The Gilded Hour


Book Description

Haunted by childhood losses in spite of successful medical careers in 1883 New York City, surgeon Anna Savard and her obstetrician cousin, Sophie, consider taking in a child and helping a desperate young mother, while avoiding dangerous anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock.




Five Stars


Book Description

“As technology threatens to displace countless jobs and skills, the ability to communicate is becoming more important than ever. This book is full of examples to help you get better at transporting your thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg How to master the art of persuasion—from the bestselling author of Talk Like TED. Ideas don’t sell themselves. As the forces of globalization, automation, and artificial intelligence combine to disrupt every field, having a good idea isn’t good enough. Mastering the ancient art of persuasion is the key to standing out, getting ahead, and achieving greatness in the modern world. Communication is no longer a “soft” skill—it is the human edge that will make you unstoppable, irresistible, and irreplaceable—earning you that perfect rating, that fifth star. In Five Stars, Carmine Gallo, bestselling author of Talk Like TED, breaks down how to apply Aristotle’s formula of persuasion to inspire contemporary audiences. As the nature of work changes, and technology carries things across the globe in a moment, communication skills become more valuable—not less. Gallo interviews neuroscientists, economists, historians, billionaires, and business leaders of companies like Google, Nike, and Airbnb to show first-hand how they use their words to captivate your imagination and ignite your dreams. In the knowledge age—the information economy—you are only as valuable as your ideas. Five Stars is a book to help you bridge the gap between mediocrity and exceptionality, and gain your competitive edge in the age of automation. In Five Stars, you will also learn: -The one skill billionaire Warren Buffett says will raise your value by 50 percent. -Why your job might fall into a category where 75 percent or more of your income relies on your ability to sell your idea. -How Airbnb’s founders follow a classic 3-part formula shared by successful Hollywood movies. -Why you should speak in third-grade language to persuade adult listeners. -The one brain hack Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Picasso used to unlock their best ideas.




Forty Autumns


Book Description

In this illuminating and deeply moving memoir, a former American military intelligence officer goes beyond traditional Cold War espionage tales to tell the true story of her family—of five women separated by the Iron Curtain for more than forty years, and their miraculous reunion after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Forty Autumns makes visceral the pain and longing of one family forced to live apart in a world divided by two. At twenty, Hanna escaped from East to West Germany. But the price of freedom—leaving behind her parents, eight siblings, and family home—was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband and had children of her own. Growing up near Washington, D.C., Hanna’s daughter, Nina Willner became the first female Army Intelligence Officer to lead sensitive intelligence operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though only a few miles separated American Nina and her German relatives—grandmother Oma, Aunt Heidi, and cousin, Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team—a bitter political war kept them apart. In Forty Autumns, Nina recounts her family’s story—five ordinary lives buffeted by circumstances beyond their control. She takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under Communist rule, revealing both the cruel reality her relatives endured and her own experiences as an intelligence officer, running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk. A personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city and a nation, and continues to haunt us, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and love—of five women whose spirits could not be broken, and who fought to preserve what matters most: family. Forty Autumns is illustrated with dozens of black-and-white and color photographs.




The Five Star Church


Book Description

Ever wonder how a restaurant or hotel earns a five-star rating? Is it the people? The location? The service? In most cases, it is all of this and more. Why should your church be any different? The Five Star Church reveals how you can pursue Christian excellence and uphold the Lord's command to "honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10). It contains tips, tools and the inspiration you need to build a top-quality church that people will flock to and participate in. Now matter how small your ministry or budget, God can use your church effectively to make everyone there feel welcome and cared for - the marks of a five-star church!




The Prince of Midnight


Book Description

The reclusive S.T. Maitland, once known as the Prince of Midnight, is now hiding out in a crumbling castle in France. He is deaf in on ear, suffers from vertigo, and is desperately longing for a woman's company.




The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building


Book Description

Matt Mochary coaches the CEOs of many of the fastest-scaling technology companies in Silicon Valley. With The Great CEO Within, he shares his highly effective leadership and business-operating tools with any CEO or manager in the world. Learn how to efficiently scale your business from startup to corporation by implementing a system of accountability, effective problem-solving, and transparent feedback. Becoming a great CEO requires training. For a founding CEO, there is precious little time to complete that training, especially at the helm of a rapidly growing company. Now you have the guidance you need in one book.




Kiss Me, Genius Boy


Book Description

"In that moment, there arose all the resolve I hoped would be with me when I finally met her, and my vertigo turned to exultation. So what if she was married? I had contemplated that long ago, and decided I'd have her anyway." Joshua Rivers was born to expect great things. A former child prodigy and the son of a lottery winner, he also believes himself blessed with a vision of his perfect destiny and his perfect love. Now in his early twenties, Joshua already feels left behind by life. His long-time lover Lilian Lau is well on her way to becoming a famous artist, and his former classmates are also racing toward their success. Meanwhile, he waits for the moment, and the girl, that will show him his time has finally arrived. When it does, he resolves to take what is his, whatever it costs him or anyone. Kiss Me, Genius Boy is the first part of the No More Dreams series: an unusual story about love, ambition, and the problems of being privileged. ---- Praise for Kiss Me Genius Boy: "I’ve been telling my friends how refreshing it is to read something by one of my generation, instead of something by someone that's dead. … Above all I admired the pithy, adroit little maxims on the nature of things." —Dylan Thorn, author of I'm Dead "Uniquely refreshing … particularly erotic in its unabashed candidness." —Madeline R. "A page turner, very funny and unusually honest and frank … Lily really steals the show. A nymphomaniacal exploiter of men and women, a deeply interesting, entertaining and wild character who lights up every page she is on." —Nicola G. "Just read Berko scene from KMGB. Kick ASS! That scene just earnt me buying vol 2 when it comes out. Lily needs a cape and skin-tight leather pants. Lily needs her own graphic novel. Lily should be immortal, and probably is. Read KMGB so you can meet Lily. I secretly think she is Joshua's alter-ego. I think she might now also be mine." —Esme F. "Simple, direct but with subtle, thought-provoking passages about self-awareness and one’s relation to life and others. I can’t wait for the next book." —Aiza C. "Honestly I love it. It made me realize more the complexities and dimensions of love and loving." —Mary J. T.




Five Star Service, One Star Budget


Book Description

This book provides readers with strategies and advice on providing top quality customer service at very low cost to their organisation. It aims to help readers make their customer and colleagues happier; develop their careers; grow their customer base; get repeat orders and referrals. Table of contents: * The service star * Wee wows * The top three referability habits * The emotional bank account * Putting on the Ritz * 99 percent of people are good * Designing fantastic customer service * Beware the silent customer * RADAR thinking * RADAR thinking at work * Send cards * The customer is always right - not! * Feel, felt, found * What's in a smile? * One chance to make a first impression * I honestly don't care about your problems * Empowering service * Creativity gives better service * It's not what you say * It's your best friend - the awkward customer * Be individual, encourage individuals * Prepare for and relish competition * The difference between one, some, many and all * Super script * Voicemail, answering machines and automated call queue systems * Telephone services * Advanced telephone service * Tiny steps to giant strides * What's in a name? * Hills and valleys * Good ideas verses desirable ideas * Ring the bell * Spanners and heros * Know your competition * Speed it up!




The Lacquered Talisman


Book Description

A sweeping coming-of-age epic, The Lacquered Talisman launches the story of one of the most influential figures in Chinese history. He is the son of a bean curd seller and he will found the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644. Known as "Fortune" as a boy, Zhu Yuanzhang is part of a large and doting family who shepherd him through hardship until drought and plague ravage the countryside. Left with nothing but a lacquered necklace from his grandfather, Fortune is deposited in the village temple and is soon wandering the countryside as a begging monk. He encounters pockets of resistance to the ruling Mongol dynasty, studies the stars, and tangles with Daoists as he seeks to understand his destiny. Signs and dreams convince him that he has a special fate. Is he to be the abbot of a monastery? A general? What matters most is that he proves himself to be a filial son. Praise for The Lacquered Talisman: "Historical fiction lovers will delight in The Lacquered Talisman, which gives us a vividly-imagined, brilliantly-told story of a real-life emperor's humble origins. The first part of a biography of the first Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, it is a vivid and engaging portrayal of a young man determined to honor the love and sacrifices of his tragedy-stricken family, set against the beautifully-drawn backdrop of 14th century China." --IndieReader "This epic coming of age story is about Fortune, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, as a boy until he reached the age of twenty-three. The author writes in a literary style, and although it is fiction, it reads similar to an account told by a first-person narrator. The style is evocative of the ancient Classic style and suits this lovely novel exactly." --Discovering Diamonds




Five Star Billionaire


Book Description

In the Man Booker prize-longlisted ‘Five Star Billionaire’ Tash Aw charts the overlapping lives of migrant Malaysian workers, forging lives for themselves in sprawling Shanghai.