Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That’s Bringing Common Sense Back to America

Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That’s Bringing Common Sense Back to America

By Mike Huckabee

When Governor Mike Huckabee entered the Republican presidential race, he was the ultimate dark horse, with almost no money, no consultants, and no name recognition beyond Arkansas. The so-called experts were highly amused by this former small state governor from blue-collar roots who also played bass in a rock band. He wouldn’t have a prayer against the well-connected and financially wired pros like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson.

But Huckabee had one big advantage: a common sense message that connected with millions of people, and not just his fellow evangelical Christians. He spoke about family values, fair taxes, and helping hard-working, middle-class Americans in a tough economy. And to the dismay of some Republicans, he talked about fighting Wall Street greed and K Street corruption.

First I would like to tackle the negatives because there are a few. I noticed about 6-8 grammatical errors, if not more, in the book. I found a couple of spelling errors as well such as “he” instead of “the”. There is a reference to “Naaman” that should actually be “Nathan”. I guess ultimately, the editor is responsible for those but either way, they are mildly disappointing.

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The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (Vintage)

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (Vintage)

By Lewis Hyde

By now a modern classic, The Gift is a brilliantly orchestrated defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities. Widely available again after twenty-five years, this book is even more necessary today than when it first appeared. An illuminating and transformative book, and completely original in its view of the world, The Gift is cherished by artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers. It is in itself a gift to all who discover the classic wisdom found in its pages.

This book is the antidote to university education or years in the workforce. It is the same truth that broke my heart rearranged to buck it up again. Mr. Hyde, I only hope someday I can give it back again.

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Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis

Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis

By Tom Daschle

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee necessary health care to all of its citizens, and as former senator Daschle observes, Skeptics say we can’t afford to cover everyone; the truth is that we can’t afford not to because U.S. economic competitiveness is being impeded by the large uninsured population and fast-rising health costs. Daschle’s book delineates the weaknesses of previous attempts at national health coverage, outlines the complex economic factors and medical issues affecting coverage and sets forth plans for change. Daschle proposes creating a Federal Health Board, similar to the Federal Reserve System, whose structure, functions and enforcement capability would be largely insulated from the politics and passion of the moment, in addition to a merging of employers’ plans, Medicaid and Medicare with an expanded FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) that would cover everyone. There is no more important issue facing our country, Daschle asserts, than reform of our health-care system, and the book’s health-care horror stories bring this immediacy home. (Feb. 19)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This book is sound in its review of the history and science of need and opportunity for health care reform. While our new Secretary of HHS,former Senator Tom Daschle knows how to relate to congress to get needed changes, this book shows he has a great fundamental approach to the use of government leadership as well as market forces to assure affordable and effective health care for all Americans.

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Annie Leibovitz at Work

Annie Leibovitz at Work

By Annie Leibovitz

“The first thing I did with my very first camera was climb Mt. Fuji. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a lesson in determination and moderation. It would be fair to ask if I took the moderation part to heart. But it certainly was a lesson in respecting your camera. If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant. There were not going to be any pictures without it.”

At Work” provides a wonderful overview of Annie Leibovitz’s career. And what a career it has been — she’s been on the road with the Rolling Stones, she’s photographed the Queen of England, the list goes on and on.

Unlike many photo/text books, this is not a how-to book. Sure, there is information on the equipment used for particular shoots, etc. That’s not at all what “At Work” is about, though. Instead, it seems to be more about Ms. Leibovitz’s progression as an artist. She shares the difficulties, occassional insecurities and successes she’s had throughout the years.

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Trump University Commercial Real Estate 101: How Small Investors Can Get Started and Make It Big

Trump University Commercial Real Estate 101: How Small Investors Can Get Started and Make It Big

By David Lindahl, Trump University, Donald J. Trump

Trump University books are practical, straightforward primers on the basics of doing business the Trump way–successfully. Each book is written by a leading expert in the field and includes an inspiring Foreword by Trump himself. Key ideas throughout are illustrated by real-life examples from Trump and other senior executives in the Trump organization. Perfect for anyone who wants to get ahead in business, with or without the MBA, these streetwise books provide real-world business advice based on the one thing readers can’t get in any business school–experience.

You Don’t Have to Be a Billionaire to Make It Big in Commercial Real Estate!

For first-timers and experienced residential investors alike, Trump University Commercial Real Estate Investing 101 provides a clear path to breaking into the lucrative field of commercial investing. Combining the biggest name in business with lessons from a top real estate investor, this practical guide covers all the ins and outs of successful, profitable investing in apartment buildings and small commercial properties.

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John Lennon: The Life

John Lennon: The Life

By Philip Norman

For more than a quarter century, Philip Norman’s internationally bestselling Shout! has been unchallenged as the definitive biography of the Beatles. Now, at last, Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world’s most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the comprehensive and most revealing portrait of John Lennon that is ever likely to be published.

Most beloved public figures have many facets — some of them nasty, some of them pleasant and admirable. Most biographies either focus on the good, or the bad.

But fortunately, Philip Norman is making a valiant effort to show, if not all of John Lennon’s facets, then as many of them as possible. Having explored the Beatles and their impact on a generation, Norman narrows his focus down to “John Lennon: The Life” — and he does a superb job unearthing the many details, relationships and differing faces of this much-lamented rock star. We’ll never get a John Lennon autobiography, but Norman does a pretty good job of getting inside his shaggy head.

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Ender in Exile (Ender)

Ender in Exile (Ender)

By Orson Scott Card

After twenty-three years, Orson Scott Card returns to his acclaimed best-selling series with the first true, direct sequel to the classic Ender’s Game.

In Ender’s Game, the world’s most gifted children were taken from their families and sent to an elite training school. At Battle School, they learned combat, strategy, and secret intelligence to fight a dangerous war on behalf of those left on Earth. But they also learned some important and less definable lessons about life.

The luck of the irish, I managed to read these books in order of their timeline. First I read Enders Game and then I read the Shadow Series of books; I then read Ender in Exile, a sequal to enders game which parallels the shadow series. The conclusion of this book leads into Speaker for the the Dead and it’s sequals. For me, reading the novels in this order is the best way to keep the facts straight while not spoiling the impact and suspense of events by reading them out of order. If you read the books in the order in which released it may be confusing like walking into a Quentin Tarantino film half way through.

Right after Ender’s Game I was really excited to go and read Speaker for the Dead right after, but I was kind of disappointed to find that it came so long after Ender’s Game and had very little explanation of what happens right after Ender’s Game. Since then I’ve read that speaker was supposed to be it’s own novel without Ender, but when writing the Ender’s Game novel Card realized that it would work well with Ender, so he kind of just threw him in there and put a last chapter in Ender’s game to lead up to Speaker.

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The Great Crash of 1929

The Great Crash of 1929

By John Kenneth Galbraith

Of Galbraith’s classic examination of the 1929 financial collapse, the Atlantic Monthly said:”Economic writings are seldom notable for their entertainment value, but this book is. Galbraith’s prose has grace and wit, and he distills a good deal of sardonic fun from the whopping errors of the nation’s oracles and the wondrous antics of the financial community.” Now, with the stock market riding historic highs, the celebrated economist returns with new insights on the legacy of our past and the consequences of blind optimism and power plays within the financial community.

First published in 1954, this book is understandably piquing interest because of the current financial issues facing the United States and world. The causes of the 1929 crash do seem similar in many ways to the current issues of today in 2008. However, many circumstances are similar, as many are different.

Galbraith wrote The Great Crash in 1954 and he notes in his introduction that every time it was about to go out-of-print a new speculative mania would come along and a new printing would issue. One expects that the 2008 version must be in the works.

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Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood

Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood

By Steve Doocy

Steve Doocy is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and cohost of Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel. He has earned reporting and writing awards from the Associated Press, Sigma Delta Chi, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and has worked at NBC, CBS, and Fox. He and his wife, Kathy, live just outside of New York City with their three children, who grow up over the course of these two hundred some-odd pages.

Steve Doocy has done it again with “Tales from the Dad Side” book. It is real life, funny, and full of great stories that match my own experiences. This book should be turned into a weekly sitcom. I wouldn’t expect any less from Steve Doocy, whom I love to watch on Fox and Friends where he shares his life along with the news. Get this book and laugh, smile and share with your own family and friends!

I bought this because my I like Steve Doocy and his easy going manner and as a gift for my husband. I also have two sons who have just become fathers and thought they would enjoy this book. I read it and laughed out loud! I can relate to so many incidents, funny and sad, that Doocy described in the book and know my sons and husband will as well. Each of the boys will get a copy for Christmas. It’s refreshing to read something that makes us feel good all over.

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How to Win Friends & Influence People

How to Win Friends & Influence People

By Dale Carnegie

This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to “the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people.” He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person’s point of view and “arousing in the other person an eager want.” You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, “let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers,” and “talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.” Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks.

El secreto de los multimillonarios reside en este libro. Por mas de 7 decadas se ha mantenido como el mejor libro de aprender a llevarse con las personas.

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