Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
-Fyodor Dostoevsky
On my bookshelf . . .
I learned Jungian psychology by reading this one book. You're cast back in time to the fertility rituals of Tefnut and Shu on the Nile Delta to learn what our ancestors held sacred. You walk side by side with the initiates at Eleusus seeking hidden knowledge. Finally, Neumann brings you back to our present day with modern psychological metaphor. But, even though you're back, you're different because you learned something along the way. If you want a mini vacation into ancient myth or psychology, then pick this book up today!
This wise memoir is a guide down the river of life. Solomon draws you in to his story of a lifetime of adventure. I gained insight into not only overcoming hardship, but also profiting from life's hardest challenges. Highly recommended!
If you loved Being Mortal, The Da Vinci Code, or Brave New World, then you'll love this book. Though the author is wrong about psychedelics being the root of religion and even civilization itself, he presents a compelling case. You'll also learn how the ancient Greek goddess Circe, psychedelics researchers at Johns Hopkins, and elite Elysian beer cultists all answered the question: How can we ease suffering in this world? If you're spiritual but not religious, or if you just love a good mystery, pick this book up today!
On my shelf . . .
Why is it hard to stop smoking, mindless snacking, or procrastinating? Duhigg says it's hard to make change because our minds are routine machines. There's good news, though: Duhigg give you tools to reprogram your brain. He uses science, business and practical wisdom to show you how to make real change.
Every day is a powder day! Escape into fun-filled, classy, and surreal winter wonderlands. Buy this book for your Colorado ski house, or ski and photography lovers you know. Epic!
On my shelf . . .
Do you manage a team? Do you have a manager, but want to contribute to your team more effectively? Willink led elite Navy Seal units for decades. His words are simple, real, and give you practical advice you can use today.
Brimming with over five thousand research references, this is not a fad diet, but a science based lifestyle backed by facts. This isn't something that works for a week or a month, but for years. Trust me. I've been eating this way for over eight years with awesome results. By the way, 100% of his proceeds from this book go to charity. Does that tell you something?
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If you love history, you'll love this book. Stavridis explores the lives of admirals from ancient Greece and Ming dynasty China. He talks about early computer pioneer Admiral Grace Hopper and his own journey in the Navy as an Admiral. Covering the flaws and values we can all learn from; this is a well written and enjoyable read.
The carne asada tostadas are to die for. I didn't think that three or so ingredients and three simple steps in a pressure cooker could make food that mouth watering and delicious. I was wrong and that's saying something since I eat vegan 99 percent of the time.
The author makes the claim that unless you agree with her ideas, you are a bad person. She also claims that you are a bad person even if follow her ideas. Very clever! Read this book, find the wisdom and truth in it. Then make up your own mind. Never be a follower.
Daum relieves you of having to pretend to agree with today's politics. It's not that she correctly identifies the horde of cynical, arrogant, and resentful though-police gang members, but that she shows you how your finely-tuned inner voice is so much more human, and so much more satisfying to choose to listen to.
You'll gain invaluable and fresh insights into leadership in business and everyday life from General Mattis. Instead of command and control, he stresses listening and feedback as keys to success. It's a lifetime collection of practical wisdom.
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If you love great writing, a biography that grabs you, or a really good story then this book is the ticket. A real-life superhero, Fox disrupts counterintelligence and finds time to raise her baby girl in the same breath. Thrilling!
Unputdownable, lusciously written, and haunting to the core, Kosinsky's book is one of the best I've ever read. The best character development short of Dostoevsky is why this book made so many waves.
Jocko Willink talks about taking ownership of your life. In this book he talks about how important it is to balance being a leader with being a follower, caring for your team versus putting them in harms way to get the job done, and balancing risk versus reward. He says the movie image of Navy Seals distorts the fact that they planned and weighed risks very carefully even in a high-risk situation. Really practical and useful.
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Trigger warnings couldn't approximate this brutality. Did you know that systemic and widespread rape, execution, and slavery dominated the utopian camp system? The line from Lenin's first slave labor camp to the vast machinery of Stalin's Gulag is clearly drawn. It fuses sweeping history and sociology with intimate prisoner stories.
Warning! It's for true history fans only, not for the faint of heart. Your spooky action adventure begins on the Oregon Trail and continues into the wilderness. The stakes get higher and higher as the Donner family and their fellow travelers slowly run out of food and get more and more desperate as they fight to survive. Totally awesome and historically accurate.
As brutal as it is brilliant, this book will light a fire in you. The Seal teams under Willinks leadership charged through some of the heaviest fighting in the Battle of Ramadi. Nail biting, terrific, and very practical.
Daniel Pink provides a practical time-based toolkit for boosting productivity, performance, and motivation. You'll learn instantly useable science-based life hacks drawn from business, psychology, and chronobiology.
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Tannen shows us the many risks and rewards women experience in their friendships with other women. Bringing together a variety of voices across cultures and age groups, Tannen shows the common threads that bind, and common troubles that strain, womens' friendships.
McRaven's inspirational book is part autobiography, part self-help masterpiece. Drawing from experience at the highest levels in military, his direct style shows us simple ways to improve our lives, starting with the often overlooked morning ritual that's this book's namesake.
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When a promising young filmmaker takes an interest in the life of Nero Golden, an enigmatic billionaire who just escaped his far-off homeland and moved into a quiescent street in New York City with his three adult sons, the unthinkable happens. The Golden House will make you shiver when you read it because it's so scary how well it describes the injustices, hope, and vice of our times. Rushdie is daring and absolutely spot on in his appreciation of our modern condition.
Virgil is a forty-something heir to a movie theater whose life had no sense of purpose. His car goes off a cliff and he barely survives. As he regains his memory, he has the choice to resume his old life or start something new. Hints of romance, a love for kite flying, and the deadly sturgeon inhabit these pages. It's inviting, perceptive, and gorgeously written.
The hardest man alive will inspire you to become the best version of yourself. Goggins story of tragic abuse during his childhood and how he fought to become a Navy Seal is one of the most inspirational things Ive ever read. If you love psychology, inspirational or motivational books pick this one!
Simple, raw, and essential. Train your mind through discipline and will. Get on the warpath. Never quit until the end. I recommend his book Extreme Ownership as a starting point.
Bill Campbell, a low-key, but to the point college football coach, was sought after by Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt. His insight on building trust, excellence, and courage was key to the success of the teams behind Google, Apple, and Novell. Great writing makes it an effortless read.
I loved this book, even though it wasn't perfect. Gladwell makes it clear that even the smartest and authoritative people make mistakes. We should step back and take the context of the situation into mind when dealing with people we don't know well. Highly recommended and does a good job of looking at many sides to the issues facing us.
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I would never be a Nazi war criminal, you think to yourself. I would refuse to participate, you may think. These group of bankers, socialists, bakers, craftsmen, and commoners grew up before the Nazi propaganda machine of the 1930's and 40's. The weren't operating on the Eastern front in the fog of war. I would have stood up and refused, you may think. The officers said to their men, you don't have to do what we're about to do. If you refuse, you won't be punished. So, why did they still do it?
If you love thinking about politics and psychology you'll love it. Haidt explains why some people are liberals and some are conservatives and its not because of ignorance of the facts. The other side is absolutely sure they're right. Why? Why are we completely blind to the other side? It absolutely floored me.
Super fast, action packed, rollercoaster of a comic book. Dodge exploding cannonballs during the British invasion of Boston, sneak past enemy lines to steal supply ships, and help the first American spy fight for this country's independence. If you love history, but hate boring history books, you might just love this first chapter in Nathan Hale's series. Before you know it you'll know all about Henry Knox and his love for giant, 24-pounder, heavy cannons, but you'll have to read on to find out what he does with them.
Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child. This book looks at the great untruths that are taught to young people at home, online, and at university. Haidt argues that rather than making kids and adults safer, the culture of "safety-ism" is actually harming them. Practical, useful, and something you can turn to again and again as a parent, student, or educator.
How would you react under the incredible suffering of the Holocaust? Psychiatrist, author, and Holocaust survivor Frankl explores his experience in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. Everyone there faced the same fate of suffering and certain death. In spite of this, some people seemed to encounter a transcendental alternative. Quoting Nietzche, Frankl arrives at the conclusion that, "He who has a why for life can endure almost any how." This book will change your life.
If you liked Mac B's real life story of espionage, the KGB man, and karate in the first book, you'll love the sequel. It's a locked-room mystery, but still a spy story. My favorite character is the Queen of England because she is able to perfectly train all her Corgi's to eat dinner based on age. Amazing. Also, you learn real-life, crazy facts about Irish and English history, like how the crown jewels were hidden away inside a thieve's underpants, or how there are no snakes in Ireland. Or are there?
Hilarious spy thriller packed with action, the Queen of England, Corgis, and the KGB. That's right, the KGB. What more could you want? Mac Barnett is so funny and has so many great 80's references in this, that you just can't help but giggle along (even if you've been a so-called "grown up" for a long time).
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You're holding a gripping, real life story about a modern day explorer who goes out to recreate Shackleton's Antarctic expedition. Grann's writing is as good as fiction. It's an unputdownable adventure in the harshest environment on earth.
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Miracle Creek is richly written, page turning, and often overwhelming as it looks at a struggling South Korean immigrant family. Heartbreaking, poignant, and laced with razor sharp courtroom drama, this debut explores the topical issues of immigration, mental illness, and the deadly importance of finding one's voice in the world.
Contrary to the opinions of alarmists and professional worriers, the data on poverty, disease, and education compared to 100 years ago is staggeringly good and keeps getting better and better. For a fact-drenched pick-me-up, read this book.
The best self help book I've ever read, 12 Rules For Life calls us to the meaningful life and the open eyed embrace of responsibility. Peterson draws from ancient Mesapotamian religion, developmental psychology, and the latest in neuroscience to inspire and warn a generation without direction. It's nuanced, crackling with wit, and life changing.
The narrator is a government official who slowly breaks from society. Presented in two parts, you see his resentment taking hold in the first and becoming all consuming in the second. Its an intense, shocking, character driven masterpiece that's impossible to put down.
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In the face of populist threats from the left and right, Pinker highlights the need to rediscover Enlightenment values such as reason, science, and progress. So much of the world has been pulled out of slavery, poverty and superstition as countries have adopted these ideas and Pinker argues they are more essential than ever. It's eye opening and easy to read.
Kids love this book at story time! Maybe that's because the book is super funny, lighthearted, and something you can read over and over. Zany ducks (and duck vendors), one ridiculous plot, and sugar-sweet graphics make this one an inevitable classic.
It's the heartwarming story of two stray cats bringing two families together. I loved the buoyant colors, the rich settings, and how how the two stories spun into one in the end.
This is a beautiful, inspirational book that we absolutely love. The symbolism touches young and old alike. It's a beautiful story of reaching for your dreams and bearing the adversity along the way. An adventure awaits as one abandons fear and meets a chance!
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Ohio is pitch black dark, beautiful, and unputdownable. It's an accurate portrayal of post-911 America under the skin. Opiatic teenage love, bittersweet nostalgia, and the pros and cons of war are all amalgamated in this brilliant, shocking mystery.
I loved the brilliant drawings, subtle humour, and lighthearted feel of this book. George the dog makes you laugh and melts your heart at the same time. There are guffaws for all ages in these pages.
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Alex and his grandfather race through the streets of Paris and Prague to retrieve a mystical relic from the forces of evil. Beautiful writing, flashes of Indiana Jones, and several mind bending twists round out this well-paced, thrilling adventure.
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This is the story of Lenin's fairy tale meat grinder. What's that? You never heard about it in school? You'll get a sense of it after you read this masterfully written expose, though. Spoiler alert: It was real communism, you farm-to-table rabbits.
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500 year-old Tom is desperately trying to find his long-lost daughter, one of a handful of people on earth with the same rare condition. While the story takes place across vast stretches of time and place, Matt Haig skillfully weaves everything together into addictive, bite-size chapters.
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Whatshisface is an action-packed, high-tech ghost story. Cooper Vega is at yet another new school because his father is in the military. He has the problem of making new friends and dealing with the school bully. To top it all off he's got to figure out why on earth his smartphone is possessed by a Victorian-era poltergeist! Packed with mystery and a little bit of humor, plus a cool introduction to Shakespeare.
George Orwell exposes the conditions of the English working class in the 1930's in this very well written work. He travels to the north of England and lives with the miners under conditions of absolute squalor, including having to crawl to work every day in pitch black tunnels. A socialist, Orwell wrestles with his own political ideas and the highly problematic middle-class followers of socialism in the second part of the book.
Master of risk management Taleb calls out intellectual yet idiots, pseudo-scientists, and interventionistas. Fans of politics, finance, or uber-complex problem solving will find a treasure trove of insights. Arrogant, yet scathingly accurate.
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Well-timed twists, messy romance, and deeply-flawed characters make Ensemble hard to put down. Gabel lists each chamber piece at the start of a section. As you listen to at least one song from the book while you read, the music melts with the text for an awesome effect.
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If Mokhtar's coffee is nearly as irresistible as this tale about his adventures, I'm sold. I learned about the ancient roots of Yemeni coffee, the struggle to bring a product to market in the middle of a civil war, and what it takes to realize long-lost dreams.
Four siblings learn of their fate from an old fortune teller. This life-changing experience lingers in their minds through adulthood. The characters, settings, and themes are rich and pull you in. The dynamic between friends and family as they struggle between destiny and free will makes for a very entertaining read.
I finally learned how to make a budget after reading this book. Mecham's process is simple, it's used by thousands of people from all walks of life and it works. While parts of the book are slow, the overall message is solid and you don't have to make huge changes to see a big difference.
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When a promising young filmmaker takes an interest in the life of Nero Golden, an enigmatic billionaire who just escaped his far-off homeland and moved into a quiescent street in New York City with his three adult sons, the unthinkable happens. The Golden House will make you shiver when you read it because it's so scary how well it describes the injustices, hope, and vice of our times. Rushdie is daring and absolutely spot on in his appreciation of our modern condition.
Email or call for price.
On my shelf . . .
On my shelf . . .
How do we know in the realm of science when we have gained knowledge, when we have gone beyond what we currently know? This subtle and deeply fascinating question has plagued the world of philosophy of science for thousands of years. Karl Popper takes on the challenge of answering this question with an impressive breadth of knowledge and mesmerizingly-lucid writing: You might soon forget you've just finished reading a philosophy book.
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Everything is Awkward is a hilarious and heart-warming look at life's precious, preposterous, and priceless moments.
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If you like crime novels, you'll love reading this gritty and thrilling novel by Michael Harvey. Set in the streets of Boston's Brighton neighborhood, this book is
If you like history, military tactics, or psychology, you'll love this book. In this particular translation of the classic, you get the chance to read the thoughts of master strategists as they interpret each section of the book.
