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Showing posts from January, 2025

Legacies

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 Legacies Summary Millennia ago, a magical disaster caused the fall of a great worldwide civilization, the end of a golden age. New civilizations have fought their way up from the ancient destruction and chaos, knowing little of the lost world that preceded them or the details of its fall. Corus today is a world of contending countries, of humans, but also of strange animals and supernatural creatures. It is a place of magical powers and of a few people who are talented enough to use them. Alusius, the hero of the story, is one.

The Left Hand of Darkness

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 The Left Hand of Darkness Summary Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

Left Behind

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 Left Behind Summary What would happen if millions of people around the world suddenly disappeared one day? In this fascinating apocalyptic thriller, best-selling Christian inspirational authors LaHaye and Jenkins pool their considerable talents to answer that question. Narrator Richard Ferrone's unusually deep and hypnotic voice will keep you right in the middle of this not-unimaginable end of the world nightmare. Pilot Rayford Steele is contemplating adultery with a young flight attendant when over 100 of his passengers simply vanish, leaving vacated clothes and bewildered companions. Rayford and the others left behind must deal with mass chaos on top of personal loss. Among the passengers still left is star reporter Cameron 'Buck' Williams, who just got the assignment of a lifetime: find out what happened and why. Theories abound, from Christian Rapture to alien abduction. Buck suspects secret meetings between international power brokers are somehow connected. And rising...

Learning to Lead Like Jesus

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 Learning to Lead Like Jesus Summary Have You Ever Met a Great Leader?It's incredible when someone uses their gifts to make you feel valued and inspire you to greatness. What does it take to develop that kind of heart and influence? How can you become a leader like Jesus?Join Boyd Bailey as he shows you how to mirror Jesus's heart and make a positive difference in those around you. Explore 11 common traits that mark successful leaders, and learn the keys to growth in wisdom and humility. Through practical teaching, you will find that great leadership begins when you turn your focus to God and model Him in your attitude, conversations, and actions.A faithful life and humble spirit make you a leader worth following. When you lean into the Lord and learn from His example of perfect leadership, you will see lives transformed—beginning with your own!

The Lean Product Playbook

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 The Lean Product Playbook Summary The missing manual on how to apply Lean Startup to build products that customers love The Lean Product Playbook is a practical guide to building products that customers love. Whether you work at a startup or a large, established company, we all know that building great products is hard. Most new products fail. This book helps improve your chances of building successful products through clear, step-by-step guidance and advice. The Lean Startup movement has contributed new and valuable ideas about product development and has generated lots of excitement. However, many companies have yet to successfully adopt Lean thinking. Despite their enthusiasm and familiarity with the high-level concepts, many teams run into challenges trying to adopt Lean because they feel like they lack specific guidance on what exactly they should be doing. If you are interested in Lean Startup principles and want to apply them to develop winning products, this audiobook is f...

The Leading Brain

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 The Leading Brain Summary A cutting-edge guide to applying the latest research in brain science to leadership - to sharpen performance, encourage innovation, and enhance job satisfaction. There's a revolution taking place that most businesses are still unaware of. The understanding of how our brains work has radically shifted, exploding long-held myths about our everyday cognitive performance and fundamentally changing the way we engage and succeed in the workplace. Combining their expertise in both neuropsychology and management consulting, neuropsychologist Friederike Fabritius and leadership expert Dr. Hans W. Hagemann present simple yet powerful strategies for: - Sharpening focus - Achieving the highest performance - Learning and retaining information more efficiently - Improving complex decision-making - Cultivating trust and building strong teams Based on the authors' popular leadership programs, which have been delivered to tens of thousands of leaders all over the worl...

A Leader's Legacy

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 A Leader's Legacy Summary Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, internationally recognized experts in the field of leadership and authors of the best-selling Leadership Challenge, explore the important notion of legacy and the critical questions any leader must ask him or herself in order to leave a lasting impact. In a series of 22 short essays, grouped into four parts (significance, relationships, aspirations, and courage), the authors explore the thorny and often ambiguous issues that today's leaders grapple with, including why: People don't commit to plans, they commit to causes; It's not the leader's vision, it's the sharedvision; There is no silver bullet; How leading changes who you are; and How the legacy you leave is the life you lead. In what is their most personal work to date, Kouzes and Posner zero in on the core challenges leaders face and offer up a thoughtful and reassuring perspective any leader, or aspiring leader, will learn from and enjoy.

The Leadership Pipeline

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 The Leadership Pipeline Summary Strong leaders at all levels within an organization are a requisite for business success. Yet the leadership pipeline—the internal architecture for growing leaders—is often broken or non-existent. This updated edition of the bestselling The Leadership Pipeline has been revised to help address the challenges of today's business environment. Anchored in experience, it offers a tested model for planning leadership succession and development that has proven to get results. The authors draw on their work at more than one hundred international companies to report on what has been learned in the ten years since the first edition of The Leadership Pipeline was published. They show how a company can develop leadership in each layer of their organization by defining the different skills required as leaders move from one level to the next. They explain how time should be applied differently, how work values required for success must change, and clearly illustr...

The Leadership Challenge

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 The Leadership Challenge Summary The Leadership Challenge has become one of the best-selling leadership books of all time. Now, with the publication of the fourth edition of their landmark book and for the first time on audio, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner celebrate 25 years of leadership excellence. The Leadership Challenge, the most trusted source on becoming a better leader, has been thoroughly updated and revised for a new generation of leaders living and working in a global environment. Building on the knowledge base of the previous books, this fourth edition is grounded in research and presents extensive interviews with a diverse group of leaders at all levels in a wide variety of organizations from around the world. The authors emphasize that the fundamentals of leadership are not a fad. While the context of leadership has changed dramatically, the content of leadership has endured the test of time. With scores of new case studies and a timeless and inspiring message, The Lea...

Leadership and the Sexes

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 Leadership and the Sexes Summary Each of us enters the workplace not only as a human being, but as a woman or man, Leadership and the Sexes links the actual science of male/female brain differences to every aspect of business. Written by the New York Times bestselling author and gender expert Michael Gurian and acclaimed workplace gender consultant Barbara Annis, this groundbreaking audio book weaves brain science and gender studies with real life examples from business leaders to provide a new vision of gender diversity. Leadership and the Sexes presents brain science tools with which listeners can look into the brains of men and women to understand themselves and one another. Provided are five GenderTools, which can be used immediately in executive, management, design and marketing teams. The gender science presented here has been used successfully by such diverse corporations as IBM, Nissan, Proctor & Gamble, Deloitte & Touche, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Brooks Sports, and...

How Bad Do You Want It?

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 How Bad Do You Want It? Summary The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it's true. In his fascinating new book How Bad Do You Want It?, coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness. Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete's transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness. The new psychobiological mod...

The House With a Clock in Its Walls

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 The House With a Clock in Its Walls Summary A haunting gothic tale by master mysery writer John Bellairs--now a major motion picture starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black! 'The House With a Clock in Its Walls will cast its spell for a long time.'--The New York Times Book Review When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan. comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls--a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

The House on Olive Street

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 The House on Olive Street Summary When a group of writers loses a member, a summer spent sorting through her things offers the perfect escape for the friends who loved and miss her.Sable has everything and her bestselling novels have made her a star. But she has a past she is desperate to hide.Elly is an intellectual who has hidden herself within the walls of academia, afraid to admit she is tired of being alone.Barbara Ann is the talent behind twenty-six romance novels, but she’s lost control of her career and her family.Beth’s popular mysteries have become the only way she can fight against the secret tyranny of an abusive husband.Gathering in Gabby’s house on Olive Street, away from their troubles, the four women discover something wonderful: themselves. And together they realize a dream. For, in telling the story of a remarkable woman, their own stories begin to change.

House of Secrets

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 House of Secrets Summary Join Merry Hanson, a very modern fifteen-year-old living in Pennsylvania's Amish country, as she faces the true-to-life struggles and heartfelt triumphs of growing up to be the best she can be in God's eyes. An abandoned baby girl appears to be the answer to Merry's prayers, but she isn't the only one with hopes for baby Charity.

The House of Dies Drear

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 The House of Dies Drear Summary One hundred years ago, Dies Drear and two runaway slaves hiding in his house, an important station on the Underground Railroad, were murdered. Legend has it that the ghost of Mr. Drear still haunts the lonely old house. But Thomas Small's father, a Civil War history professor, doesn't believe the legends and buys the house. The house is fascinating, thinks Thomas, and it is filled with hidden doorways and secret passages that he can't wait to explore. But funny things keep happening-frightening things that no one, not even Thomas' father, can explain. Is someone playing a prank? Or is the ghost of Dies Drear trying to warn the Smalls of danger? From Virginia Hamilton, the author of the Newbery Medal and National Book Award winning M.C. Higgins, the Great, comes a spellbinding mystery filled with edge-of-the-seat suspense. The House of Dies Drear wraps an important history lesson into a brilliantly imaginative story for all ages.

Hostile Witness

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 Hostile Witness Summary When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.

Hope Harbor

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 Hope Harbor Summary Come home to Hope Harbor--where hearts heal . . . and love blooms. Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life--and love--altered her plans. Now she's home again--with a floundering farm to run . . . a tragic secret . . . and a wounded heart. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets and devastating regrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help with a project that is close to her heart, winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives--including their own. Praise for Irene's Contemporary Romances 'Captures the reader from the very first pages. Irene Hannon knows the power of words and the miracle of faith.'--New York Journal of Books on That Certain Summer 'Beautiful storytelling . . . a gem of a read.'--RT Book Reviews on...

Honeymoon for One

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 Honeymoon for One Summary Betrayed the night before his wedding by the supposed boy of his dreams, Ethan Robinson escapes the devastating fallout by going on his honeymoon alone to the other side of the world. Hard of hearing and still struggling with the repercussions of being late-deafened, traveling by himself leaves him feeling painfully isolated with his raw, broken heart. Clay Kelly never expected to be starting life over in his forties. He got hitched young, but now his wife has divorced him and remarried, his kids are grown, and he's left his rural Outback town. In a new career driving a tour bus on Australia's East Coast, Clay reckons he's happy enough. He enjoys his cricket, a few beers, and a quiet life. If he's a bit lonely, it's not the end of the world. Clay befriends Ethan, hoping he can cheer up the sad-eyed young man, and a crush on an unattainable straight guy is exactly the safe distraction Ethan needs. Yet as the days pass and their connection g...

The Homework Machine

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 The Homework Machine Summary Dan Gutman, the prolific author of over 60 popular books for children and young adults, vividly imagines what is surely every put-upon school kid's dream: a machine that does homework for them-error free!When four unlikely friends become dependent on this marvelous device, they'll soon learn that cheating always has its consequences-including legal trouble. No matter what happens, their best bet is to stick together. 'A dramatic and thought-provoking story with a strong message about honesty.' -School Library Journal, starred review

Homeward Bound

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 Homeward Bound Summary With his epic novels of alternate history, Harry Turtledove shares a stunning vision of what might have been—and what might still be—if one moment in history were changed. In the Worldwar and Colonization series, an ancient, highly advanced alien species found itself locked in a bitter struggle with a distant, rebellious planet: Earth. For those defending the Earth, this all-out war for survival supercharged human technology, made friends of foes, and turned allies into bitter enemies. For the aliens known as the Race, the conflict has yielded dire consequences. Mankind has developed nuclear technology years ahead of schedule, forcing the invaders to accept an uneasy truce with nations that possess the technology to defend themselves. But it is the Americans, with their primitive inventiveness, who discover a way to launch themselves through distant space—and reach the Race's home planet itself. Now—in the twenty-first century—a few daring men and women emba...

Forever My Girl

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 Forever My Girl Summary I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I've poured my soul into my music, but I've never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. And now I'm going back. After ten years. I hope I can explain that after all this time. I still want her to be my forever girl.

Fooled by Randomness

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 Fooled by Randomness Summary This audiobook is about luck, or more precisely, how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. It is already a landmark work and its title has entered our vocabulary. In its second edition, Fooled by Randomness is now a cornerstone for anyone interested in random outcomes. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill, the world of trading, this audiobook is a captivating insight into one of the least understood factors of all our lives. In an entertaining narrative style, the author succeeds in tackling three major intellectual issues: the problem of induction, the survivorship biases, and our genetic unfitness to the modern word. Taleb uses stories and anecdotes to illustrate our overestimation of causality and the heuristics that make us view the world as far more explainable than it actually is. The audiobook is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way...

Flawless

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 Flawless Summary On February 15, 2003, a group of thieves broke into an allegedly airtight vault in the international diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium and made off with over $108 million dollars worth of diamonds and other valuables. They did so without tripping an alarm or injuring a single guard in the process. Although the crime was perfect, the getaway was not. The police zeroed in on a band of professional thieves fronted by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a dapper Italian who had rented an office in the Diamond Center and clandestinely cased its vault for over two years. The “who” of the crime had been answered, but the “how” remained largely a mystery. Enter Scott Andrew Selby, a Harvard Law grad and diamond expert, and Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds, who undertook a global goose chase to uncover the true story behind the daring heist. Tracking the threads of the story throughout Europe—from Belgium to Italy, in seedy cafés and sleek diamond offices—the authors sorted th...

Flawless Consulting

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 Flawless Consulting Summary When the landmark best-seller Flawless Consulting was first published more than three decades ago, it was quickly adopted as the 'consultant's bible.' With his legendary warmth and passion, Peter Block explained how to deal effectively with clients, peers, and others. The book continues to speak to people in a support function inside organizations as well as to external consultants. This thoroughly revised and updated third edition of Peter Block's groundbreaking book explores the latest thinking on consultation. It includes new insights about how we can organize our consulting around discovering the strengths, positive examples, and gifts of the client organization or community. The book remains a practical and specific guide for anyone who needs to develop a capacity for deeper relatedness and partnership—which means it is for all who wish to make a real difference in the world. This new edition covers the consulting challenges that have a...

Flawed Dogs

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 Flawed Dogs Summary After her parents' hot air balloon goes down in the Himalayas, Heidy McCloud is sent to live with her uncle Hamish. At the airport, she releases a priceless dachshund from his cage, and the dog follows her to her new home. She names him Sam the Lion, and he quickly wins an important dog show. But another canine lives with Uncle Hamish, and Cassius the poodle will do anything to get Sam out of the picture. Framed by Cassius for a terrible deed, Sam is badly injured and sent into the wild. It takes three years, but Sam-now with a soup ladle for one leg-befriends other strays and plots his revenge as the prestigious Westminster Dog Show approaches. Best-selling author Berkeley Breathed is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the Bloom County and Opus comics. His unmistakable sense of humor colors every moment of Flawed Dogs and is skillfully portrayed by award-winning narrator and stand-up comic Johnny Heller. 'A moving tale about the beauty of imperfections ...

Five Families

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 Five Families Summary Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals, and generational changes that produced violent, unreliable leaders and recruits. A twenty-year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century. Selwyn Raab's Five Families is the vivid story of the rise and fall of New York's premier dons, from Lucky Luciano to Paul Castellano to John Gotti and more. The book also brings the listener right up to the possible resurgence of the Mafia as the FBI and local law enforcement agencies turn their attention to homeland security and away from organized crime.

First Earl I See Tonight

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 First Earl I See Tonight Summary A charming, delightful new regency romance series from author on the rise, Anna Bennett! She needed a husband of convenience. She got her one true love instead.Miss Fiona Hartley's huge dowry should have ensured that finding a husband would be quick. True, she's a tad older than the average debutante, and spends too much time sketching brutally honest character portraits. She desperately needs a husband so she can access her dowry, lest the man blackmailing her reveals a secret that would ruin her family. So desperate in fact, that she's willing to do the unthinkable-propose marriage to the most surly, irritable gentleman in town.As a matter of principle, David Gray, the Earl of Somerdale, avoids two types of women: those who are obviously desperate, and those who are stark-raving mad. And it soundly appears Miss Fiona Hartley is both. Yet David can't help but be drawn to her, and gives her a test-if she can spend one week in his dilapi...

The First 90 Days

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 The First 90 Days Summary The world's most trusted guide for leaders in transition Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success. In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions-no matter where you are in your career. Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations, also addresses today's increasingly demanding professional landscape, where managers face not only more frequent transitions but also steeper expectations once they step into th...

Fire in His Kiss

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 Fire in His Kiss Summary Bloodlust and insanity rule my existence. As a fierce drakoni warrior, this strange new world I find myself in eats at my mind until there is nothing left. There is no light or clarity . . . until she arrives. I save her life, plucking her from the sky. From that point on, she is mine. But the human I have chosen for my mate—Sasha—is fragile and wounded. She does not trust me and fears my presence. I will not give up, though. I will do anything to give her my fires and bond us both in body and spirit. How can I convince her that I want nothing more than her happiness if she will not let me touch her? How does a dragon woo a human?

Fire In His Blood

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 Fire In His Blood Summary Years ago, the skies ripped open and the world was destroyed in fire and ash. Dragons—once creatures of legend—are the enemy. Vicious and unpredictable, they rule the skies of the ruined cities, forcing humanity to huddle behind barricades for safety. Claudia's a survivor. She scrapes by as best as she can in a hard, dangerous world. When she runs afoul of the law, she's left as bait in dragon territory. She only has one chance to survive—to somehow 'tame' a dragon and get it to obey her. Except the dragon that finds her is as wild and brutal as any other . . . and he's not interested in obeying. What he is interested in is a mate. Contains mature themes.