Mr Shields: I'm a reader not a fighter

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Kaplan Protable GRE Exam

Kaplan Portable GRE Exam features:

Sharp Writing: Building Better Writing Skills

Sharp Writing is a compact guide with all the information you need to increase your grasp of language and boost your writing skills using Kaplan’s easy-to-follow Building Block Method.

Sharp Vocab: Building Better Vocabulary Skills

Sharp Vocab features:

• A 12-question diagnostic quiz to show readers where they need the most help.
• Topics broken down by subject to make it easy for the reader to group concepts together for easier memorization.
• A variety of practice exercises with detailed answer explanations for every topic.
• A 30-question recognition and recall practice set that includes material from the entire chapter, (and a few questions that cover material from the previous chapters) to once again reinforce what the reader has learned on a larger scale.
• Detailed answer explanations that follow each practice set.

Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary

Boost your verbal skills for the SAT exam with this powerful, portable dictionary featuring 1,000 of the most frequently tested words on the SAT.

Getting a great score on the SAT exam is essential for getting into a top college, and being equipped with serious verbal skills is crucial for SAT success. Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary, Second Edition takes a fun approach to building up your verbal ability, and includes:

• 1,000 frequently tested SAT words, including their definition, pronunciation and part of speech
• Helpful sentences to illustrate the proper use of each word
• Catchy mnemonic devices that help make words memorable
• Lots of fun illustrations throughout

Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary is perfect for serious students who want portable SAT prep and great test scores. Its perfect for an on-the-go lifestyle, and for use in conjunction with our other comprehensive SAT guides and workbooks.

Kaplan Portable GMAT

Kaplan Portable GMAT includes:

• Essential information about the test structure and scoring
• Exclusive score-raising tips and strategies
• Focused practice for each components of the test
• Targeted review of each question type

Kaplan PMBR: Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)

This book is designed to provide students with the focused review, effective practice, and suplemental study tools that are needed for success on the MPRE.  Features:

• Substantive outlines
• Model Rules of Professional Responsibility
• Model Code of Judicial Conduct
• ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility
• Practice questions with detailed answer explanations

About the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

• The MPRE can be, and almost always is, taken before graduation from law school.
• The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is a sixty question, two-hour and five minute, multiple-choice examination administered three times each year.
• The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is required for admission to the bars of all but three US jurisdictions.
• Passing scores, which are established by each jurisdiction, currently vary between 75 and 86.

MPRE scores from any jurisdiction in the United States are automatically recognized by all other jurisdictions (assuming that any special timing requirements are met), although in order to be admitted to a bar, an applicant must meet that jurisdiction’s minimum passing score. Scores on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), another component of the bar exam in almost all states, do not necessarily transfer between jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions will not accept an MBE score from any other jurisdiction; some others only accept MBE scores from another jurisdiction if the applicant is concurrently taking the bar exam in two jurisdictions; still others require a minimum MBE score for transfer.

Kaplan CCRN: Certification for Adult, Pediatric, and Neonatal Critical Care Nurses

Kaplan CCRN: Certification for Adult, Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care Nurses provides test prep for registered nurses studying for the CCRN.

• An in-depth look at all topics covered on the exam, from Cardiovascular to Renal to Gastroenterology and more
• Two full-length practice tests—one in the book, one online
• Detailed answer explanations
• Tips on tackling the computer-based test format
• Complete review of Professional Caring and Ethical Practice in the Synergy Model
• Advice on the toughest question types, with practice questions in every chapter
• Kaplan’s proven test-taking strategies

Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Constitutional Law: Core Concepts and Key Questions

Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Constitutional Law provides substantive outlines of core concepts and summary outlines. It also includes diagnostic true/false questions, multiple choice questions, and essay questions, which help students understand the black letter law of Constitutional Law and prepare for success on their exams.

Neverwhere has been on my to read list for quite a while.  I really like Neil Gaiman as an author.  My favorite book of his books is American Gods.  There really are few modern authors that get the idea of modern fantasy like Gaiman.

Neverwhere follows Richard Mayhew.  Richard is a nice London guy.  He stops to help a girl that is hurt.  What he does not realize is that the girl is not part of the ordinary world, but part of London Below.  Once he helps her, he ceases to exist in the regular London Above.  Suddenly the simple, easy world of London above is replaced by a much darker, more dangerous world of London Below.  Door, the girl he helped, is actually being hunted by two assassins that have been behind much of the disasters of the past 3000 years.  Door, with Richard and several others, must find the key to why her family has been killed, why the assassins are after her, and maybe how to get Richard back to London above.

Gaiman has lots of humor, although much of it is fairly dark.  I also really like the fact that Gaiman treats the reader as intelligent.  He has lots literary references, especially to mythology.  Gaiman doesn’t name drop these references but uses them to enhance the story.  If you do not get the reference, it is probably OK because the reference will make sense in context of the story.

I have had Neverwhere on my list for quite a while.  My wife’s cousin gave me a copy several months ago.  In the meantime, I decided to watch the BBC mini-series on Netflix.  The mini-series is six 30 minute episodes.  It is very true to the book.  So I had a very good idea of the story before I read it.  I actually thought the mini-series was very good, but no movie can quite get all of the internal processing and thought down.  And obviously it will not show the intricacy of the language.

If you decide to listen to the audiobook, it is Neil Gaiman that is narrating.  I am a fan of the author narrating and he does a good job on it.

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Motorcycles, Sushi& One Strange Book by Nancy Rue – Four girls are brought together through the power of a mysterious book that helps them sort through the issues of their very real lives.While family dinners and vacations to touristy destinations are ordinary events for her ‘normal’ friends, fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher’s normal life means dealing with her ADHD and her mother’s bipolar disorder. So why is Jessie shocked when the unexpected happens? Now her ‘normal’ includes living in Florida with the father she always thought was dead and learning the secrets of sushi from a man who teaches by tormenting her. Life isn’t any saner with her dad, but a cute guy and a mysterious book might just be the crazy Jessie needs.

Sophie’s World by Nancy Rue – Sophie isn’t happy. She’s convinced that her parents, especially her father, don’t love her as much as they love her high-achieving sister; her grades are poor; her classmates think she is weird; and her teachers tell her she daydreams too much (indeed, she does). If Jesus could only help her make just one friend . . . Then Fiona, new to the community, arrives on the scene. She is smart and self-assured, but best of all, she shares Sophie’s love of make-believe. Suddenly, Sophie’s life doesn’t seem so bleak. But, of course, it’s not quite that simple, and before long Sophie’s doing a little more praying and paying closer attention to following God’s plan by finding the best in herself and doing the right thing. Without heavy sermonizing, Rue smoothly works the idea of prayer in daily life into the story of an insecure kid whose problems with parents and “mean girls” have the ring of truth. The first book in the Faithgirlz series, this will have solid appeal for Christian tweens.

Sophie’s Secret by Nancy Rue – Sophie and her friends launch an ‘archaeological expedition’ and make a disturbing discovery. Sophie keeps digging to  uncover a shocking family secret. In light of this new revelation, will she ever be able to trust her parents again?

Catwalk by Melody Carson – Big Apple. Bigger Problems. The success of the Forrester sisters’ On the Runway TV show lands them a hot ticket to Fashion Week in New York City. Paige is determined to garner the attention of New York’s top designers, but her newfound fame threatens to go to her head. Erin wants to help promote the work of some eco-minded designers, but struggles to be taken seriously. Can Paige keep her prima donna behavior in check? Will Erin’s involvement hurt the people she’s really trying to help? Success in the big city comes with even bigger challenges, and as the pressure grows, so does the drama.

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery by James R Benn – 1st of a four book series

What’s a twenty-two-year-old Irish American cop who’s never been out of Massa-chusetts before doing at Beardsley Hall, an English country house, having lunch with King Haakon of Norway? Billy Boyle himself wonders. Back home in Southie, he’d barely made detective when war was declared. Unwilling to fight—and perhaps die—for England, he was relieved when his mother wangled a job for him on the staff of a general married to her distant cousin. But the general turns out to be Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose headquarters are in London, which is undergoing the Blitz. And Uncle Ike wants Billy to be his personal investigator.

Billy is dispatched to the seat of the Norwegian government in exile. Operation Jupiter, the impending invasion of Norway, is being planned, but it is feared that there is a German spy amongst the Norwegians.

Billy doubts his own abilities, with good reason. A theft and two murders test his investigative powers, but Billy proves to be a better detective than he or anyone else expected.

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier – Part of a longer series, not the first book but can read it independently

Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone’s farmhouse, life just hasn’t been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy’s lawn to another neighbor’s lovable dog, quaint Tinker’s Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn’t show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor–with a knife in her back.

While the police start their investigation, Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for the local Pennysaver–and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn’t like Mimi, but they certainly didn’t want her dead…right?

Demon by Tosca Lee – This is a free promotion from Lifeway Christian Book Stores.  The link is for a PDF or epub download.  If you have a kindle you can convert it using Calibre or you can email it to your @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com address for Amazon to convert it for you.

Recently divorced and mired in a meaningless existence, Clay drifts from his drab apartment to his equally lusterless job as an editor for a small Boston press–until the night Lucian finds him and everything changes with the simple words, “I’m going to tell you my story, and you’re going to write it down and publish it.”What begins as a mystery soon spirals into chaotic obsession as Clay struggles to piece together Lucian’s dark tale of love, ambition, and grace–only to discover that the demon’s story has become his own. And then only one thing matters: learning how the story ends.

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

It Takes a Genome: How a Clash Between Our Genes and Modern Life is Making Us Sick by Greg Gibson -

Human beings have astonishing genetic vulnerabilities. More than half of us will die from complex diseases that trace directly to those vulnerabilities, and the modern world we’ve created places us at unprecedented risk from them. In It Takes a Genome, Greg Gibson posits a revolutionary new hypothesis: Our genome is out of equilibrium, both with itself and its environment. Simply put, our genes aren’t coping well with modern culture. Our bodies were never designed to subsist on fat and sugary foods; our immune systems weren’t designed for today’s clean, bland environments; our minds weren’t designed to process hard-edged, artificial electronic inputs from dawn ‘til midnight. And that’s why so many of us suffer from chronic diseases that barely touched our ancestors.

Gibson begins by revealing the stunningly complex ways in which multiple genes cooperate and interact to shape our bodies and influence our behaviors. Then, drawing on the very latest science, he explains the genetic “mismatches” that increasingly lead to cancer, diabetes, inflammatory and infectious diseases, AIDS, depression, and senility. He concludes with a look at the probable genetic variations in human psychology, sharing the evidence that traits like introversion and agreeableness are grounded in equally complex genetic interactions.

It Takes A Genome demolishes yesterday’s stale debates over “nature vs. nurture,” introducing a new view that is far more intriguing, and far closer to the truth.

The Truth About Making Smart Decisions by Robert E. Gunther -

Everything you need to know to make smarter, better decisions—in business and in life!

• The truth about learning from your mistakes and those of others

•  The truth about how sleep can help you make better decisions

•  The truth about the power of acting decisively

This book brings together 50 powerful “truths” about making better decisions: real solutions for the tough challenges faced by every decision-maker, in business and in life. You’ll discover how to systematically prepare to make better decisions…how to get the right information, without getting buried in useless data…how to minimize your risks, and then act decisively…how to handle your emotions…make better group decisions…profit from mistakes…and a whole lot more. This isn’t “someone’s opinion”: it’s a definitive, evidence-based guide to effective decision-making…a set of bedrock principles you can rely on no matter what kind of decisions you make!

Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times by John M Huntsman -

The nationwide bestseller–fully updated for today’s tough times and worldwide financial crises

“Everyone does it.” Everyone cheats. Cuts corners. Tells lies. Maybe it was different once. Not today. If you want to succeed in this economic climate, you simply have to make compromises. Right?

Wrong. You can succeed at the highest levels, without sacrificing the principles that make life worth living. The proof? You’re holding it.

Jon M. Huntsman built a $12 billion company from scratch, the old-fashioned way: with integrity. There were short-term costs and difficult decisions. There were tough times. Times just like today. But ultimately, leading with integrity wasn’t just personally right for Huntsman, it also proved to be the best business strategy.

In Winners Never Cheat, Huntsman tells you how he did it, and how you can, too. This book is about remembering why you work, and why you were chosen to lead. It’s about finding the bravery to act on what you know is right, no matter what you’re up against.

It’s about winning. The right way.  Think about the kind of person you want to do business with. Then, be that person–and use this book to get you there.

Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life by Farnoosh Torabi -

In Psych Yourself Rich, TV’s newest personal finance star shows how to develop the mindset, discipline, and habits to grow wealth and achieve your goals on your own terms–without fear, anxiety, misery, or too much sacrifice. Farnoosh Torabi combines the latest approaches in behavioral psychology with a disciplined attitude to help you psych yourself into a place of financial well being. You’ll learn how to build a healthy view of money, investing, wealth, and aspirations…get beyond “lend-and-spend” to a deeper, more holistic view of money…discover why “he who dies with the most stuff” doesn’t win.

Then, you’ll map out a personal plan based on what you really care about in life–and learn how to get in gear, move forward, and transform your plans and dreams into reality.

Investing in Neglected Stocks by Scott Phillips – This appears to be a complete but very short book.

Hidden opportunities: how to find great stocks that the analysts aren’t covering.

Many years ago, Sir John Templeton offered some straightforward words on investing: “If you find one dozen analysts who all advise to purchase the same stock, you can be sure that the stock will not be a good purchase.” His point, of course, is that popular stocks often represent poor investments since their prospects have already been well recognized….

I have been in a reading rut for a few weeks. I have not been finishing much and I have not been writing much. Part of it is busyness. My wife is back teaching school, a full month now. I have a bunch of work to crank back up for my consulting job. And my nieces are not taking naps at the same time so I can get work done while they are sleeping.

But it is more than that. All the bloggers I know, especially book bloggers seem to go through slumps. Usually, I need to read more fiction when that happens, but I have just not been interested in reading at all. I started about 10 books and just could not get into them. But two I finally latched on to. Beyond The Reflection’s Edge is a free book I picked up about a month ago. I am trying to work through my To Be Read piles so I picked it up. (The second is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman which I will review on Wednesday.)

I am impressed. I like Science Fiction but am hesitant when I read science fiction that is not put out by standard science fiction publishing houses. There is a lot of bad science fiction out there, and a lot of good authors cranking out formulaic stuff.

Bryan Davis has some good ideas.  This book is targeted as a young adult book but other than the fact that the main characters are teens, it didn’t seem that young adult to me.  In general, the story is unique.  Nathan Shepherd is a 16 year old.  He is an accomplished musician.  He runs the business side of his father’s security business.  And he has a history of international intrigue, fighting terrorists, etc.  He is a modern, musical Johnny Quest with a tutor as a partner.  I am not turned off by too perfect lead character (but I think some will be).

Within the first couple chapters he is on the run, his parents have disappeared and may be dead.  He is shipped off to a friend of his fathers and some very weird thing start happening.  Eventually we realize this is a story about parallel dimensions.  There are three earths and each of them has similar characters.  Nathan (and his parents earlier) find they can move between the worlds.

Beyond the Reflection’s Edge is a good start to a trilogy.  There are several good strong female characters, which is unusual for Young Adult science fiction.  The action is fast paced but fairly believable (for science fiction.)  It is hard to review on the total storyline because this is still very open-ended.  (I am about a third of the way through the second book now.)

But there are some weaknesses.  First, the protagonists seem to be a bit too good.  I like that this book avoids bad language and sex, but there is an extended section about a lead teen girl being disappointed in herself for wearing a low cut, sexy dress (and liking the attention).   My guess is that there is more to the story that has not been revealed, but it seems more puritanical than real.  Second, the story can jump around a bit and be a little hard to track.  But if you keep working through it, things fall into place.  Third, this book is published by Zondervan (a Christian publisher).  Obviously, I am not anti-Christian if you read the rest of my reviews.  But I think it is hard to write good Christian science fiction.  This is not in your face with its Christianity, but I am not sure how it improves the story.  In many ways, the story would be exactly the same, without the occasional prayer or scripture reference.  Maybe later books will pull things together a bit more.

Overall, I thought it was a good book.   I enjoyed it and read it fairly quickly.  I hope I enjoy the later books as much as I enjoyed the first one.

I am having a hard time focusing on anything lately. I have read about 10 percent of six books in the last three days and just cannot get into anything.  So as a bit of humor here is an old video about what Gutenberg Tech Support might have been like.

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Fiction

Mourn The Living by Henry Perez

Wherever You Live- From city to city, one man walks the streets, carefully choosing his victims. Mercilessly, he cuts their throats. And with each kill, he leaves his chilling trademark, honed to razor-sharp perfection over decades of practice.

He’ll Find You-But now, reporter Alex Chapa is tracking the story, following the lead of a murdered colleague-and getting dangerously close to the most elusive serial killer in decades.

And Kill You-When the next victim surfaces bearing the unmistakable calling card, Alex realizes no one is safe from this psychopath’s murderous rage. For the killer has set his sights on Alex and those he loves-and only their blood will satisfy him.

Audiobooks

Audiobook Sync has been giving away two free audiobooks a week for the past couple weeks. But I am just getting wind of it.  There has been one new, and one old book along a similar theme.  The books are in mp3 format, so should work in most players.  This week the two books are:

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Read by Scott Brick) -

It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the misanthropic Edward Hyde.

The work is known for its vivid portrayal of a split personality, split in the sense that within the same person there is both an apparently good and an evil personality each being quite distinct from the other. The novella’s impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (link to free kindle version) was an immediate success and is one of Stevenson’s best-selling works. Stage adaptations began in Boston and London within a year of its publication and it has gone on to inspire scores of major film and stage performances.

Beastly by Alex Flinn (Kindle version – $6.99) - I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a mostly gross and occasionally very interesting book.

I purchased the book in the first place because I enjoyed Mary Roach’s previous book Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.  Roach’s writing style is unique.  She seems to just wander through thoughts as they come to her, giving research in one area and then another until you get back to the original point.  In reality, I think that she structures the books very cleanly so that they feel like narratives or ethnography, but they actually have quite a bit of research involved.  With both Bonk and Stiff, there were several times when I got bogged down in the research and studies, but the narrative and stories of the researchers (and how hard it is to do research in both areas) move the book along and give a place for the research to hang.

Stiff took me about a month to get through.  It is only about 8 hours of narrative, but frankly some of it is pretty hard to listen to.  Mostly interesting, but still hard.  The worst was the chapter on medicinal uses of cadavers (in other words, how folk medicine has used parts of dead bodies to incorporate into their medicine).  The chapter on decomposition of bodies was also pretty bad, but not nearly as stomach churning.

I bought the book because I liked the author more than the subject.  I finished the book still liking the author, but I really do not think I want to know anything else about cadavers.

Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSSor Twitter Feed. As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Non-Fiction

City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance and 9/11 by Anthony DePalma - On 9/11, the destruction of the World Trade Center unleashed a vortex of dust and ash that blotted out the sun–and has distorted science, medicine, and public policy ever since.

The likely dangers of 9/11’s massive dust cloud were evident from the beginning, yet thousands chose not to see, even as the sickening results of exposure became increasingly difficult to ignore. Why? And why have years of politics and courtroom maneuvers delayed justice for those who gave their all when the need was greatest? Anthony DePalma goes beyond his front-page coverage of ground zero in The New York Times, offering the first full accounting of one of the gravest environmental catastrophes in U.S. history. He separates myth from reality…reveals the decisions that destroyed public trust…shares powerful, never-before-told stories of the victims and those who’ve tried to help them…and helps us make sure this never happens again.

Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today by David P. Clark -  The Stunning Hidden Interconnections Between Microbes and Humanity

AD 452: Attila the Hun stands ready to sack Rome. No one can stop him–but he walks away. A miracle? No…dysentery. Microbes saved the Roman Empire. Nearly a millennium later, the microbes of the Black Death ended the Middle Ages, making possible the Renaissance, western democracy, and the scientific revolution. Soon after, microbes ravaged the Americas, paving the way for their European conquest.

Again and again, microbes have shaped our health, our genetics, our history, our culture, our politics, even our religion and ethics. This book reveals much that scientists and cultural historians have learned about the pervasive interconnections between infectious microbes and humans. It also considers what our ongoing fundamental relationship with infectious microbes might mean for the future of the human species.

Seeds of Destruction: Why the Path to Economic Ruin Runs Through Washington, and How to Reclaim American Prosperity by R. Glenn Hubbard and Peter Navarro -

In this book, a top Republican and Democratic economist explain why Obama’s economic policies are failing-and offer a commonsense blueprint for re-igniting long-term growth and prosperity for all Americans. They show how to overhaul the tax system, increase business investment, slash government spending, control entitlements, and even rebuild American manufacturing.

In this book, a top Republican and Democratic economist explain why Obama’s economic policies are failing…and offer a commonsense blueprint for re-igniting long-term growth and prosperity for all Americans. They show how to overhaul the tax system, increase business investment, slash government spending, control entitlements, and even rebuild American manufacturing.

Profiles of Remarkable Businesses by FT Press Delivers - A brand new collection of essential insights for your business and career from world-renowned experts-now in a convenient e-format, at a great price! Actionable lessons from a century of extraordinary businesses-from Ford to NetFlix, Wal-Mart to Zappos.  What you can learn from the world’s greatest businesses:

Included in this collection:

• How McDonald’s Got Its Groove Back (New Word City)
• Undoing Home Depot’s Demolition (New Word City)
• How Zappos Shoes In Success (New Word City)
• Sam Walton’s Way (New Word City)
• Oprah (Brand) Renew (Nancy F. Koehn)
• Henry Ford’s Way (New Word City)
• How UPS Delivers Again and Again (New Word City)
• How Netflix Produces Happy Endings (New Word City)
• How JetBlue Got Its Wings Back (New Word City)
• Bill Walsh’s Winning Ways (New Word City)
• How Kraft Crafted a Comeback (New Word City)
• Ray Kroc’s Way (New Word City)
• How Lego Built a Comeback (New Word City)
• How Intuit Turned Feedback into a Comeback (New Word City)

The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing by Natalie Canavor and Claire Meirowitz -

Business writing that packs a punch: Make the most of your message to get what you want! The truth about supercharging your business writing.  The truth about writing directly, clearly, and convincingly. The truth about writing in today’s varied business formats.

Simply the best thinking

THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

This book reveals 52 proven, bite-size, easy-to-use business writing techniques that work.

I am on a self imposed book buying fast.  I am trying to work through a significant portion of my long backlog of books between now and the new year.  Divine Justice was free on Audible.com.  (It still is as of Aug 14, 2010.  You need to get the audible.com software for a blackberry.  It is a promotional book for downloading the software on your phone.  I do not know if there is also a free book with other phone software.  There is not currently a free book with with the audible software for iphone/ipad.)

I listened to the majority of this book while running errands and cleaning house on Saturday.  It is not all that long, about six hours.  I doubt I would have picked it up if it were not free.  I don’t tend to pick general fiction books, unless I get a lot of good recommendations for it.  Divine Justice, is a semi-political spy story.  An ex-CIA hitman takes out several bad guys, one of them a Senator.  The rest of the book, he is being chased.  His old team is trying to help him out without getting noticed.  And there is a side story with the protagonist hiding out in a small mining town and getting caught up with some strange local matter.  (Think the A-Team.)

The most annoying part, is that the supposed professionals, both government and the friends of the protagonist, keep explaining what is going.  The way that always seems to happen is that one person doesn’t understand why the other is doing something, so we get a detailed description of what the next step is going to be.  It is pretty clear what is going on if you have watched any movies or read any spy novels.

The production of the audiobook is mixed.  The narrator is fairly good, but it annoyingly has background music at a number of points.  There are even background “gun shots” at a couple points.  In my mind, the story is most important.  Interlude music is OK if it is occasional and if it is only used to signify changed setting or chapters.  But I don’t think music should ever be used as a soundtrack to build suspense.  Most of the time it just feels cheesy.

The best part of the story is that it is fairly short.  The ending is more than a little far fetched and the way the story lines come together seems contrived.  It would make a good beach read if you do not want something too deep.  There is some action, a short love story, and an ending where all the good guys win and the bad guys get caught or killed.  I cannot complain for a free book.  But I would be disappointed if I had paid much for it.

I am not going to turn this site into a movie review site.  But my wife and I used to watch a lot of movies.  We joined Netflix soon after it started and for a year or so our church small group was a movie watching group.  Five of the six in the group were in seminary or had recently graduated from seminary and working at a church.  We were all a bit burned out on the standard small group fare.  So we became “movie church”.  We had dinner and watched a movie one week and then had a long dinner and discussed the movie the next week.  We started with a book to walk us through several fairly obscure movies, but then let the group pick the movies and lead the discussion.  Netflix was perfect because we did not have to rent the same movie twice from Blockbuster, we just kept the Netflix movie for the two weeks for the group.

But then the group fell apart, we had two foster kids and we stopped Netflix and really have not been watching a lot of movies.  Once we got the iPad, we started the lowest subscription in order to stream shows for my nieces on the iPad.  But we have been getting one movie at a time.  That those movies have made me want to watch movies more often.

I was never all that cool growing up, and I never wanted to spend the money I did have on video games and comic books.  But I wanted to be cool and have video games and comic books.  I did spend a lot of time reading science fiction, history, westerns, and fantasy books.  So I get the jump into another person’s story, or the desire to be a hero that comes out of the movie.

The short plot description, is that Scott Pilgrim starts dating Ramona.  Ramona has seven evil ex’s that must be defeated before Pilgrim can continue to date.  And by defeated, I mean killed video game style.  The battles are classic video game/anime fight scenes.  Everyone thinks the fights are a bit odd, but doesn’t really question them happening, just why Pilgrim has to have the fights.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World ends up being a mix of video game hero and strange love story.  The special effects and popup descriptors add a lot of fun and humor to the movie.  Overall, I thought it was a great movie.   I may not really want to put the in the time and money to be a video game/comic book geek now, but as a “Geek Wanna Be” I was greatly entertained for 2 hours.