Mike's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:17:48 -0700 60 Mike's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism]]> 21950558 A collection of essays that “do an incredible job of balancing the wonders and horrors of the force that is Wal-Martâ€� (Booklist, starred review). Ěý Edited by one of the nation’s preeminent labor historians, this book marks an ambitious effort to dissect the full extent of Wal-Mart’s business operations, its social effects, and its role in the United States and world economy. Wal-Mart is based on a spring 2004 conference of leading historians, business analysts, sociologists, and labor leaders that immediately attracted the attention of the national media, drawing profiles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the New York Review of Books. Their contributions are adapted here for a general audience. Ěý At the end of the nineteenth century, the Pennsylvania Railroad declared itself “the standard of the world.â€� In more recent years, IBM and then Microsoft seemed the template for a new, global information economy. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, Wal-Mart had overtaken all rivals as the world-transforming economic institution of our time. Ěý Presented in an accessible format and extensively illustrated with charts and graphs, Wal-Mart examines such topics as the giant retailer’s managerial culture, revolutionary use of technological innovation, and controversial pay and promotional practices to provide the most complete guide yet available to one of America’s largest companies. Ěý “Like archaeologists who pick over artifacts to understand an ancient society, the scholars here [are] examining Wal-Mart for insights into the very nature of American capitalist culture.â€� —The New York Times Ěý “Stimulating perspectives on the world’s largest corporation.â€� —Publishers Weekly]]> 522 Nelson Lichtenstein 1595587462 Mike 0 4.12 2006 Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism
author: Nelson Lichtenstein
name: Mike
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story of the Success of the World's Largest Company: The Real Story Behind Wal-Mart's Greatest Growth Years from the Man Who Preserved the Culture]]> 9675478 252 Don Soderquist 1418514012 Mike 0 3.55 2005 The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story of the Success of the World's Largest Company: The Real Story Behind Wal-Mart's Greatest Growth Years from the Man Who Preserved the Culture
author: Don Soderquist
name: Mike
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2015/11/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Don't Die At Wal-Mart!: The 7 Secret "DON'Ts" ANY Average Joe Can Use To GUARANTEE You Retire Wealthy Instead Of BROKE!]]> 8540587 188 Harkon Ajala 0984500502 Mike 0 4.00 2010 Don't Die At Wal-Mart!: The 7 Secret "DON'Ts" ANY Average Joe Can Use To GUARANTEE You Retire Wealthy Instead Of BROKE!
author: Harkon Ajala
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)]]> 8127 Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family� and, most of all, love.

WITH AN AFTERWORD BY JENNIFER LEE CARELL]]> 320 L.M. Montgomery 0451528824 Mike 0 4.31 1908 Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Mike
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1908
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works - and How It's Transforming the American Economy]]> 74915
"Insightful."Ěýâ€� BusinessWeek

Wal-Mart isn’t just the world’s biggest company, it is probably the world’s most written-about. But no book until this one has managed to penetrate its wall of silence or go beyond the usual polemics to analyze its actual effects on its customers, workers, and suppliers. Drawing on unprecedented interviews with former Wal-Mart executives and a wealth of staggering data (e.g., Americans spend $36 million an hour at Wal-Mart stores, and in 2004 its growth alone was bigger than the total revenue of 469 of the Fortune 500), The Wal-Mart Effect is an intimate look at a business that is dramatically reshaping our lives.]]> 352 Charles Fishman 0143038788 Mike 0 3.83 2006 The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works - and How It's Transforming the American Economy
author: Charles Fishman
name: Mike
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2006
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]]> The United States of Wal-Mart 312990 245 John Dicker 1585424226 Mike 0 3.54 2005 The United States of Wal-Mart
author: John Dicker
name: Mike
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism]]> 6378897 273 Natasha Walter 1844084841 Mike 0 to-read 3.84 2008 Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism
author: Natasha Walter
name: Mike
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way]]> 19793 Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has researched intention as a force in the universe that allows the act of creation to take place. This book explores intention—not as something you do—but as an energy you’re a part of. We’re all intended here through the invisible power of intention. This is the first book to look at intention as a field of energy that you can access to begin co-creating your life with the power of intention.
Ěý
Part I deals with the principles of intention, offering true stories and examples on ways to make the connection. Dr. Dyer identifies the attributes of the all-creating universal mind of intention as creative, kind, loving, beautiful, expanding, endlessly abundant, and receptive, explaining the importance of emulating this source of creativity. In Part II, Dr. Dyer offers an intention guide with specific ways to apply the co-creating principles in daily life. Part III is an exhilarating description of Dr. Dyer’s vision of a world in harmony with the universal mind of intention.
Ěý]]> 272 Wayne W. Dyer 1401902162 Mike 0 to-read 4.19 2004 The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way
author: Wayne W. Dyer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies]]> 146263
Now, in American Brutus , Michael W. Kauffman, one of the foremost Lincoln assassination authorities, takes familiar history to a deeper level, offering an unprecedented, authoritative account of the Lincoln murder conspiracy. Working from a staggering array of archival sources and new research, Kauffman sheds new light on the background and motives of John Wilkes Booth, the mechanics of his plot to topple the Union government, and the trials and fates of the conspirators.

Piece by piece, Kauffman explains and corrects common misperceptions and analyzes the political motivation behind Booth’s plan to unseat Lincoln, in whom the assassin saw a treacherous autocrat, “an American Caesar.� In preparing his study, Kauffman spared no effort getting at the He even lived in Booth’s house, and re-created key parts of Booth’s escape. Thanks to Kauffman’s discoveries, readers will have a new understanding of this defining event in our nation’s history, and they will come to see how public sentiment about Booth at the time of the assassination and ever since has made an accurate account of his actions and motives next to impossible–until now.

In nearly 140 years there has been an overwhelming body of literature on the Lincoln assassination, much of it incomplete and oftentimes contradictory. In American Brutus , Kauffman finally makes sense of an incident whose causes and effects reverberate to this day. Provocative, absorbing, utterly cogent, at times controversial, this will become the definitive text on a watershed event in American history.]]> 544 Michael W. Kauffman 0375759743 Mike 0 to-read 4.13 2004 American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies
author: Michael W. Kauffman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery]]> 6933281

An intimate, behind-the-scenes chronicle of America’s most sacred ground.

“Along Eisenhower Drive, as far as the eye could see, the grave markers formed into bone-white brigades, climbed from the flats of the Potomac River, and scattered over the green Virginia hills in perfect order. They reached Arlington’s highest point, where they encircled an old cream-colored mansion with thick columns and a commanding view of the cemetery, the river, and the city beyond. The mansion’s flag, just lowered to half-staff, signaled that it was time to start another day of funerals, which would add more than twenty new conscripts to Arlington’s army of the dead.�

So does Robert Poole describe a day like so many others in the long and storied history of Arlington National Cemetery. Created towards the end of our greatest national crucible, the Civil War, its story—as revealed in On Hallowed Ground—reflects much of America’s own over the past century and a half. The mansion at its heart, and the rolling land on which it sits, had been the family plantation of Robert E. Lee before he joined the Confederacy; strategic to the defense of Washington, it became a Union headquarters, a haven for freedmen, and a burial ground for indigent soldiers before Secretary of War Edwin Stanton made it the latest in the newly established national cemetery system. It would become our nation’s most honored resting place.

No other country makes the effort the United States does to recover and pay tribute to its war dead—an effort Poole reveals in poignant details from the aftermaths of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and the conflicts in the Gulf and Afghanistan today. Every tombstone at Arlington tells a story: from Private William Christman, the first soldier buried at Arlington on May 13, 1864, to Union General Montgomery Meigs, whose idea Arlington was; from Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first casualty of powered flight, to Audie Murphy, America’s most decorated soldier; from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, so lovingly tended today, to John F. Kennedy’s eternal flame; from scientists and slaves to jurists and generals and tens of thousands of ordinary citizen-warriors, among the more than 300,000 interred on Arlington’s 624 acres. Their sagas, and the rites and rituals that have evolved at Arlington—the horse-drawn caissons, marble headstones, playing of taps, and rifle salutes—speak to us all.

]]> 368 Robert M. Poole 0802715486 Mike 5 4.25 2009 On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery
author: Robert M. Poole
name: Mike
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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]]> The Hell of It All 3675971 400 Charlie Brooker 0571229573 Mike 5 4.01 2008 The Hell of It All
author: Charlie Brooker
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[George Washington's Sacred Fire]]> 6475 George Washington's Sacred Fire apart from all previous works on this man for the ages, is the exhaustive fifteen years of Dr. Peter Lillback's research, revealing a unique icon driven by the highest of ideals. Only do George Washington's own writings, journals, letters, manuscripts, and those of his closest family and confidants reveal the truth of this awe-inspiring role model for all generations.

Dr. Lillback paints a picture of a man, who, faced with unprecedented challenges and circumstances, ultimately drew upon his persistent qualities of character—honesty, justice, equity, perseverence, piety, forgiveness, humility, and servant leadership, to become one of the most revered figures in world history. George Washington set the cornerstone for what would become one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of civilization.

Through this book, Dr. Lillback, assisted by Jerry Newcombe, will reveal to the reader a newly inspirational image of General and President George Washington.]]> 1200 Peter A. Lillback 0978605268 Mike 5 4.20 2006 George Washington's Sacred Fire
author: Peter A. Lillback
name: Mike
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father]]> 38737
Alf Wight (aka James Herriot) grew up in Glasgow, where he lived during a happy rough-and-tumble childhood and then through the challenging years of training at the Glasgow Veterinary College. The story of how the young vet later traveled to the small Yorkshire town of Thirsk, aka Darrowby, to take the job of assistant vet is one that is well known through James Herriot's internationally celebrated books and the popular All Creatures Great and Small television series.

But Jim Wight's biography ventures beyond the trials and tribulations of his father's life as a veterinarian to reveal the man behind the stories--the private individual who refused to allow fame and wealth to interfere with his practice or his family. With access to all of his father's papers, correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs--and intimate remembrances of all the farmers, locals, and friends who populate the James Herriot books--only Jim Wight could write this definitive biography of the man who was not only his father but his best friend.]]> 371 Jim Wight 0345434900 Mike 5 4.19 1999 The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father
author: Jim Wight
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1999
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin]]> 147602
"The authoritative Franklin biography for our time.� —Joseph J. Ellis, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers

Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin's "life is one every American should know well, and it has not been told better than by Mr. Brands" ( The Dallas Morning News ). From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America’s independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world’s most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant.

Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin’s greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.

Look for H.W. Brands's other ANDREW JACKSON, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE UNION (Ulysses S. Grant), TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt) and REAGAN.]]> 765 H.W. Brands 0385495404 Mike 5 4.10 2000 The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
author: H.W. Brands
name: Mike
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2000
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945]]> 55404 Armageddon, the eminent military historian Max Hastings gives us memorable accounts of the great battles and captures their human impact on soldiers and civilians. He tells the story of both the Eastern and Western Fronts, raising provocative questions and offering vivid portraits of the great leaders. This rousing and revelatory chronicle brings to life the crucial final months of the twentieth century’s greatest global conflict.]]> 584 Max Hastings 0375714227 Mike 5 4.26 2004 Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945
author: Max Hastings
name: Mike
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1)]]> 297249 Book #1 from the series: The Boxcar Children Mysteries

After becoming orphans, four siblings run away to live in an abandoned boxcar but find their adventure halted by the possibility of being caught in this classic tale! “A compelling story� (Publishers Weekly) with over 63,000 five-star ratings, read by an Earphones Award–winning narrator.

Four orphaned siblings, determined to stay together as a family, decide to inhabit an abandoned boxcar and turn it into their new home in the woods. When one of the siblings falls ill, the others go out to seek a doctor to save their sister. Meanwhile, their wealthy grandfather has offered a sizable reward to anyone who has information about his grandchildren, hoping that they can all be reunited once more. As the children continue to evade being found out, will they ever know peace?]]> 176 Gertrude Chandler Warner 0807508527 Mike 5 4.13 1924 The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1)
author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1924
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour]]> 5400
With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur� s vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history.

In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. history—and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.

Praise for The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

“One of the finest WWII naval action narratives in recent years, this book follows in the footsteps ofĚý Flags of Our Fathers . . . . Exalting American sailors and pilots as they richly deserve. . . . Reads like a very good action novel.â€� â€� Publishers Weekly

“Reads as fresh as tomorrow's headlines. . . . Hornfischer's captivating narrative uses previously classified documents to reconstruct the epic battle and eyewitness accounts to bring the officers and sailors to life.� � Texas Monthly

“Hornfischer is a powerful stylist whose explanations are clear as well as memorable. . . . A dire survival-at-sea saga.� � Denver Post

“InĚý The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, ĚýJames Hornfischer drops you right into the middle of this raging battle, with 5-inch guns blazing, torpedoes detonating and Navy fliers dive-bombing. . . . The overall story of the battle is one of American guts, glory and heroic sacrifice.â€� â€� Omaha World Herald]]> 499 James D. Hornfischer 0553381482 Mike 5 4.32 2003 The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
author: James D. Hornfischer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman]]> 98685
Raised in Depression-era Rockaway Beach, physicist Richard Feynman was irreverent, eccentric, and childishly enthusiastic—a new kind of scientist in a field that was in its infancy. His quick mastery of quantum mechanics earned him a place at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project under J. Robert Oppenheimer, where the giddy young man held his own among the nation’s greatest minds. There, Feynman turned theory into practice, culminating in the Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, when the Atomic Age was born. He was only twenty-seven. And he was just getting started.

In this sweeping biography, James Gleick captures the forceful personality of a great man, integrating Feynman’s work and life in a way that is accessible to laymen and fascinating for the scientists who follow in his footsteps.]]> 531 James Gleick 0679747044 Mike 5 4.11 Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
author: James Gleick
name: Mike
average rating: 4.11
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rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: (Ramona #1-#4)]]> 89543 Four beloved Ramona books in one fun box!

The appeal of Beverly Cleary’s stories about the wonderful, blunderful Ramona Quimby has never faded. Each new generation feels connected to Ramona’s unique way of looking at the world as she tries to adjust to new teachers, feels jealous about Susan's curls, and is secretly pleased by Yard Ape's teasing.

The scrapes she gets herself into—like wearing pajamas to school or accidentally making egg yolk shampoo—are funny and heartwarming, and sometimes embarrassing. No matter what, Ramona’s lively, curious spirit shines through. Now, with lively art by Jacqueline Rogers, here are four of Beverly Cleary’s favorite Ramona titles in one collection!

This collection includesĚý4 complete paperbacks:


Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Father]]> 848 Beverly Cleary 0061246476 Mike 5 4.24 2013 The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: (Ramona #1-#4)
author: Beverly Cleary
name: Mike
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> The Forgotten Soldier 102305
Sajer's German footsoldier’s perspective makes The Forgotten Soldier a unique war memoir, the book that the Christian Science Monitor said "may well be the book about World War II which has been so long awaited." Now it has been handsomely republished containing fifty rare German combat photos of life and death at the eastern front. The photos of troops battling through snow, mud, burned villages, and rubble-strewn cities depict the hardships and destructiveness of war. Many are originally from the private collections of German soldiers and have never been published before. This volume is a deluxe edition of a true classic.]]> 465 Guy Sajer 1574882864 Mike 5 4.37 1967 The Forgotten Soldier
author: Guy Sajer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1967
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom]]> 561909
Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.]]> 242 Corrie ten Boom 0553256696 Mike 5 4.46 1971 The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
author: Corrie ten Boom
name: Mike
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1971
rating: 5
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]]> Thinking, Fast and Slow 11468377 Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.

Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you think about thinking.]]> 499 Daniel Kahneman 0374275637 Mike 0 to-read 4.17 2011 Thinking, Fast and Slow
author: Daniel Kahneman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days]]> 98233 456 Jessica Livingston 1590597141 Mike 5 4.02 2001 Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
author: Jessica Livingston
name: Mike
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large]]> 11202541
You admire his many and varied talents.

You appreciate his creativity and willingness to take risks.

You want to learn his master negotiation techniques.

You wish you could hang out with him.

Admit it. You want to BE William Shatner.

And now...you can (almost).This collection of rules, illustrated with stories from Bill's illustrious life and career, will show you how Bill became WILLIAM SHATNER, larger than life and bigger than any role he ever played. Shatner Rules is your guide to becoming William Shatner. Or more accurately, beautifully Shatneresque.

Because let's face it...Shatner does rule, doesn't he?]]> 272 William Shatner 0525952519 Mike 0 to-read 3.78 2011 Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large
author: William Shatner
name: Mike
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Stories I Only Tell My Friends]]> 10211494 320 Rob Lowe 080509329X Mike 0 to-read 3.85 2011 Stories I Only Tell My Friends
author: Rob Lowe
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> Here Comes Trouble 9428981 429 Michael Moore 044653224X Mike 5 4.00 2011 Here Comes Trouble
author: Michael Moore
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> It's Always Something 248170 256 Gilda Radner 038081322X Mike 5 4.09 1989 It's Always Something
author: Gilda Radner
name: Mike
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1989
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection]]> 7521400 Carrie and Me: A Mother Daughter Love Story , This Time Together is 100 percent Carol Burnett � funny, irreverent, and irresistible.
Ěý
Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another � reading it feels like sitting down with an old friend who has wonderful tales to tell.
Ěý
In engaging anecdotes, Carol discusses her remarkable friendships with stars such at Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and Julie Andrews; the background behind famous scenes, like the moment she swept down the stairs in her curtain-rod dress in the legendary “Went With the Wind� skit; and things that would happen only to Carol � the prank with Julie Andrews that went wrong in front of the First Lady; the famous Tarzan Yell that saved her during a mugging; and the time she faked a wooden leg to get served in a famous ice cream emporium. This poignant look back allows us to cry with the actress during her sorrows, rejoice in her successes, and finally, always, to laugh.]]> 266 Carol Burnett 0307461181 Mike 5 4.02 2010 This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
author: Carol Burnett
name: Mike
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> Shockaholic 6948511 Wishful Drinking’s instant New York Times bestselling success, Shockaholic takes readers on another rollicking ride into her crazy life.

There is no shortage of people flocking to hear what Princess Leia has to say. Her previous hardcover, Wishful Drinking, was an instant New York Times bestseller and Carrie was featured everywhere on broadcast media and received rave reviews from coast to coast, including People (4 stars; one of their top 10 books of the year), Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, and scores of others.

Told with the same intimate style, brutal honesty, and uproarious wisdom that placed Wishful Drinking on the New York Times bestseller list for months, Shockaholic is the juicy account of Carrie Fisher’s life, focusing more on the Star Wars years and dishing about the various Hollywood relationships she’s formed since she was chosen to play Princess Leia at only nineteen years old. Fisher delves into the gritty details that made the movie—and herself—such a phenomenal success, admitting, “It isn’t all sweetness and light sabers.”]]> 176 Carrie Fisher 0743264827 Mike 5 3.74 2011 Shockaholic
author: Carrie Fisher
name: Mike
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]> 3301907 Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years, his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised, his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy in America during the Great Depression and the American cause of freedom in World War II.

Drawing on archival materials, public speeches, personal correspondence, and accounts by family and close associates, acclaimed bestselling historian and biographer H. W. Brands offers a compelling and intimate portrait of Roosevelt’s life and career.

Brands explores the powerful influence of FDR’s dominating mother and the often tense and always unusual partnership between FDR and his wife, Eleanor, and her indispensable contributions to his presidency. Most of all, the book traces in breathtaking detail FDR’s revolutionary efforts with his New Deal legislation to transform the American political economy in order to save it, his forceful—and cagey—leadership before and during World War II, and his lasting legacy in creating the foundations of the postwar international order.

Traitor to His Class brilliantly captures the qualities that have made FDR a beloved figure to millions of Americans.]]> 896 H.W. Brands 0385519583 Mike 0 to-read 3.99 2008 Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
author: H.W. Brands
name: Mike
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2008
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]]> Mornings on Horseback 2368 Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as a masterpiece by Newsday, it also won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography. Now with a new introduction by the author, Mornings on Horseback is reprinted as a Simon & Schuster Classic Edition.

Mornings on Horseback is about the world of the young Theodore Roosevelt. It is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks of asthma, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household (and rarefied social world) in which he was raised.

His father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, "Greatheart," a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. His mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, Teddy Roosevelt's first love. And while such disparate figures as Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. John Jacob Astor, and Senator Roscoe Conkling play a part, it is this diverse and intensely human assemblage of Roosevelts, all brought to vivid life, which gives the book its remarkable power.

The book spans seventeen years � from 1869 when little "Teedie" is ten, to 1886 when, as a hardened "real life cowboy," he returns from the West to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and begin anew, a grown man, whole in body and spirit. The story does for Teddy Roosevelt what Sunrise at Campobello did for FDR � reveals the inner man through his battle against dreadful odds.

Like David McCullough's The Great Bridge, also set in New York, this is at once an enthralling story, with all the elements of a great novel, and a penetrating character study. It is brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship, which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. For the first time, for example, Roosevelt's asthma is examined closely, drawing on information gleaned from private Roosevelt family papers and in light of present-day knowledge of the disease and its psychosomatic aspects.

At heart it is a book about life intensely lived...about family love and family loyalty...about courtship and childbirth and death, fathers and sons...about winter on the Nile in the grand manner and Harvard College...about gutter politics in washrooms and the tumultuous Republican Convention of 1884...about grizzly bears, grief and courage, and "blessed" mornings on horseback at Oyster Bay or beneath the limitless skies of the Badlands. "Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough," Roosevelt once wrote. It is the key to his life and to much that is so memorable in this magnificent book.

]]> 445 David McCullough 0671447548 Mike 0 to-read 4.09 1981 Mornings on Horseback
author: David McCullough
name: Mike
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1981
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]]> Grant 742882 In this comprehensive biography, Jean Edward Smith reconciles these conflicting assessments of Grant's life. He argues convincingly that Grant is greatly underrated as a president. Following the turmoil of Andrew Johnson's administration, Grant guided the nation through the post-Civil War era, overseeing Reconstruction in the South and enforcing the freedoms of new African-American citizens. His presidential accomplishments were as considerable as his military victories, says Smith, for the same strength of character that made him successful on the battlefield also characterized his years in the White House.

]]> 784 Jean Edward Smith 0684849275 Mike 5 4.02 2001 Grant
author: Jean Edward Smith
name: Mike
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #1)]]> 86524
The Path to Power, Book One, reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and urge to power that set LBJ apart. Chronicling the startling early emergence of Johnson’s political genius, it follows him from his Texas boyhood through the years of the Depression in the Texas hill Country to the triumph of his congressional debut in New Deal Washington, to his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, of the national power for which he hungered.

We see in him, from earliest childhood, a fierce, unquenchable necessity to be first, to win, to dominate—coupled with a limitless capacity for hard, unceasing labor in the service of his own ambition. Caro shows us the big, gangling, awkward young Lyndon—raised in one of the country’s most desperately poor and isolated areas, his education mediocre at best, his pride stung by his father’s slide into failure and financial ruin—lunging for success, moving inexorably toward that ultimate “impossible� goal that he sets for himself years before any friend or enemy suspects what it may be.

We watch him, while still at college, instinctively (and ruthlessly) creating the beginnings of the political machine that was to serve him for three decades. We see him employing his extraordinary ability to mesmerize and manipulate powerful older men, to mesmerize (and sometimes almost enslave) useful subordinates. We see him carrying out, before his thirtieth year, his first great political inspiration: tapping-and becoming the political conduit for-the money and influence of the new oil men and contractors who were to grow with him to immense power. We follow, close up, the radical fluctuations of his relationships with the formidable “Mr. Sam� Rayburn (who loved him like a son and whom he betrayed) and with FDR himself. And we follow the dramas of his emotional life-the intensities and complications of his relationships with his family, his contemporaries, his girls; his wooing and winning of the shy Lady Bird; his secret love affair, over many years, with the mistress of one of his most ardent and generous supporters . . .

Johnson driving his people to the point of exhausted tears, equally merciless with himself . . . Johnson bullying, cajoling, lying, yet inspiring an amazing loyalty . . . Johnson maneuvering to dethrone the unassailable old Jack Garner (then Vice President of the United States) as the New Deal’s “connection� in Texas, and seize the power himself . . . Johnson raging . . . Johnson hugging . . . Johnson bringing light and, indeed, life to the worn Hill Country farmers and their old-at-thirty wives via the district’s first electric lines.

We see him at once unscrupulous, admirable, treacherous, devoted. And we see the country that bred him: the harshness and “nauseating loneliness� of the rural life; the tragic panorama of the Depression; the sudden glow of hope at the dawn of the Age of Roosevelt. And always, in the foreground, on the move, LBJ.

Here is Lyndon Johnson—his Texas, his Washington, his America—in a book that brings us as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process.]]> 882 Robert A. Caro 0679729453 Mike 5 4.39 1982 The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #1)
author: Robert A. Caro
name: Mike
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1982
rating: 5
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]]> Washington: A Life 8255917
Despite the reverence his name inspires Washington remains a waxwork to many readers, worthy but dull, a laconic man of remarkable self-control. But in this groundbreaking work Chernow revises forever the uninspiring stereotype. He portrays Washington as a strapping, celebrated horseman, elegant dancer and tireless hunter, who guarded his emotional life with intriguing ferocity. Not only did Washington gather around himself the foremost figures of the age, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, he orchestrated their actions to help realise his vision for the new federal government, define the separation of powers, and establish the office of the presidency.

Ron Chernow takes us on a page-turning journey through all the formative events of America's founding. This is a magisterial work from one of America's foremost writers and historians.]]> 904 Ron Chernow 1594202664 Mike 5 4.14 2010 Washington: A Life
author: Ron Chernow
name: Mike
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt]]> 40929
Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.]]> 816 Edmund Morris 0375756787 Mike 5 4.21 1979 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
author: Edmund Morris
name: Mike
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1979
rating: 5
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]]> How to Be a Woman 10600242 312 Caitlin Moran 0091940737 Mike 0 to-read 3.71 2011 How to Be a Woman
author: Caitlin Moran
name: Mike
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character]]> 5544
In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentric glory—a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah.]]> 350 Richard P. Feynman 0393316041 Mike 0 to-read 4.27 1985 Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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]]> Through My Eyes 9670094 Through My Eyes. Written with Nathan Whitaker, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Quiet Strength, with Tony Dungy, Through My Eyes gives fans a first look into the heart of an athlete whose talent and devotion have made him one of the most provocative figures in football.]]> 272 Tim Tebow 0062007289 Mike 0 to-read 3.93 2011 Through My Eyes
author: Tim Tebow
name: Mike
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President]]> 10335318
But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what hap­pened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in tur­moil. The unhinged assassin’s half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his con­dition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet.

Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic will stand alongside The Devil in the White City and The Professor and the Madman as a classic of narrative history.]]> 339 Candice Millard 0385526261 Mike 0 to-read 4.19 2011 Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
author: Candice Millard
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944 49254
This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality—the stuff of all great adventures.]]> 199 Stephen E. Ambrose 0671671561 Mike 0 to-read 4.14 1984 Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944
author: Stephen E. Ambrose
name: Mike
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1984
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942�1943]]> 542389 Stalingrad as the definitive account of World War II's most harrowing battle.

In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five-month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost; then, in an astonishing reversal, encircled and trapped their Nazi enemy. This battle for the ruins of a city cost more than a million lives. Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides, fighting in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has interviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable.]]> 494 Antony Beevor 0140284583 Mike 5 4.32 1998 Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943
author: Antony Beevor
name: Mike
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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]]> A Bridge Too Far 539904 670 Cornelius Ryan 0450837319 Mike 5 4.27 1974 A Bridge Too Far
author: Cornelius Ryan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1974
rating: 5
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]]> The Guns of August 11366
In this landmark, Pulitzer Prize–winning account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces each step that led to the inevitable clash. And inevitable it was, with all sides plotting their war for a generation. Dizzyingly comprehensive and spectacularly portrayed with her famous talent for evoking the characters of the war’s key players, Tuchman’s magnum opus is a classic for the ages.]]> 606 Barbara W. Tuchman 0345476093 Mike 5 4.18 1962 The Guns of August
author: Barbara W. Tuchman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1962
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1)]]> 541920
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.

Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.

Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.]]> 681 Rick Atkinson 0805062882 Mike 0 to-read 4.28 2002 An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1)
author: Rick Atkinson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2002
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]]> <![CDATA[American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer]]> 80571
J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s. They declared that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America’s nuclear secrets.

In this magisterial biography twenty-five years in the making, which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the authors capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War.]]> 721 Kai Bird Mike 0 to-read 4.27 2005 American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
author: Kai Bird
name: Mike
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2005
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]]> The Making of the Atomic Bomb 16884
Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly -- or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity there was a span of hardly more than twenty-five years. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project, and then into the Bomb with frightening rapidity, while scientists known only to their peers -- Szilard, Teller, Oppenheimer, Bohr, Meitner, Fermi, Lawrence, and yon Neumann -- stepped from their ivory towers into the limelight.

Richard Rhodes takes us on that journey step by step, minute by minute, and gives us the definitive story of man's most awesome discovery and invention.]]> 886 Richard Rhodes 0684813785 Mike 5 4.38 1986 The Making of the Atomic Bomb
author: Richard Rhodes
name: Mike
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1986
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose]]> 76334 With his bestselling spiritual guide "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived ?in the now.? In "A New Earth," Tolle expands on these powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. Tolle describes how our attachment to the ego creates the dysfunction that leads to anger, jealousy, and unhappiness, and shows readers how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence. "The Power of Now" was a question-and-answer handbook. "A New Earth" has been written as a traditional narrative, offering anecdotes and philosophies in a way that is accessible to all. Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, "A New Earth" is a profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life?and for building a better world.]]> 316 Eckhart Tolle 0452287588 Mike 0 to-read 4.15 2005 A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
author: Eckhart Tolle
name: Mike
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2005
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]]> Eat, Pray, Love 19501
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.]]> 368 Elizabeth Gilbert 0143038419 Mike 5 3.64 2006 Eat, Pray, Love
author: Elizabeth Gilbert
name: Mike
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Life As I Blow It: Tales Of Love, Life & Sex . . . Not Necessarily In That Order]]> 11365762 Ěý
Sarah believes we all struggle to grow up. Sometimes we want to have fun, not take things too seriously, and have that fourth margarita. Other times we would like to get married, stay in, order Chinese food, and have a responsible, secure life.
Ěý
From her formative years in small-town Arkansas to a later career of dates, drinks, and questionable day jobs, Colonna attempts to reconcile her responsible side with her fun-loving side. Sometimes this pans out, and sometimes she finds herself in Mexico handing out her phone number to anyone who calls her pretty. She moves to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but for years is forced to hone her bartending skills; she wants a serious boyfriend, but won’t give up nights at the bar with her friends. She tries to behave like an adult, but can’t seem to stop acting like a frat boy. In the end, she discovers that there doesn’t have to be just one or the other. And if there’s one thing Colonna has learned from her many missteps, it’s that hindsight is always 100 proof.

Includes a Foreword by Chelsea Handler]]> 239 Sarah Colonna 0345528379 Mike 5 3.54 2012 Life As I Blow It: Tales Of Love, Life & Sex . . . Not Necessarily In That Order
author: Sarah Colonna
name: Mike
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Einstein: His Life and Universe]]> 10884 675 Walter Isaacson 0743264738 Mike 5 4.16 2007 Einstein: His Life and Universe
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]> 92057
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.

An established classic of modern America, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcolm X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.]]> 466 Malcolm X Mike 5 4.35 1965 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
author: Malcolm X
name: Mike
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1965
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[All Things Bright and Beautiful (All Creatures Great and Small, #3-4)]]> 38743 �Associated Press

The second volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series

Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the over thirty years since his delightful animal stories were first introduced to the world.

Now in a new edition for the first time in a decade, All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot's first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants—both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot's deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine out as we laugh, cry, and delight in his portraits of his many, varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.

"Humor, realism, sensitivity, earthiness; animals comic and tragic; and people droll, pathetic, courageous, eccentric—all of whom he views with the same gentle compassion and a lively sense of the sad, the ridiculous, and the admirable."
�Columbus Dispatch]]> 378 James Herriot 0312330863 Mike 0 to-read 4.32 1976 All Things Bright and Beautiful (All Creatures Great and Small, #3-4)
author: James Herriot
name: Mike
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1976
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Little House Collection (Little House, #1-9)]]> 114345
The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer, and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.

Little House in the Big Woods

Meet the Ingalls family—Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary, and baby Carrie, who all live in a cozy log cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin in the 1870s. Though many of their neighbors are wolves and panthers and bears, the woods feel like home, thanks to Ma’s homemade cheese and butter and the joyful sounds of Pa’s fiddle.

Farmer Boy

As Laura Ingalls is growing up in a little house in Kansas, Almanzo Wilder lives on a big farm in New York. He and his brothers and sisters work hard from dawn to supper to help keep their family farm running. Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—but he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

Little House on the Prairie

When Pa decides to sell the log house in the woods, the family packs up and moves from Wisconsin to Kansas, where Pa builds them their little house on the prairie! Living on the farm is different from living in the woods, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

On the Banks of Plum Creek

The Ingalls family lives in a sod house beside Plum Creek in Minnesota until Pa builds them a new house made of sawed lumber. The money for the lumber will come from their first wheat crop. But then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm, and by the end of a week, there is no wheat crop left.

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Pa Ingalls heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory. When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. Pa starts work on the first building of the brand new town, located on the shores of Silver Lake.

The Long Winter

The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then it snows almost without stopping until April. With snow piled as high as the rooftops, it’s impossible for trains to deliver supplies, and the townspeople, including Laura and her family, are starving. Young Almanzo Wilder, who has settled in the town, risks his life to save the town.

Little Town on the Prairie

De Smet is rejuvenated with the beginning of spring. But in addition to the parties, socials, and “literaries,� work must continue. Laura spends many hours sewing shirts to help Ma and Pa get enough money to send Mary to a college for the blind. But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

These Happy Golden Years

Laura must continue to earn money to keep Mary in her college for the blind, so she gets a job as a teacher. It’s not easy, and for the first time she’s living away from home. But it gets a little better every Friday, when Almanzo picks Laura up to take her back home for the weekend. Though Laura is still young, she and Almanzo are officially courting, and she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

The First Four Years

Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! They move to a small prairie homestead to start their lives together. But each year brings new challenges—storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. And through it all, Laura and Almanzo still have their love, which only grows when baby Rose arrives.]]> 2700 Laura Ingalls Wilder 0060529962 Mike 0 to-read 4.35 1971 The Little House Collection (Little House, #1-9)
author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
name: Mike
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1971
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]]> <![CDATA[A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror]]> 172803
A Patriot’s History of the United States corrects those doctrinaire biases. In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history.

]]> 932 Larry Schweikart 1595230327 Mike 0 to-read 4.09 2004 A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror
author: Larry Schweikart
name: Mike
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse]]> 7687374 Bloody Crimes, James L. Swanson—the Edgar® Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt—brings to life two epic events of the Civil War era: the thrilling chase to apprehend Confederate president Jefferson Davis in the wake of the Lincoln assassination and the momentousĚýĚý20Ěý-day funeral that took Abraham Lincoln’s body home to Springfield. A true tale full of fascinating twists and turns, and lavishly illustrated with dozens of rare historical images—some never before seenâ€�Bloody Crimes is a fascinating companion to Swanson’s Manhunt andĚýĚýa riveting true-crime thriller that will electrify civil war buffs, generalĚýreaders, and everyone in between.]]> 464 James L. Swanson 0061233781 Mike 0 to-read 3.86 2010 Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse
author: James L. Swanson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
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]]> Lincoln 106590 Lincoln is a stunning portrait of Abraham Lincoln’s life and presidency.

Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln’s gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever-expanding political circles in Illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the gradual development of Lincoln’s character, chronicling his tremendous capacity for evolution and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared for the presidency to become a great moral leader. In the most troubled of times, here was a man who led the country out of slavery and preserved a shattered Union—in short, one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen.]]> 714 David Herbert Donald 068482535X Mike 5 4.19 1995 Lincoln
author: David Herbert Donald
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1995
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World]]> 9534444
Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a piñata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish.

Michael Lewis's investigation of bubbles beyond our shores is so brilliantly, sadly hilarious that it leads the American reader to a comfortable complacency: oh, those foolish foreigners. But when he turns a merciless eye on California and Washington, DC, we see that the narrative is a trap baited with humor, and we understand the reckoning that awaits the greatest and greediest of debtor nations.]]> 213 Michael Lewis 0393081818 Mike 0 to-read 3.89 2011 Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
author: Michael Lewis
name: Mike
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2011
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]]> <![CDATA[Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever]]> 10587120 324 Bill O'Reilly 0805093079 Mike 5 4.03 2011 Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
author: Bill O'Reilly
name: Mike
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> Steve Jobs 11084145 630 Walter Isaacson 1451648537 Mike 5 4.15 2011 Steve Jobs
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> John Adams 2203
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- "the colossus of independence," as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

Like his masterly, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Truman, David McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. It is both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, much of it drawn from an outstanding collection of Adams family letters and diaries. In particular, the more than one thousand surviving letters between John and Abigail Adams, nearly half of which have never been published, provide extraordinary access to their private lives and make it possible to know John Adams as no other major American of his founding era.

As he has with stunning effect in his previous books, McCullough tells the story from within -- from the point of view of the amazing eighteenth century and of those who, caught up in events, had no sure way of knowing how things would turn out. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, the British spy Edward Bancroft, Madame Lafayette and Jefferson's Paris "interest" Maria Cosway, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, the scandalmonger James Callender, Sally Hemings, John Marshall, Talleyrand, and Aaron Burr all figure in this panoramic chronicle, as does, importantly, John Quincy Adams, the adored son whom Adams would live to see become President.

Crucial to the story, as it was to history, is the relationship between Adams and Jefferson, born opposites -- one a Massachusetts farmer's son, the other a Virginia aristocrat and slaveholder, one short and stout, the other tall and spare. Adams embraced conflict; Jefferson avoided it. Adams had great humor; Jefferson, very little. But they were alike in their devotion to their country.

At first they were ardent co-revolutionaries, then fellow diplomats and close friends. With the advent of the two political parties, they became archrivals, even enemies, in the intense struggle for the presidency in 1800, perhaps the most vicious election in history. Then, amazingly, they became friends again, and ultimately, incredibly, they died on the same day -- their day of days -- July 4, in the year 1826.

Much about John Adams's life will come as a surprise to many readers. His courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits that few would have dared and that few readers will ever forget.

It is a life encompassing a huge arc -- Adams lived longer than any president. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, from the Court of St. James's, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation, to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.]]> 751 David McCullough 0743223136 Mike 0 to-read 4.08 2001 John Adams
author: David McCullough
name: Mike
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
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]]> The Diary of a Young Girl 48855 Anne Frank’s Diary has become a timeless classic; a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and a moving testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

In 1942, as the Nazis occupied Holland, thirteen-year-old Anne Frank and her Jewish family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until they were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived in the cramped “Secret Annexe� of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they endured hunger, boredom, the strain of close quarters, and the constant fear of discovery and death.

Through it all, Anne documented her experiences in a diary filled with vivid observations. At times thoughtful, poignant, and even unexpectedly funny, her writing offers a remarkable window into the strength and vulnerability of the human spirit. It’s both a compelling self-portrait of a bright, spirited young woman and a heartbreaking glimpse of a life that should have been far longer.]]> 283 Anne Frank Mike 5 4.19 1947 The Diary of a Young Girl
author: Anne Frank
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1947
rating: 5
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