la sala qued¨® reducida a escombros; Set, el dios del caos, apareci¨® de la nada envuelto en llamas y a nuestro padre de lo trag¨® la tierra...

No puedo decirte nada m¨¢s; el resto deber¨¢s descubrirlo t¨² mismo.]]> 477 Rick Riordan 607310801X Justin 4 4.07 2010 La Pir¨¢mide Roja (Las Cr¨®nicas de Kane #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1)]]> 30760390
By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies¡ªgods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.]]> 0 Rick Riordan 1484782682 Justin 3 4.20 2016 The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Justin
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 3
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]]> §±§Ö§á§Ö§Ý §Ú §ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§î (Mistborn #1) 27847423 923 Brandon Sanderson 5389100417 Justin 5 4.39 2006 §±§Ö§á§Ö§Ý §Ú §ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§î (Mistborn #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[De bron der verheffing (Mistborn, #2)]]> 18140758
De wanhoop nabij richten ze zich op een eeuwenoude legende over een geheimzinnige bron. Zelfs als die legende op feiten is gebaseerd is er niemand die weet waar de zogeheten Bron der Verheffing, of de kracht die daarin schuilt, zich bevindt. Om de nasleep van de strijd met de Opperheer en de nieuwe dreigingen te overleven, zullen Vin en Elend de bron m¨®¨¦ten vinden.]]> 752 Brandon Sanderson 9024560349 Justin 4 4.26 2007 De bron der verheffing (Mistborn, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)]]> 2767793
Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness¡ªthe lethal form of the ubiquitous mists¡ªis back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!]]> 572 Brandon Sanderson 0765316897 Justin 5 4.54 2008 The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Justin
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> Inheritance (Inheritance, #4) 16104139
A glimpse at life in Alaga?sia after the final scene of the series
Never-before-seen art by the author
A new scene within the story
A note to readers from the author

Not so very long ago, Eragon¡ªShadeslayer, Dragon Rider¡ªwas nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king Galbatorix and restore justice to Alaga?sia? And if so, at what cost?]]> 882 Christopher Paolini 0449813215 Justin 4 4.43 2011 Inheritance (Inheritance, #4)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Justin
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)]]> 25504376 592 Christopher Paolini Justin 4 4.08 2002 Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Justin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2002
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[§¿§â§Ñ§Ô§à§ß. §£§à§Ù§Ó§â§Ñ§ë§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö (§¯§Ñ§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§Ú§Ö, #2)]]> 17925312 §¿§â§Ñ§Ô§à§ß §Ú §Ö§Ô§à §Ó§Ö§â§ß§í§Û §Õ§â§å§Ô §Õ§â§Ñ§Ü§à§ß §³§Ñ§á§æ§Ú§â§Ñ §Õ§à§Ý§Ø§ß§í §à§ä§á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ú§ä§î§ã§ñ §Ó §ã§ä§à§Ý§Ú§è§å §ï§Ý§î§æ§Ú§Û§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à §Ü§à§â§à§Ý§Ö§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§Ñ - §Ù§Ñ§Ô§Ñ§Õ§à§é§ß§å§ð §¿§Ý§Ý§Ö§ã§Þ§Ö§â§å. §´§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §Ù§Õ§Ö§ã§î §à§ß §ã§Þ§à§Ø§Ö§ä §ß§Ñ§å§é§Ú§ä§î§ã§ñ §å§á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ý§ñ§ä§î §ã§Ó§à§Ö§Û §Ó§à§Ý§ê§Ö§Ò§ß§à§Û §ã§Ú§Ý§à§Û §Ú §å§ã§à§Ó§Ö§â§ê§Ö§ß§ã§ä§Ó§à§Ó§Ñ§ä§î §Ó§Ý§Ñ§Õ§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §Þ§Ö§é§à§Þ. §À§ß§í§Û §Õ§â§Ñ§Ü§à§ß§Ú§Û §£§ã§Ñ§Õ§ß§Ú§Ü §ß§Ö §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä, §é§ä§à §Ý§Ö§Ô§Ö§ß§Õ§Ñ§â§ß§í§Û §Ô§à§â§à§Õ §ç§â§Ñ§ß§Ú§ä §ß§Ö §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §ã§Ö§Ü§â§Ö§ä§í §Þ§Ñ§ã§ä§Ö§â§ã§ä§Ó§Ñ, §ß§à §Ú §ä§Ñ§Û§ß§å §ß§Ñ§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§Ú§ñ §£§ã§Ñ§Õ§ß§Ú§Ü§à§Ó - §Þ§Ñ§Ô§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §Õ§Ñ§â §Õ§â§Ñ§Ü§à§ß§à§Ó...]]> 880 Christopher Paolini 535302382X Justin 5 4.31 2005 §¿§â§Ñ§Ô§à§ß. §£§à§Ù§Ó§â§Ñ§ë§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö (§¯§Ñ§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§Ú§Ö, #2)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Justin
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> Brisingr 18627580


Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.



First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength - as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices - choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.



Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?]]> 817 Christopher Paolini Justin 5 4.14 2008 Brisingr
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Justin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)]]> 29588376 ASIN B000JMKNJ2 moved to the more recent edition

An orphan¡¯s life is harsh¡ªand often short¡ªin the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld¡¯s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game¡ªor die trying.]]> 752 Scott Lynch Justin 5 4.32 2006 The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Justin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)]]> 40604556 Librarian note: An older cover for this edition can be found here: 31-Jul-2007.

After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke Lamora and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can't rest for long---and they are soon back doing what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves.

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele - and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior...and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house's cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire.Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors...straight to Requin's teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb - until they are closer to the spoils than ever.

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo's secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough.]]> 578 Scott Lynch Justin 4 4.26 2007 Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Justin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Rep¨²blica de Ladr?es (Nobres Vigaristas, #3)]]> 25355334 Booklist

¡°Rep¨²blica de ladr?es tem toda a a??o v¨ªvida, di¨¢logos mordazes e tramas tortuosas que os f?s esperam da s¨¦rie dos Nobres Vigaristas.¡± ¨C Wired

Envenenado e ¨¤ beira da morte, Locke Lamora segue para o norte com seu parceiro, Jean Tannen, em busca de ref¨²gio e de um alquimista para cur¨¢-lo. Por¨¦m, a verdade ¨¦ que ningu¨¦m pode salv¨¢-lo. Com a sorte, o dinheiro e a esperan?a esgotados, os Nobres Vigaristas recebem uma oferta de seus arquirrivais, os Magos-Servidores.

As elei??es do conselho dos magos se aproximam e as fac??es precisam de algu¨¦m para fazer o trabalho sujo, manipulando votos. Se Locke aceitar, o veneno ser¨¢ purgado de seu corpo com o uso de magia ¨C mas o processo ser¨¢ t?o excruciante que ele vai desejar morrer.

Locke acaba cedendo ao saber que o partido da oposi??o contar¨¢ com uma mulher do seu passado: Sabeta Belacoros, a ¨²nica pessoa capaz de se igualar a ele nas habilidades criminosas e mandar em seu cora??o. Novamente em uma disputa para ver quem ¨¦ o mais inteligente, Locke precisa se decidir entre enfrentar Sabeta ou cortej¨¢-la, e a vida dos dois pode depender dessa decis?o.

Rep¨²blica de ladr?es leva o leitor ao in¨ªcio da vida de Locke enquanto flerta com o seu fim, revelando todos os matizes de Sabeta e de seu relacionamento com o l¨ªder dos Nobres Vigaristas. Misturando momentos tensos e c?micos do passado e do presente, esta obra ¨¦, at¨¦ agora, a melhor de Scott Lynch.]]> 544 Scott Lynch 8580413915 Justin 3 4.09 2013 Rep¨²blica de Ladr?es (Nobres Vigaristas, #3)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Justin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 3
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]]> The Wise Man's Fear 25217730 My name is Kvothe.



I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.



You may have heard of me.



So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view¡ªa story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.



All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived...until Kvothe.



In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.]]> 43 Patrick Rothfuss 150127208X Justin 4 4.57 2011 The Wise Man's Fear
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Justin
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)]]> 37903273 alternate cover for ISBN 075640407X/9780756404079

DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND

My name is Kvothe.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature¡ªthe story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man¡¯s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

Source: penguinrandomhouse.com]]> 662 Patrick Rothfuss Justin 5 4.42 2007 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Justin
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2007
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, #6)]]> 45480689
But when Artemis Fowl's mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct due to a heartless bargain Artemis himself made as a younger boy.

Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.

The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all.and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.]]> 391 Eoin Colfer 1423108361 Justin 3 3.90 2008 The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, #6)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Justin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2008
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Eternity Code, The-Artemis Fowl, Book 3]]> 39088800 317 Eoin Colfer 1368036953 Justin 3 4.14 2003 Eternity Code, The-Artemis Fowl, Book 3
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Justin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2003
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Opal Deception, The-Artemis Fowl, Book 4]]> 39088801 384 Eoin Colfer 1368036996 Justin 3 4.18 2005 Opal Deception, The-Artemis Fowl, Book 4
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Justin
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)]]> 45480688
The demons planned to lift their small island out of time until they had regrouped and were ready to wage war on the humans once more. However, the time spell went wrong, and the island of Hybras was catapulted into Limbo, where it has remained for ten thousand years.

Now, the tainted time spell is deteriorating and demons are being sucked back into the present space and time. The fairy Council are naturally concerned about this and are monitoring any materialisations. When the spell¡¯s deterioration accelerates, the materialisations become unpredictable. Even the fairy scientists cannot figure out where the next demon will pop up.

But someone can. Artemis Fowl, the teenage criminal mastermind, has solved temporal equations that no normal human should be intelligent enough to understand. But Artemis Fowl is no normal human.

So when a confused and frightened demon pops up in a Sicilian theatre, Artemis Fowl is there to meet him. Unfortunately, he is not the only one. A second, mysterious party has also solved the temporal equations, and manages to abduct the demon before Artemis can secure him.

This is a disaster for the fairy People, because this demon was no ordinary fairy. He was the last demon warlock, and as such held the key to the survival of the entire demon race.

It is up to Artemis and his old comrade Captain Holly Short to track down the missing demon and rescue him before the time spell dissolves completely and the lost demon colony returns violently to Earth.]]> 385 Eoin Colfer 0786849568 Justin 3 3.99 2006 The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Justin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2006
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Artemis Fowl / the Arctic Incident / the Eternity's Code / the Opal Deception / the Lost Colony / the Time Paradox / the Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl #1-7)]]> 31554293 Eoin Colfer 0972248803 Justin 3 4.09 2010 Artemis Fowl / the Arctic Incident / the Eternity's Code / the Opal Deception / the Lost Colony / the Time Paradox / the Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl #1-7)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Justin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins Justin 4 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Justin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol¡ªa rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Justin 4 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Justin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans¡ªexcept Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay¡ªno matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Justin 3 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Justin
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]>