Music, Lyrics, and Life: A Field Guide for the Advancing Songwriter by Mike Errico

 

 

Music, Lyrics, and Life is the songwriting class you always wish you'd taken, taught by the professor you always wish you'd had. It's a deep dive into the heart of questions asked by songwriters of all levels, from how to begin journaling to when you know that a song is finished. With humor and empathy, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mike Errico unravels both the mystery of songwriting and the logistics of life as a songwriter. For years, this set of tools, prompts, and ideas has inspired students on campuses including Yale, Wesleyan, Berklee, Oberlin, and NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

Alongside his own lessons, Errico interviews the writers, producers, and A&R executives behind today's biggest hits and investigates the larger questions of creativity through lively conversations with a wide range of innovative thinkers: astrophysicist Janna Levin explains the importance of repetition, both in choruses and in the exploration of the universe; renowned painter John Currin praises the constraints of form, whether it's within a right-angled canvas or a three-minute pop song; bestselling author George Saunders unpacks the hidden benefit of writing, and revising, authentically; and much more. The result is that Music, Lyrics, and Life ends up revealing as much about the art of songwriting as it does about who we are, and where we may be going.

This is a book for songwriters, future content creators, music lovers, and anyone who wants to understand how popular art forms are able to touch us so deeply. Mike Errico has honed these lessons over years of writing, performing, teaching, and mentoring, and no matter where you are on your songwriting journey, Music, Lyrics, and Life will help you build a creative world that's both intrinsic to who you are, and undeniable to whoever is listening.

 

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos Book 1 of 2: 12 Rules for Life | by Jordan B. Peterson

 

 

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER 
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Humorous, surprising and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.
     What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Part of: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2 Books) | by Mark Manson

 

 

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Over 2 million copies sold

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.

 

Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French

 

 

**New York Times Bestseller**

From Erin French, owner of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen, a TIME world dining destination, a life-affirming memoir about survival, renewal, and finding a community to lift her up

Long before The Lost Kitchen became a world dining destination with every seating filled the day the reservation book opens each spring, Erin French was a girl roaming barefoot on a 25-acre farm, a teenager falling in love with food while working the line at her dad’s diner and a young woman finding her calling as a professional chef at her tiny restaurant tucked into a 19th century mill. This singular memoir―a classic American story―invites readers to Erin's corner of her beloved Maine to share the real person behind the “girl from Freedom” fairytale, and the not-so-picture-perfect struggles that have taken every ounce of her strength to overcome, and that make Erin’s life triumphant.

In Finding Freedom, Erin opens up to the challenges, stumbles, and victories that have led her to the exact place she was ever meant to be, telling stories of multiple rock-bottoms, of darkness and anxiety, of survival as a jobless single mother, of pills that promised release but delivered addiction, of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self. And of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food―as a source of comfort, a sense of place, as a way of bringing goodness into the world. Erin’s experiences with deep loss and abiding hope, told with both honesty and humor, will resonate with women everywhere who are determined to find their voices, create community, grow stronger and discover their best-selves despite seemingly impossible odds. Set against the backdrop of rural Maine and its lushly intense, bountiful seasons, Erin reveals the passion and courage needed to invent oneself anew, and the poignant, timeless connections between food and generosity, renewal and freedom.

Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life by Sarah Jakes Roberts

 

 

Sarah Jakes Roberts, with life-lessons she’s learned and new insights from the story of Eve, shows you how the disappointments and even mistakes of your past can be used today to help you become the woman God intended.

Who would imagine being friends with Eve—the woman who’s been held solely responsible for the fall of humanity (and cramps) for thousands of years? Certainly not Sarah Jakes Roberts. That is, not until Sarah discovered she is more like Eve than she cares to admit.

Everyone faces trials, and everyone will mess up. But failure should not be the focus. Your focus should not be on who you were but rather the pursuit of who you can become. In Woman Evolve, Sarah helps you to understand that your purpose in life does not change; it evolves.

Making her mistake in the Garden of Eden, Eve became the first woman to deal with rebuilding her life in the aftermath of her past. Eve knew better, but she didn’t do better. With scriptural lessons and Sarah as your guide, you discover and work through

• past issues and questions that haunt you,
• seeing yourself as God sees you and trusting Him with who you really are,
• how to come out of darkness and pursue a real relationship with God,
• why it’s important to truly care for yourself,
• setting in motion the beautiful seed that God planted in you, and
• running to become who you were meant to be!

Your fears and insecurities may have changed how you viewed God, others, and yourself, but in Woman Evolve, you can breakthrough and use past mistakes to revolutionize your life. Like Eve, you don’t have to live your future defined by your past.

 

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White

 

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of A. Lincoln, a major new biography of one of America’s greatest generals—and most misunderstood presidents

Winner of the William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography • Finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Book Prize

In his time, Ulysses S. Grant was routinely grouped with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the “Trinity of Great American Leaders.” But the battlefield commander–turned–commander-in-chief fell out of favor in the twentieth century. In American Ulysses, Ronald C. White argues that we need to once more revise our estimates of him in the twenty-first.

Based on seven years of research with primary documents—some of them never examined by previous Grant scholars—this is destined to become the Grant biography of our time. White, a biographer exceptionally skilled at writing momentous history from the inside out, shows Grant to be a generous, curious, introspective man and leader—a willing delegator with a natural gift for managing the rampaging egos of his fellow officers. His wife, Julia Dent Grant, long marginalized in the historic record, emerges in her own right as a spirited and influential partner.

Grant was not only a brilliant general but also a passionate defender of equal rights in post-Civil War America. After winning election to the White House in 1868, he used the power of the federal government to battle the Ku Klux Klan. He was the first president to state that the government’s policy toward American Indians was immoral, and the first ex-president to embark on a world tour, and he cemented his reputation for courage by racing against death to complete his Personal Memoirs. Published by Mark Twain, it is widely considered to be the greatest autobiography by an American leader, but its place in Grant’s life story has never been fully explored—until now.

One of those rare books that successfully recast our impression of an iconic historical figure, American Ulysses gives us a finely honed, three-dimensional portrait of Grant the man—husband, father, leader, writer—that should set the standard by which all future biographies of him will be measured.

Praise for American Ulysses

“[Ronald C. White] portrays a deeply introspective man of ideals, a man of measured thought and careful action who found himself in the crosshairs of American history at its most crucial moment.”—USA Today

“White delineates Grant’s virtues better than any author before. . . . By the end, readers will see how fortunate the nation was that Grant went into the world—to save the Union, to lead it and, on his deathbed, to write one of the finest memoirs in all of American letters.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Ronald White has restored Ulysses S. Grant to his proper place in history with a biography whose breadth and tone suit the man perfectly. Like Grant himself, this book will have staying power.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Magisterial . . . Grant’s esteem in the eyes of historians has increased significantly in the last generation. . . . [American Ulysses] is the newest heavyweight champion in this movement.”—The Boston Globe 

“Superb . . . illuminating, inspiring and deeply moving.”—Chicago Tribune

“In this sympathetic, rigorously sourced biography, White . . . conveys the essence of Grant the man and Grant the warrior.”—Newsday

 

Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good by Tina Turner

 

 

Tina Turner--beloved living legend--returns with a deeply personal and inspiring book that reveals the wisdom behind her journey to joy and provides a practical guide to finding happiness in your own life.

Tina is a global icon of hope. And now, with Happiness Becomes You, she shows how anyone can overcome obstacles in life--even transform the impossible to possible--and fulfill our dreams. She shows how we, too, can improve our lives, empowering us with spiritual tools and sage advice to enrich our unique paths. 

For decades, Tina has shined brightly as an example of someone who can generate hope from nothing, break through all limitations, and achieve success that endures. Drawing on the lessons of her own experiences--rising out of sorrowful lows to stratospheric heights--she illuminates the practical principles of Buddhism and how they have helped her elevate from despair, adversity, and poverty to joy, stability, and prosperity. Now, Tina offers the wisdom of an extraordinary lifetime in Happiness Becomes You making this the perfect gift of inspiration for you and those you love.

 

Mastering Stress, Maximizing Success: Your Complete Guide to Overcoming Anxiety & Finding Purpose in Your Life by Dr. LaShawn Gill

 

 

Stress is a curse, as well as, a blessing, in that it occurs in malignant, as well as, benign forms. Stress can be both constructive and destructive, in that it may open the doors of possibility, while shutting the doors of others. It is the negative side of stress that creates the overall problem for us as living beings. Stress has been known to be devastating and problematic to us. It creates difficulties for us when it does not let up; and when it is triggered by ordinary, everyday events. We are currently living in a psychologically, hyped up, exhausted, and stressed out society; whereby, we are experiencing nervous breakdowns, burnout, stress-related illnesses; and ultimately death. What am I prepared to do about this stress that I am experiencing? Fortunately, there are more constructive ways of handling stress . This book is not intended to be a "do-it-yourself" guide to mental and emotional health, although it may provide information and insights that will direct ways toward self-improvement. This book is designed to help both individuals and organizations.

Business Consulting Wows!: Answers to Life and Business Issues by Dr. Tom DePaoli

 

 

Get your own personal business consultant! Dr. Tom DePaoli’s new book Business Consulting Wows! Answers to Business and Life Issues reveals all the Wow! discoveries of his career. The book serves as an outstanding business desktop guide for growing the respect and trust of your colleagues. Benefit from his compelling and entertaining business advice! He organizes the ideas by his eight successful business books topics. They include blogs, articles, reviews and real-life experiences. He calls these extra cuts. He uses techniques like story-telling, imaginative training exercises, check lists, methodologies, humor, and ready to use outlines. Areas covered are purchasing, procurement, the supply chain, work process-design improvement, human resources, lean, emotional intelligence, lean six sigma, kaizens, organizational transformation, business fables, and most importantly leadership. The reader can gain much from these lessons. Dr. DePaoli’s lessons are practical, to the point and enjoyable. Like many good business leaders, the author places getting the trust of employees first and foremost in his book. The book provides solid elements of a desktop guide for success in business. Dr. DePaoli asserts, “You can learn from my experiences and achieve even greater success.”How to use the book:This is not a book to read front to back in page order. Again, it is organized by Dr. Tom’s book titles so you can go to the chapter of a book that interests you first and jump around. He has provided a summary index of all the articles in alphabetical order by title in the back of the book. This probably the best and quickest way to explore the book and locate an article(s) that interest you. It is designed to be a desktop guide to run your business or career.

50 Years in the OR: True Stories of Life, Loss, and Laughter While Giving Anesthesia by Ronald Whitchurch

 

 

The First Book about the Unsung Heroes of the Operating Room

Ron Whitchurch has the observation, wit and insight of a modern day Mark Twain and the eyebrows and mustache to match."

— Koco Eaton, MD, ABOS, Team Physician, Tampa Bay Rays

“An extraordinary book which brilliantly and compellingly conveys the day-to-day workings of the operating room.” 

— Kevin M. Sweeney, MD, board-certified neurosurgeon, former chief of Neurosurgery of Mease hospitals in Dunedin and Clearwater, Florida

It’s a busy time for the anesthetist during surgery. Keeping a watchful eye on the patient’s vital signs and being prepared for any possibilities that might develop are an anesthetist’s prime focus. Each case is unique, whether it’s a scheduled surgery on a healthy patient, an emergency or a critical illness. They all require analytical judgments along with many skills to manage them.

Ron Whitchurch wrote this wildly entertaining book to offer a firsthand look at what happens after patients are anesthetized and what challenges the staff face in keeping them healthy and safe. 

50 Years in the OR gives readers an intimate sense of what it’s like to be the only person in the OR who knows the heartbeat-to-heartbeat status of a surgical patient at any given moment.

 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

 

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER

Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine
#1 Library Reads Pick―October 2020
#1 Indie Next Pick―October 2020
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST―Book of The Month Club

A “Best Of” Book From: Oprah Mag * CNN * Amazon * Amazon Editors * NPR * Goodreads * Bustle * PopSugar * BuzzFeed * Barnes & Noble * Kirkus Reviews * Lambda Literary * Nerdette * The Nerd Daily * Polygon * Library Reads * io9 * Smart Bitches Trashy Books * LiteraryHub * Medium * BookBub * The Mary Sue * Chicago Tribune * NY Daily News * SyFy Wire * Powells.com * Bookish * Book Riot * Library Reads Voter Favorite *

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Welcome to Sochi: A laugh out loud life-altering trip! by Jude Haste

 

 

Julia, an unemployed scriptwriter goes on a journey of self-discovery, in this quirky romantic comedy, flying off to distant lands. Coming to terms with a broken relationship and her own shortcomings, Julia finds herself lost. But when her plane finds itself lost too, it forces her to take a step back and realize that in order to progress forward, she needs to do some soul-searching. But where will she land?All the characters and events in this story are fictitious and come straight from the author's imagination

Two Paths (Adventures of Lady Ellen Montagu) by J.G. MacLeod

 

 

What would you do if you were secretly pregnant with another man's child in 19th-century Ireland?

Nineteen-year-old Ellen Montagu attempts to adjust to life in County Galway after spending several months in exile on the Aran Islands. She is burdened by secrets, including her feelings for Grady, that haunt her every day. To complicate things further, famine arrives in Ireland in the winter of 1845. Soon, Lady Ellen must make an enormous decision between two paths that will affect not only her own life, but her unborn child's future as well.

Two Paths combines humour, romance, travel, family drama, and history into one unforgettable story. 18+ advised for some steamy scenes.

Vite in attesa di Julia Sabina

 

 

Nella vita Maribel ha preso molte decisioni sbagliate e pochissime buone. Ma ora sente che le cose stanno per cambiare. Ha appena accettato un dottorato a Lille, in Francia. In fondo, nulla la trattiene a Madrid, così parte, piena di speranza: è giovane, e ha tutte le carte in regola per essere felice. Non fa altro che sentirselo ripetere. L'emozione di un nuovo paese, di una nuova lingua, di nuove persone da conoscere all'inizio la travolge. Ora Maribel riesce a vederle, le mille possibilità che ha davanti. Ma l'incantesimo presto si spegne. Intorno, tutto sembra vorticare a gran velocità e lei non riesce a stare al passo. Tutti perseguono il proprio obiettivo senza tentennamenti, come la sua coinquilina Paula o il suo amico Alessio. Lei, invece, trascina le sue giornate lavorando in un bar e facendo finta di scrivere una tesi di cui non importa a nessuno, forse nemmeno a lei. Per non parlare del bel Guillaume che un giorno appare e quello dopo scompare. Maribel si sente di nuovo al punto di partenza. Come se l'incertezza non derivasse dal luogo in cui si trova o da chi frequenta, ma risiedesse dentro di lei. Fino a quando scopre  che anche i suoi amici in realtà non hanno idea di dove stanno andando. Perché essere giovani è una fortuna ma è anche una grande sfida: il mondo ti disegna in un modo e tu non sai ancora chi vuoi diventare. Maribel vuole capire chi è veramente, senza condizionamenti. Vuole un lavoro, ma solo se migliora la sua vita. Vuole amare, ma solo se può farlo con passione. Vuole dare un senso a una realtà che sembra averlo perso molto tempo prima. Perché sarà pure disorientata, ma ha tanta voglia di vivere.

The Memory Paperback by Judith Barrow

 

 

Mother and daughter tied together by shame and secrecy, love and hate.

I wait by the bed. I move into her line of vision and it’s as though we’re watching one another, my mother and me; two women – trapped.

Today has been a long time coming. Irene sits at her mother's side waiting for the right moment, for the point at which she will know she is doing the right thing by Rose.

Rose was Irene's little sister, an unwanted embarrassment to their mother Lilian but a treasure to Irene. Rose died thirty years ago, when she was eight, and nobody has talked about the circumstances of her death since. But Irene knows what she saw. Over the course of 24 hours their moving and tragic story is revealed – a story of love and duty, betrayal and loss – as Irene rediscovers the past and finds hope for the future.

"...A book that is both powerful and moving, exquisitely penetrating. I am drawn in, empathising so intensely with Irene that I feel every twinge of her frustration, resentment, utter weariness and abiding love." Thorne Moore

"Judith Barrow's greatest strength is her understanding of her characters and the times in which they live; The Memory is a poignant tale of love and hate in which you will feel every emotion experienced by Irene." Terry Tyler

The new novel from the bestselling author of the Howarth family saga

 

The Assassin Who Couldn't Dance by Glen Barrera

 

 

Blue-eyed Hector Munoz (his present name) is fluent in five languages, can kill a man a hundred different ways and yet, at twenty-three had learned almost nothing about life and love. His father and brother were brutally murdered by corrupt U.S. military officers when he was seven. The teacher, a close friend of his father, took control of the boy’s life, as well as the future debt to be paid. Now, after years of rigorous training, the assassin is judged ready. But is he? The plan to draw out the officers has been set into motion. Hector has only to illegally cross the border from Mexico and retrieve keys to safe deposit boxes containing eight-million dollars and incriminating documents before the officers can respond. It shouldn’t be a problem. But then Hector’s plan didn’t include Mexican bandits; ruthless mercenaries also after the keys and led by a sadistic cowboy; or a sleazy Chicago mob figure. Things get more complicated for him when a third party joins the search for the keys, the crazed leader of a militia group with a secret room in his basement reserved for “guests” – and then falling in love with an escaped guest, Lucy. Hector also didn’t realize that the mercenaries’ target, an ex-Force Recon team holding the keys and the last four men to see his father alive, were far from old and rusty. In the race for the keys, Hector must confront the emotional emptiness in his life that he wasn’t allowed to experience in his quest for vengeance. With time running out, he is forced to make a choice: follow the assassination plan or ally with the surviving recon team, their families, and Lucy before they are eliminated; and, maybe discover who he really is.

CAMBIA IL TUO CERVELLO, CAMBIA LA TUA VITA DI DANIEL G. AMEN (Punto d’Incontro)

Daniel G. Amen Cambia il tuo Cervello, Cambia la tua Vita Punto d'Incontro

Partendo da solide basi scientifiche, un noto scienziato spiega come ansia, depressione, rabbia, ossessioni e impulsività hanno un’origine biologica e possono essere rapportate al funzionamento di determinate strutture del cervello. Il dottor Amen afferma che non siamo costretti a rimanere “bloccati” per tutta la vita col cervello con cui siamo nati. Possiamo infatti cambiarne la fisiologia e possiamo individuare la fonte di molte difficoltà. Grazie a numerosi consigli pratici ed efficaci strumenti, potremo superare diversi problemi e ottimizzare il cervello per imprimere una svolta decisiva alla nostra vita. Tra le numerose e sorprendenti “ricette cerebrali”, impariamo a:

Sconfiggere ansia e attacchi di panico con semplici tecniche di respirazione ideate per calmare il tumulto interiore;

Combattere la depressione imparando ad allontanare gli automatismi negativi;

La dieta Amen e i cibi che calmano l'ira e la paura;

Vincere l'impulsività e imparare a focalizzarsi con la tecnica il "miracolo della pagina";

Far cessare le preoccupazioni ossessive con esercizi di scrittura "contro le fissazioni".

I nostri modelli cerebrali ci aiutano (o ci ostacolano) in tutti gli aspetti della vita e se soffriamo di disturbi emotivi o psichici arriviamo a credere che dipendano “dalla nostra testa”, che siano cioè puramente psicologici. Ma attraverso le ricerche che ha svolto, il dottor Amen dimostra che non è così. Abbinando teoria e pratica in un linguaggio alla portata di tutti, Cambia il tuo cervello, cambia la tua vita permette di prendere in mano le redini della propria esistenza e... del proprio cervello!