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The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

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by: Michael Pollan

August 28, 2007
This book could be broken down into three parts. The first few chapters document the shocking state of our current agricultural industry and in particular the ecological costs of our massive overproduction of corn and the consequences it is having on the beef we eat. The middle portion is a first hand description of one farm in particular that has bucked the trend and still remained viable. This is then expanded into a more comprehensive look at the organic food industry and how it is evolving. Finally the author takes us on his own personal journey as he attempts to become a hunter/gatherer and ultimately prepare a meal in keeping with the philosophy set forth by the slow food movement.
The author is a journalist who I feel really attempts ... Read More:

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The Graveyard Book

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by: Neil Gaiman

September 30, 2008
Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt ... Read More:

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World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide

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from: Brady Games

November 11, 2008
Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt ... Read More:

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Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

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by: Chip Heath, Dan Heath

January 02, 2007
Tremendous book,

I have taken to quoting it as well having employed it in my day to day business. I developed my company's raison d'etre by following the recommendation and allthough I always used story telling as a way to get my points across I no longer feel embarrased about being hokey or "rube-ish"

Frankly this is the only book I have read (and re-read) in years which I can truly state made changes to my life.

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The Secret

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from: Atria Books/Beyond Words

November 28, 2006
A movie first and then turned into a book, "The Secret" is about getting what you want by knowing what you want and keeping it at the forefront of your thoughts. It gets this concept across really well and is a quite entertaining book. The downside is that there is really nothing new here that hasn't already been published many times before, many decades ago (I'm thinking of books like It Works).

Thinking is great, but life also requires us to "do" a little too in order to make things happen- recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator for more info on that.

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

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by: Jim Collins

October 04, 2001
Good to Great is a new and different research on the forces that drive change in all types of organizations. Written in textbook style, Jim Collins' book aims to help the reader bring his organization from a good (read average) level of performance to a great one by presenting and analyzing the case of a dozen Forbes 500 companies that have achieved the deed.

According to Good to Great, the first step in achieving greatness lies in the selection of a special, ``Level 5'', manager who will install a climate of passion, debate and performance in his company while remaining modest. Other important factors in becoming great are a management that analyzes and believes in data, a culture of discipline inside the company, a well-defined and well-applied business ... Read More:

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Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

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by: Dan Ariely

February 07, 2008

At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and thus predictable.) So I began to read his book with curiosity but also, yes, with some skepticism. Here are a few of my reactions. First, he learned a number of "lessons" from what he calls "experiments" in his life, each of which struck him as being counterintuitive. For example, everything is relative...even when "it shouldn't be"...or in fact isn't. That is, our mind can "play tricks" on us and thus we tend to see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, etc. Images and sounds are relative ... Read More:

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Contact Charlie: The Canadian Army, The Taliban and the Battle that Saved Afghanistan

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Chris Wattie

October 10, 2008

At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and thus predictable.) So I began to read his book with curiosity but also, yes, with some skepticism. Here are a few of my reactions. First, he learned a number of "lessons" from what he calls "experiments" in his life, each of which struck him as being counterintuitive. For example, everything is relative...even when "it shouldn't be"...or in fact isn't. That is, our mind can "play tricks" on us and thus we tend to see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, etc. Images and sounds are relative ... Read More:

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Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites

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by: Giada De Laurentiis

September 30, 2008

At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and thus predictable.) So I began to read his book with curiosity but also, yes, with some skepticism. Here are a few of my reactions. First, he learned a number of "lessons" from what he calls "experiments" in his life, each of which struck him as being counterintuitive. For example, everything is relative...even when "it shouldn't be"...or in fact isn't. That is, our mind can "play tricks" on us and thus we tend to see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, etc. Images and sounds are relative ... Read More:

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Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook

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by: Jamie Oliver

September 20, 2007
Not only does this book have incredibly tasty and easy to make recipes, it has sparked a passion for cooking in my husband and I couldn't be a happier wife! ;)