Save The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

All I can say is this book has changed my life...in a good way. Before reading this book I was swimming in nearly $30,000 dollars worth of consumer debt not making any head ways. After reading this book I paid off $29,500 worth of debt in a little over 9 months making a little over 70k a year and was able to fund a six month emergency in another 8 months after this. There are people that don't agree with Dave Ramsey's methods and say he is a simpleton but he has helped more than a million people out of debt with his baby steps detailed in this book. I will tell you if you don't realize there is a problem then this book probably will not help you, but if you realize there is a problem with the amount debt you are sitting in and are at the moment that you have HAD IT then this book is the book for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!Get more detail about The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness.

Discount The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything

The University of Pittsburgh's EMBA 36 alums met to review "The Speed of Trust". I was delighted to learn and share how important the topic is. We agreed it was instructive in a simple and easily readable fashion. If you have ever been a "shoot from the hip" relationship developer, I highly recommend reading this book which gets into the meat of defininig, creating, repairing and understanding the foundation of all relationships, trust. I especially recommend Stephen's book for those in middle management as you are sandwiched in meeting the needs of relating to your superiors, staff and clients & customers.Get more detail about The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything.

Cheapest Running Blind (Jack Reacher, No. 4)

Lee Child has a UK version and an American version for all his books. Running Blind is the American version and The Visitor is the UK version. Same book...different country.Get more detail about Running Blind (Jack Reacher, No. 4).

Cheap The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

Ever wonder why the best laid process improvement efforts failed to yield their expected results? In this book, Eliyahu M.Goldratt and Jeff Cox provide both an explanation as to why these efforts fail, and how & where to correctly focus one's improvement activities in the first place. Called the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the authors point out that all processes constitute an integrated system which has one, maybe two constraints at most. Improvement efforts need to be focused on the system constraint in order to achieve dramatic process improvements (i.e., reduced cycle times, less waste, more productivity, etc.). Changes elsewhere in the system (i.e., on non-constraints) result in essentially no improvement in the system's overall performance.
All systems have constraints. They can not be eliminated, only moved elsewhere in the system. Strangely, one of the most common constraint sources the author points out are the very policies/decisions that are put into place by an organization's management because they fail to consider their effects on the system constraint's performance.
This may seem obvious and "common sense", but the world is full of examples proving this to be typically a very "uncommon" way for most people to think and act. In The Goal, Goldratt & Cox show the primary force influencing people to do "wrong things right" ...measurement systems that focus one's attention primarily on localized improvements.
Rooted in modern managerial accounting practices, managers are rewarded (evaluated) for local process improvements/attaining local goals, thereby shifting their focus away from organizational level goals to their own individual group's needs. While senior management's thinking is that an improvement anywhere adds up to an improvement for the whole system, this ignores the real integrated nature of the organization (they are not a series of independent entities). Like a chain, therefore, improvements anywhere but at the weakest link does nothing to improve the chain's overall strength.
One of the things that makes this book unique from others is it's approach to educating the reader. Preferring the Socratic method of learning, the authors have structured their material into a story about a manufacturing company that needs to make immediate and dramatic improvements within a very short time frame. While making for one of the easiest "text books" to read, the reader has to be careful not to get caught up in the "story", as you will miss the underlying messages.
Each chapter is filled with useful knowledge and solutions that can be extracted and applied. (I continue to find "new" things each time I re-read it.) Some are subtle changes to long standing process related definitions, but now show how the application of the TOC principles would change one's decision making approach. How typical managerial accounting can lead one's decision making astray is one of the author's favorite "targets".Get more detail about The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement.

Buying The Leadership Challenge

I order one book third edition and one book 10th edition, but amazon send me both third edition. I ordered one 10 book for my friend and she is not happy with 3rd edition so her impression is bad. I an not happy with this purchase. Other hand I ordered on stander-ed shipping and amazon charged me & 14.00, why I dont know. The total cost must be maximum & 9.00 or less.

Now I found the same kind of books in book store in the same price, so this would be a last deal of mine with Amezon.

Last semester also, I ordered training and development book (cheap one about & 18 dollar) amazon said is out of order and my cash will be refunded within 10 working days. After this massage I ordered other book Training and Development on &71.00, at last they send me both books, which I needed only one.

Get more detail about The Leadership Challenge.

Buy The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition

The book presents a realistic assessment of the challenges associated with public sector leadership. The authors' thorough approach combined with accessible comparables makes it a text worth keeping and referring back to often.Get more detail about The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition.

Purchase Tripwire (Jack Reacher)

About halfway through the book. Doesn't dissapoint! If you like Jack Teacher, then you will like this book.Get more detail about Tripwire (Jack Reacher).

Order Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

I am a solo entrepreneur. This book is amazing for getting me to better communicate what it is I do. If you tell them three things, they will remember nothing. I had three bullet points on the home page of my web site. Get people to experience the problem you are solving vs. telling them the solution. Now, I do.

My business has done better since I implemented ideas from this book. Read it, ponder it and implement it in your small business.Get more detail about Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

Where To Buy This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly

Amazon.com 's can always find the product you want. Thank you and I had a problem with delivery.Get more detail about This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly.

Shop For Crocodile on the Sandbank: Library Edition

This is nothing but the paperback except worse: smaller print, newsprint paper. you're paying $16.99 for a pasteboard cover and the worst paper possible. Normal 'Library Binding' means even heavier construction than the regular hardback edition. BEWARE! Great story.Get more detail about Crocodile on the Sandbank: Library Edition.

Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller--Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

I read an original version of "Think and Grow Rich" many years ago (decades)? It's one of the classic self help books of all time. I borrowed this version from a friend as I wanted to read it again. To my surprise it wasn't the same book. As other authors have stated new ideas have been added to Napolean Hill's text that don't quite jibe with the original. I thought this was unnecessary. I'm giving this version 3 stars as the book is still basically "Think and Grow Rich". However I would track down an original if possible. As there are so many editions out there this shouldn't be hard to do.Get more detail about Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller--Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century.

Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions Review

It's fantastic book. Tells about the "secret" motives and powers that drives us. Anyone who reads this book should read also Robert Cialdini's INFLUENCE.Get more detail about Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work Top Quality

The author asserts the value of manual labor and craftsmanship. He outlines the more intrinsic value of manual labor against the value of being a knowledge worker. The book relies heavily on the author's own experiences to prove his point. The author is brilliant and makes some great points and insights. My major problem with the book is that the author generalizes against all knowledge worker jobs based upon some really crappy jobs he's had in the past. My job is a database administrator and I work in a cubicle. For the most part, I like my job. I tune databases, write data loads and help people solve problems. I don't feel my job is sucking the life out of my soul so I had a hard time identifying with the author's arguments. His views on corporate culture seem too simplistic to me. Also, some of his observations are just plain strange. For example, his defense of dirty jokes is a little stretched.

In summary, I strongly recommend the book. Some the observations of the value of work are profound. He insights on what is wrong with society are worth thinking about. He quotes Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Pirsig's book is far better. Pirsig has an overlying philosophical basis to his views. This book seemed to be a hodgepodge of philosophies to support his thesis. However, it is worth reading.Get more detail about Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies This instant

The gimmick of this book struck me as fun(ny), so I thought I'd give it a go on the beach, but I think I'm going to give up on it. Instead of a thoughtful re-imagining of the source material, it basically amounts to replacing various words with "zombie" without too much additional thought. So, what made me laugh in the first line of the book ("It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains") was already tired just a few paragraphs later (and even that first sentence doesn't really do anything for the book in context). More than anything, this book just made me want to read Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen's unaltered prose, spoiled by any changes, being the best feature of this book), which I've just downloaded.Get more detail about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Guns Germs and Steel Immediately

I don't like anything about this book. Quite simply, I don't like the way Jared Diamond apologizes for "western civilizational superiority." Civilizational superiority is measured here by a very narrow dimension - economic and technological. The senseless stupidity of constantly acquiring and creating new weapons, destroying the natural environment to create factories and homes - if these are the hallmarks of a truly civilized society, then Western societies come on tops. Unfortunately, as we all know, superiority and quality of life cannot be completely measured by these factors. The western world has been too proud and too arrogant for so long. You cannot measure quality of life by such arbitrary factors. There are great traditions in so-called primitively developed societies. I am fed up of the ignorance surrounding places of the world outside the bastions of western civilization.

How are you truly civilized if you oppress other people? If you burn down their homes? If you are constantly acquiring new weapons? If civilization is measured by these factors, then western societies have never set a good example in their founding days. Even now, the United States could do with a lot of improvement - by at least rejecting the use of arms and their development.

Civilization is measured by our spirituality and the compassion with which we treat others.

Jared Diamond has good intentions I am sure, but he is touching upon controversial topics. I object to the apologetic tone of his book. What is needed now is an understanding of the civilizations of the world, and an appreciation of them, at a fundamental level. With this appreciation, we can improve things. Never imagine that some place has the upper hand.

Japan, India, the Middle East do not fit any of these theories. A lot more understanding is needed about native American civilizations and the aboriginal Australian populations. I am sure I won't get that understanding from this book. The United States at least, is full of lush, natural resources. Japan barely has any natural resources but is still a prosperous country. The Middle East's only real resource is oil and it was only discovered recently.

Africa is a lush continent with many natural resources!!

To degrade human beings to the level of the resources their environment possesses, is unfair. Human beings have the power to control their environments. We have to address the fundamental reasons as why so many people are still unhappy. In so-called developed western societies too (developed by the narrow dimensions of technology and economic progress), a lot of people are unhappy and live less than fulfilling lives. They are disconnected from so many real issues and the plight of their common man.

Why should all the societies of the world follow the western standard of development? Which has been fraught with so much error, after all.

If you really want to learn about societies and people outside the Western world or narrow European American society, refer to more compassionate writers. People who at some level can identify with native populations, can do a much better job of explaining their issues and various problems.
Get more detail about Guns Germs and Steel.

Strengths-Based Leadership Best Quality

I found the on-line test interesting, and at least for me, seemingly accurate. However, the book consists of about 30 pages describing the theory behind the test and a few ideas on considering strengths while leading. The remainder of the book is just descriptions of each of the strengths. The book leaves me wondering how to best use my strengths as well as those of others I'm leading.

The on-line portion includes a worthless "Leadership Guide" report which is comprised of all too obvious advice including: "When making decisions, discuss options candidly and thoroughly;" "Be aware of your own biases;" "Take time to study the strategies employed by effective leaders you respect or admire." Not only are the statements obvious, they aren't really related to my particular strengths.

The "Leadership Report" is full of vague statements like: "It's very likely that you might have extra energy to work hard when you are acquiring information to broaden your knowledge base;" "Perhaps you want to deepen your understanding of certain topics;" "It's very likely that you now and then have moments when you are keenly aware of things around you." Are these written by the same person that writes horoscopes?

The test is worth taking. However, neither the book nor the website provide any really direction on how to best use your skills or lead by them. It is very likely that might enjoy taking the test now and then. But I doubt you'll get much out of the book.Get more detail about Strengths-Based Leadership.

Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2) Get it now!

As with all the Jack Reacher novels, this, too, is well written and keeps your interest. Good job Mr. Child!Get more detail about Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2).

The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition Buy Now

It is a very good book for those how already know the basics, but want to become more familiar with GMAT questions.
I would recommend it to everyone.Get more detail about The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition.

The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility" Order Now

I actually read the 1st edition many times with notes taken. The 2nd edition adds some new materials. We should read this book with critical thinking.

I also suggest people to read Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw. One of the chapters is about this author. We all know the real world and the common theory of how it works. Black Swan complements the common theory. For every trade there are two sides: long or short. One of them has to be wrong. Most people bet against Nassim Taleb on out of money options and win most of the time in small premium but lose huge during Black Swan events. However, blowing up is not the result of either trades. It is the bad money management. If we keep enough cash, size the trade properly, we can win either way.

The most value of this book, however, is that we can not predict the outcome for sure either on fundamental basis or technical basis. It keeps us honest.Get more detail about The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility".

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements Decide Now

Rath is an artist utilizing science to whittle "well being" down to its creative core. He masterfully reinforces and expands well being essentials in an easy-to-read format. Like the man, his work is authentic and true.Get more detail about Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements.

The Devil's Casino: Friendship, Betrayal, and the High Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers Right now

The book provides an excellent insight into the personalities and relationships that formed and ultimately destroyed a premier American company. It reads like a novel, but these events actually happened. The book makes one ask, how does so much power and money transfer to people who are as flawed as the rest of us and why do we continue to belive them?Get more detail about The Devil's Casino: Friendship, Betrayal, and the High Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers.

Lowest Price Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

If you're just starting the Dresden series, don't judge it by the first two books. While they are definitely enjoyable, they don't measure up to the next few in the series. (I've only read the first 5, so far. But I'm well and truly hooked.)Get more detail about Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1).

Low Price The God Delusion

More of the same. Religion is bad because... God doesn't exist because... not much more insight into a belief system that lacks proof (anti-theism). Most philosophy outside of theological philosophy lacks any staying power. This is the reason a student of philosophy and even the philosopher can spend his/her entire life speculating and never really find an answer to their questions... whereas philosophy with God at the center leaves one fulfilled. After all, circular logic only works with God.Get more detail about The God Delusion.

Save Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

A fascinating, paradigm shifting book for die-hard baseball fans. You cannot argue with the facts this book explains--nor can you argue with the long-term success the Oakland A's have had by defying "conventional wisdom." More importantly, as a fan of a "small market" unsuccessful team, I'm amazed more Major League teams aren't following the model explained by Mr. Lewis in this book. I'm certain the general manager of the Kansas City Royals couldn't do worse if he'd take a look at this book. If you're a serious fan of baseball, you MUST read this book. You may not agree with Lewis' conclusions, but you'll definitely re-think how you evaluate what you're watching on the TV.Get more detail about Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

Discount The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows, Book 2)

This Hollows series is just an enormous amount of fun to read. As I stated in my review of Dead Witch Walking, Harrison has really created a wildly imaginative universe in such as way that it doesn't feel like a fantasy universe...the intermingling of humans and Inderlanders always have elements of dangers and humor in them that really make this series fun to read..couple that with fantastic characters and interesting plot/ongoing subplots and you have something that's really addicting...

a few months have passed since the events of the first book..Vampiric Charms is still up and running if not struggling..Ivy and Rachael are still living together..Rachael and Nick are now full on boyfriend/girlfriend...and as always, Jenks and his massive brood is always right in the thick of it...

This book is slightly darker than the first...as the story goes, there have been a series of brutal murders in the Inderlands...someone has been killing ley line witches....actually, butchering is more like it...this would normally be a matter for the IS, of which Rachael is no longer a member, until Sara Jane (remember the nice secretary that fed Mink-Rachael her lunch leftovers?) shows up at the FIB after her boyfriend, a ley line witch, goes missing...Edden takes on Rachael as his inderlander 'consultant' and thus you have her involvement in the hijinks..

who's been killing these witches and why? The main suspect is a professor at the local university...all the victims had her for a teacher..Edden wants Rachael to help prove that she's behind the murder spree but Rachael's investigation brings up another plausible suspect..one she's got history with and bears a big grudge against..

what's great about this series is when it deviates from the plot for the 'in between' moments it never dulls for a second...the interplay with Jenks, the growing pains of her and Ivy's tenuous relationship, her relationship with Nick.. you never quite know when something can go from mundane to very dangerous...

Harrison also fleshes out more about Ivy's motivations, what Nick does in his spare time and even goes so far as to get into Rachael's family past and when she was a child..

Going back to school, being annoyed at foul mouthed pixies, avoiding being a vamp play thing, having splat ball fights with pixie children, delving into magic that could scar her soul....well, need I say more?Get more detail about The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows, Book 2).

Cheapest The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels

Management books are usually not a major topic of interest for me.

Michael Watkins presents a methods for success for new leaders in positions with various issues.

The methods involve: promote yourself, accelerate your learning, match strategy to the situation, secure early wins, negotiate success, achieve alignment, build your team, create coalitions, keep your balance, expedite everyone,

This book will not teach you how to be a leader but it can help you avoid problems when assuming command of groups or companies. Each chapter presents situations where people made mistakes and shows how they could have been avoided.

Overall, I found the book to be useful as I read issues where I could have handled better and learned a few tips to do things better.

I do suggest this book for people as it can help the beginner with advice and I think it can help the experienced manager with a few suggestions to consider.

Get more detail about The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels.

Cheap The Little Book of Bulletproof Investing: Do's and Don'ts to Protect Your Financial Life (Little Books. Big Profits)

Because it was a small book, I felt there was something missing. A must read for investors who just start out but not for seasoned investors.Get more detail about The Little Book of Bulletproof Investing: Do's and Don'ts to Protect Your Financial Life (Little Books. Big Profits).

Buying The World Set Free [UNABRIDGED-MP3 CD]

Certainly Wells viewed war as the inevitable result of the Modern State; the introduction of atomic energy in a world divided resulted in the collapse of society. The only possibilities remaining were "either the relapse of mankind to agricultural barbarism from which it had emerged so painfully or the acceptance of achieved science as the basis of a new social order." Wells's theme of world government is presented as a solution to the threat of nuclear weapons.

It is possible that several years of nuclear terrorism could frighten world leaders so much that they are willing to consider a one-world government, seeking "peace and safety", for example.Get more detail about The World Set Free [UNABRIDGED-MP3 CD].

Buy What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People

Great book, I have always been a fan of real life psychology applications and this book does contain tons of useful knowledge.Get more detail about What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People.

Purchase Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World

History does repeat itself, and this beautifully insightful and wonderfully written book not only gives you the fascinating history of the great depression, it shows some of the same folly that has resulted in the recession we are in now. A must read.Get more detail about Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World.

Order Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials)

This is easily the best psychology book I have ever read! Not only does it describe how people are convinced to do things, buy things or behave it discusses the actual studies that show why those things work.
Some reviewers have complained that there are no practical examples. Well if you read this and think about it you can see how you have been influenced, how to avoid being swept up by the professioal infulencers (car salesman, tv ads etc) and how to get other people to do what you want.
Get more detail about Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials).

Shop For A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

This is a wonderful book and a fascinating, easy read. Whether the author is right about the future of right-brain dominance however is problematic as computer dominance (a left-brain function) is clearly primary in the business world today. I do believe in the importance of imaginative, creative thinking and perhaps people will wake up to the importance of right-brain thinking may eventually realize that computer manipulation has it's limitations. I would recommend this book particularly to anyone who is thinking about a career in design, advertising, or any arty businesses.Get more detail about A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

From his book Linchpin, it looks like we took a fork in the road 500 years during the Protestant Reformation that led us to "the best way to succeed has been to treat everyone as a stranger you could do business with".
Seth Godwin is calling back the brilliance of our humanity as artist, creator and generous gift giver! Genesis 1:27
A must read for anyone venturing into the 21st century business model. I can't wait to see how this plays out.
Jeanne Barnett
Get more detail about Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures Review

You know those audio books you listen to and come away thinking "I could listen to that person for hours and never get bored?" This was one of those books. I loved this collection of Malcolm Gladwell's best pieces from the New Yorker.

The content of this book was fascinating, ranging from the success of famous (Ron Popeil) and infamous (Enron), to social issues like birth control and homelessness. Each topic is explored on many levels, using peripheral data, stories and studies that all tie together into one larger theme. It is easy to see why his story on Ron Popeil won an award - it was highly entertaining and informative.

The only section that gave me any troubles at all was one that dealt with the stock market. That is one of those subjects where my eyes tend to glaze over and I doze off. It's a credit to the author that I learned a bit about stocks (even though I wasn't as enthralled with it as I was with the other chapters).

This is an excellent book for anyone who enjoys finding out what makes certain people tick, and what makes some ideas successful.Get more detail about What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It Top Quality

This book revolutionized our service business, I wish I had read this BEFORE starting our new business.Get more detail about The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box This instant

I think this book is wonderful. The basic concept is that all of us have had a bad day, even bad months or bad years. If we all work in the same organization it is everyones job to support the person who is having a challenging time.

It encourages all of us not to point the finger, but to look within. Is there something we could do to help? Is there a reason why we aren't doing are best to make other peoples lives easier? Isn't the overall goal: success for the organization? Even a successful marriage / family life.

We need to focus on "helping others/giving" rather than "pointing a finger". I struggle with it every day. But I am a better person because of this book. Employees who read this book are better employees. I am asking people to read this book prior to a job interview with our organization. We are a small non profit in Tampa, FL called Community Stepping Stones, and everyone needs to be a "team player".Get more detail about Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box.

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful Immediately

The IBM Competitive Edge Book Club, open to Sales, Marketing, and Communications professionals at IBM, voted and selected "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" as the Q2 2009 book selection. The feedback regarding the book and Marshall's messages was extremely positive. In the feedback from the members, we ask them the question - "What will you do differently in your job since your study of this book." Some of the replies directly from the members included:

- "Brings into focus the ability to look at the things that you do day-to-day and re-evaluate what can be done, should done and what can be ignored or eliminated."

- "I will stop and breathe and ask myself at least one of the questions Marshall suggests: will my comment increase the commitment of the other person or will this benefit me and my family. then after that, if the answer is "no" ... is it worth it?"

- "I'll try to spend more time coaching / listening and resist the temptation to "add value to everything."

- "Appreciated his perspective of the customer - loved the waiter example."

- "I will be much more cognizant of the twenty habits limiting future success. Likewise I intend to use some of the suggestions for effective peer feedback solicitation. Finally, when in a mentoring position, this is a book I will readily recommend."

Marshall - Thank you, your energy and enthusiasm enables us to think differently and strategically to make those changes in ourselves.

Best Regards,
Brien Convery
IBM Global Workforce Partner and Competitive Edge Book Club Leader


Get more detail about What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Vintage) Best Quality

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was a force of nature! He died worth in excess of 100 million 1877 dollars having worked himself to tycoonship over corporate American through genius, guile and sheer hard work. If ever there was a Horatio Alger of business then Vanderbilt fits the bill!
Cornelius Vandebilt was born to Duthc-English parents on Staten Island. From an early age he engaged in the Staten Island ferry business taking passengers to New York. Later he would buy sailing vessels, steamboats and railroads which spanned the continent in the age of manifest destiny, the birth of big business and the transformation of America into a land of huge corporate giants. Stles is incredibly detailed in discussing all of the business deals and mergers made by Vanderbilt.
T.J. Stiles rightly won the 2009 National Book Award for "The First Tycoon." It is a hefty volume of 571 densely written pages with over 100 pages of footnotes and bibliographic entries. Stiles labored on this biographical and economic history for several years. The essential points made by Stiles as to why Vanderbilt is an important, but often neglected, figure in American economic history are:
1. He was involved in the Supreme Court decision rendered by Chief Justice John Marshall in the landmark "Gibbons vs. Ogden" case that state erected barriers to trade were against the law. This case shattered the 18th century culture of deference in which the aristocracy ruled. Gibbons was a business mentor of Vanderbilt who favored Jacksonian individualistic rights to oppose monopolies.
2. Business competition was viewed by Vanderbilt as essential to personal, economic and political virtue in the new United States.
3.Through his superman work in the transportation industry Vanderbilt helped in the trade and textile industry of New England mills and led to the present mobile and highly industrialized American economy.
4. Vanderbilt's Nicarauga steam and railroad line through that Central America nation led to the growth of California especially the city of San Francisco during the gold rush of 1849. Due to titans like Vanderbilt the United States was united from sea to shining sea. Vanderbilt had to fight off the evil dictator filibuster William Walker in Nicaragua and also fight unscrupulous partners in the venture such as the notorious Joseph White.
5. Vanderbilt was highly instrumental in making New York City the hub of the stock market and business community in America. His building and transportation work greatly abetted the economic boom in the 1850s in New York City. His company built Grand Central Station and he owned the New York Central and Hudson railroads as well as several trunk lines throughout the nation. He aided in the recovery of the national economy during the 1873 Panic by shoring up failing railroads owned by his associates.
6. During the Civil War he gave his ship "The Vanderbilt" to the US government. He also transported gold from California to the east despite the predations made on trade by Confederate raiders such as Captain Raphael Semmes and his raider "The Alabama." Vanderbilt married a southern belle and was a good friend of Confederate general Braxton Bragg,
7. Vanderbilt was the first and most important corporate titan in American life. When he began his career most Americans lived on farms and in rural areas. When he died the nation was increasingly urban united by the powerful tie of rail transportation.
8. Vanderbilt believed in reconciliation between the North and South following the Civil War. He gave almost one million dollars to help fund Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The great university was dedicated in 1875.
Vanderbilt could be cranky and irascible. He had trouble with Cornelius Jr. who was a gambler. His son George Washington attended West Point and died young. Son William succeeded his father in power dying worth at least 200 million dollars at the time of his death Vanderbilt enjoyed racing horses, playing euchre and spending evenings with his cronies at the Manhatten Club and in quiet evenings at home. Vanderbilt never learned to spell, was often profane and disdainful of aristocrats.
Vanderbilt was an uneducated man who was, nevertheless, a genius. He was often coarse and ruthless in his business dealings. He was wed twice loving both Sophie and the young Frank Crawford whom he wed in late old age.
He had many children but spent most of his time at his office. He ate sparingly and drank little keeping in strong physical condition. He also had little interest in organized religion.
Vanderbilt was no saint and there is much to criticize in the ruthless unregulated business world of the
nineteenth century. The reader must make up his/her mind as to what is to be learned from Vanderbilt's incredible career!
This book is a difficult read for folks like this reviewer who is a neophyte in the world of high finance. I am, nevertheless, glad I stuck with it. Not everyone's cup of tea but worth the effort!
Get more detail about The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Vintage).

Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown Get it now!

AFTERSHOCK is a clarion call to Americans to wake up to an impending reality that will shake our country to its core. The Bubble is about to burst and only the prepared will survive well.
Wiedemer ,Wiedemer, and Spitzer identify six economic bubbles:

Real Estate
Stock Market
Private Debt
Discretionary Spending
US Dollar
Government Debt

Each of these bubbles, current prices unrelated to underlying value, will burst. Some have already begun; real estate, personal debt, discretionary spending. But it is going to get worse. A lot worse, when the biggest bubble of all, Government Debt, begins to implode.

The authors also identify six psychological stages of denying the bubble are bursting:

Denial
Market Cycles
Fantasized Great Depression
Back to Basics
Imagined Armageddon
Revolutionary Action

For some reason, the authors don't seem to quite believe the last point - they think, somehow, America will pull itself out of the total devastation which befalls her. Human nature being what it is, that seems rather unlikely.

Is there still time to save the U.S. economy? No. It is now too late. This administration and Congress have now created such a huge public deficit, more than $12 Trillion dollars with unfunded liabilities over $102 Trillion that the money can never be repaid. The accelerated printing of fiat currency has made matters worse. The US will never be able to honor its debts or repay bondholders. Not in 100 years. Not with tax receipts that are only a fraction of annual liabilities.

Prior to 2009 it was still possible. But the annual debt has now exceeded $1 Trillion a year - more than the tax receipts to pay it - a lot more.

AFTERSHOCK is a grim, sober look at the macro economic state of the U.S. and the world. There are ways to profit if action is taken soon. The book is invaluable in identifying those opportunities.
Get more detail about Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown.

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality Buy Now

When I started reading Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky, I had grand hopes. I wanted this book to single-handedly pick my ideas off the dusty shelf in my brain and turn them into million-dollar businesses (or something like that). Maybe that is a little extreme, but I was instantly drawn to this book because I have a hard time making my ideas happen. I suppose I was looking for inspiration and a hidden secret on how to turn any old idea into something of functioning brilliance.

Of course, no book can accomplish that. But Making Ideas Happen is probably going to change my life. Here's the thing. This book is not filled with flowery prose or motivational stories meant to get you off your butt. Instead, this is a college course in taking your idea somewhere. Belsky mines the experiences of a lot of visionary people who all have one thing in common, they were able to make their ideas happen.

If you are still in love with the idea of your idea, you are going to want to get over that pretty quickly. The idea is not the thing, Belsky argues, the execution is the thing. Ideas flow freely, while doing something about them takes a lot of hard work and focus. Making Ideas Happens spends most of its time talking about the nuts and bolts on exactly how you can bring your idea to reality. Warning, it is not easy. Things will stand in your way. Heck, you will get in your own way. You will need great passion and determination. If you can muster those things, then the tips in this book will serve you well. If you just want to be creative all day, well Belsky has advice for that to, get a partner who is a doer.

Scott Belsky argues that you need three things to make any idea happen. He says, "you just need to modify your organizational habits, engage a broader community, and develop your leadership capability."

Getting Organized

If you ever want to move your ideas forward, you need to figure out how to organize them and then how to manage the process of working on them. Belsky spends a lot of time talking about how to manage tasks better. His suggested system involves three main categories, Action Steps, References, and Backburners. One of the problems with ideas is that they hit you at the most inconvenient times. You need a place to store new ideas while you move ahead on current ones.

Belsky suggests that you take a project-based approach to making ideas happen. Each major idea should be a project. Each project should have action steps (the things you currently need to do to move the idea forward), references (the information that feeds the idea but is not necessarily action oriented), and backburners (things for future consideration). Belsky and his team at Behance have actually developed a task management system that incorporates these ideas. It is called the Action Method, and I am currently using it with great success. Look for a review on it soon.

Being organized is the first step toward execution. Creative people have a tendency to flit about from one thing to the next. When a new idea strikes, we leave off on an old one. With a project based approach and a way to organize and create action steps around an idea, you can stay focused and stay creative at the same time.

Collaboration

The next major piece of making ideas happen is collaboration. Belsky argues that all good ideas need a team to move them to completion. I am sure you can find examples where this was not true, but Belsky has great examples of when this was true. Teams make more progress than individuals.

In the book, Belsky spends a lot of time explaining the importance of collaboration. One of the surprising benefits he brings up is skepticism. Having someone on hand to thoroughly vet your idea, to poke it to see if it holds water, is actually a very good thing. One of the best things you can do to make ideas happen, it seems, is to kill the bad ideas quickly.

Of course, there is a lot more that collaboration can get you. When you can get more people than just you excited about your idea, you can take it places. Layer that on top of your ability to organize your idea into a linear project, and you will soon be moving quickly toward final execution on your idea.

Another thing that Belsky brings up is the dynamic of the dreamer and the doer. If you are the dreamer, it may be in your best interest to find a doer to partner with so you can take your idea to market. A dreamer is creative and challenges the status quo. A doer may not see the big picture as well, but they sure can see all the little details needed to get the job done. Gary Vaynerchuk shares similar advice, and this is something that I personally (as a dreamer) have been pondering for a while. Dreamers are sometimes afraid of doers, because they think that they will have to compromise their dream. However, without a doer, sometimes their dream will never see the light of day.

Be the Leader

Finally, to bring your ideas to fruition, you need to step up to the plate and lead. You lead yourself first, by getting organized. Then you create excitement around your idea and build a team. To keep that team motivated and moving your idea forward, you must learn how to work with them, to make them feel important to the process. In the last part of the book, Belsky gives a lot of advice (again, taken from people who have had great success) on how to lead.

There is one big twist in Belsky's advice on leadership. For the most part, this section of the book could be in any leadership or management manual. But Belsky always ties it back to the idea. The idea is the engine that makes everything else possible. So when you lead, you are not doing it as a fancy-pants CEO. You are doing it as the person with the idea, and you are instilling passion every step of the way. Earlier, I pointed out that execution is the thing, not ideas. This is true, but in the end, good execution needs a great idea.

This book is for you:

If you have a great idea (or ideas) but can't get it off the ground
If you are already working on your ideas and want to execute better
If you need to learn a better way to manage tasks and organize projects (read the first part of the book)
If you want to create a dynamic team that buys in to your idea 110%
If you want to enable your team to get more done and achieve more creative resultsGet more detail about Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't Order Now

The product was as presented and received in better than average time. Price was good and shipping and handling were within reason. Would recommend this seller to others as they did a great job.Get more detail about Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.

The Great Reflation: How Investors Can Profit From the New World of Money Decide Now

Kindle edition $19.22...only about $4 cheaper than the hardcover...WTH??? Very greedy publishers you have there Mr. Boeckh.Get more detail about The Great Reflation: How Investors Can Profit From the New World of Money.

Lowest Price The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition

When I started my career, I was pretty good at getting my name out there using traditional media. Scoring a weekly column in the local newspaper and semi-regular gigs on the local news did wonders for my business and practice. It wasn't easy, but with a strategy and offering something of value, I found that initially I didn't need to pay for expensive advertising and my profile increased in my local area relatively quickly.

When you have done traditional marketing and PR relatively well, it takes a big kick in the side to change. The kick for me was reading David Meerman Scott's books The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave. Before I opened the cover, I was extremely skeptical of web marketing, social media and online PR. I knew social media and the internet were here to stay but I was completely naïve to it's power in PR and reputation building.

David not only has some great ideas, but they require little money compared with expensive advertising and he provides practical tips so those who read The New Rules of Marketing & PR. No longer are we restricted by finances - but by imagination, innovation and our ability to share useful content on the web.

David Meerman Scott gives so many tips on how we can be effective online. Some of my favourites include:

1. Content is King! Provide as much information as you can - for free. Be a giver and build a community that is interested in your content.
2. Engage with others. Comment on blogs, link to other great ideas and participate in forums.
3. Create customer personas and create material that they will be interested in.
4. Make it easy for people to find and contact you.

Relevance to Health Professionals.

Social media and the internet are not going away. There are so many fads, scams and unprofessional health solutions being offered online. As heath professionals, we can't stop this. In 2002, 25% of people got their health information off the internet - Today, I am sure this figure is massive in comparison. So - the solution is to be on the net, share evidence- based medicine and health information so our community has access to the right information.

No longer are scientific journals and industry publications the only place we can get our information from. We need to be aware of what our clients are using.
Getting involved may be through blogs, twitter, facebook, ebooks, online videos, online audio and online articles. Providing information in your area of expertise is a way to increase your profile and your reputation to potential clients. David assures us that it is normal to feel a bit uncomfortable when starting in the online world.

As a health professional, when using the internet to provide content, it is important to continue to follow ethical and legislative principles associated with confidentiality, giving advice and following best-practice and evidence-based practice.

Diving in is a great way to experience the online environment. However, reading David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Marketing & PR will give you a jump-start. It is an easy read and makes understanding the net easy for all, regardless of how tech savvy we are.Get more detail about The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition.

Low Price SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance

I'm a huge fan of freakonomics and could not wait until this book was published.

However, like a bad late night comic that is out of material, this book feels forced. I had trouble making myself read thru it. In the end after reading about some hooker time and time again, I did not finish the book but gave it to a friend.Get more detail about SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance.

Save Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

While I agree with some reviewers that other books have advanced the state of the art in negotiation, GTY is the base upon which most good books build. When paired with The Power of a Positive No, GTY gives readers a solid foundation in principled negotiations.

I have personally used the concepts in these two books to net thousands of dollars from salary increases and tenant negotiations alone. And I can do it while holding my head up high, knowing that my negotiations are equitable and don't rely on sleaze tactics.Get more detail about Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.

Discount The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition)

The Intelligent Investor is arguably the greatest book ever written on investing. What is unfortunate for this book, however, is that Warren Buffett's ringing endorsement of it makes people think the whole book will teach you to invest like him. This perception is inaccurate. There is a two-pronged theme to "The Intelligent Investor": investment advice for the novice (classified in the book as the "defensive investor") and investment advice for the full-time investor (classified as the "enterprising investor").

The book is hugely valuable for both types, and the advice for the defensive investor is almost a prototype for much of the financial planning advice one receives today. In fact, it is more valuable, since the focus is on lowering volatility and getting income from dividends and interest-- through boom and bust, low inflation and high inflation-- while generally paying much less for advice, since his strategies suggest there should low turnover in your portfolio.

What most people read the book for, however, is for the information on becoming a better-than-average investor. I have heard Buffett say that Chapters 8 and 20 are the best chapters written in investing history, and I believe he is right. Chapter 8 is especially important, as it discusses in very broad outlines how to value a company and when the price may be right for a purchase. These concepts are fleshed out in tremendous detail in Security Analysis, but Chapter 8 is the best place to start.

Lastly, the writing in this book can be very dry. Hopefully, setting the context here may offset some of that. If it is not good enough, though, I would strongly recommend picking up the reprint of the fist edition: the writing is MUCH smoother in that edition. Interestingly, the first edition is much smaller, which suggests the book suffered from overediting as the years went by.

Hope this helps. The book really does deserve all of the praise it gets. You just need to know the context.Get more detail about The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition).

Cheapest Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1)

I actually randomly bought this book in paperback a few years ago while on vacation, but I had to add it my eLibrary too. After reading the first few chapters again, I remembered why I like Lee Child's Jack Reacher: The ride he takes you on is never smooth, never dull, and very entertaining.

If you've never read any of the Reacher books, they're a fantastic series. In this book, we have have the pleasure of getting to know Jack, and trust me - it really is a pleasure. He's a loner, a bit dark, a former military man, smart as a whip, and maybe a bit of a dirty boy.

Freshly back into civilian life, he tries to bum around the south in order to try to adjust to life outside - something he's never really experienced. Instead he quickly finds himself in the middle of a big conspiracy in a small town completely by accident, and the big wigs at the head of it want him to take the fall. Boy, did they pick the wrong guy to mess with.

Lee Child delivers a great read with the first of the Reacher books. Filled with twists and turns, subtle and dry wit, Child allows you to experience an adventure that you don't want to end. All the characters are realistic, while the story at times seems insane, it remains entirely believable given the circumstances. The craziness of it all makes it much more fun!

If you want a good action/mystery read, pick this one up. You won't regret it.Get more detail about Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1).

Cheap The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History

I am not someone who is familiar with wall street terms but had been interested in the book because of the recent economic collapse. The author illuminated me about formerly confusing subjects like hedge funds, but did not dumb down the subject. Overall, was an interesting and informative book.Get more detail about The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History.

Buying The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Why, with all our expertise and training and technology, are there so many mistakes?
Atul Gawande goes a long way toward answering this question. As it turns out, we can probably do vastly better at what we do by employing a humble, low-tech tool: the checklist. Through a variety of stories, the kind that make him such an entertaining read, Gawande demonstrates that it is not a lack of talent, or lack of desire to do a good job, or lack of expertise that diminishes outcomes. Rather, it is that our brains are not dependable or exhaustive record keepers. We can develop skill and create, but we forget.
And depending on what we forget, that can have a dramatic effect on our outcomes.
More expertise won't help. The age of the master builder, who knew everything about the structure being erected, has yielded to the age of the super-specialist where even the separate disciplines of medicine are being further split and differentiated. Surgeons are more educated and at least as skilled in their practice as architects and pilots are in theirs. So, why do so few buildings fail and planes crash and so many patients have complications? The answer may be alarmingly basic.
My experience coaching investment advisors present me with exactly this conundrum, one reason I was drawn to the book as soon as I heard about it. As in medicine, financial professionals have more knowledge and skill than at any time in the past. And we routinely make mistakes. Leave things out. Forget stuff. Sometimes, it means a disappointed client. Sometimes it leads us to make an investment that hurts a portfolio.
We have so much knowledge to track and catalog. Our brains routinely fail us in recalling what we need to know and when. Fortunately, we can utilize external tools to ensure we address all the critical issues, and it can be as simple as a piece of paper. But how do we design an effective list? How do we successfully integrate it into the activity we want to accomplish? And why, when the power and reliability of this device has been so widely proven, do we so ardently resist using it? These are questions Gawande explores in his engaging style. He works through those questions to assist the World Heath Organization in improving surgical outcomes globally. And demonstrates the challenges and rewards of developing and implementing checklists in his own practice.
He doesn't tell us how to design our checklists, probably because he can't. Each situation will be custom. But in recounting the history and describing his own frustrations and successes, he shows us a path to make this tool our own.
Get more detail about The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right.

Buy The Pillars of the Earth

This book is a gem! It kept me captivated through all 1,000 pages. Follett is a master and this is by far his best work to date.Get more detail about The Pillars of the Earth.