The 33 Strategies of War (Joost Elffers Books)

I bought this book for my 16 year old son. He read the whole book and did a report on it for school. He got an A! Good learning experience.Get more detail about The 33 Strategies of War (Joost Elffers Books).

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else Review

Here there is a book that everybody should read. What the Senior Editor at Large of Fortune Geoff Colvin is explaining, is that "scientific evidence doesn't support the notion that specific natural talents make great performers-and such talents may not even exist". In other words, only hard work makes good results. No matter if you don't have any particular talent to do a specific job, if you work very hard you will be successful. As Colvin says, "It's difficult. It hurts. However, more of it equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance". I believe that's a hope's hymn, each of us needs to have very powerful intrinsic motivation to reach his own goal. In some way, it looks like the old American Dream: dream any dream you like, but then get up and do something about it.
Rino Di Stefano

Get more detail about Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.

The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity Top Quality

I just want clarification about something.

On page 12 of this book Florida says ....the era saw a whole series of crucial invention that revolutionized electricity...Thomas Edison's electric lightbulb and advances in alternation current (AC), Nikola Tesla's alternating-current motor, and George Westinghouse's electric transformer and advances in direct current (DC).

And then on page 14: George Westinghouse was another great systems-builder. ...recognizing the inefficiencies inherent in Edison's use of direct current, Westinghouse....

Aren't one of those statements factually wrong?

I'm not very far in the book, but so far it seems to be using the argument that two things that happen sequentially necessarily prove that the first one caused the second. That seems like all the medical studies that suggest that because people who eat A are healthy it must be because they eat A without taking a multitude of other factors into account.

I fully acknowledge that I may not be up to understanding this brilliant work and await someone to explain my errors of misunderstanding.Get more detail about The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently This instant

Sometimes it's good to deviate from a practical business plan and proceed with gut feelings. This is a good business book that looks at non-traditional approaches to business. Excellent.Get more detail about First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently.

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea Immediately

What an incredible little book. It's a fast, easy read and though the story is based on a premise and written like a parable, it quickly teaches how we can all give forward easily and with productive results. It's an H.E.A. (Happily Ever After) story and who doesn't need one of those during these economic times of difficulty! If you own a small business or are in sales, it's a must read. It's easy for entrepreneurs and sales people to get caught up in the frenetic energy of spinning wheels...like in a hampster cage. Bob Burg's little story brings us back to the basics with bright hope for tomorrow. Enjoy!Get more detail about The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea.

The Watchman (Elvis Cole) Best Quality

Here we have the author's take on the action/conspiracy thriller. Rich girl sees something she shouldn't and after two failed murder attempts, a favour is called in and Joe Pike is brought in to protect her. After a couple more failed attempts, Pike brings in his partner Elvis and decides to take the fight to the bad guys. Not knowing who to trust, Pike decides to cut everybody out of the loop and do things his way.........

This moves with pace and is, like all the author's novels, thrilling and entertaining with more then a few great one-liners thrown in. The focus here is more on Joe Pike then Elvis Cole and we see some flashbacks into his early Police years, all helping us to understand Pike's character.

A slightly rushed ending, but good stuff from Crais once again.
Get more detail about The Watchman (Elvis Cole).

Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type Get it now!

I'm breaking a personal rule here. I haven't read this book cover to cover. It was a text for a grad school class and not all of the book was assigned (and I did enough of the assigned work to get through. So there.). But it strikes me as useful for managers who want to understand their people better. I believe in personality type and using it for team-building. In that context, this book would be very useful to have on hand.Get more detail about Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type.

Managerial Accounting Buy Now

The condition of this book was listed as "like new" however it had a good deal of water damage and wear. I would not purchase from this individual again
Get more detail about Managerial Accounting.

Case in Point:Complete Case Interview Preparation - 5th edition Order Now

I needed an understanding of the different types of cases or problems that I could possibly analyze. Something that I could use for every case that would enable me to do a comprehensive analysis. Case in Point helped me to gain a broad understanding of the various scenarios and gave me a formula for each one. When combined with "How to Get Into the Top Consulting Firms: A Surefire Case Interview Method - 2nd Edition" you get a complete understanding of the problems that exist in the business world and how to solve them. Case in Point enables you to be creative and artistic in your analysis by teaching you how to think about the possible solutions. Every business student should have this book!Get more detail about Case in Point:Complete Case Interview Preparation - 5th edition.

The Art of Seduction Decide Now

" I use the word amoral to describe them, as opposed to immoral," author Robert Greene stated in an interview about his international bestsellers.

Interesting distinction.

As one enters Mr. Greene's website for "The Art of Seduction" four maxims for seduction flash and disappear on the screen like the images shown to Warren Beatty in "The Parallax View":

Choose the Right Victim
Send Mixed Signals
Confuse desire and Reality
Create a False Sense of Security.

(The third is extremely odd since, again, in an interview, Mr.Greene stated, "If I could simplify the whole game of power and strategy in one equation, it would all hinge on the capacity to see events around you exactly as they are.")

Dig a little deeper into the website (and the book) and Greene lays down other rules of the art, which, as disturbingly predatory as they are, are rationalized as tutorials in self-protection: "If you know how others do these things, you'll be in a better position to protect yourself against those who employ such tactics." To take this argument to its logical extreme imagine a book with a dozen or so rules on how to launch a prostitution ring and recruit hookers so you'll be better able to insulate your own daughter or sister from the guile of pimps.

A few more of the moves to be mastered to become an arch-seducer:

Create a false sense of security
Stir anxiety and discontent
Create temptation
Use the demonic power of words to sow confusion
Use Spiritual Lures
Isolate the Victim.

Clearly, Robert Greene is dangerously confused about the practical and objective similarities between "amorality" and immorality.

Consider the following positions of two individuals:

The first: "It is immoral to act or speak in such a way to inflict pain on another human being solely for the purposes of satisfying one's own desires".
The second: "People do inflict pain on others for selfish reasons. I am not saying whether it is right or wrong; I will merely instruct you how to do it and leave the moral distinctions to you."

Mr. Greene's assertion that proposing strategies to manipulate another, confuse an individual, inflict psychological pain to whatever degree on someone, and create in another a distorted worldview
that gives him or her a false sense of security is something other than immoral does not even pass the laugh test.

It doesn't matter if the endgame is sex, power, or financial gain. Bernie Madoff is doing the equivalent of life plus 99 years because he was a grandmaster of seduction,

At the end of the day, however, the real problem-the ultimate moral problem with Mr.Greene's book--is that it is not about art but artiface--strategems, trickery, and the employment of base cunning to bend another's will to our own. Its quite telling that Mr. Greene trots some of history's most nefrarius figures as examples of "the art" mastered. Gandhi, Churchill, or Martin Luther King had nothing to say about psychological persuasion? (One need not even consider the obvious that in almost every human sexual encounter where the emotions run hot mixed singles are sent unconsciously, desire and reality almost always conflict, runaway hormones alternate between giving us profound feelings of security and insecurity, and the mating ritual is a marathon attempt to provoke temptation.

Save yourself a few bucks and pick up a used copy of Balthazar Gracian's "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" which Mr. Greene rarely mentions but which covers the same ground and would quite likely be as revelationary and transformative for some as this treatise on predation.Get more detail about The Art of Seduction.

The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed Right now

great resource, easy to use. does not supplement actually learning the stuff, but if you know what your doing this will help. great for industrial engineers in school and in the workplace. i have used it in both instances.Get more detail about The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed.

Lowest Price The Total Money Makeover Workbook

WOW! Praise God for someone to help me learn how to save for the future~!~Get more detail about The Total Money Makeover Workbook.

Low Price Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition

There are few authors that can take such an objective and scientific approach to the free market system, but Milton Friedman's short, yet detailed, tome is worth the read. Despite the fact there is a fervent anti-capitalist sentiment in some areas of the country right now, if people read this they would recognize that the markets are in no way acting the way that Milton would have liked them to. He openly blasts monopolies, coercion and the Federal Reserve, but because he is such an inherently curious and objective thinker, he understands that they aren't going anywhere. So rather than being a book of ideals, it is much more about how we can live in an imperfect world and still be able to pursue our own goals with as little interference as possible for the negative forces that will likely never completely disappear.

One of the many things that people these days are missing about the financial situation and capitalism on the whole is that no matter what system we have, it will be run by imperfect beings. This is also the reason socialism could never find any footing - people are driven by self-interest, and expecting anything else is insane. The "invisible hand" that Adam Smith described is as real today as it was in the 1800s. Men cannot be angels, and the fact that Milton understands that is what makes this book so great, and his ideas so brilliant.Get more detail about Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition.

Save America, Welcome to the Poorhouse: What You Must Do to Protect Your Financial Future and the Reform We Need

I pushed back my review on Jane White's America, Welcome to the Poorhouse because I wasn't really sure how to review it.

On the one hand, I wish I had read a book like this about two years ago. As preventive measure, it has a lot of information. Of course, one could find this information on their own via the Internet.

That's kind of the problem. The information in the book might be dated in a few years. It is kind of dated now since the problem has already crested for most people. In other words, it is a book describing a problem that has come to pass. Not how to avoid the problem. Everyone can get information on how to avoid the problem now.

Still, it did have good information. Even for people who already find themselves in trouble will find some info that is of help.Get more detail about America, Welcome to the Poorhouse: What You Must Do to Protect Your Financial Future and the Reform We Need.

Discount The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl

this is an excellent book..it tells of the farmers of the midwest that became greedy and dug up the praire grass so they could go more wheat and the dire consequences...and excellent book my admiration goes out to those brave families.Get more detail about The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl.

Cheapest The Poisonwood Bible

Let me start by saying, I finished this book. It took 12 years, buying different verisons of it, and a student telling me that since I made him read Kingsolver, I owed it to him to read this book. In his words, at the end of the book I knew these girls. Well, as a deep follower of Kingsolver, I knew it was time to read. And I did that in a week and will never be the same person again. I've read other reviews about how it gets too political, the flaws of Rachel's characterization, but I've come away with a simple message that rings through all of Kingsolver's works, "Look at what horrible things we humans do to one another." It needs to stop. Really, the core theme to all of her novels is the root and the depth of motherhood. We create life, but yet we throw it away if we don't understand it. We live our cozy American lives, buy our children too many toys, and when tragedy hits us, feel the world is against us. Yet, with each book, Kingsolver encourages us to get out of our "plastic" Rachel-like cocoon and see the world, and make it a better place. I always tell my students and my daughter that it takes only one person to make a change and while this novel may have some structural flaws it is an accomplishment and should shape us as Americans to stand up and make a change. Even a small one is good. It also teaches us the importance of being informed and getting our collective American heads out of the sand. So, I thank my student for making me read this, and I thank Kingsolver for writing it. This epic story will stay with me for a long time. And so today, I step forward to make a change because even a small one is a start.Get more detail about The Poisonwood Bible.

Cheap Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance

Anyone would be a FOOL to ignore the words of Nouriel Roubini. This MUST READ is right up there with "What Greenspan Can't Tell You", Jan,'08, which warned of the imminent real estate, stock market, and oil crashes, and told you how you might protect yourself for years to come. Read both of these books for maximum protection from the forces lurking around the corner, waiting to strip away your wealth and security.Get more detail about Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance.

Buying Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy

If one bothers to read the book, one would see that Stiglitz would totally agree that we DON'T have working free markets. He enumerates the myriad ways in which they failed and elaborates remedies in some detail. Among other things, he states (in a reasoned way) that the power of the financial sector has totally perverted capitalism - what we have developed over the last decades is a Corporate Welfare State ("privatized profits and socialized risk"), which is a FAR CRY from free markets. Stiglitz, being a sensible and responsible person who wants to be heard by those in power, knows this in every detail and strongly but respectfully condemns those who have failed us so dismally. His role does not allow him to fully express the outrage any sane person should have towards the "powers that be" as they have wrecked and ravaged the lives of so many millions. But it hardly takes reading between his lines to find the basis for such outrage.

It used to be (into the 1800's) that petty theft by the wretched poor was a hanging offense. What of the grandest of larcenies that we have seen coming form the wealthy idiots in the financial sector? Is there any justice in the 21st Century?

Stiglitz is trying to expose the problem and propose remedies. Perhaps it's for the rest of us to express the moral outrage that is so very, very richly deserved.

But any anger or outrage needs be informed and fueled by facts and reasoning, which Stiglitz does provide.Get more detail about Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy.

Buy The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

I just finished reading "The Snowball" and I have to say that after 800+ pages I did not want the story to end! Alice Schroeder does an amazing job of creating both a compelling narrative and intimate portrait of Warren Buffett.
I really was not that familiar with Buffett before picking up Schroeder's book, but I had heard many times about his intelligence and integrity. I worked for a few years in a job related to the insurance industry and he was quoted often by insurance types that I ran into. That made me curious enough to pick up the book and I did not regret it after I got started.
I highly recommend "The Snowball" to anyone who is interested in business, the stock market or just a fascinating life story.Get more detail about The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.

Purchase The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success

Want to develop a social networking strategy but need the tools to accomplish the job? Sure you have a Facebook page and maybe even a Twitter handle, but where do you go from there? Well Lon Safko and David Brake (with the help of numerous, well known and not so well known social media players) have devised an `everything you need to know about social media in a box' book.

Unlike a lot of the new social media books out there, the SM Bible is the best completist's volume that not only explains contemporary social media strategies, but also covers a lot of ground as to the nature and origins of various social media platforms thus giving the reader more of an in-depth slant as to which methods are best for what purposes.

The authors divide their book into a number of main categories including the usual areas of blogging, wikis, SEO, SEM, RSS, Livecasting, etc. What makes their book a useful reference is two-fold; a) they feature interviews with true experts in the field who actually know how to utilize the specific tool and best practices around said tools, and b) they have a checklist of each product as to how to determine if this is the most useful to achieving your goals based on your type of business, the type of interaction required, etc. Experts from everything from Twitter founder Biz Stone to Mashable's Pete Cashmore to a whole host of other social web influencers are featured in each appropriate chapter.

If you are looking to expand your social media presence, the Social Media Bible is a fair and even handed and comprehensive look at the platforms and tools currently deployed in the market in service of the online social need. Like many books on this ever-changing topic, the authors provide an up-to-date website for staying abreast of the changes and additions to the basics described in this book. At 818 pages, this `bible' is a fairly essential reference guide for nearly any meaningful pursuit of the social media agenda. A recommended reference for the modern age.Get more detail about The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success.

Order The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering The problems Of Everyday Living (4 CD Set)

I read this book years ago, when things were going reasonably well in my life. I thought it was good then, but didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. As I'm going through a very difficult time now, I've decided to pick it up again and reread it. I have to say that it's been extremely helpful to me. I naturally have a big anxiety problem and a terrible thought pattern problem. But the examples and Bilbe scriptures (just so you know)have kept me going and I'm now reversing those negative thoughts into much more positive ones. My book is underlined and highlighted all over the place. At times when I really need help I go into it and reread many of those highlights. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a problem with negativity, or anyone else! I'm thinking of buying a couple copies and giving them out as gifts.Get more detail about The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering The problems Of Everyday Living (4 CD Set).

Where To Buy The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us

I read this book a couple of years ago, and I decided to post my own review after reading some of the other comments here. I disagree with some of the reviewers who say that Stout exaggerates or that she's trying to crate paranoia in the reader. But I also disagree that anyone should think of this book as some kind of ultimate guide to spotting and rooting out the sociopaths in their world. (Yes, the book's title kind of suggests that, but publishers are in the business of selling books, after all.)

Stout's book is not a scholarly analysis, and it really only brushes the surface of the subject. Nor is it really a self help book, although it's quite readable and even entertaining. For me, its primary value is this:

Many of us, at one time or another, have been tormented or damaged by someone in our life... a coworker, a family member, a spouse, etc. And even years afterwards, we can't figure out what happened. Why did he act that way? What did I do to make her want to treat me that way? Why couldn't anyone else see how badly I was being manipulated? For that matter, why didn't I see it?

This book will make you think back on some of those situations, and possibly consider them in a different light. Perhaps you were dealing with a person who simply did not have a conscience, and who was incapable of caring about others. Stout explains that sociopaths are not unusual in our society, and they're not necessarily crazed serial killers and criminals. They come from all walks of life, and have varying degrees of success in their lives. Many live relatively ordinary lives and do not stand out much, except by their uncanny tendency to use and manipulate others. As you read some of Stout's composite examples of sociopaths in action, you will no doubt recognize behavior you have encountered before.

The book is light on advice for dealing with sociopaths, other than to keep them at as much of a distance as possible. Still, even this advice has been helpful to me. In the past, when I'd encounter an individual who was deceitful, passive aggressive, manipulative, and just plain mean to me, I'd worry about what I could do to "fix" the relationship. Now I stop and think, "Maybe this person is just a sociopath," and I focus on limiting the damage and moving on. That alone makes this book worth the read.Get more detail about The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us.

Shop For Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business (J-B Lencioni Series)

This is a book you will finish in 1 day max. Really helps and brings meetings into perspective. I did give it to my managers and it wasn't as well received as DREAM MANAGER by Mathew Kelley. That book was very good alsoGet more detail about Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business (J-B Lencioni Series).

Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators (J-B Lencioni Series)

This is a sequel to Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Although Lencioni does not use the fable approach as in the first book, he outlines much more detail of the model and how to create more functional teams. He opens the book with an overview of the model and then proffers two key questions for work groups to ask themselves: 1) Are we really a team? (That is, are we interdependent and hold each other mutually accountable?) and 2) Are we ready for heavy lifting? The implication here is that this model won't work if the group isn't truly a team nor will it be successful unless the group is willing to put in the time and effort it takes to function effectively. The remainder of the book goes into details regarding tools and exercises for each of the dysfunctions. Although it's a bit drier then the fable approach, it's a great resource for anyone looking for ideas about team building.Get more detail about Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators (J-B Lencioni Series).

Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom Review

Everyone should read this book. It explains the difference between being and employee, being self-employed, and being "in business". Anyone who wants to make it big financially should understand this and it's simple to understand. It's a great book and was delivered as advertised -- in new condition. Will look for future books here.Get more detail about Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom.

On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System Top Quality

Why did the Bush administration authorize those bailouts? Why did Henry Paulson (former Secretary of the Treasury) and other bureaucrats plead for unprecedented government intervention during the 2007-2008 financial crisis? That is the subject of this book, which amounts to an impassioned and yet clearly stated case for the major government initiatives during the crisis and Paulson's involved role in it all. Paulson argues that the nature and cause of the crisis - banks and other financial institutions growing beyond the bounds of existing regulations and safeguards and engaging in unscrupulous lending practices among other things - necessitated the special government steps to stabilize the market. Reading this book, one is just about won over by the logic, expertise, and affability with which Paulson presents his case. He convincingly persuades the reader of his good intentions and obviously seems to know thoroughly the complex workings of the financial world. Paulson states again and again that TARP and the bailouts were painful but necessary steps in order to stave off another Great Depression and protect the average American tax payer and investor from financial cataclysm. One thing that he addresses far less often is the matter of real change. He repeatedly explains why he advocated the band-aid approach (fixing the symptoms), but mostly goes little beyond this until the very end, where he only briefly suggests ways of actually getting inside and doing some surgical work on the system so that future risk is diminished. I found this to be the most serious flaw in Paulson's case. He admits that the crisis came on as a result of politicians, businessmen, and others ignoring mounting issues until they morphed into almost untenable problems. I saw little evidence here that Paulson made any significant effort to introduce or plead for real reform during the events he describes. If Paulson and other experts are to justify the kind of faith we're often told to place in them, they need to go beyond putting out the fires. They need to first strive during a crisis to introduce steps that would better the system itself, and then explain them afterward. All in all, one will learn a lot from this book and even sympathize with why Paulson acted in the manner that he did. But perhaps the reader will lose a little faith in experts who should aim to leave behind a better system, not just an averted catastrophe.Get more detail about On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System.

Developing the Leader Within You This instant

Want to read a great book about personal leadership? I highly recommend Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell.
I have read this book several times cover to cover, wrote notes in the margins, and worked through several of the exercises to enhance your leadership skills.
He maintains that leadership is the ability to obtain followers and to get people to work for you when they don't have to. Leadership is all about influence - a skill that can be developed.
In the next chapter, he develops the priority principle - 20% of your priorities give you 80% of your production if you spend your time, money and personnel on the top 20% of your priorities.
Maxwell contends that the most important ingredient of leadership is integrity - and that leaders must have higher standards than their followers.
He talks about how to successfully implement change and developing your most important asset: people.
He refers to vision as the indispensable quality of leadership and that people fall into four levels:
* Wanderers: They never see it.
* Followers: They see it but never pursue it on their own.
* Achievers: They see it and pursue it.
* Leaders: They see it, pursue it and help others see it.
Finally, he discusses the price tag of leadership is self-discipline and walks you through a "self-discipline plan."
I firmly believe this book has made a significant difference in my leadership style, outlook and ability to lead others.
It is chock full of exercises, tips and anecdotes that not only make it a pleasure to read, but to apply.Get more detail about Developing the Leader Within You.

The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials) Immediately

This book confirmed a lot of things I have long suspected about how company's approach change. I have in my life witnessed a number of them fail for not handling distruptive technology correctly.Get more detail about The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials).

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy Best Quality

Jonni McCoy has compiled several excellent practical guidelines for saving money. While not all of these ideas are new, but they are still helpful none the less. One of the greatest aspects of McCoy's book is her ability to inspire the reader to save. Many financial guidelines can seem burdensome and overwhelming, but McCoy has a way of encouraging the reader to want to take these guidelines and put them into practice. I highly recommend this book.Get more detail about Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy.

Between Sisters Get it now!

Kristin Hannah outdid herself on Between Sisters. It is an absolutely awesome book about the dynamics of a disfunctional family who pull together when faced with tragedy. Have a box of kleenex on hand when you read it though. I just couldn't put it down. I ended up reading it all in one day.Get more detail about Between Sisters.

48 Days to the Work You Love Buy Now

The book was delivered on schedule, the book itself was in brand new condition. This is a book I would recommend for anyone who is seriously looking for new direction for not only your career but for life purpose. Another book I would recommend is "Half Time changing Your Game Plan from success to Significance" By Bob Buford.Get more detail about 48 Days to the Work You Love.

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable--Includes new bonus chapter Decide Now

This book has lots of really great ideas for SOME but not all marketers.

The reason I give this one star is because Godin makes big fat generalizations about marketing that are just not true or substantiated, particularly in reference to mass marketing. Mass marketing, TV marketing, and brand dominance through ad spend has not gone away and will NEVER go away.

These pop culture/business/sociology books have been really well received lately because it's fun to think "all the rules have changed" and give groups of people names (the "sneezers"???). Well, the rules haven't actually haven't changed at all. Communication, delivery systems, tactics and operations are the big changing factors. Business strategy, marketing strategy, those are the same. Unfortunately, they make for a pretty dull and analytical read, hence the trend to whoop it up. Thanks, but no thanks. This is a disservice to serious marketers.

Get more detail about Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable--Includes new bonus chapter.

Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money Right now

I haven't started reading this book, but every book I have read by Rober Kiyosaki has been awesome. I have the book in my possession, but I'm finishing up another book by him first. I will post more of an actual review when I have read the other one, for now you'll have to keep waiting. -=80)Get more detail about Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money.

Lowest Price Stumbling on Happiness

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MCG9ZYXAU7ZQ Bart Baggett, author of the Success Secrets of the Rich and HappySuccess Secrets of the Rich and Happy TV host gives a 4 minute review using facts and satire. He chooses 2 funny examples from the book... What makes you happier, ice cream, food, or having children? Baggett hits the nail on the head of the overall message of the book and the author's robust research skills and hearty denial of the facts. Baggett is a TV host, published self-help author, and comedy writer.Get more detail about Stumbling on Happiness.

Save Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

This book has a lot of overlap with the other book, "Black Swan" in more ways that one.

1. It is necessary to fish through the book to find the author's points. The whole book could have been written in just over 1/2 the space that it actually took to write it.

2. The author's ego came through on every page. Every single page. Every single, solitary page. Has there ever been a book in which "I" was used more often?

3. In a continuation of the first point, the author chose some very strange subtitles for each chapter. For example: "Wax in My Ears" went off on a story about someone who was tied to a mast and had wax put in his sailors ears so as to have them be able to avoid the Sirens' song. And can you imagine that it took all that just to say that the author does not listen to readers comments?

4. The book started off easily enough to read and then seemed to get exponentially harder as time went on. By the time I got to the last 50 pages or so, it was dragging along enough for me to read it.

Taleb's "....more on that later" was REALLY annoying. What would have been the problem with addressing a point from start to finish? It seems like he used that phrase 10 or 15 times in the book.

On the good side:

1. The author did make some good points (that had actually been made before) such as the difference between the Utopian Vision and the Tragic Vision.

2. There were some definitions of finance terms that I had not heard before, and the book was useful in that sense.

In summary:

1. Interestingness: Great topic, but verbose presentation.
2. Ease of Reading: Not as good as it might have been
3. Coherence: Fair. The whole structure of the book would have been helped by a glossary and subtitles that clearly pointed to the topic
4. Value of Information/ unit of time: Fair. As before, if the book had gotten to the point, the value of information gathered per unit of time could have gotten much better.Get more detail about Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets.

Discount The Publisher: Henry Luce and His American Century

"Timmy Mystery Lover"
Not only are being entirely unfair to the author by giving him a one-star rating for his work when he has nothing to do with the pricing. You admit in your review that you have not even READ the book.
Second you are wrong about costs. It only costs a few bucks to print a book, especially one with a big press run like this one. The money is in writing, editing, and marketing.
So be fair to authors and stop doing this.
Thanks,
James McGrath MorrisGet more detail about The Publisher: Henry Luce and His American Century.

Cheapest The Yes Factor: Get What You Want. Say What You Mean. The Secrets of Persuasive Communication

Do you think communication is you talking and then waiting your turn to talk again. Well, it's not. Oh, that's what most people do. But then, most people aren't too successful at relationships, at getting people to say yes.

In her new book, "The Yes Factor, Tonya Reiman tells us that studies show that in certain settings as much as 93% of our communication in nonverbal. "Paul Ekman and his colleagues have determined that forty-three finely tuned muscles in the human face can be combined and reorganized into ten thousand possible combinations of expressions. In a single interaction, approximately one thousand non-verbal factors help convey your message."

Reiman knows communication. It's her profession and something she studies constantly. She gives the reader the keys to getting what you want by using communication in a convincing way and understanding exactly what others are saying even when they're not saying anything.

She tells us, for example, that a handshake can tell us if a person is dominant or submissive. Of course, this is pretty basic stuff that all of us in business and most others have learned in the process of simply living. But, it gets better.

The first step in understanding a person is to "baseline" him, Reiman says. Just as we know that 120/80 is "normal" blood pressure, a human being has a "normal" way of looking and talking and reacting under normal circumstances. A diaviation from the norm gives us a good deal of valuable information about what that person is thinking. Is he favorably impressed with us, with our ideas, or is he turned off, scared, angry?

She gives some great advice when she suggests a sales person is well advised to shut up and listen. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn about a person if you talk less and listen more. In fact, you'll discover the very way to the prospect's heart --- or pocket book. I've learned this through years of selling and marketing. But for those who've not had the value of such training, the book is a treasure.

She also talks about "framing" --- something those of us in advertising have long known about and use daily.

"Previously owned verses used. Inexpensive versus cheap. Half-full versus half-empty." The way you say things is more important than what you say. She is right on with this point. When I want a prospect to feel a bit ashamed of himself and his "cheapness", I use the word "cheap." When I want to put a bit of icing on the nasty word and make it go down easier, I say "inexpensive." When I don't want someone to think I sold them something but rather that they bought it, I'll simply talk about them making all the decisions. I never say I sold them anything or am attempting to do so.

There are many ways to say the same thing. The way you choose to say it is what matters. And, it's what gets you to "yes."

She gives one especially interesting way of reframing that I often use with much success. She tells us about George Lakoff, author of "Don't Think of an Elephant" to illustrate her point. "Lakoff reframes entire issues, changing 'taxes' to 'membership fees.'"

I do this in my business many times by reframing the word "fee" with the word "investment." Yes, it all means the same thing --- you pay me for my services. But it's easier to swallow the pill with one word while the other one goes down a bit hard.

She writes about the old NLP style of communication. She doesn't actually call it that. But that's what it is. In fact, there's really nothing new in the book. That doesn't, however, take away value from it. People like myself who have knocked around a long time and made a living with words, with sizing people up quickly, already know all this and more.

But there are many people who have not been exposed to this information or had an opportunity to practice it. Those people can get it all in this one volume and that's a good thing.

The one thing the book lacks is reading people and communicating with them when you must do so by email or the phone. Let's face it, most of us do not physically face our prospects or clients anymore. I have clients in China. I doubt I'll ever meet them. So I have to use a whole different set of skills to get to "yes." It's unfortunate this book doesn't address this issue as much as it should.

In summary, this is a good book. It's well written and easy to read. If you're already a success in advertising or some other communications business, you already know all that's in the book and probably more. But for those who are struggling to make their communications work for them, who can't read a person and especially those who deal with people in person, you'll garner a good deal of valuable information in the book.

Recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson
Get more detail about The Yes Factor: Get What You Want. Say What You Mean. The Secrets of Persuasive Communication.

Cheap Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time

Fierce conversations should be a must-read in schools as well as in advanced education. Family and work relationships would be less stressful and more productive if these skills were used. Susan Scott has outlined well the basics in communication that are easily applied. This book is worth rereading and the skills renewed often. It is a staple in my library.Get more detail about Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time.

Buying The One Minute Manager

I received all the books I ordered and in good condition. My complaint is that the shipping costs were as much as the books and all 25 books are so small and light they would have fit in a large USPS priority mail shipping box which costs less than $10 but I was charged over $120 to ship these books. The entire package weighed less than 8 lbs and measured the size of an 11x17 box about 3 inches high at best. Needless to say I will never purchase from that vendor again. What a ripoff!Get more detail about The One Minute Manager.

Buy Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle

This book really transcends just the history of a nation's success, as it really provides a blueprint for success for any organization. The overall non-bureaucratic environment in many of Israel's start-up technology companies should be studied and implemented by most United States companies. A very worthwhile, informative and easy read. Highly recommended.Get more detail about Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle.

Order Leadership: Theory and Practice

Book came a little late, but it was in excellent condition and still in time for my class.Get more detail about Leadership: Theory and Practice.

Where To Buy Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time

I keep this book in my kindle. I reference it frequently while developing my network in twitter. One of the best I can tell.Get more detail about Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time.

Shop For Crucial Confrontations: Tools for talking about broken promises, violated expectations, and bad behavior

THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE ( WORK,RELATIONSHIPS AT HOME,FRIENDS),IF YOU UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE THE SKILLS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK.IT CHANGED MY LIFE.MANY THANKS TO THE AUTHORS.Get more detail about Crucial Confrontations: Tools for talking about broken promises, violated expectations, and bad behavior.

Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do

The book seems to be a collection of unrelated stories of history. I finished it waiting for what the title promised. Only one chapter on Power Rules (ch 21 - yes, you read that right ... Chapter 21) has anything to do with the topic or Bursts.

Yes, you need to slog through 20 boring, incoherent chapters from the 1500's to get to the meat. And after chapter 21 ... more non-sense.

Really, save your money ... I want mine back!Get more detail about Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Review

Well written, easy to read, and extremely interesting information. This books provide an interesting insight into the other side of our "reality".

This should be a must read for everyone, if nothing else than to show there is always two sides to every story. In this case, the majority of the population has no idea about the side of the story being detailed in this book.

More references and hard evidence would make this 5 stars.


Get more detail about Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (P.S.) Top Quality

This book is very interesting and very shocking. It cured me of cruising fast food establishments and also answers the big question: why do I always get a stomach ache when I eat fast food chicken sandwiches? Answer: Because I'm not eating real chicken! This book is eye opening, and frightening. In America we will sell anything as long as it makes $$$.Get more detail about Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (P.S.).

The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be This instant

Jack Canfield, co-author of the popular series of books, "Chicken Soup For the Soul", also wrote this amazing book, "The Success Principles"

After being a successful information technology consultant for a number of years, I suffered some health set-backs and was unable to work. Followed closely by severe depression in various forms. While I was attending an out-patient class, I was given a photocopy of a magazine article by Jack Canfield entitled: Visualize and Affirm Your Desired Outcomes. I new about Jack because of his other work so I know that that article had some credibility. I decided to read and implement the handful of principles outlined in the article, visualizations, affirmations, and goal setting.

Within a month or two of practicing these concepts, I found that I was feeling better about myself and life in general. I had hope. Then, I bought the book. I use it first, as a textbook for success and then for inspiration.

Currently I am enrolled in college, maintaining my physical health through exercise, and maintaining my spiritual health as well. As I re-educated myself, I have long-term plans to launch a business, an Information Technology service company similar to GeekSquad, only better.

Thank You very much to Jack Canfield,

Kevin ZaharasGet more detail about The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary Immediately

Great book on customer service. Many thought provoking ideas on how one should take care of our customers.Get more detail about The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary.

Orthodoxy - MP3 Best Quality

G. K. Chesterton is quoted by many including C. S. Lewis and Ravi Zacharias. This is the book that is the source of many of the quotes. It provides the thinking of G.K. Chesterton as he transitioned from being an agnostic (or even atheist)to embracing christian orthodoxy. He got to that point from reading the atheist writers and their objections to christianity. He uses logic to prove that logic alone cannot solve many theological issues! If you were placed in an asylum for being crazy, how could you prove that you were sane?Get more detail about Orthodoxy - MP3.

One Shot (Jack Reacher, No. 9) Get it now!

I started this book and had the feeling that is was a copy of a previous story with a few different twists, but Lee Child did not disappoint. This was a great book and Jack Reacher is still an awesome character....Great writing, good story, fun adventure....I am reading them in order, so 9 down, 5 to go.....Get more detail about One Shot (Jack Reacher, No. 9).