Book picks similar to
Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming by Tyler "Ninja" Blevins
non-fiction
gaming
ninja
biography-memoir
Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker
James McManus - 2003
But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament--the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it--and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it. Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"--the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts.
Breathing Out
Peggy Lipton - 2005
She was the original and ultimate California girl of the early seventies, complete with stick-straight hair, a laid-back style, and a red convertible. But Lipton was much more: smart and determined to not be just another leggy blonde, she struggled for a way to stay connected to her childhood roots, though her coming of age had not been an easy one. And when she fell in love with Quincy Jones, that wasn't easy, either: their biracial marriage made headlines and changed her life. Lipton's passionate and complicated seventeen-year marriage to Jones plunged her into motherhood and also into periods of confusion and difficulty. Her struggle to keep moving forward in the world while maintaining a rich inner life informed many of her decisions as an adult. When Lipton's marriage to Jones ended, she returned to television, appearing in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" as well as in "The Vagina Monologues" and other stage productions. But her most recent triumph has been her overcoming a surprising diagnosis of colon cancer in 2003. "Breathing Out" is full of fresh stories of life with the pop culture icons of our times, but is also a much more thoughtful book about life in the limelight, work, motherhood, and marriage. It's a refreshing and real look at the life of an actress who became, in many senses, a woman of her times.
Flight Path: A Search for Roots beneath the World's Busiest Airport
Hannah Palmer - 2017
Having uprooted herself from a promising career in publishing in her adopted Brooklyn, Palmer embarks on a quest to determine the fate of her lost homes—and of a community that has been erased by unchecked Southern progress. Palmer's journey takes her from the ruins of kudzu-covered, airport-owned ghost towns to carefully preserved cemeteries wedged between the runways; into awkward confrontations with airport planners, developers, and even her own parents. Along the way, Palmer becomes an amateur detective, an urban historian, and a mother. Lyrically chronicling the overlooked devastation and beauty along the airport’s fringe communities in the tradition of John Jeremiah Sullivan and Leslie Jamison, Palmer unearths the startling narratives about race, power, and place that continue to shape American cities. Part memoir, part urban history, Flight Path: A Search for My Roots beneath the World's Busiest Airport is a riveting account of one young mother's attempt at making a home where there’s little home left.
Favre for the Record
Brett Favre - 1997
Born the son of an indomitable high school football coach in hardscrabble Kiln, Mississippi, Favre has gone on to become the NFL's most valuable player two years running (a feat equaled only by the legendary Joe Montana) and, after twenty-nine years, has brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Favre has also paid dearly for his devotion to the brutal game of professional football. Priding himself on his ability to withstand incredible levels of physical pain and to continue playing when most players would head to the sidelines, Favre admitted last year to a dependency on Vicodin pain killers. But he faced his problem like he faces opposing defensive linemen, head-on, and voluntarily admitted himself into the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas for drug counseling. In Favre, Brett shares portions of his daily journal written during treatment and will reveal just what it took to break a debilitating habit. In the end, readers will be inspired by this small town son's sacrifice and struggle to make it to the NFL, his unwavering commitment to honor his profession, and his perseverance to realize his dream on his own terms.
The Radio Operator: Robert Ford's Last Stand in the Fight to Save Tibet (Kindle Single)
James McGrath Morris - 2015
Ford put together a radio communications network for a nation that had up to this time relied on messages carried by foot over the highest mountains on the globe. More important, his radio connected the secluded nation to the outside world. When in October 1950 the Communist Chinese army began its march to subjugate Tibet, Ford risked his life by staying behind to send out reports over his radio to let the world know of the attack. The Radio Operator is an overdue and gripping recounting of Ford’s valiant effort to save Tibet from Chinese domination and his subsequent capture and imprisonment.James McGrath Morris is the author of the New York Times bestselling Eye on the Struggle as well as two other acclaimed biographies. His previous Kindle Single, Revolution by Murder, was selected as one of the Best Kindle Singles of 2014. His next book, The Ambulance Drivers, will be published in 2017.Cover design by Kerry Ellis.
A Season in the Sun
Roger Kahn - 1978
The result is this book, in which Kahn reports on a small college team’s successes and hopes, a young New England ball club, a failing major league franchise, and a group of heroes on the national stage.
Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys
David Foster - 2008
In this compelling and outspoken memoir, Foster shares some of his incredible stories: the first time he met Barbra Streisand, as a young session player in Los Angeles; his first of 15 Grammys® for "After the Love Has Gone," Earth, Wind & Fire's memorable hit; the making of Unison, Celine Dion's English-language debut; the challenges he faced on his way to putting the group Chicago back on the charts; his award-winning contribution to Unforgettable: With Love, Natalie Cole's comeback album; those back-to-back recording sessions with Madonna and Michael Jackson; and the incredible chain of events that spawned Whitney Houston's historic blockbuster, "I Will Always Love You." Foster has worked with superstars of every decade, including: Celine Dion - Josh Groban - Whitney Houston - Michael Bublé - Barbra Streisand - Andrea Bocelli - Madonna - Michael Jackson - Natalie Cole - George Harrison - Earth, Wind & Fire - *NSYNC - Chicago - Paul McCartney - All-4-One - Katharine McPhee - Toni Braxton - Alice Cooper - Olivia Newton-John - Michael Bolton ...and many more. From his unique and privileged vantage point, Foster describes the delicate balancing act between artist and producer, offers revealing portraits of some of those artists at work, and shares his secrets for success in the maddeningly fickle music industry. At its heart, this is the story of a boy with perfect pitch who grew up to become one of the most influential musical forces of our time -- the solid gold hitman who produced the soundtrack of our lives.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song: The Exclusive Personal Stories Behind Your Favorite Songs
Jack Canfield - 2009
Read the stories behind songs including: Barry Manilow ~ One Voice Christina Aguilera ~ Fighter Boyz II Men/ Mariah Carey ~ One Sweet Day Paul Anka ~ My Way Daryl Hall and John Oates ~ She’s Gone Huey Lewis ~ The Heart Of Rock n’ Roll Kanye West ~ Welcome To Heartbreak John Legend ~ Ordinary People Melissa Etheridge ~ Come To My Window Ryan Tedder/One Republic ~ Apologize Smokey Robinson ~ Cruisin’ Richie Sambora / Jon Bon Jovi ~ Livin’ On A Prayer And 89 more!
The Ultimate Player's Guide to Minecraft
Stephen O'Brien - 2013
Take an experienced guide who'll help you constantly... from living through your first night, to hosting your own Minecraft server! Stephen O'Brien has been obsessing over Minecraft since its earliest betas. He's seen it all! Now, he'll take you deep inside craft and mine, cave and menagerie, farm and village. He'll reveal combat traps and tricks you needto know... take you deep inside hidden temples... teach you enchantments of unimaginable power... help you survive where few dare to go... help you OWN the infinite worlds of Minecraft! Get registered and get started NOWCustomize your experience: monstrous, peaceful, and moreHarvest resources, craft tools and shelters--let there be lightGrab your pickaxe: mine iron, gold, diamonds, and redstoneEscape (or defeat!) 14 types of hostile mobsGet friendly mobs on your side and build automated farmsBrew potions to cure ills, gain superpowers, and throw at enemiesTransform your shelter into a palace (or a secret underwater base)Create new worlds and master the fine art of terraformingLearn the secrets of redstone devices, and build incredible rail systemsPlay safely through The Nether and The EndDiscover mods that will blow your mindRun your own LAN games, adventures, and worldsProvides complete coverage of the PC and Mac versionsTips for using Minecraft on Xbox, iOS and AndroidBonus downloadable crafting guide available from the publisher's web site
The Summer Wind: Thomas Capano and the Murder of Anne Marie Fahey
George Anastasia - 1999
"Now, for the first time, reporter George Anastasia offers a re-creation of the Capano-Fahey affair, the murder, and its aftermath. The Summer Wind is a story of the clash of two generations and two cultures, of the arrogance of power in a growing city, and of the decaying moral landscape of late-twentieth-century America.
The Sopranos, The Vanity Fair Oral History
Graydon Carter - 2012
On the fifth anniversary of the show’s hotly debated series finale, in 2007, Vanity Fair releases a 20,000-word e-book, the untold, behind-the-scenes story of The Sopranos. With this oral history, expanded from the article in the magazine’s April 2012 issue, The Sopranos cast and crew—from creator David Chase and James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), to Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano) and Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi)—give their unexpurgated thoughts on the show’s ambiguous ending and the possibilities of a Sopranos movie. Sam Kashner and Jim Kelly lead readers through the writers’ room where Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter cut their teeth, through the grueling shooting schedules during which the late Nancy Marchand (Tony Soprano’s mother, Livia), behind the cameras, slapped herself with pepperoni to try to lighten the mood, and through the “whackings” of Big Pussy, Adriana La Cerva, and Bobby “Bacala.” The book discusses the show’s soundtrack (which ranged from Bruce Springsteen to Britney Spears, from Journey to The Rolling Stones) and influences (from Goodfellas to The Three Stooges) and, above all else, how much it is the creation of a singular genius, David Chase. Much more than a show about the Mafia, The Sopranos is an American cultural phenomenon—as much about the domestic family as the Mob family—that succeeded against all odds. As Edie Falco recalls, “After we shot the pilot, David [Chase] said, ‘Well, that was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, no one will ever watch this show, but you guys have been great.’ And that was the end. Or so we thought.”
Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Finding the Champion Within
Mike Lowell - 2008
But there was much more to the story than what happened on that October night. From his family’s battle to escape Cuba and the Castro regime, to the ups and downs of his baseball career, to his battle with testicular cancer, this is the story of a man who overcame every challenge thrown at him to become one of the best third basemen in baseball— and a true role model for his millions of fans.
JFK: History In An Hour
Sinead Fitzgibbon - 2012
But, barely one thousand days into his Presidency, he was assassinated. JFK in an Hour provides a compelling and comprehensive overview of this man credited with introducing an aspirational new approach to American politics.Learn about the Kennedy family, the cast that propelled JFK to success despite family tragedy. Discover Kennedy’s talented diplomatic skills when navigating the Space Race, the nuclear missile crisis and his sympathies with the fledging civil rights movement. Learn about the man himself, the charming son, brother and husband, who maintained a charismatic public image, despite suffering from chronic illness all his life. JFK in an Hour provides key insight into why Kennedy epitomised the hopes of a new decade, and remains such an influential figure to this day.Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour…
My Drunk Kitchen Holidays!: How to Savor and Celebrate the Year: A Cookbook
Hannah Hart - 2019
In a world where everyone is looking for some good news and something to celebrate, Hannah Hart is there with almost fifty ideas, arranged into twelve months of themes and recipes for how to celebrate with family and friends.A collection of recipes, activities, and suggestions about hilarious and joyous ways to celebrate with family, friends, pets, and your entire community, My Drunk Kitchen Holidays! will commemorate holidays from Valentine's Day to Graduation, Pride Month and International Left-Handers' Day (really!). The book will culminate with the fall holidays that get much deserved attention: recipes for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and a celebration of Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Christmas that is festive, inclusive, and incredibly hilarious.
Ruth and Martin’s Album Club
Martin Fitzgerald - 2017
Make them listen to it two more times. Get them to explain why they never bothered with it before. Then ask them to review it.What began as a simple whim quickly grew in popularity, and now Ruth and Martin’s Album Club has featured some remarkable guests: Ian Rankin on Madonna’s Madonna. Chris Addison on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Brian Koppelman on The Smiths’ Meat is Murder. JK Rowling on the Violent Femmes’ Violent Femmes. Bonnie Greer on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Martin Carr on Paul McCartney’s Ram. Brian Bilston on Neil Young’s Harvest. Anita Rani on The Strokes’ Is This It. Richard Osman on Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure. And many, many more.Each entry features an introduction to each album by blog creator Martin Fitzgerald. What follows are delightful, humorous and insightful contributions from each guest as they have an album forced upon them and – for better or worse – they discover some of the world’s favourite music.Ruth and Martin’s Album Club is a compilation of some of the blog’s greatest hits as well as some exclusive material that has never appeared anywhere before. Throughout, we get an insight into why some people opt out of some music, and what happens when you force them to opt in.