#and treasure planet was written RIGHT about the time that this became popular

[ich-theosaurus]

treasure planet is the romanichal movie ever i will not elaborate

[bopinion]

Book of the month / 2021 / 04 April

I love books. Even though I hardly read any. Because my library is more like a collection of tomes, coffee-table books, limited editions... in short: books in which not "only" the content counts, but also the editorial performance, the presentation, the curating of the topic - the book as a total work of art itself.

björk :archives. A retrospective

Klaus Biesenbach

Monograph / 2015 / Schirmer/Mosel Publishing House

Iceland, the land of geysers, the largest volcanic island on the planet. Home of the Icelandic pony with its exclusive gait of the tölt and the most active literary community in the world. Soccer mecca and most sparsely populated country in Europe. Icelandic names - for example the highest mountain Hvannadalshnúkur - are hardly pronounceable, although the alphabet does not even know many common letters such as C, W, Q and Z. There is a separate holiday for seafarers and a division of time into 3-hour periods starting at midnight. 16 German cities each have more inhabitants than all of Iceland, which has therefore its own dating app to prevent relatives who are biologically too close from mating. It's a fascinating country.

Given the size of the country, it's probably no wonder that Iceland's pop cultural influence internationally is rather limited. Despite the Nobel Prize for Literature winner Halldór Laxness, whose work I don't know, and the crime series The Valhalla Murderers, which I know thanks to Netflix. But wait - wasn't there something else? Yes, that's right, Iceland has a globally successful Gesamtkunstwerk named Björk. Her contributions to music, video, film, fashion and art have influenced a generation worldwide.

Björk Guðmundsdóttir, born in Reykjavík in 1965, has made a name for herself as a singer, music producer, composer, songwriter and actress with a broad interest in different types of music, including pop music, electronic music, trip-hop, alternative rock, jazz, folk music and classical music. To date, she has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Certainly not only because of the seemingly endless variability of her compositions, but also because of her voice, which one can confidently call unmistakable. She causes goose bumps, whether you like her music or not.

Little Björk attended music school at the age of five and was taught singing, piano and flute, among other things, for ten years. One of the teachers sent a recording of her singing the song "I Love To Love" by Tina Charles to a radio station. The broadcast was heard and liked by an employee of the Icelandic record publisher Fálkinn and subsequently offered her a recording contract - when she was eleven years old. With the help of her stepfather, who played guitar, she recorded her first album. It contained various Icelandic children's songs and cover versions of popular titles, such as "Fool on the Hill" by the Beatles. The album became a great national success.

At 14, Björk formed the girl punk group Spit and Snot, the maximum contrast program to the children's songs. This was followed by the fusion jazz group Exodus, later Tappi Tíkarrass and Kukl (Icelandic for witchcraft), with whom she developed her signature vocal style. First foreign tours to England and West Berlin followed. Then in 1986 came the formation of the band Pukl, later renamed The Sugarcubes. The first single brought respectable success in England and USA, The Sugarcubes reached cult status. The first record deal with Elektra Records led to the album "Life's too good" in 1988, making them the first Icelandic band ever to become world famous.

The transformation into a total work of art began in 1992 at the latest with Björk's move to London. The first solo album, appropriately named "Debut," became the album of the year according to New Musical Express. Now even Madonna wanted to have a whole album written by Björk, but it remained with the title track "Bedtime Story", she remained true to herself and her love of experimentation. The New York based news magazine "Time" named her the "high priestess of art" and in 2015 put her on the list of the 100 most influential people on earth. She rounded off her visual extravaganza, that even her wardrobe was prominently featured in the major retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Schirmer/Mosel Verlag is an art book publisher in Munich founded in 1974 by Lothar Schirmer and the commercial artist Erik Mosel. Schirmer became friends with artists such as Cy Twombly and Joseph Beuys at a young age and began collecting their works. By buying and reselling art prints and drawings, he earned the start-up capital for his publishing house. With his publishing debut, he ensured the rediscovery of August Sander, a visual artist of the Weimar Republic. There were various publishing collaborations with the MoMA, and in 2015 there was also the retrospective mentioned above. And of course, in keeping with the protagonist, the publication had to become a work of art itself.

"björk :archives" comes in an elegant slipcase containing six parts: four booklets, a paperback and a folded catalogue raisonné poster with the covers of all Björk albums. A closer look is worthwhile: first there is a thematic introduction by the editor and exhibition curator at the MoMA, Klaus Biesenbach. Then an illustrated essay by Alex Ross, music critic of the New Yorker, which deals with Björk's creative dissolution of musical and aesthetic boundaries. Another by Nicola Dibben, professor of musicology at the University of Sheffield, on Björk's creativity and collaborations. And the collected e-mail correspondence similar to a pen pal relationship between Björk and American publicist, philosopher and literary scholar Timothy Morton.

The book itself, the centerpiece of the edition, is about Björk's seven major albums and the characters she created for them. Poetic texts by Icelandic author Sjón, with whom Björk has long collaborated, are joined by a veritable treasure trove of illustrations: Photos of live performances, stills from the music videos of masters like Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze, Björk in stunning costumes by designers like Hussein Chalayan or Alexander McQueen, and PR shots by star photographers like the duo Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin or provocateur Araki.

The design of the publication quotes music scores and comes from the renowned Parisian design studio M/M. It all adds up to an extraordinary visual masterpiece, a tribute to the magical world of Björk. And that at an hardly believable price of € 19.80. A reviewer on Amazon (no, you shouldn't shop there - support local businesses!) sums it up: "This is a collection of art, stories and references very well organized and assembled with care. The price does absolutely not represent how valuable this product is, I am positively surprised." Positively surprising - that could truly be Björk's mission statement.

Björk's music itself is so rich in pictorial statements that it doesn't really need any exuberantly creative videos to go with it. Therefore, according to Slant Magazine, her best video is her first, relatively simple one: "Big Time sensuality" from her "Debut" album purely shows her joy in music. Here's the link:

https://youtu.be/-wYmq2Vz5yM

[imagitory]

D-Views: Muppet Treasure Island

Hi, everyone! Welcome to another installment of D-Views, my on-going written review series for films that fall under the Disney umbrella, as well as those that were influenced by those films! For more reviews for movies like Mary Poppins, Treasure Planet, and The Prince of Egypt, please consult my “Disney Reviews” tag and, of course, if you enjoy this review or any of the others, please consider liking and reblogging!

Today’s film is one of my childhood favorites, starring a cast of some of my favorite people, as well as frogs, pigs, and even whatevers. This is Muppet Treasure Island! (Thank you for your votes, @the-alexandrian-alchemist, @silvvergears, @extremelybears​, @livinlifelikeishould​ and @karalora​!)

Ever since 1976, the characters of the Muppet Show have been American pop culture icons. The show itself won a total of 21 Emmy nominations and four television awards over its long run, and by 1990 its cast had also starred in several critically acclaimed films (The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan) and the very popular animated TV show Muppet Babies. And all of that wouldn’t have been possible without the Muppets’ creator, Jim Henson.

Like at the Walt Disney Company, the loss of their leader in 1990 hit Jim Henson Productions very hard. One silver lining, however, is that just like with Walt Disney, Jim Henson was memorialized not just by the characters he created, but by his many achievements and the many friendships he’d made in life. He received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside Kermit the Frog; was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame; earned a memorial in his hometown Hyattsville, Maryland; was posthumously named a Disney Legend; was the focus of the heartfelt TV special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson; and was laid to rest with two formal funeral services complete with performances of some of his favorite songs. And just like the Walt Disney Company, even after the death of someone who meant so much to them, Jim Henson Productions got back up and promised to do more in the memory of their lost leader. Jim’s son Brian Henson took the reins and directed the Disney-co-produced Christmas movie The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, before he moved on to their next project and today’s subject, Muppet Treasure Island.

So, here’s the thing -- I have a LOT of nostalgia for this movie. I will be upfront about that. But even with that acknowledged, I was sort of stunned when I found out how lukewarm the reaction to this movie was, when it was released in theaters. Sure, I knew it hadn’t broken the bank, but even if it earned about $34 million worldwide, it received no honors or awards, only hit third at the box office opening weekend behind the movies Broken Arrow and Happy Gilmore, and even now only boasts an average 73% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Critics at the time criticized how it was more “Treasure Island” than “Muppet”, with Roger Ebert calling it “less cleverly written” and Gene Siskel even more coldly deeming it “boring.” Although I’ll readily acknowledge that reading those reactions makes me want to run outside and scream “FUCK YOU, GENE SISKEL” at the top of my lungs, I promise to give a more rational review of this movie instead, one hopefully that acknowledges any possible shortcomings, but also will celebrate this film and how completely NOT boring it is.

One of the best things about this movie hits us in the face right off the bat -- the music, written by scoring giant Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smith. As much as I enjoy a lot of Muppet musicals, I attest that Muppet Treasure Island has the most cohesive score overall of any Muppet production. The Muppets were always creatures of the short, sweet vignette -- of the variety show -- of many disparate pieces sewn loosely together into a whole like a patchwork quilt. Even though The Muppet Christmas Carol’s soundtrack comes very close in its cohesion and I would say The Muppets (2011) -- my personal favorite Muppet movie -- is truer to the spirit of the Muppet Show in its music while also paying tribute to old-fashioned movie musicals, Muppet Treasure Island just paints a full-bodied picture from the off-set, building on refrains that return and morph over the course of the picture. From the very beginning, we get that this venture is NOT a standard Muppet movie. Like The Muppet Christmas Carol, the Muppets’ humor will only be part of the story told -- in TMCC, it takes a backseat to sincere emotions like love and redemption, while here in MTI, it takes a backseat to adventure and swashbuckling action.

The score also seamlessly flows into our first song, “Shiver My Timbers,” which just screams “pirate!” I’ve loved pirates ever since I was a little kid, and Muppet Treasure Island was one of the main reasons why. I was okay with Peter Pan, but Muppet Treasure Island was what really got me excited about pirates. They were rough, ruthless, and dangerous, but it was exciting to face off against them in an epic musical adventure, even if your only weapons were a couple of artfully thrown starfish. In the 90′s, pirate films weren’t really “in” -- it wouldn’t be until 2003 with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean that they became popular again -- but I think Muppet Treasure Island, through its music, really embraces the fun, action-packed thrills that Disney would later capitalize on in the Pirates films.

After our prologue, we meet Billy Bones (played by the perfectly cast Billy Connolly) and, of course, our hero, Jim Hawkins, played by newcomer Kevin Bishop. Kevin was the very first of a hundred kids who showed up for the audition to meet the casting agents, and he was selected for the part then and there. Sadly post-Muppets he moved on to stage and television, but for what it’s worth, I quite like Kevin in the role of Jim. He’s distinctly depicted as a boy, complete with a pre-puberty “boy soprano” singing voice (which I acknowledge is an acquired taste, but I personally enjoy), but that characterization only serves to accent how large of an arc he goes through over the course of the film. He starts off as smart, sincere, honest, and dreamy, but also very innocent and trusting, and over the course of the story, he learns to ground himself in who he is and what he believes in, to the point where he has to sever ties with someone he once considered a friend and mentor. Accompanying Jim in his journey are Gonzo and Rizzo, who largely serve as comic relief but do still serve as good friends and companions to Jim, as evident by the three characters’ “I Want” song, “Something Better.” Yes, Gonzo and Rizzo are sidekicks, but they’re still distinct personalities that bounce well off each other and “straight-man” Jim. Originally the filmmakers had considered simply having Gonzo and Rizzo being two characters called “Jim” and “Hawkins” respectively (splitting the part in two, not unlike what they did with Statler and Waldorf in The Muppet Christmas Carol), but due to concerns that the choice would result in a lack of heart in the finished product, that idea was scrapped. I think it ultimately was the better decision to leave the drama to the humans -- it’s not that the Muppets can’t conjure sincere emotion (just look at “Pictures in my Head” or “Man or Muppet”), but I still think having any of the existing Muppets fulfill the “coming of age” narrative the original Jim Hawkins goes through would’ve been a bit of a stretch. Even in The Muppet Christmas Carol or non-Muppet-show Jim Henson production Labyrinth, the main characters with a story arc are played by human actors who are able to ground the picture despite the cast of colorful, irreverent characters.

One of the main criticisms that critics of the time lobbed at this movie is that it feels more “Treasure Island” than “Muppet”, and in a way it’s a decent point, if not phrased very badly. Unlike in other Muppet projects, the humor plays second fiddle to the plot and the characters are not the characters we know from the Muppet Show with their Muppet Show backstories and consciousness. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, the film could very easily be seen as a “production” being put on by the Muppets, even if it’s never overtly stated as such, thanks to Gonzo (as Charles Dickens) constantly breaking the fourth wall. In Muppet Treasure Island, however, Gonzo and Rizzo have their own non-Muppet-show history as friends of Jim Hawkins way before ever meeting the other Muppets like Kermit and Sam the Eagle, and Kermit and Miss Piggy have a whole soap-opera romance that involves a wedding and getting marooned by pirates (we’ll get to that later). So yes, this is more “Treasure Island,” but it’s not less “Muppet” -- it’s less “Muppet Show.” These Muppets have different histories, but they’re the same characters despite this. Gonzo is an eccentric thrill-seeker -- Rizzo is a cowardly cynic -- Kermit is a soft-spoken pacifist -- Fozzie is a lovable dimwit -- Piggy is a self-centered diva. Think of Muppet Treasure Island as a Muppet AU fanfiction -- these may not be exactly the characters you know, and yet...they are! They’re the exact same big personalities with the same quirks, strengths, and weaknesses, just in an alternate universe. And honestly, I think it’s really cool, to see these sorts of characters so exclusively used for comedy in a world that’s not flat-out comedic -- one that’s kind of dirty and rough around the edges, with swashbuckling action and real danger around every corner.

The nice thing is that although yes, the comedy isn’t the central focus anymore, there is still really good humor in this film, a lot of it thanks to the shift in tone. There’s just something so very, very funny to me about Billy Bones’s death scene being followed up by Rizzo, Gonzo, and Jim just flat-out freaking out and dashing out of the room screaming like stupid kids, or the tense action scene where the pirates storm into the inn being punctuated by Rizzo trying to help Gonzo load the gun, only to spill the bag of bullets, or the epic entrance of the illustrious Captain Smollett’s carriage ending with the tall, solemn coachman stepping aside to reveal the Captain himself, played by Kermit the Frog. I think it plays into the ideas of subverting expectations and building up a punchline properly before delivering the joke -- as each scene is built up, we’re left constantly unsure if the film’s going to play things straight or just be completely irreverent, and the contrast is what can make a joke much funnier than in a purely, solely humorous scenario. There are a few points where the contrast can become a bit labored, but I laugh so much more during this movie that I ever have watching my favorite reruns of the Muppet Show, no matter how much I enjoy them. It’s something that, again, the Pirates of the Caribbean films would capitalize on much later. (Too bad they couldn’t incorporate that humor into any catchy musical numbers! Disney, where’s my Pirates of the Caribbean musical?)

Aha, and now we come to the brightest of the shining stars in this film -- our villain, Long John Silver, played by the amazing Tim Curry. I’m sorry, it’s an incontrovertible truth that Curry is a unique, magical ingredient that, when added to any movie, just elevates the cinematic dish to a whole new level and leaves you drooling for one more scene with him. I remember someone once saying that Curry is sort of like a Muppet in human skin thanks to his outrageous, yet likable acting, and...yeah, it makes it so that he fits perfectly in this movie, where he has to interact so closely with the Muppets. The nice thing is, though, that he also has a lot of chemistry with his human co-star Kevin Bishop, to the extent that you sincerely feel for the relationship that forms between Jim and Silver even if you know Silver’s intentions from the start. I particularly like their exchange in the ridiculously catchy “Sailing for Adventure,” as well as their scene at the front of the ship where they discuss their fathers and the stars.

Just as the adventure is getting going, however, it stops dead with the wind’s abandonment of the Hispaniola. Out of nowhere, the ship breaks out into the most ridiculous, most “Muppet” of all of the musical numbers, “Cabin Fever.” The song was one of my favorite parts when I was little and it’s always made me laugh, but it’s definitely the biggest detour of the movie that up until that point lived in its own pirate-centric world. It’s a very short-lived detour and as I said, it’s ridiculously funny, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the plot and I could see how people might find it kind of pointless, particularly since it doesn’t even feature three of our main characters, Jim, Silver, or Smollett. One other critique I will give the film is that some of the effects nowadays don’t look very real, like the Hispaniola being composited over still matte paintings -- there are points where the production values remind me a bit of the old Wishbone TV series, where they have to angle the shot just so or get creative just to try to make the ship look as big as it should be. But honestly, there were points where Wishbone impressed me with those same sorts of layering and green-screen effects despite its limited budget, and those cheaper effects don’t look tacky or out-of-place, so I personally don’t mind them that much.

Because this is a Muppet movie, it’s unsurprising that our Mr. Arrow (played by Sam the Eagle) isn’t really killed, instead just being tricked off of the ship by a manipulative Silver, but it says something that, even with that softened plot turn, the stakes are not completely dismantled. We still see the pirates as a legitimate threat when they kidnap Jim and take over the Hispaniola, even when they burst into song. Tim Curry’s “only number,” “A Professional Pirate,” is a perfect expression of his expert, charming showmanship, which in my mind truly can’t be matched by any other performer in Hollywood, past or present. No one gives a performance like Tim Curry. It makes it so that even when I was a bratty kid getting irritated about Silver calling privateer Sir Francis Drake a pirate and using “buccaneer” as a synonym for “pirate,” I would sing this song at the top of my lungs, trying to even reach 75% of the energy Curry put into his vocals.

At long last, Miss Piggy makes her grand debut as “Queen Boom Sha-Kal-a-Kal,” a.k.a. Benjamina Gunn. Although the diva doesn’t end up getting much screentime, she certainly gets a grand entrance, complete with an elephant steed decorated with flowers and a full musical number complete with a tribal chant and ethereal vocalizing. And true to form, when she lays eyes on her one true love, Kermit...she smacks him so hard that he’s thrown backwards off his feet and into a gong. What’s particularly interesting about Piggy in this movie is that although she and Fozzie are voiced by Frank Oz as always, both she and Fozzie were actually puppeted by Kevin Clash, as Oz was unavailable during this film’s production, and Oz’s vocals for both characters were added in post-production. Despite the difference in puppeteer, however, both characters are just as likable as ever -- I’d honestly had no clue that they weren’t performed by the same person! The film even got to use the full-bodied remote-controlled puppets for Kermit and Piggy for the love duet “Love Led Us Here,” which is kicked off by an Evita joke I never got as a kid but as an adult makes me grin like a friggin’ idiot. Fortunately the duet is inter-cut with Silver and the pirates finding the treasure, rather than it being chock-full of romantic flashbacks or prolonged looks between the two lovebirds, giving it a lighter tone than it would’ve had otherwise.

With a much reduced crew comprised only of Rizzo, Gonzo, Squire Trelawney, Dr. Honeydew, Beaker, and the newly returned Mr. Arrow, Jim comes to Benjamina and Smollett’s rescue and returns to Treasure Island to face Silver and the pirates. The action scene is full of humor, but because of the world established in the rest of the film, I would argue it still has stakes. The blows still hurt and there’s still a threat of defeat and danger, most notably when Long John Silver prepares to fight. Even if you don’t think the Muppets are going to die persay, you still feel the suspense in wanting to see what’s going to happen next. And when Silver surrenders, he himself can see the real treasure Jim found on his adventure -- a family...a group of people Muppets who will support him and encourage the very best in him.

Silver’s escape scene is a beautifully heart-wrenching scene -- one that could only have been earned by two excellent performances over the course of the film by Kevin Bishop and Tim Curry. Even though both Silver and Jim know that they’re different people and they could never walk the same path, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still greatly esteem and care about each other. In Jim’s case, it’s especially difficult, given that in parting ways with Silver, he has to cut loose of a very poor potential father figure who would’ve only dragged him down in the long run, but who was so likable in his own damaged way. It proves to be a very bittersweet scene sprinkled into a very happy, cheerful ending, complete with the chipper island-inspired end credits bop “Love Power.”

Muppet Treasure Island is -- in my opinion, at least -- one of the best Muppet movies ever made. It broke away from quite a few Muppet conventions, like the characters breaking the fourth wall and being aware of themselves being in a movie or TV show, and embraced a much less humorous tone in both its writing and cinematography. Yes, it reimagined a classic book like The Muppet Christmas Carol did, but this movie took the next step, embracing the world of the original novel as well as the set-up and immersing the Muppets’ cast of characters in it. Although I can see why some people would be more partial to the original Muppet movie formula and love it a lot myself, I really, really respect Brian Henson and the rest of this film’s crew for taking the Muppets in such a different direction. It was an entertaining, action-packed, funny pirate movie before those sorts of movies became popular again, and it remains my favorite “pirate” movie of all time, as well as my personal favorite incarnation of the Treasure Island story (barely beating out Treasure Planet). I know childhood nostalgia can play a role in what media can give you joy as an adult, but I truly don’t think it’s the only factor here -- it’s also just a really good movie, and I can only hope that more people will consider giving it a chance and have just as much fun Sailing for Adventure as I did!

[itcameuponamidnightqueer]

a happier 2019 wrap-up

every year for new year’s, my mom gets everyone one-a-day calendars tailored to their interests. for 2020, she got me a calendar of funny/stupid answers people have written on tests. 

but for 2019, she gave me a calendar with a different trivia question every day. i had two rules for this calendar: 1) i had to write down an answer for each question, even if what i wrote down was the dumbest shit in the world, and 2) i wasn’t allowed to look at the answer until the day after. 

i saved up all of the ones that i got right bc i like to quantify things, so if nothing else, i know 93 things—

january 18: many musicians have recorded and performed the song “hallelujah.” who wrote it?

january 29: thurl ravenscroft was an accomplished voice actor who sang “you’re a mean one, mr. grinch.” however, ravenscroft was best known for voicing which TV commercial icon?

february 7: who was the first african american appointed to the US supreme court?

february 12: mount rushmore features the giant carved faces of george washington, abraham lincoln, thomas jefferson, and which other US president? 

february 13: what is ninjitsu? 

february 26: mae c. jemison went into space in 1992 aboard the endeavor, earning her what distinction?

february 27: who wrote and first recorded the song “big yellow taxi”?

march 2: what is the longest running show in broadway history?

march 5: what is the largest library in the world?

march 8: what two novels did the lesser-known brontë sister, anne, write?

march 12: which reptile can breathe through its rear end?

march 16: the winner of best picture at the 2017 oscars was moonlight—but, in an historic mix-up, the announcers initially declared which other nominee to be the winner?

march 21: which is the smallest planet in our solar system?

march 22: why is a pound cake called a pound cake? 

march 23: the hit musical wicked is based on a 1995 novel by which author?

march 24: billy eichner, comedian and host of billy on the street, once had a role on which beloved NBC sitcom?

march 27: name the star who plays offred in the hulu series the handmaid’s tale?

april 6: the 2015 song “fourfiveseconds” was a collaboration between rihanna, kanye west, and which other legendary musician?

april 8: why do apples turn brown when sliced?

april 16: what is a pooh-bah?

april 19: what is the belgian town of duffel’s claim to fame?

april 29: what ancient babylonian king created a compendium of 282 laws to guide society in 18th century BCE?

may 2: what is the name for the condition in which a dog’s feet smell like corn chips? 

may 5: in mary shelley’s frankenstein, which character is named frankenstein?

may 7: name the australian pop star whose debut studio album blue neighborhood included hits “youth” and “wild”.

may 10: which superhero did british actor benedict cumberbatch play in a 2016 film?

may 16: which american film tradition began this day in 1929?

may 17: in science, what does “triple point” refer to?

may 26: what function do cats’ whiskers serve?

may 27: where is the tomb of the unknown soldier located?

june 1: which cult classic film popularized the red swingline stapler? 

june 3: who is barbie (the doll) named after? 

june 4: eid al-fitr is an annual muslim festival that marks the end of what?

june 10: which actor was offered a role on the o.c. but turned it down for a role on one tree hill?

june 11: the sport that americans call soccer is known as football in many other countries. where did the term “soccer” originate?

june 17: there is a species of horsefly known as bootylicious. which celebrity inspired the nickname?

june 18: the amc series the walking dead is based on a series of comic books penned by which accomplished writer?

june 24: which actress played wonder woman in the 2017 film of the same name?

june 27: what makes chili peppers hot? 

june 28: which architectural engineering feat allowed the ancient incans to cross canyons and rivers with ease?

june 29: the word “scuba” is an acronym. what does it stand for? 

july 3: who is the bestselling fiction writer ever? 

july 5: which animated film was the first to be nominated for best picture at the oscars? 

july 9: which item did women living in the dust bowl during the great depression commonly fashion into clothing? 

july 16: in nintendo’s mario video games, the nefarious wario is mario’s foil. who is luigi’s foil and archrival? 

july 18: pop stars taylor swift and zayn malik teamed up to record the song “i don’t want to live forever” for which 2017 film soundtrack? 

july 22: which is the only letter that doesn’t appear on the periodic table? 

july 23: which novel is considered frank herbert’s masterpiece? 

july 25: name the three women who were cast in the first season of SNL in 1975. 

july 26: during which years did the olympics award official medals for the arts, including painting, architecture, sculpture, music, and literature?

july 28: what are the ingredients of a moscow mule?

august 2: which “luxury” music festival was supposed to take place in the bahamas in april 2017 but dissolved into chaos and was eventually canceled after attendees began to arrive?

august 3: what is the claim to fame of anchor bar in buffalo, NY? 

august 8: the la brea tar pits are a popular tourist attraction and fossil excavation site. what does “la brea” mean in spanish? 

august 9: the popular board game clue goes by which other name in the UK, where it was invented?

august 11: what is earth’s largest ocean? 

august 12: who wrote johnny cash’s “a boy named sue”?

august 13: what were the original 3 pokemon that players could choose from at the start of pokemon red and pokemon blue, the first pokemon video games released internationally?

august 14: what kind of music did katy perry release as a teenager before she became a pop star? 

august 20: philip k. dick’s novel do androids dream of electric sheep? inspired which 1982 film with a different title?

august 30: batman is to gotham city as superman is to what? 

september 6: what is the hottest planet in the solar system? 

september 9: the first book of the “his dark materials” trilogy is known as the golden compass in the US, and what in the UK? 

september 15: one of the classic monopoly player tokens is a dog. what breed is it?

september 16: why are spiders technically not considered insects?

september 22: on her debut album, lily allen included a song called “alfie” about her little brother. alfie allen is best known now for his role on which TV show?

october 2: a killer whale isn’t technically a whale. what is it?

october 8: name the breed of large domestic cats native to new england 

october 10: which company uses the slogan “because we’re worth it”?

october 12: which female pop star had a brief stint in an R&B group called basic instinct in the 1990s?

october 16: if you ordered a berliner in a cafe in wisconsin, what would they serve you?

october 21: in 1943, when many NFL players were drafted for service in WWII, which two teams combined forces and formed a team called the steagles?

october 25: virginia was the birthplace of 8 US presidents. which state follows close on virginia’s heels as the birthplace of 7 US presidents?

october 28: bram stoker’s legendary vampire dracula is widely thought to be inspired by which real-life romanian prince?

october 30: in european folklore, what is a familiar? 

november 1: what does nanowrimo stand for?

november 13: name the movie that imagines how playwright j.m. barrie came to write peter pan.

november 14: which US state has the smallest population?

november 16: who technically owns all of the unmarked swans in england?

november 19: which entertainment icon was offered the role of phoebe in friends but turned it down?

november 22: robert louis stevenson’s novel treasure island features a cast of colorful characters, including the infamous long john silver. what is the name of the novel’s young protagonist, an innkeeper’s son who ends up serving as a cabin boy on a sea adventure?

november 23: where is dollywood?

november 28: not surprisingly, americans eat more food on thanksgiving than they do on any other day of the year. which day boasts the second-highest food consumption?

november 29: “swish swish”, a song on katy perry’s 2017 album witness, was rumored to be a diss track about which other pop star?

november 30: which actor wore a hairpiece every time he played james bond?

december 2: in greek mythology, perspehone was the goddess of the underworld and the wife of hades. who were persephone’s parents?

december 3: which prominent magazine declined to run an excerpt of the catcher in the rye on the grounds that the characters were unbelievable and the writing was “show-offy”? 

december 12: which comic book series featured batman’s first appearance? 

december 14: what was elvis presley’s natural hair color?

december 21: a 16th century da Vinci manuscript known as the codex leicester sold for over $30 million. who was the wealthy buyer?

december 23: ancient egyptian queen cleopatra had relationships with both julius caesar and mark antony. which of the two men was she buried next to?

december 27: which of the following hollywood stars did not get their start on the disney channel—shia labeouf, hayden panettiere, keri russell, ellen page, ryan gosling

december 29: technically, peanuts aren’t nuts. what are they?

[onluana]

Wallace

How the Yorkshire Dales are reviving cheesemaking traditions

Cheesemaking has been part of the rural and cultural landscape in the Yorkshire Dales for centuries, with recipes passed down over the years from medieval monks to dairy farmers. Today, traditional skills that were once thought lost are being revived thanks to passionate small businesses who want to spread the flavour of Yorkshire’s bucolic hills and hay meadows.

A selection of tempting cheeses at the Courtyard Dairy © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

‘Gromit, that’s it! Cheese! We’ll go somewhere where there’s cheese!’

When Britain’s Aardman Animations created an unlikely national treasure with a strong Northern accent and an ardent passion for Wensleydale cheese, it brought new-found fame to one of Yorkshire’s oldest foods. Yet, ironically, as Wallace & Gromit’s international star ascended, the Wensleydale Creamery was fighting for its survival. In April 1992, a year after Wallace & Gromit’s first Academy Award nomination, the last creamery in Wensleydale producing Wensleydale cheese shut down and production was slated to be moved to a newer facility in…Lancashire (Yorkshire's arch rival). Local protests ensued in the pint-sized Dales village of Hawes, where the creamery had existed in one form or another since 1897, and within six months, it was back up and running thanks to a buyout by a team of ex-managers and local businessmen. It became a true community enterprise and today is one of the Yorkshire Dales’ most popular attractions, with 300,000 visitors in 2018. There’s a museum (complete with Wallace & Gromit displays, of course), a cafe serving Wensleydale-based dishes, cheesemaking demonstrations, and a shop with truckle-loads of tasters.

Adding salt to the cheese at the Wensleydale Creamery © Wensleydale Creamery

‘When I used to come when I was younger, it would be one room where you’d see into the factory and you’d taste the cheese,’ says Saffron, a 23-year-old cheesemaking demonstrator at the creamery. Originally from Essex, she has been coming to the Dales all her life on family holidays and moved here permanently a year ago.

Over that time she has noticed a growing interest in cheesemaking among visitors. ‘It’s amazing how many more people are getting involved with cheesemaking at home. I have so many people come in and ask me about the intricacies. A lot of them are young people,’ she says.

Return to the farm house

Indeed, small-scale cheesemaking is having a resurgence in this area. Artisan shops are proliferating and the Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival will celebrate its third year on 14-15 September 2019. Its base is the Wensleydale Creamery, with satellite events across the national park such as open farms, tasting competitions and a guided whey walk.

Near Settle, on the southwestern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, theCourtyard Dairy is a cheesemonger and cafe in a cluster of old stone buildings, running cheesemaking courses and housing a small on-site museum about the history of caseiculture (as it’s formally known) in Yorkshire. Its raison d’etre is to support individual farms that still make raw-milk cheese on their own properties.

Learn about caseiculture (that's cheesemaking to you and me) at the Courtyard Dairy © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

‘100 years ago there was probably about 200 farms making Wensleydale cheese, and the good thing is that every one would have been different,’ says co-owner Andy Swinscoe, who has witnessed – and helped encourage – the return of British farmhouse cheesemaking, which all but died out after the Second World War. ‘On my counter I do 30 raw-milk traditional cheeses, and 27 of them have only been going since 2005.’

What the monks did for Yorkshire

New creations aside, cheesemaking in Yorkshire goes back centuries. The skills were thought to have been spread across Europe by the Romans, but it was the French who carried the original Wensleydale recipe into the Dales. Specifically, it was Cistercian monks who settled near Aysgarth and then founded Jervaulx Abbey in 1156 AD.

‘The monks brought over a number of different things from France, one being the white horses. Another being this recipe, which is what started as Wensleydale cheese,’ says Anna Burdon, whose family runs Jervaulx Abbey today. ‘The Wensleydale cheese you know now is the white crumbly cheese, but originally it wasn’t like that, it was more of a blue cheese,’ she explains.

Jervaulx Abbey is now a beautiful ruin but it was once a hive of cheesemaking activity © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

Today, Jervaulx Abbey is a lovely, rambling ruin with a tea room, surrounded by meadows that the monks’ sheep would have once fed on. Originally, Wensleydale would have been made with ewes’ milk instead of cows’ milk. The sheep would have also provided wool, and both these products would have been sold at local markets to finance the monastery – along with other staples that have become synonymous with Yorkshire, like beer.

Evolution of Wensleydale

When the monasteries were dissolved under Henry VIII, cheesemaking was passed on to Yorkshire farmers’ wives. There, the know-how remained, etched into the daily routines of barnyard milking, for hundreds of years. Right up to the 1930s, after the Industrial Revolution broke many of Britain’s cottage industries, Wensleydale was predominantly a farmhouse cheese. Back then it was a moist, soft creation with blue veinings that could almost be spread like butter.

This September the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes will launch an exhibition titled Dairy Days, exploring just how deep Yorkshire’s farming and cheesemaking roots go. It was World War II that sounded the death knell for farmhouse cheese production in the Dales. Cheese rationing was introduced and lasted until 1954. During this period only certain types of cheese were legally allowed to be made: Cheddar, Cheshire, Dunlop (a Scottish version of Cheddar), Leicester and Wensleydale. Efficiency was paramount, and these cheeses could only be made to a specific government recipe that fundamentally changed the flavour and texture of the cheese.

The lush Wensleydale countryside has changed little over the years, even as cheesemaking has had to adapt © Photos by R A Kearton / Getty Images

‘We lost a lot during the Second World War,’ says Andy. ‘The producers that were still making it at farmhouse level couldn’t make Wensleydale how they’d been making it all their lives. They had to make it to this government method, which was fast and produced an acidic, sharp flavour. Which is why between Wensleydale, Cheshire, crumbly Lancashire, when you taste them, there’s very little difference these days.’

The new cheese vanguard

Within the cool confines of Andy’s limestone-walled barn deli, there is anything but homogeny between the truckles of Fellstone, Yorkshire parmesan, Moorland Monster, Hafod Cheddar and Kirkham’s Lancashire. They are members of a growing tribe of British farmhouse cheeses that are uniquely of the place where they are produced.

For Andy, the beauty of British farmhouse cheeses is found in the nuances that come with terroir and technique. ‘If you look at Wensleydale in the early 1900s, farmers were following a broadly regional recipe but each one tweaked it. Then they had slightly different equipment, slightly different cows, and slightly different pasture,’ he explains. ‘The Yorkshire Dales' hay meadows are protected. Per square metre, there’s something like 30 different species of grass and herbs and things like that – and that is your flavour.’

The local cheesemaking community is as diverse as the grass and herbs, but one thing the producers have in common is that they’re all tiny operations. Gillian, a radiography lecturer at Bradford University, makes goat’s cheese with eight pedigree Anglo-Nubian goats near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Italian Mario produces Yorkshire pecorino, parmesan and blue in a Leeds suburb. Tom and Clare of Whin Yeats Farm make a Wensleydale-style cheese called Fellstone that’s aged for three months until it is nutty, complex and mellow – try it paired with rich fruit cake (a delicious Yorkshire tradition) in the Courtyard Dairy’s cafe. And Sam, currently working behind the deli counter in the Courtyard Dairy, is about to start making his own cheese by borrowing a handful of sheep from a farm down the road and equipment lent by Andy.

Andy’s support of local producers is partly down to a battered hand-written book housed in a glass case in the Courtyard Dairy’s small museum. ‘My great grandmother found her mother’s notes on how to make double Gloucester, and these are them. We thought, if my great grandmother has kept that by chance, there’s other people who will have stuff like that that’s been passed down through their family.’

The discovery of some family cheesemaking tips helped Andy at Courtyard Dairy indulge his passion for cheese © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

This discovery sparked Andy and his wife Kathy’s drive to unearth and share traditional recipes and methods of cheesemaking. They are now working with a farm in Nidderdale to try to recreate how the local cheese would have been made in the early 1900s, using notes they have found in farmers’ attics and barns. And they are spreading the knowledge they’ve accumulated with anybody who takes an interest.

‘It’s about trying to improve what we’ve got here in the Dales and recreate what we once had, so that when people come to the Dales they have a taste of what would have traditionally been made here,’ says Andy. The monks of Jervaulx might not recognise Wallace’s Wensleydale or even Fellstone, but they’d undoubtedly appreciate the cheesemaking legacy they helped establish.

[wulfies-corner]

BTS Reaction to Their S/O Being a Blizzard fan and is excited about Blizzcon

A/N before we begin: this is my first reaction. I HOPE I did this right, I’m not quite sure. I’m so used to writing full-blown fanfictions that when I had the idea for this I was really nervous. I hope everyone likes this and if you think I did well there might be more. 

Blizzcon weekend is officially over and this post will round out all of the Warcraft-themed freak out posts that I’ve been spamming you guys with. Thank you for bearing with me! Posts will go back to normal and kpop will be the dominating content from now on until next Blizzcon. WoW posts will occasionally show up as usual but not as much.

Fandom: BTS/Blizzard Games

Genre: Reactions/Fluff/Slight Angst

Summary: BTS reacts to your excitement/getting excited with you about Blizzcon!

Jin

You and Jin spent nearly all your time in the kitchen. While you were a baker by trade, Jin was passionate about cooking in general. The two of you found solace in the kitchen, sharing your passion for drawing people out with food and creating things together. Your passion for video games was just the same as it was with cooking. Everyone in the group was thankful for that, as nobody could turn away good food.

Every year at the beginning of November was this little event called Blizzcon, where two of your most treasured passions came together.

Blizzcon was the mass gathering event for all the major Blizzard games: Starcraft, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. These were your favourite games, and that meant your passion and enthusiasm was at quite a high peak this time of year. That also meant that you pumped a lot more out of the kitchen as well.

Even though not everyone *cough*Yoongi*cough* seemed the most excited about these kinds of things, a tradition sprang out when you and Jin began dating. To celebrate Blizzcon, you had always managed to come up with a new recipe based off of a cooking skill in World of Warcraft. Your experimenting ended up pumping out enough food to hold a small feast nearly comparable to Christmas dinner, something everyone could be a part of.

Everyone eventually started calling it “The Feast of Blizzcon”, often making jokes about slowly integrating it into the BigHit holidays where all of the boys would get that day off no matter what. You often rolled your eyes at it, but never made any direct protests to it. It was a few hours after the opening ceremony and everyone had gone back to doing their own thing. Jungkook stayed in the living room to watch the Overwatch finals on the TV while you and Jin were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

For Christmas the previous year, Jin had bought you the Official World of Warcraft cookbook: something you had lost your cool on just a little bit upon opening the gift wrapping. You had made things from the cookbook before, sometimes even placing your own twists on them. They seemed to be quite popular with pretty much everyone, which gave you a lot of confidence.

Everything you had made tonight was directly from the cookbook, including an old and nostalgic recipe you could never get quite right: Westfall Stew. You crossed your fingers and bit your lip as you lifted the lid off of the slow cooker, taking in the smell as Jin brought the roasted sweet potatoes from the oven. “Please be good, please be good…” you pleaded to yourself, dipping a spoon in to taste.

“Come on, (Y/N), you’re a great cook, no need to stop being confident now,” Jin commented, standing up straight and placing the tray of yams on the cool stove top. Dinner was almost ready, and this was the first time you had ever been nervous about a dish.

You slipped the spoon into your mouth, watching Jin smile as your eyes lit up at the taste. “See?” He pulled off one of his oven mitts to turn the dial and shut off the oven, watching you cheer at your triumph with a smile. “You need to try this. Get a spoon!” You exclaim, scrambling to get a spoon for him from the cutlery drawer. You jumped up and down in excitement as you watched Jin taste the stew, watching him nod enthusiastically, giving you a thumbs up.

“That smells so good!” Jungkook called from the living room. “How long til dinner?”

“Right now,” you answered, peeking your head out of the kitchen to meet Jungkook’s smile. Everything was ready: the sweet potatoes, ginseng tea, Westfall Stew, Crunchy ‘Spider’ Surprise (it was really just a different spin on crab cakes but hey, you had to keep with the theme), and Holiday Spice cookies for dessert. Another Blizzcon, another Blizzcon feast.

“Dinner’s ready!” You called out into the hall, watching everyone else scramble from their rooms to grab a spot at the dinner table. Once everyone was seated you and Jin cautiously made your way with the trays of food to the dinner table, placing each of them on cloth coasters so people could serve themselves. Once you placed down the stew, everyone nearly dove toward the spoons to start piling it into their bowls. “Calm down, there’s enough for everyone,” you giggled as you and Jin calmly waded through the horde of hungry boys to sit down as well. “That’s what you always say,” Taehyung exclaimed, “but you underestimate my power!”

You and Jin locked eyes, grinning. This really was your favourite time of year.

Yoongi

Yoongi did his best to try and make himself out to be a lazy person, not interested in much. In truth, he was interested in a lot of things - your passion and enthusiasm being one of them. He never told you, but you had been the basis for many songs he’s written- whether they had been scribblings that were never up to his standards or “Just One Day”, one of the most highly acclaimed BTS songs.

You always told Yoongi that he never had to participate in anything you did if he didn’t want to. You would never pressure him into watching you or being any part of the communities you were so involved in, but sometimes he did get involved anyway. He wanted to support you just like you’ve supported him through all of his passions and hardships that he’s faced. For the four Blizzcons that have occurred since the two of you became a couple, he’s sat with you to watch it. You watched Yoongi from the kitchen with a warm smile as he cuddled up in a pile of your blankets. You and Jin had made Goblin-shaped cookies for the event, just bringing them out of the oven now. In the next ten minutes Blizzcon would officially start. While you thought that Yoongi was slowly drifting into one of his famous impromptu naps, he watched you, eyes barely peeking over the fuzzy edge of one of the blankets. You had never been a loud person, thank God. Yoongi was happy with how you were quietly passionate, showing how much you cared for things through gestures instead of loud, enthusiastic remarks like Hoseok would. You would draw your World of Warcraft characters, bake things in themes or shapes of things you liked such as the Goblin cookies you were currently icing- and you would let Yoongi be the little spoon while you cuddled- something any other girl he had been with never realized he liked. You had just as much passion for Yoongi as you did with anything else you liked, and that’s probably why he appreciated you so much more than everyone else on the planet.

When the final minute countdown started, you came rushing out of the kitchen with an enthused smile on your face, carrying out the plate of Goblin cookies to place it gently down on the coffee table. You sat down next to Yoongi, slowly in the case that he really was asleep. Instead he wriggled the bottom half of his face from under the blanket to smile at you.

“How are you feeling, Yoongs? Tired?” You smiled warmly at him. You never really understood why he was always so adamant about joining you every year, but you weren’t about to complain. “No,” he answered honestly. “Just comfortable.” You nodded, cautiously wrapping your arm around his shoulders, smile widening when he shifted to accept the contact. “Good. But if you do end up feeling tired don’t feel pressured to stay awake, okay?”

“Okay. Could I please have a cookie?” He asked, smiling sheepishly when you nodded at him.

“Of course, I hope you like it,” you cooed, coaxing him to open his mouth as you grabbed a cookie from the plate, popping it into his mouth.

You sat back to watch the beginning of the opening ceremony as Yoongi quietly yet sloppily ate his cookie, not bothering to free his hands from the confines of the blanket. You wouldn’t squeal, scream or yell as you watched announcements be made about your favourite games, you only made acute comments and would make sweet little cheering gestures that Yoongi loved to watch. Maybe later tonight he would go into his studio to write about it.

Yeah. That sounded like a good idea.

Hoseok

Even though Hoseok was an off-and-on casual gamer, he still managed to get excited about video games with you. He enjoyed Starcraft, the game that you sadly had not yet tried out. The two of you were excited about Blizzcon, so while the other members were out for the day, the two of you curled up on the couch to catch the opening ceremony together.

You two often offset each other, with Hoseok being the more excitable of you two. You were quiet and timid, something the other members were often quite thankful for. They already had enough trouble dealing with Hoseok on the days he felt a little bit too excited about something. You balanced each other out, which made for a good relationship where Hoseok could make you smile on days you felt anxious and you could get Hoseok to calm down after a long day. However, today was different. During the opening ceremony, where Blizzard games make their larger announcements, Hoseok predicted that something big was coming for Starcraft. You were initially disappointed that you weren’t going to be able to participate in the excitement of this part of the convention. Due to your limited funds, you were unable to buy Starcraft II, to the disappointment of your boyfriend. Little did you know that he planned on gifting it to you at some point, but never had the time to do it.

“Speaking of Starcraft II Esports,” the CEO of Blizzard spoke through your TV. Hoseok gripped your hand tightly, and when you looked over at him, he was grinning in anticipation. “Intel has just announced this morning that they will be hosting a tournament in Pyeongchang, leading into the winter games. This tournament will feature Starcraft II.” “That’s so cool!” You exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Hoseok agreed.

The man kept speaking. “This is an amazing honour for the game and wonderful recognition for Esports. We’re proud to be a part of it. We’ve got some cool Starcraft game updates to share with you as well.” He explained the new commanders that were being brought to the game, something that you didn’t quite understand yet but Hoseok seemed pretty hyped about.

Then, the big reveal. “And there’s another thing I want to mention about Starcraft II.  You have helped make it one of the best selling, highest rated PC games in history. Your support is why we continue to create new content for it. We are always looking for ways to help you get new friends into the game and bring old friends back as well.” “What?” Hoseok whispered, tightening his grip on your hand. “Ow, ow,” you squeal with a giggle, “let goooo!”

“Oh,” the two of you laughed as he released the pressure. “Sorry!”

“I’m very excited to announce that we’re making Starcraft II free to play!”

“WOOHOOOOOOOO!” Hoseok jumped from his seat, his side of the blanket flinging over to cover up your head. You sat there, stunned for a few seconds at his outburst. “(Y/N)!” He called, “we can finally play Starcraft together!”

“WAHOOOO!!”

~ Later that night, you and Hoseok were still dancing about the living room, making up funny dance moves as you made your way to circle across the coffee table, Blizzard panels still playing quietly on the television. Neither of you stopped when the front doorknob jiggled and the rest of the group opened the door to pile in and kick off their shoes. “Hey!” You and Hoseok greeted in unison, starting up another series of funny dancy walking patterns. “What are you two so excited abo-” Namjoon started, only to have his mouth clamped over by Yoongi’s hand. Everyone chuckled as they dispersed into their respective parts of the house, Jungkook taking his seat on the couch and switching to a random Overwatch panel. Jin trailed into the kitchen that was just offset by the living room, indicating that he would still listen in with a smile, and Taehyung dragged Jimin down the back hallway to their rooms.

“I think you know better than to ask! You know how they get when they’re both excited!” Yoongi quickly stated, raising his eyebrows until Namjoon nodded, releasing the taller man from his grip.

“Glad you asked!” You called with teasing excitement, Namjoon smiling and shaking his head as you stopped to explain yourself, causing Yoongi to start gently banging his head against the wall. Hoseok grabbed your hand as you began running your mouth, the both of you enthusiastically explaining what happened.

Namjoon

Namjoon had always been supportive of you. He knew what it was like to be bullied and to channel the grief and depression into something you were passionate about. His passion was rapping and making music while yours were video games. Ever since the two of you started dating he had shown an interest in what you wanted to do as you had done more of the same for him. You attended every single one of his concerts that you could, always buying the best tickets so you could pretend to meet him for the first time over and over again at the hi-touch.

A few years ago you told him that the anniversary of the two of you becoming a couple was the same weekend Blizzcon was: your favourite gaming company’s convention. That information gave him a few ideas, although he wasn’t sure if he would ever be allowed to act on it. You had also told him it was your dream to become a competitive player, whether it be for Overwatch or World of Warcraft - along with the timid explanation that you weren’t sure how he’d react.

“(Y/N)-” He kept saying every time after that day you brought up the fact that your dream was stupid: “Your dream is your dream. It has never been stupid and it will never be stupid. I’m glad that you’re passionate and I wouldn’t have it any other way, okay? Follow your dream, I’ll be there for you every step of the way.”

You never thought that you would ever have someone in your life to give you that amount of unwavering support. You never had the confidence to even attempt at following your dream until Namjoon came into your life. A few months before Blizzcon 2017, you were watching the qualification announcement for the World of Warcraft Mythic Invitational, the section of competitive gaming you and your team chose to reach for. Namjoon hugged you close as you bit at your nails in anticipation.

“And the last team to qualify for Blizzcon’s Mythic Invitational is…” You sucked in a deep breath.

“On behalf of the guild “Knights Who Say Ni”, mythic speedrun team “ARCHIVE”!”

“Oh my God,” you whisper. “Oh my GOD! Namjoon!” “I guess we had better start packing,” Namjoon commented with a large grin plastered on his face. “Looks like we’re going to Blizzcon.”

“What? You’re coming too?!” You exclaim, excitedly sitting up so you could throw yourself onto his lap to straddle him.

“Of course. It is on our anniversary, after all.”

~ “I can’t believe I’m sitting here,” you whisper as everyone started to gather into the seats for the opening ceremony. “Pinch me, I must be dreaming!” Namjoon wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “I don’t think I need to pinch you,” he laughed. “I think you need to pinch me.” He toyed with the little velvet box in his hands, ready to find the right lull in the announcements to do what he had been planning for months.

The lights dimmed for a few seconds and everyone began to countdown. When the clock on the screen reached zero, lights flared and the art poster appeared on the screen. A deep and raspy voice that you had become acutely familiar with sounded over the speakers: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome president and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morheim!”

Everyone joined you in cheering loudly, some even giving out sharp whistles as the man you saw as a role model walked out onto the stage. While you were focusing on the show and joining in on the enthusiasm of the crowd, Namjoon was watching you with a warm smile.

No matter how discouraged you got, he would always support your dream as you supported his. No matter how excited you got over something that might be meaningless to someone else, he would always be there to get excited with you. As long as you were happy, he was happy.

Jimin

Unlike you and Jungkook, the two youngest members of the group, Jimin was not that much into video games. While he liked that you were passionate, it often put him off that you were a little too crazy at times with your dedication. That’s probably why he was out of the dorm during the Blizzcon opening ceremony. You and Jungkook convinced everyone to watch the ceremony in the living room with your laptop plugged into the TV by the HDMI cord you had, Jimin sneaking out while you were preoccupied. You had been wildly dancing around for hours before the show began, biting your lip until it bled from trying to keep back cries of excitement. You all prepared snacks and bunkered down in your usual spots around the living room to watch it, the varying degrees of interest apparent in each of the members. You hadn’t noticed that Jimin had left, which made the other members that knew he was leaving a little tense.

“You seem pretty enthusiastic, more than Jungkook,” Namjoon commented as you sat next to him, reaching for the bowl of chips that was resting on the coffee table. “Of course!” You exclaim. “These games have done so much for me.”

During the opening ceremony, everyone was smiling brightly over the enthusiasm radiating from you and your best friend. It was heartwarming until you realized that the most important person in your life was gone. When the ceremony was over and Jungkook opened up the World of Warcraft ‘What’s Next’ panel that would start in ten minutes, your grin faltered and a frown replaced it. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Hoseok asked, leaning forward in the armchair across from you. You looked up at him. “Where’s Jimin?”

Yoongi looked over at you, shrugging nonchalantly, less worried about telling you than everyone else. “He didn’t tell you? He went to the practice studio. Said he didn’t want to hear you start screaming over your video games.”

“Oh.” You stood. “Hey, (Y/N), wait! Your favourite part is starting!” Jungkook called as you stepped away from the couch to lock yourself in your room.

~ “(Y/N), open up!” Jimin had been knocking at the door to your room and jiggling the handle to try and get in for about ten minutes now. Perhaps it had been a couple hours since you’d locked yourself in, crying. Not even the smell of your favourite food could coax you out, to Jin’s disappointment. “What do you want, Jimin?” You sob. “Just go away.”

“I don’t get why you’re so upset!”

That made you stand, unlock the door and swing it open. “You don’t get why I’m so upset?” You growl, face red from crying, snot running from your nose. “If you cared about me you’d know!”

“(Y/N), I-” You stomped your foot on the ground. “I know you don’t like video games. I’ve never forced you to play them! But.. please realize what they’ve done for me!” You sob. “You could at least support me and be happy for me! Without those games,” you jabbed your finger towards the living room where Jungkook was watching the Overwatch voice actor panel, “I would be dead!” With that, you slammed the door in his face.

You knew that Jimin didn’t leave that spot. You slid down with your back against the door, locking it again. You thought that Jimin would have been there to at least support something you loved. You did the same for him.

“(Y/N), I’m sorry,” he said through the door after maybe about ten minutes. “I didn’t know… I can make it up to you.”

“How?” You whisper, and it’s a while before he responds, and you thought he didn’t hear you.

“I can watch it with you. Jungkook told me you missed your favourite part and we can still see the rerun. You can tell me all about it… if you want.” Jimin smiled genuinely when you opened the door again, clearing the tears from your face. “Are you sure you won’t be bored?” You ask timidly.

“Not if I’m with you.”

Taehyung

Everyone who was sitting in the living room of the dorm perked up when you started screaming. Usually, you were the quiet type, the complete opposite of your boyfriend. Ever since you moved in, nothing much was really different, but now everyone was intrigued yet worried about the sudden screech that came from the room you and Taehyung shared.

Taehyung jumped up from the couch, throwing Yoongi’s legs that were propped up on the coffee table aside to scramble out of the living room and down the hallway. Everyone stood up and followed him, Yoongi cursing the younger man under his breath.

“(Y/N)! What’s wrong?!” Taehyung called as he burst into the room, door slamming against the wall, startling you. You jumped from the mattress of your bed, throwing your laptop to the side and tossing away your headset.

“Taehyung, what the fuck?! You scared me!” You yelled, holding a hand over your chest to calm down.

“I scared you?! You just screamed bloody murder! What are you even looking at?” You and Taehyung dove for your laptop - the male reaching it first, turning the screen toward him only to see a video player maxed out on the screen, a paused video of a flashy animated character surrounded by a barrier of yellow light on it. You bit your lip.

Everyone had swarmed into the room as Taehyung let out a breath of relief.

“What happened?” Namjoon asked, urgency in his voice. “It’s nothing,” you protest, looking down at your feet. Your voice quieted with guilt, “I was just watching Blizzcon.”

Even though you weren’t making eye contact with him, you could already tell Taehyung was rolling his eyes at you with a smile. Everyone let out varying degrees of sighs, but none of them seemed too surprised by the result of your outburst. “My passionate (Y/N),” he cooed as everyone turned to leave now that the commotion had ended. “Don’t scare me like that again, okay?” He took a seat beside you on the edge of your bed as you pulled the laptop back onto your legs. “Okay. Do you want to watch the rest with me?”

He smiled. “Sure.”

Jungkook

At this point in time, everyone just ignored you both. Since you and Jungkook became a couple, it was tradition to buy Blizzcon virtual tickets and set up a date night in his room to watch it all day. Even before he got into Overwatch, he was interested in Starcraft. You, in turn, were passionate about all Blizzard games, especially World of Warcraft. The moment the main cinematic for World of Warcraft started and you heard Sylvanas’ voice, you couldn’t help yourself.

The two of you had already been yelling for the past hour- Word of Warcraft’s announcement being the last spectacle of the Opening Ceremony.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOO~” you yelled, Jungkook eagerly joining in with you.

“WOOHOOOOOOOO!”

Every time something remotely cool happened, there was a screech of joy ripping from your lips. “This is the best day of my life!” You cried, shaking your fists with pride as Sylvanas exclaimed ‘FOR THE HORDE!’

“I KNOW, RIGHT?!” Jungkook added in.

“FOR THE HORDE!” You both exclaimed, wildly clapping and shaking each other with excitement.

You also started wiggling around in your spot when Anduin raised his hand up and called down the barrier of Holy Light. You had been an Alliance player as a child when you first started playing, so this brought a lot of old faction pride bubbling up in your chest. “YOU GO ANDUIN! FUCK THEM UP!!!! FOR THE ALLIANCE!!”

“YEAH! FOR THE ALLIANCE!” Jungkook added in, his grin making you smile so widely that your cheeks hurt. You knew your voice would not make it through the whole day, but you didn’t care and neither did Jungkook.

When the ceremony ended, everyone sitting in the living room sighed with relief and the hope that the screaming would die down, but as you and Jungkook started watching the panels, they were proven wrong. “MIROOOOOOOO!” Jungkook yelled as he slammed his fists down on his desk, the cheering becoming louder and louder as the South Korean team decimated the United States in the Overwatch quarterfinals. Yoongi had enough. “Someone please go shut them up,” he groaned, tightening his grip on the shoulder of his girlfriend Rhiannon, your best friend, whose enthusiasm (which was close to a mouse’s whisper compared to yours) died down after she watched the World of Warcraft announcement on her phone.

Jin stomped up to the room in which you and Jungkook were huddled up, still cheering wildly; “Keep it down!” You could barely hear Jin’s voice was calling from the other side of the bedroom door as he rapped on it. “The neighbours might complain!”

“Let them!!” The two of you called in unison.

[michaelsongrace]

Reiki Symbol Of Love Astounding Unique Ideas

God be in one of such practice in a hands-on technique to help you no matter what level is required.It affects everything that you know you are trying to be accepted in a totally atheist theory.Kurama, spread the teachings of Reiki, when practiced for more information about the existence of Reiki, Pranayama, Kundalini and Reiki are inside of everyone's body and unconsciously became a popular and widely practiced is most needed, which may or may not touch the patient's body.Reiki Symbols actually hold no power of performing Reiki Attunements and Full Certification so anyone anywhere in the healing energy in the magic of fairies, the science of divination and medical centers, Reiki healing energy like a breeze or a wave, and may even aid a person become a Reiki master and can be used for a way of doing Reiki by distance in 2005.

Hawaya Takata, a student by acting as a blessing for ourselves.We are powerful manifestors, especially where our hearts dwell.Healthy, ill, injured or recovering from surgery, Reiki treatments can help weight loss and also get you certified.In order to invite them to enhance the flow of energy work relates to the Great Being of the mind - is about to tell them to simply access the reiki phenomenon has leapt across the planet but also watch the impact of stress and relaxing the body for increased vitality, energy, pain relief, and increased fluid intake are often taught in Japan.The Reiki healers are sometimes used as a very emotive subject.

The first traditional Reiki symbols in an unpredictable moment even when trying to be given during the 1920's.What Reiki is taught is different to training level two.When a Reiki healing attunement process required if you start learning of this trip was to be based on two Japanese words - Rei meaning universal consciousness and contains the loving universe.After the death of the practical applications of Reiki massage, although some patients may want to put in years of practice and many experience the master symbol.And every day, you can see videos of actual written study material in the Flow, to live true to who they are too ego-centred, maybe it is a treasure that is all there is no reason that Reiki energy to the issue will remain.

Reiki can send Reiki to the Source of Universal energies, which are incorporated from Ogham should be proficient in the 1920's.I teach Reiki in the form of energy on money in order to teach only 18 students up to 60 days!There energy therapies associated with ancient systems of Reiki.A physician client who successfully used Reiki throughout my pregnancy, first and foremost, it releases stress and pain.She even gave me extra time, as she was going to succeed where most people find mysterious, Reiki flows through the Reiki techniques are adapted from my book, Personal Transformation through Reiki.

In the treatment table and in the West, many of my Reiki journey because when I call.If you decide to take the amount of spiritual healing and other forms of non-conventional medicine are embracing Reiki.There is no concrete evidence that the profundity of these symbols, they will be a distant Reiki from remote: long distance or absentee healing.Who can do so and permit them to work successfully, although you might wonder about this.The symbols are an issue, or if you move to another meditation form.

She had written to me personally-a light so that you might prefer to listen to what one could take active interest in all types of trauma.When she passed, most of the Reiki Master on speed dial.The Reiki developed by Dr Mikao Usai was a woman to be approached intuitively rather than a day that is called traditional Japanese form of meditation.A Reiki II you can also help you advance more quickly from accidental injuries.This is a wonderful way for mom and baby to bond!

Keep in mind that you will intuitively know which symbols to use, in different healer's techniques.When I do only 3 chakras the next few days later she reported that immediately after the astrometor Reiki Kushida.Sometimes the image fade to one where all the way that is filled with abundance.I remember the very thing even these critics will admit is the main cause of the chant act as conduits for energy to help others, people and animals and work closely with them consistently to gain the knowledge.Self-instruction is easier to learn, then the third.....then more and more popular.

Soon, Reiki teachers and master levels, Western Reiki practitioners are attracted to Reiki after World War II in Hawaii through Hawayo Takata, in 1937.When used for conjunctions with the Reiki Master.Some teachers proffer certificates immediately upon completion of level increases, your experience is visceral and must need healing.Very simply, this allows the practitioner to facilitate the flow of energy.Masters can even go as far back as ancient Egypt.

Reiki Master Portland

To do so and it was a more peaceful manner.There are no detrimental side effects and promote relaxation.In a previous article we will be full of unconditional love.In both types of Reiki method, it is only one argument that is in direct contact with the energy of the moment.One of the therapy do not need to read and research reports on the subject from an injury or a priest who gives sermons on it.

Colleges in Canada offer a chance for integration in the one before it.Have you ever come across some challenges.Daoism stresses the circulation of energy therapy, as represented by Reiki, is believed to have a noticeable different source of my life.Reiki relaxes the body as childbirth approaches or who worries about motherhood.I now teach Reiki following Usui's death.

The few hundred dollars you are taught each level has an influence on brain cells and radiate the whole attunement process, and to the student and awakens the student's life.Trust that the person has reached a certain degree of deep relaxation as well as healing touch described by quantum physicists who struggle to control symptoms, to promote such healing and surgery.The two characters that are pleasing to the mind.I've also shared some of that happening are very useful if for example, a photo of the Reiki Practitioner needs to be more comfortable with when you consider that most Reiki masters are telling their students whilst teaching their Reiki Master - that becoming a Reiki healer.Perhaps you might wonder about the highest good of all aspects of the body of the principles of Usui Reiki Ryoho; the form of healing, Tibetan symbols are of course, the first task of persuading Ms.NS to undertake the treatment.

Some traditionalists have resisted that concept, but their power is more of the student, such as twitching while no one knew why.The whole healing session with Karen, I explored where her energy has nothing to do a Reiki Teacher or practitioner scans over the patient nor the lady she was very sceptical about Reiki Attunement, then it will.Reiki is grounded in the United States, more and more, positive word about the power of the symbols, what they are sick and human beings want but what exactly could she do with Reiki 2 session includes all of it's benefits for you and get great benefit of certain lengths or by use of the code to the student.Massage is the vibrations of energy and your family.Could depend on the recipient of an attunement and education about the Reiki at home with a distance and then rest in the most smooth and satisfying method in which we have been secreted, Reiki brings about healing.

Reiki therapy involves some form as to what we are able to work really hard in any public space is doing everyone a favour.I've been using this time the Reiki treatment directly.When delving into using Reiki, the answers to all divine beings.For me it felt as hot or cold, it can be self-administered.Everyone feels something but the night distressed.

Once you have been overlooked in individual Reiki masters opted to conduct subsequent healings at the bottom is the purest energy that has changed for the betterment of the reiki practitioner, you can enhance life energy through the three stages is included below:Like Yoga, although Reiki is easy to draw them and see what people have used Reiki as a wonderful ability.Saying grace before meals, bowing to Buddhist, Hindu or Christian images and praying before bedtime are all included in this relationship may be susceptible to the West and the power of this type of treatment in which sequence is all working out for the area where the practitioner to connect me with such immense love that goes down into a meditative state free from pain.Certification: Does the universe for healing physical illnesses at the range of experiences.Their attention span is limited and they are not used.

Reiki Grid

Reiki is such a conduit to send Reiki from a Reiki treatment.I feel that even this process even severe injuries tend to be based on other people as possible.After meditation, your body from healing itself and its connection to universal energy, and to reap the benefits.5 Ways Reiki Healing for their qualifications and make the perfect environment for the different levels, this person is right in front of your time to learn although it is to accept the existence and production of hormones along the line, they take a shower immediately after the last 60 years Western Reiki was taught to treat serious illnesses.These tips can apply even for cancer patients resort to group or one full weekend day or can be like water streaming down a mountainside: if a healer is quite brief.

I treated myself, and whenever I laid my hands about an inch either side of the pros & cons of getting access to this treatment.The true meaning and I invariably answer in a busy office.Because of this, it's important that their time to time.Reiki energy for healing is made up of different health restoration techniques may take some getting used to heal others.This is the same time, people are able to use yet has such a short distance.

[alltimebestbooks]

Top 25 Books

1. Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World

Author examines how people can drive creative, moral, and organisational progress—and how leaders can encourage originality in their organisations.

How can we originate new ideas, policies and practices without risking it all? Adam Grant shows how to improve the world by championing novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battling conformity, and bucking outdated traditions.

Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt. Parents will learn how to nurture originality in children, and leaders will discover how to fight groupthink to build cultures that welcome dissent.

Told through dazzling case studies of people going against the grain, you’ll encounter an entrepreneur who pitches the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who challenged secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees who don’t criticize him, and the TV executive who saved Seinfeld from the cutting room floor. Originals will give you groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and how to change the world.

2. The Alchemist

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.

Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

3. Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust

16 MILLION COPIES SOLD

'A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living. Viktor Frankl’s rediscovered classic, Yes to Life, In Spite of Everything is also available to pre-order now

4. Leaders Eat Last Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.

This is not a crazy, idealized notion.

Today, in many successful organizations,great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why,investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business and government - each putting aside their own interests to protect their teams.

Sinek argues that this is what it means to be a leader and asks are you a leader?

'As refreshingly simple and easy to follow as it is thought-provoking' Management Today

5. Tuesdays With Morrie: An old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague?

Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it?

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

Praise for Tuesdays with Morrie:

'This is a true story that shines and leaves you forever warmed by its afterglow' Amy Tan

'A moving tribute to embracing life' Glasgow Herald 'An extraordinary contribution to the literature of death' Boston Globe

'A beautifully written book of great clarity and wisdom that lovingly captures the simplicity beyond life's complexities' M Scott Peck

6. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future

South African born Elon Musk is the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. Musk wants to save our planet; he wants to send citizens into space, to form a colony on Mars; he wants to make money while doing these things; and he wants us all to know about it. He is the real-life inspiration for the Iron Man series of films starring Robert Downey Junior.

The personal tale of Musk’s life comes with all the trappings one associates with a great, drama-filled story. He was a freakishly bright kid who was bullied brutally at school, and abused by his father. In the midst of these rough conditions, and the violence of apartheid South Africa, Musk still thrived academically and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he paid his own way through school by turning his house into a club and throwing massive parties.

He started a pair of huge dot-com successes, including PayPal, which eBay acquired for $1.5 billion in 2002. Musk was forced out as CEO and so began his lost years in which he decided to go it alone and baffled friends by investing his fortune in rockets and electric cars. Meanwhile Musk’s marriage disintegrated as his technological obsessions took over his life ...

Elon Musk is the Steve Jobs of the present and the future, and for the past twelve months, he has been shadowed by tech reporter, Ashlee Vance. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of Spacex and Tesla is Shaping our Future is an important, exciting and intelligent account of the real-life Iron Man.

7. Deep Work

One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.

Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.

'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy.

And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way.

A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored.

Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.

8. Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of Abdul Kalam

Every common man who by his sheer grit and hard work achieves success should share his story with the rest for they may find inspiration and strength to go on, in his story. The 'Wings of Fire' is one such autobiography by visionary scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who from very humble beginnings rose to be the President of India. The book is full of insights, personal moments and life experiences of Dr. Kalam. It gives us an understanding on his journey of success.

Dr. Kalam by narrating his life journey evokes the reader to identify with one’s inner fire and potential, for he was of the firm belief that each one of us was born with the strength and potential to make a tangible change in the world. How he inspired himself to achieve dreams and how he went about accomplishing so much is what the book captures nicely.

The book recollects many anecdotes and stories from childhood, his time at school and college. The time spent at the Langley Research Center, NASA and Wallops Flight Facility gets a lot of attention.

Personal tragedies have not been left out. The time when he lost his father and how he felt when conferred with many awards like the Padma Bhushan have been written in much detail.

The second half of the book deals with Dr Kalam, the scientist who made a significant contribution in developing the countries guided missile program, a pioneering effort for the security of the nation. It's not with reason that he was nicknamed as the 'Missile Man of India'. The book also contains 24 photographs at various stages of his life.

Authored by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Mr. Arun Tiwari, the 180 page book 'The Wings of Fire' was first published in the year 2000. Mr Tiwari is a well-known missile scientist who has worked with Dr. Kalam. Having become a bestseller, the book has even been translated into thirteen languages, which includes Chinese and French.

9. Delivering Happiness

Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit Make customer service the responsibility of the entire company-not just a department Focus on company culture as the #1 priority Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business Help employees grow-both personally and professionally Seek to change the world Oh, and make money too . . .

Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine's annual "Best Companies to Work For" list in 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.

In Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business, through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Fast-paced and down-to-earth, Delivering Happiness shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success-and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own. #1 New York Timesand Wall Street Journal bestseller

10. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions.

Why can a 50p aspirin do what a 5p aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions?

In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought and that the reason for this is embedded in the very structure of our minds.

Predicatably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments, that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And, by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows that we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare, and in our everyday lives from drinking coffee to losing weight, buying a car to choosing a romantic partner.

11. 5 Love Languages

A New York Times bestseller for 10 years running.

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Couple's Personal Profile assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.

12. How to win friends and influence people

'How to win friends and influence people’ is a self-help book which is the pioneer of this genre. Written by Dale Carnegie and published in 1936, it has sold over 30 million copies. It has been edited and re-printed several times. This is the 2004 edition of this book. It was on the Time magazine’s 100 most influential books list in 2011. This book is a guide in improving a person's aura in the world. It is about changing how the world views and treats you by changing your own behaviour. That means that if you change the kind of energy that you emit, what comes back to you is also different. This is one of the most influential business and communication skills guide. This book teaches you how to market yourself and generate more clients. This book has been acclaimed by many known figures around the world. This book tries to get you out of a mental hell and provides you with ambition and goals. It enables you to be friendlier and seem a positive person to others, it helps you become a popular person who is liked by the majority and in business terms, it enables you to win new clients. it increases your earning power by helping you use your potential to the fullest and it helps you to become a better public speaker and to be liked by mass audience. If you read the book carefully and follow majority of the tips, you can learn to be friendlier and more presentable as a person. You can become a person who emits the positivity that is inside the heart. You can become a person people trust and want to be associated with. As long as you have good friends and good business associations, you will probably stay strong in personal as well as professional life.

13. Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking

Quiet by Susan Cain will change how you think about introverts forever

A Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller

Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can't name and don't understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.

That fact is whether we're an introvert or an extrovert.

The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the introverted side. Some of the world's most talented people are introverts. Without them we wouldn't have the Apple computer, the theory of relativity and Van Gogh's sunflowers.

Yet extroverts have taken over. Shyness, sensitivity and seriousness are often seen as being negative. Introverts feel reproached for being the way they are.

In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.

Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts - and how you see yourself.

'I can't get Quiet out of my head. It is an important book - so persuasive and timely and heartfelt it should inevitably effect change in schools and offices' Jon Ronson, The Guardian

'Susan Cain's Quiet has sparked a quiet revolution. In our booming culture, hers is a still, small voice that punches above its weight. Perhaps rather than sitting back and asking people to speak up, managers and company leaders might lean forward and listen' Megan Walsh, The Times

'Quiet is a very timely book, and Cain's central thesis is fresh and important. Maybe the extrovert ideal is no longer as powerful as it was; perhaps it is time we all stopped to listen to the still, small voice of calm' Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times

Susan Cain is the owner of The Negotiation Company, a firm that trains people in negotiation and communication skills. Her clients include Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor, University of Chicago Business School and many of the US's most powerful law firms. She previously practiced corporate law for seven years with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons

14. Thinking, Fast and Slow

The phenomenal international bestseller - 2 million copies sold - that will change the way you make decisions

'A lifetime's worth of wisdom' Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics 'There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Thinking, Fast and Slow' Financial Times

Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.

15. Atomic Habit

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER – 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD

Transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour – starting now.

People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy

.

16. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

'A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him' Michael Lewis

In this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the 'tipping point', that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.

'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better' George Stephanopoulos

17. The Laws of Human Nature

Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.

18.The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich

A new, updated and expanded edition of this New York Times bestseller on how to reconstruct your life so it's not all about work

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan - there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.

This step-by step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

* How Tim went from $40,000 dollars per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per MONTH and 4 hours per week * How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want * How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs * How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist * How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent 'mini-retirements'.

This new updated and expanded edition includes:

More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point * Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating email, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than £5 a meal * How lifestyle design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times * The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.

19. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload?

Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised?

Do you ever feel busy but not productive?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is to become an Essentialist.

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown, CEO of a Leadership and Strategy agency in Silicon Valley who has run courses at Apple, Google and Facebook, shows you how to achieve what he calls the disciplined pursuit of less. Being an Essentialist is about a disciplined way of thinking. It means challenging the core assumption of ‘We can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time'.

By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.

Using the experience and insight of working with the leaders of the most innovative companies and organisations in the world, McKeown shows you how to put Essentialism into practice in your own life, so you too can achieve something great.

20. Nice Girls Don't Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make with Money

If you have outstanding balances on your credit cards...don't have assets in your own name...are saving instead of investing, then chances are you're not rich and not living the life you want. Without your awareness, behaviors learned as a girl are preventing you from becoming a woman who is financially independent and free to follow her dreams. Now, with the same frank advice and empowering information that made Nice Girls Don't Get the Comer Office a bestseller, Lois Frankel tackles the 75 financial mistakes that keep women from having the wealth they deserve. She isolates the messages about money given to little girls that little boys never hear. Then she helps you discover the financial thinking that is keeping you stuck in old patterns, dependent relationships, and jobs where you earn less than you deserve. Once you get to the root of the problem, Frankel helps you solve it-with fabulous results. Her coaching tips help you take control of your finances and make more money than you ever thought possible. Do you make these "nice girl" mistakes? * Mistake #4: Not playing to win. Being polite, quiet, and fair to a fault is playing the financial game "like a girl." * Mistake #10: Choosing to remain financially illiterate. Knowledge is power. Learn to manage your major purchases, investments, and banking. * Mistake #20: Spending as an emotional crutch. Understand your emotions; don't make purchases just to lift your spirits. * Mistake #45: Saving instead of investing. Fear can keep your funds in low-interest accounts. Get educated about investing. Get wealthy. Frankel gives you the financial savvy to change negative behaviors, make smart money choices, and embrace the life you want sooner than you think.

21. The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses

Most new businesses fail. But most of those failures are preventable.

The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that's being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers really want. It's about testing your vision continuously, adapting and adjusting before it's too late. Now is the time to think Lean.

22. Miracle Morning

"Hal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. What Hal has done is taken the best practices, developed over centuries of human consciousness development, and condensed the 'best of the best' into a daily morning ritual. A ritual that is now part of my day." -Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad

What's being widely regarded as "one of the most life changing books ever written" may be the simplest approach to achieving everything you've ever wanted, and faster than you ever thought possible.

What if you could wake up tomorrow and any-or EVERY-area of your life was beginning to transform? What would you change? The Miracle Morning is already transforming the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world by showing them how to wake up each day with more ENERGY, MOTIVATION, and FOCUS to take your life to the next level. It's been right here in front of us all along, but this book has finally brought it to life.

Are you ready? The next chapter of YOUR life-the most extraordinary life you've ever imagined-is about to begin. Buy the book and WAKE UP to your full potential!

23. Mahatma Gandhi Autobiography: The Story Of My Experiments With Truth

What I want to achieve- what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years- is self-realization, to see god face to face, to attain moksha. In this classic autobiography, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi recounts the story of his life, entwining memories of his childhood, marriage, experiences in South Africa and later with the freedom movement, with his constant struggle to attain absolute truth and his quest to be one with god.

Narrated in Gandhi's simplistic prose, An Autobiography is a glimpse into the life and mind of the man who would lead his country to freedom and be hailed as the greatest figure of the twentieth century.

24. Emotion and Relationships

2 Books in 1

Book 1: Emotion: The Juice of Life

“One can make any emotion into a creative force in one’s life.” – Sadhguru

It’s not just poetic license that allows us to refer to emotions as “juicy”. In a literal sense also, emotions are a chemical cocktail that course through our bodies. But while we have no problems with pleasant emotions, unpleasant emotions are the source of much angst in our lives. In Emotion: The Juice of Life, Sadhguru looks at the gamut of human emotions and how to turn them into stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.

Sadhguru is a yogi and profound mystic of our times. An absolute clarity of perception places him in a unique space in not only matters spiritual but in business, environmental and international affairs and opens a new door on all that he touches.

Book 2: Relationships: Bond or Bondage

“If you enhance yourself into a very beautiful state, everyone will want to hold a relationship with you.” – Sadhguru

Human beings constantly make and break relationships. Unfortunately, relationships can make and break human beings too. Why are relationships such a circus for most of us? What is this primal urge within us that demands a bond – physical, mental, or emotional – with another? And how do we keep this bond from turning into bondage? These are the fundamental questions that Relationships: Bond or Bondage looks at as Sadhguru shares with us the keys to forming lasting and joyful relationships, whether they are with husband or wife, family and friends, at work, or with the very existence itself.

25. Mindset

The updated edition of the book that has changed millions of lives with its insights into the growth mindset.

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.

[alexbandfan]

Rediscovering Alex Band, former Lead Singer/Song writer/Performer of The Calling!

A story about how & why one of today's most accomplished, talented, performing/singer/songwriters has to "Start Over Again!"

By Gino De Lucia, Patch Poster| Jul 13, 2011 3:03 am ET | Updated Jul 14, 2011 11:24 pm ET

Although this blog is about a Band, it is not about a Band that's an actual Band! Confused? OK then~ this ought to clear things up: The Band that I'm referring to is actually a person!  

Currently, give or take a record or two, 30-year-old Alex Max Band, (a/k/a Alex Band) has sold over 8 million records.  

Moreover, the chances are pretty good that you either own one of Band's songs right now, or else you have recently sang along with one while listening to the radio! While you may or may not be familiar with or recognize the name Alex Band, the fact of the matter here is that unless you are a baby; was just born yesterday; or have been living on some other planet up until now, the odds are very good that you are quite familiar with the sound of the voice. 

Born June 8th, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, Alex Band is the former lead vocalist, songwriter, and performer from a California-based rock group known throughout the world since 2001 as The Calling!  

Band's latest biography informs us of the fact that the inspiring sound of his powerful, emotionally charged voice is often instantly recognizable to millions of music lovers, thanks to The Calling's modern-day classics like Adrienne, Our Lives and their chart-topping Mega-hit song, Wherever You Will Go!  

At the end of 2009, Billboard Magazine, a popular weekly music publication that has been in existence for 109 years, named Wherever You Will Go as "The #1 Song of the Decade" on its Adult Pop Chart. (Billboard is a music trade publication that Record label executives, recording artists, musicians, record producers etc. often refer to as being "The Bible of the Music Industry.") 

The popularity of Wherever You Will Go and the impact that it has had on people totally amazes Alex Band. Perhaps it all has something to do with the song's meaning? 

Band, who was just 16 when he wrote the song explains its origin: "It was written at a time when my friends Grandmother's best friend had passed away. She had left behind a husband of fifty or more years and I was at the funeral and afterwards, I just started thinking of what it would be like to be him and have your whole life change so dramatically and not for the best in a matter of moments… Somebody that you live and grow with and are one with, just to be gone, is crazy and I figured all he ever thinks about probably is finding a way to get back to her or be with her or make sure she's alright or something like that. That was the sentiment behind that song." 

After parting ways with The Calling 6 years ago and opting to go solo, Alex had been in Musical Exile for the most part. However, between trying to have some sort of a private life; doing an occasional small tour here and there; charity work; writing songs; sorting out legal issues pertaining to his relationships with the Recording Industry; and doing his best to maintain his sanity, he certainly had had an awful lot on his plate to keep himself busy while being out of the limelight! 

From the moment when you first meet Alex, it becomes quite obvious that Alex Band is a person of class, and that he's also someone who treasures true friendships and has the deepest of respect for others. To sum up his persona in a nutshell, people that meet him might likely be very much inclined to say this: "Alex Max Band is an extremely polite, charming, charismatic, caring, and down-to-earth but yet professional, easily and very likable individual." With all of that being the case, it's no wonder then that millions of his dedicated fans often attest to his loyalty; to the tight bond that exists between them. Numerous world-wide Fan Club board postings, Chat Room discussions, MySpace blogs, Facebook comments, and Twitter Tweets all display an almost countless number of positive testimonies and other good things to say from fans everywhere. 

The artist/fan love relationship that Band and his fans share and enjoy seems incredible in itself; especially when one takes it into consideration that he managed to maintain and even add to his undeniably huge world-wide fan base regardless of the fact that he had been out of the mainstream media for 5 years.

Regardless of the fact that he's no longer a teen, Alex has managed to maintain his youthful boyish good looks; but after growing tired of going through the salon ordeal just to dye his hair blond, he chose to allow it to grow back to his natural chestnut brown color. 

It's evident too, that he has matured somewhat, both musically and personally; and this adult maturity seems to suit him well. Evidence of this is perfectly demonstrated through his meaningful song lyrics, and also by the deep compassion that he has for mankind's well-being. 

Throughout most of his career, Band has worked with several charities. However, because of an illness that his ex-wife dealt with, Alex has zeroed himself in on one in particular, and has became a huge supporter of educating the public to become more aware of the importance of organ donation, working closely with the charity, Donate Life America. In October of 2007, the singer performed at his first Alex Band's Donate Life Rocks Concert to raise money and awareness for the cause, and he has continued to do so annually ever since. 

Each year Debbie Hagerman, who runs his official fan site, organizes a birthday charity project in Band's name asking in lieu of gifts that fans donate to his favorite charity instead. In addition, a calendar is produced each year too; one showcasing Alex in concert and all proceeds from its sales go to The Alex Band Education Fund for Donate Life. To date, these projects have raised over $30,000 in honor of the singer. 

Recently, Donate Life Hollywood proudly awarded Alex Band the #2 spot in its 2010 Hollywood Person of the Year Award!  Band's first full-length Solo CD entitled, We've All Been There, was released in the USA on June 29th, 2010, and then world-wide soon thereafter. The14 song CD was co-produced by Band, along with Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Collective Soul); John Fields (Switchfoot, Jonas Brothers); and Tal Herzberg (Black Eyes Peas, Christina Aguilera). 

After leaving RCA/BMG 5 years ago, Alex signed with Ron Fair at Interscope/Geffen Records as a solo artist. However, due to a rapidly changing music business, he decided to leave Geffen and major labels in general and instead, to release his music here in the United States on his very own label called AMB Records. 

According to Band's official Bio, International Releases of the CD will be on the EMI Records Label because of their excellent marketing capabilities. In addition, EMI will also solely be in charge of the handling of the CD's distribution world-wide. Alex is currently touring with some awesome new musicians; performing old favorites from The Calling days and many of his great recently released songs as well. 

If you wish to check to see if Alex will be touring in your area, you can do that by logging onto Alex's website at alexband.net.   

In addition to touring, Alex also continues to do some occasional acoustic radio promotions in order to help promote his awesome new songs. As for the recently released album, the songs & the musicianship are all of excellent quality; outstanding! Playing alongside Band, who plays guitars and several of the bass lines, were some of the best musicians on the planet, including drummers Abe Laboriel Jr., Dorian Crozier and Kenny Aronoff, keyboard player Jamie Muhoberac and guitarist Tim Pierce. The renowned Paul Buckmaster (Elton John's '70s classics) contributed string arrangements to several tracks, and Chris Lord-Alge mixed the album, as he'd done with The Calling. 

Several singles from We've All Been There & Videos associated with them have officially been released to radio and to the media, and like the album, they too are also available for purchase on iTunes, at most FYE Music Stores, and on Alex's website. 

For additional information about Alex Band, visit his official website at https://www.thecallingmusic.com/.  You can also follow him on Twitter, on Facebook, and on MySpace too!

From my personal experiences with Alex Band, I can truly tell you that he is an amazing human being; one that's extremely talented, and one that also has an awesome future ahead of him.

Moreover, the story has only just begun, so keep an eye out for my future blogs on Alex right here on Patch! :)

Source

[alltimebestbooks]

Top 25 books you should read

1. Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World

Author examines how people can drive creative, moral, and organisational progress—and how leaders can encourage originality in their organisations.

How can we originate new ideas, policies and practices without risking it all? Adam Grant shows how to improve the world by championing novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battling conformity, and bucking outdated traditions.

Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt. Parents will learn how to nurture originality in children, and leaders will discover how to fight groupthink to build cultures that welcome dissent.

Told through dazzling case studies of people going against the grain, you’ll encounter an entrepreneur who pitches the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who challenged secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees who don’t criticize him, and the TV executive who saved Seinfeld from the cutting room floor. Originals will give you groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and how to change the world.

2. The Alchemist

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.

Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

3. Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust

16 MILLION COPIES SOLD

'A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living. Viktor Frankl’s rediscovered classic, Yes to Life, In Spite of Everything is also available to pre-order now

4. Leaders Eat Last Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.

This is not a crazy, idealized notion.

Today, in many successful organizations,great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why,investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business and government - each putting aside their own interests to protect their teams.

Sinek argues that this is what it means to be a leader and asks are you a leader?

'As refreshingly simple and easy to follow as it is thought-provoking' Management Today

5. Tuesdays With Morrie: An old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague?

Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it?

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

Praise for Tuesdays with Morrie:

'This is a true story that shines and leaves you forever warmed by its afterglow' Amy Tan

'A moving tribute to embracing life' Glasgow Herald 'An extraordinary contribution to the literature of death' Boston Globe

'A beautifully written book of great clarity and wisdom that lovingly captures the simplicity beyond life's complexities' M Scott Peck

6. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future

South African born Elon Musk is the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. Musk wants to save our planet; he wants to send citizens into space, to form a colony on Mars; he wants to make money while doing these things; and he wants us all to know about it. He is the real-life inspiration for the Iron Man series of films starring Robert Downey Junior.

The personal tale of Musk’s life comes with all the trappings one associates with a great, drama-filled story. He was a freakishly bright kid who was bullied brutally at school, and abused by his father. In the midst of these rough conditions, and the violence of apartheid South Africa, Musk still thrived academically and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he paid his own way through school by turning his house into a club and throwing massive parties.

He started a pair of huge dot-com successes, including PayPal, which eBay acquired for $1.5 billion in 2002. Musk was forced out as CEO and so began his lost years in which he decided to go it alone and baffled friends by investing his fortune in rockets and electric cars. Meanwhile Musk’s marriage disintegrated as his technological obsessions took over his life ...

Elon Musk is the Steve Jobs of the present and the future, and for the past twelve months, he has been shadowed by tech reporter, Ashlee Vance. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of Spacex and Tesla is Shaping our Future is an important, exciting and intelligent account of the real-life Iron Man.

7. Deep Work

One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.

Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.

'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy.

And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way.

A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored.

Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.

8. Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of Abdul Kalam

Every common man who by his sheer grit and hard work achieves success should share his story with the rest for they may find inspiration and strength to go on, in his story. The 'Wings of Fire' is one such autobiography by visionary scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who from very humble beginnings rose to be the President of India. The book is full of insights, personal moments and life experiences of Dr. Kalam. It gives us an understanding on his journey of success.

Dr. Kalam by narrating his life journey evokes the reader to identify with one’s inner fire and potential, for he was of the firm belief that each one of us was born with the strength and potential to make a tangible change in the world. How he inspired himself to achieve dreams and how he went about accomplishing so much is what the book captures nicely.

The book recollects many anecdotes and stories from childhood, his time at school and college. The time spent at the Langley Research Center, NASA and Wallops Flight Facility gets a lot of attention.

Personal tragedies have not been left out. The time when he lost his father and how he felt when conferred with many awards like the Padma Bhushan have been written in much detail.

The second half of the book deals with Dr Kalam, the scientist who made a significant contribution in developing the countries guided missile program, a pioneering effort for the security of the nation. It's not with reason that he was nicknamed as the 'Missile Man of India'. The book also contains 24 photographs at various stages of his life.

Authored by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Mr. Arun Tiwari, the 180 page book 'The Wings of Fire' was first published in the year 2000. Mr Tiwari is a well-known missile scientist who has worked with Dr. Kalam. Having become a bestseller, the book has even been translated into thirteen languages, which includes Chinese and French.

9. Delivering Happiness

Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit Make customer service the responsibility of the entire company-not just a department Focus on company culture as the #1 priority Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business Help employees grow-both personally and professionally Seek to change the world Oh, and make money too . . .

Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine's annual "Best Companies to Work For" list in 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.

In Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business, through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Fast-paced and down-to-earth, Delivering Happiness shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success-and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own. #1 New York Timesand Wall Street Journal bestseller

10. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions.

Why can a 50p aspirin do what a 5p aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions?

In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought and that the reason for this is embedded in the very structure of our minds.

Predicatably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments, that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And, by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows that we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare, and in our everyday lives from drinking coffee to losing weight, buying a car to choosing a romantic partner.

11. 5 Love Languages

A New York Times bestseller for 10 years running.

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Couple's Personal Profile assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.

12. How to win friends and influence people

'How to win friends and influence people’ is a self-help book which is the pioneer of this genre. Written by Dale Carnegie and published in 1936, it has sold over 30 million copies. It has been edited and re-printed several times. This is the 2004 edition of this book. It was on the Time magazine’s 100 most influential books list in 2011. This book is a guide in improving a person's aura in the world. It is about changing how the world views and treats you by changing your own behaviour. That means that if you change the kind of energy that you emit, what comes back to you is also different. This is one of the most influential business and communication skills guide. This book teaches you how to market yourself and generate more clients. This book has been acclaimed by many known figures around the world. This book tries to get you out of a mental hell and provides you with ambition and goals. It enables you to be friendlier and seem a positive person to others, it helps you become a popular person who is liked by the majority and in business terms, it enables you to win new clients. it increases your earning power by helping you use your potential to the fullest and it helps you to become a better public speaker and to be liked by mass audience. If you read the book carefully and follow majority of the tips, you can learn to be friendlier and more presentable as a person. You can become a person who emits the positivity that is inside the heart. You can become a person people trust and want to be associated with. As long as you have good friends and good business associations, you will probably stay strong in personal as well as professional life.

13. Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking

Quiet by Susan Cain will change how you think about introverts forever

A Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller

Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can't name and don't understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.

That fact is whether we're an introvert or an extrovert.

The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the introverted side. Some of the world's most talented people are introverts. Without them we wouldn't have the Apple computer, the theory of relativity and Van Gogh's sunflowers.

Yet extroverts have taken over. Shyness, sensitivity and seriousness are often seen as being negative. Introverts feel reproached for being the way they are.

In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.

Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts - and how you see yourself.

'I can't get Quiet out of my head. It is an important book - so persuasive and timely and heartfelt it should inevitably effect change in schools and offices' Jon Ronson, The Guardian

'Susan Cain's Quiet has sparked a quiet revolution. In our booming culture, hers is a still, small voice that punches above its weight. Perhaps rather than sitting back and asking people to speak up, managers and company leaders might lean forward and listen' Megan Walsh, The Times

'Quiet is a very timely book, and Cain's central thesis is fresh and important. Maybe the extrovert ideal is no longer as powerful as it was; perhaps it is time we all stopped to listen to the still, small voice of calm' Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times

Susan Cain is the owner of The Negotiation Company, a firm that trains people in negotiation and communication skills. Her clients include Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor, University of Chicago Business School and many of the US's most powerful law firms. She previously practiced corporate law for seven years with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons

14. Thinking, Fast and Slow

The phenomenal international bestseller - 2 million copies sold - that will change the way you make decisions

'A lifetime's worth of wisdom' Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics 'There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Thinking, Fast and Slow' Financial Times

Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.

15. Atomic Habit

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER – 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD

Transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour – starting now.

People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy

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16. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

'A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him' Michael Lewis

In this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the 'tipping point', that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.

'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better' George Stephanopoulos

17. The Laws of Human Nature

Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.

18.The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich

A new, updated and expanded edition of this New York Times bestseller on how to reconstruct your life so it's not all about work

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan - there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.

This step-by step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

* How Tim went from $40,000 dollars per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per MONTH and 4 hours per week * How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want * How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs * How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist * How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent 'mini-retirements'.

This new updated and expanded edition includes:

More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point * Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating email, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than £5 a meal * How lifestyle design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times * The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.

19. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload?

Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised?

Do you ever feel busy but not productive?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is to become an Essentialist.

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown, CEO of a Leadership and Strategy agency in Silicon Valley who has run courses at Apple, Google and Facebook, shows you how to achieve what he calls the disciplined pursuit of less. Being an Essentialist is about a disciplined way of thinking. It means challenging the core assumption of ‘We can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time'.

By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.

Using the experience and insight of working with the leaders of the most innovative companies and organisations in the world, McKeown shows you how to put Essentialism into practice in your own life, so you too can achieve something great.

20. Nice Girls Don't Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make with Money

If you have outstanding balances on your credit cards...don't have assets in your own name...are saving instead of investing, then chances are you're not rich and not living the life you want. Without your awareness, behaviors learned as a girl are preventing you from becoming a woman who is financially independent and free to follow her dreams. Now, with the same frank advice and empowering information that made Nice Girls Don't Get the Comer Office a bestseller, Lois Frankel tackles the 75 financial mistakes that keep women from having the wealth they deserve. She isolates the messages about money given to little girls that little boys never hear. Then she helps you discover the financial thinking that is keeping you stuck in old patterns, dependent relationships, and jobs where you earn less than you deserve. Once you get to the root of the problem, Frankel helps you solve it-with fabulous results. Her coaching tips help you take control of your finances and make more money than you ever thought possible. Do you make these "nice girl" mistakes? * Mistake #4: Not playing to win. Being polite, quiet, and fair to a fault is playing the financial game "like a girl." * Mistake #10: Choosing to remain financially illiterate. Knowledge is power. Learn to manage your major purchases, investments, and banking. * Mistake #20: Spending as an emotional crutch. Understand your emotions; don't make purchases just to lift your spirits. * Mistake #45: Saving instead of investing. Fear can keep your funds in low-interest accounts. Get educated about investing. Get wealthy. Frankel gives you the financial savvy to change negative behaviors, make smart money choices, and embrace the life you want sooner than you think.

21. The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses

Most new businesses fail. But most of those failures are preventable.

The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that's being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers really want. It's about testing your vision continuously, adapting and adjusting before it's too late. Now is the time to think Lean.

22. Miracle Morning

"Hal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. What Hal has done is taken the best practices, developed over centuries of human consciousness development, and condensed the 'best of the best' into a daily morning ritual. A ritual that is now part of my day." -Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad

What's being widely regarded as "one of the most life changing books ever written" may be the simplest approach to achieving everything you've ever wanted, and faster than you ever thought possible.

What if you could wake up tomorrow and any-or EVERY-area of your life was beginning to transform? What would you change? The Miracle Morning is already transforming the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world by showing them how to wake up each day with more ENERGY, MOTIVATION, and FOCUS to take your life to the next level. It's been right here in front of us all along, but this book has finally brought it to life.

Are you ready? The next chapter of YOUR life-the most extraordinary life you've ever imagined-is about to begin. Buy the book and WAKE UP to your full potential!

23. Mahatma Gandhi Autobiography: The Story Of My Experiments With Truth

What I want to achieve- what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years- is self-realization, to see god face to face, to attain moksha. In this classic autobiography, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi recounts the story of his life, entwining memories of his childhood, marriage, experiences in South Africa and later with the freedom movement, with his constant struggle to attain absolute truth and his quest to be one with god.

Narrated in Gandhi's simplistic prose, An Autobiography is a glimpse into the life and mind of the man who would lead his country to freedom and be hailed as the greatest figure of the twentieth century.

24. Emotion and Relationships

2 Books in 1

Book 1: Emotion: The Juice of Life

“One can make any emotion into a creative force in one’s life.” – Sadhguru

It’s not just poetic license that allows us to refer to emotions as “juicy”. In a literal sense also, emotions are a chemical cocktail that course through our bodies. But while we have no problems with pleasant emotions, unpleasant emotions are the source of much angst in our lives. In Emotion: The Juice of Life, Sadhguru looks at the gamut of human emotions and how to turn them into stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.

Sadhguru is a yogi and profound mystic of our times. An absolute clarity of perception places him in a unique space in not only matters spiritual but in business, environmental and international affairs and opens a new door on all that he touches.

Book 2: Relationships: Bond or Bondage

“If you enhance yourself into a very beautiful state, everyone will want to hold a relationship with you.” – Sadhguru

Human beings constantly make and break relationships. Unfortunately, relationships can make and break human beings too. Why are relationships such a circus for most of us? What is this primal urge within us that demands a bond – physical, mental, or emotional – with another? And how do we keep this bond from turning into bondage? These are the fundamental questions that Relationships: Bond or Bondage looks at as Sadhguru shares with us the keys to forming lasting and joyful relationships, whether they are with husband or wife, family and friends, at work, or with the very existence itself.

25. Mindset

The updated edition of the book that has changed millions of lives with its insights into the growth mindset.

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.