It Is Going To Be A Good Year

Poetry. Bank robberies. Kissing. Presidential announcements. Suits. In his first full-length book of poetry, Sasha Fletcher chronicles the domestic lives of two people living with ghosts, certain doom, an unidentifiable number of children, and each other. Funny and disastrous, tragic and optimistic, IT IS GOING TO BE A GOOD YEAR is the sort of love story that you only hear about when you listen, very carefully, to the kind of things you are too terrified to ask for. "There are ghosts in this book, which means there's an afterlife. You might even be in the afterlife. But even though there's an afterlife, I'm sorry, you're still going to need to find something to eat, and the Beloved is still going to leave you. I love Sasha Fletcher's voice for the fearless way it celebrates the world's collapse and for its endless confidence. Listen: it is going to be a good year, whether it is going to be a good year or not." Josh Bell"

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

The creator of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" details the one-year experiment with saying "yes" that transformed her life, revealing how accepting unexpected invitations she would have otherwise declined enabled powerful benefits.

"This is LIFE, people! You've got air coming through your nose! You've got a heartbeat! That means it's time to do something!" announces Kid President in his book, Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome. From YouTube sensation (75 million views and counting!) to Hub Network summer series star, Kid President—ten-year-old Robby Novak—and his videos have inspired millions to dance more, to celebrate life, and to throw spontaneous parades. In his Guide to Being Awesome, Kid President pulls together lists of awesome ideas to help the world, awesome interviews with his awesome celebrity friends (he has interviewed Beyoncé!), and a step-by-step guide to make pretty much everything a little bit awesomer. Grab a corn dog and settle in to your favorite comfy chair. Pretend it's your birthday! (In fact, treat everyone like it's THEIR birthday!) Kid President is here with a 240-page, full-color Guide to Being Awesome that'll spread love and inspire the world.

Traces the author's two-year exploration of a successful Sonoma County winery, a visit during which he learned about the intricate process of grape cultivating, the minutiae of wine creation, and the detailed efforts of marketing and selling.

If you've ever thought, "There must be more to life than this," The Art of Non-Conformity is for you. Based on Chris Guillebeau's popular online manifesto "A Brief Guide to World Domination," The Art of Non-Conformity defies common assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools to live differently. You'll discover how to live on your own terms by exploring creative self-employment, radical goal-setting, contrarian travel, and embracing life as a constant adventure. Inspired and guided by Chris's own story and those of others who have pursued unconventional lives, you can devise your own plan for world domination-and make the world a better place at the same time.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

Bisweilen schießen die Finanzmärkte entgegen allen Erwartungen in die Höhe und verschaffen den Investoren so überdurchschnittlich hohe Renditen von 35% und mehr in einem einzigen Jahr. Einmal ist es der Aktienmarkt, dann der Rentenmarkt oder der Immobilienmarkt. Dies ist das erste Buch, das den Versuch unternimmt, zu erklären, warum bestimmte Investitionen zu verschiedenen Zeiten in die Höhe geschnellt sind, damit Investoren ähnliche Trends in Zukunft rechtzeitig erkennen können. Jedes Kapitel vermittelt dem Leser einen echten Einblick in die Ereignisse der 10 besten Hausse-Jahre des vergangenen Jahrhunderts. Unterhaltsam und fesselnd geschrieben, gespickt mit zahlreichen historischen Anekdoten und schillernden Persönlichkeiten aus der jeweiligen Zeit, ist dieses Buch eine willkommene Lektüre nicht nur für Investoren, Finanzexperten, Journalisten und Studenten der Finanz- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, sondern ebenso für Interessierte Laien. (01/98)

A thoughtful picture book illustrating the power of small acts of kindness, from the award-winning author of Sophie's Squash.

Rural Cyprus, 1925. Despo is recently married, heavily pregnant and deeply afraid. The twelve days of Christmas are beginning – the time when, according to local folklore, creatures known as kalikantzari come up from Hell to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, her husband Loukas has troubles of his own. Struggling with dreams and desires he doesn’t understand, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to an Englishman, a newcomer to the island. In a village wreathed in superstition, Despo and Loukas must protect themselves and their unborn child from ominous forces at play.