Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns


Carl Hiaasen - 2001
    Now they get another slice of Hiaasen heaven in Paradise Screwed: a wide-ranging safari of South Florida's wildlife in its natural habitat-from fat-cat politicians to migrating mobsters, drowning Dolphins to stray chads. This collection of Miami Herald columns-written with a satiric wit and biting humor-offers a glimpse of the facts that inspire, and prove far stranger than, Hiaasen's frenetic fiction.

The Once and Future World: Nature As It Was, As It Is, As It Could Be


J.B. MacKinnon - 2013
    MacKinnon realized the grassland he grew up on was not the pristine wilderness he had always believed it to be. Instead, his home prairie was the outcome of a long history of transformation, from the disappearance of the grizzly bear to the introduction of cattle. What remains today is an illusion of the wild--an illusion that has in many ways created our world. In 3 beautifully drawn parts, MacKinnon revisits a globe exuberant with life, where lions roam North America and 20 times more whales swim in the sea. He traces how humans destroyed that reality, out of rapaciousness, yes, but also through a great forgetting. Finally, he calls for an "age of restoration," not only to revisit that richer and more awe-filled world, but to reconnect with our truest human nature. MacKinnon never fails to remind us that nature is a menagerie of marvels. Here are fish that pass down the wisdom of elders, landscapes still shaped by "ecological ghosts," a tortoise that is slowly remaking prehistory. "It remains a beautiful world," MacKinnon writes, "and it is its beauty, not its emptiness, that should inspire us to seek more nature in our lives."

Fix You: The Complete Box Set: Bash and Olivia's Story - Books 1-3


Christine Bell - 2014
    All three books in Bash and Olivia's story! Book One: She's worth the fight... Olivia Beckett's once-charmed life is falling apart. Her family is about to lose everything, and she has almost no chance of going back to college next semester. She can't even seek solace from her high school sweetheart. He's changed. She doesn't recognize the boy she used to know--his violent behavior is escalating and it scares the hell out of her. Her whole world is crumbling, and she has no one to turn to... Sebastian "Bash" McDaniels is an up and comer in the boxing world working nights at the local college bar until he can land the fight of his dreams that will get him the hell out of Boston and away from his family's tragic past. He's weeks from his goal when Olivia Beckett comes tumbling into his life in a flash of silky dark hair and haunted eyes. When he saves her from a potentially brutal beating, they begin to grow close, but Olivia's ex isn't ready to let her go so easily. Bash can't bring himself to walk away, but fixing Olivia just might leave him broken... Book Two: Everything she believed in was a lie… After facing the fact that her boyfriend was an abusive sociopath and their entire relationship was a sham, Olivia Beckett is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. If she was the only one suffering for her mistakes, she might be able to handle it. But when she went down, she dragged the one person she never wanted to see hurt down with her… Bash McDaniels was just weeks away from finally blowing out of his hometown to make it as a boxer and never coming back. Saving Olivia Beckett from her violent boyfriend should’ve been a speed bump at most, but love stopped him in his tracks. Now, instead viewing Boston in his rearview mirror, he’s viewing it through prison bars… Bash was her savior when she needed him most. Now, Olivia has to find a way to repay the favor, knowing all the while that freeing him might mean losing him forever… Book Three: If he's going down, he's going down swinging… Now that Bash has a second chance with Olivia, he doesn’t want to blow it, but if he tells her the truth about his nighttime activities, he could lose her forever. Olivia loves that Bash is willing to stick his neck out for those he loves, but not when it might ruin his career...or worse. When she finds out he’s left her bed in the middle of the night to compete in an illegal, bare-knuckled fight run by a notorious Boston mobster, Mickey Flynn, in order to get his brother out of debt, she’s furious. How can she trust Bash if he keeps lying to her? And how many more times can he put himself at risk before it finally catches up with him?

Below the Belt


Jeanette Murray - 2015
    After all, her ultimate goal is to land a job training professional athletes. But when she notices a certain hard-bodied marine trying to hide an injury, Marianne realizes that she’ll have to use covert tactics to get him talking.First Lieutenant Brad Costa has waited years for the chance to fight for a spot on the Marine Corps boxing team, knowing he has to push twice as hard to get half as far as his younger counterparts. Brad tries to downplay his injuries to the attractive trainer who has his dreams in her hands, but Marianne isn’t buying it. Maybe it’s time to deploy some targeted flattery.As Brad and Marianne’s attraction turns red-hot, there’s more than one person having a hard time keeping their eyes on the prize…

Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning


K. Black - 2015
    A lifetime’s worth of training knowledge, drawn from the world’s most extreme arenas. Lessons learned and best practices from military operators, tactical law enforcement, martial artists, and others that rely on their physical abilities to survive and thrive in very harsh and unforgiving environments. Where there’s more at stake than winning a medal, or getting a bruised ego. Bottom line, with these people, the training has to work. By implementing the strategies in this book, you will cut your learning curve by decades. You’re going to be able to take your conditioning to the next level and beyond, while avoiding costly amateurish mistakes that lead to injury and burn out. The path has been laid out and handed to you on a silver platter. If you’re an older athlete, you’re going to reclaim that confidence you once had in your physical abilities. You may have forgotten what that feels like. Prepare to be reminded. It’s great having a 600lb squat and 400lb bench press. However, as an operational athlete, if you can’t run, work, or thrive for long periods of time in a multitude of energy demanding environments, you are ineffective. Your big bench press is useless, your big squat is useless. Tactical Barbell proposes you work towards being a different kind of athlete. The kind that is not only extremely strong, but also highly conditioned. If you look carefully, you’ll see these people all around you. That guy on your Emergency Response Team with the 350lb bench press and a sub 9 minute 1.5 mile run. The old Marine Sergeant that can run 6 miles in under 40 minutes, deadlifts over 600lbs and does 30 dead-hang pull-ups. So how do you get there? It's not what you think. Popular 'bootcamp' style approaches that throw a lot of push-ups and running at you in a haphazard fashion don't work. Sure, you'll break a sweat and release some endorphins. You might even lose a pound or two. But take a good hard look at your progress. For all your effort, are you really that far ahead? To make real progress, you have to look to the approaches used by the pros. Train each attribute you're trying to improve in a progressive manner, using the most effective tools for that particular fitness domain.In TB2, you'll find the structured, three pronged approach to conditioning we take with all of our clients. It consists of Base Building, followed by a transition to a more specific continuation protocol. Periodic maintenance of lower-priority fitness domains complete our model.TBII is our manual for training tactical law enforcement candidates, soldiers and recreational athletes. You will be hard pressed to find a more thorough, and effective conditioning program. If you are a results-oriented individual looking for concrete, actionable programming based on cutting edge research, TB2 is for you.

Moola Bandha: The Master Key


Buddhananda - 1998
    This book looks at all aspects of the practice - physical, mental, pranic, therapeutic, scriptural - and is an important work for serious students of Tantra and Kundalini Yoga.

Personal Finance in Your 20s for Dummies


Eric Tyson - 2010
    While this version features an older Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the new release and should not be considered a different product. The easy way to avoid early pitfalls on the road to financial success A little money and a little time is all that's needed to lay a strong financial foundation for today and the future. And starting sooner rather than later is the smartest thing you can do when it comes to protecting your financial future.If you're in college or enjoying your twenties, Personal Finance in Your 20s For Dummies cuts to the chase, providing you with the targeted financial advice you need to establish a firm financial footing as you work your way through school and the post-graduation years.Advice on paying off student loans, managing debt, and creating a solid pathway to financial success Investing strategies for young investors Other titles by Tyson: Personal Finance For Dummies, Investing For Dummies, and Mutual Funds For DummiesIf you're looking for sound, reliable advice on how to make smart financial choices in the real world, Personal Finance in Your 20s For Dummies has you covered.

A Lesser Photographer: Escape the Gear Trap and Focus on What Matters


C.J. Chilvers - 2018
    Less gear. Less anxiety. Less stress. Less fear. A Lesser Photographer is the missing guide you've always wanted to the only gear that really matters: the gear between your ears. In under an hour, you’ll be able to identify the myths you’ve been taught about photography and embrace useful creative habits that will set you apart. Praise for previous editions: “For something beautiful and well-said, check out A Lesser Photographer.” — David duChemin “Amazing read…I really recommend everyone get a copy.” — Chris Marquardt “CJ Chilvers reevaluates what it means to be a photographer in this manifesto. Most of the points apply to virtually any creative endeavor or obsession. ‘The real show is outside the viewfinder.’” — Jim Coudal “I have to say, CJ has a great attitude. If you care at all about photography, he’s a must read.” — Patrick Rhone “Every photographer should follow CJ Chilvers.” — Eric Kim

Zen in the Martial Arts


Joe Hyams - 1979
    In his illuminating story, Hyam reveals to you how the daily application of Zen principles not only developed his physical expertise but gave him the mental discipline to control his personal problems-self-image, work pressure, competition. Indeed, mastering the spiritual goals in martial arts can dramatically alter the quality of your life-enriching your relationships with people, as well as helping you make use of all your abilities."If one of your goals is to live with maximum zest and minimum stress, read "Zen In The Martial Arts." The great beauty of the book is that as Hyams' mind receives enlightenment, so does our."-- "Playboy.

The Fight


Norman Mailer - 1975
    One was Muhammad Ali, the aging but irrepressible “professor of boxing.” The other was George Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble. Observing them was Norman Mailer, a commentator of unparalleled energy, acumen, and audacity. Whether he is analyzing the fighters’ moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer’s grasp of the titanic battle’s feints and stratagems—and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism—makes this book a masterpiece of the literature of sport.  Praise for The Fight  “Exquisitely refined and attenuated . . . [a] sensitive portrait of an extraordinary athlete and man, and a pugilistic drama fully as exciting as the reality on which it is based.”—The New York Times   “One of the defining texts of sports journalism. Not only does Mailer recall the violent combat with a scholar’s eye . . . he also makes the whole act of reporting seem as exciting as what’s occurring in the ring.”—GQ   “Stylistically, Mailer was the greatest boxing writer of all time.”—Chuck Klosterman, Esquire   “One of Mailer’s finest books.”—Louis Menand, The New Yorker Praise for Norman Mailer  “[Norman Mailer] loomed over American letters longer and larger than any other writer of his generation.”—The New York Times   “A writer of the greatest and most reckless talent.”—The New Yorker   “Mailer is indispensable, an American treasure.”—The Washington Post   “A devastatingly alive and original creative mind.”—Life   “Mailer is fierce, courageous, and reckless and nearly everything he writes has sections of headlong brilliance.”—The New York Review of Books   “The largest mind and imagination [in modern] American literature . . . Unlike just about every American writer since Henry James, Mailer has managed to grow and become richer in wisdom with each new book.”—Chicago Tribune   “Mailer is a master of his craft. His language carries you through the story like a leaf on a stream.”—The Cincinnati Post

Yojokun: Life Lessons from a Samurai


Kaibara Ekken - 1982
    With the value of their martial skills on the decline, the samurai sought new spiritual, moral, psychological, and physical moorings. Tsunetomo Yamamoto, author of the now-classic Hagakure, combined a Confucian sense of justice with a Zen-influenced abandonment of the ego to espouse loyalty and death as paramount qualities of the samurai's calling.Kaibara Ekiken (16301714), a samurai physician with philosophical and Buddhist leanings, took the opposite approach. He sought ways for a healthier, more rewarding life. In his Yojokun: Life Lessons from a Samurai, he collected six decades of study and observation to compile one of the most remarkable commentaries of his age. Ekiken's sweep was vast. In Yojokun, he combined his knowledge of holistic health, the principles of chi (the material force that pervades all things) and jin (human heartedness), Buddhism, Confucianism, and the art of living. He addressed concerns that ran from mental and physical health to spiritual matters. His discourses examined the intake of food and drink, sexual practices, sustaining stamina and health in old age, overindulgence and restraint, bathing and healthy habits, and more. And throughout his discussion he wove a subtle but potent spiritual and philosophical thread. Yojokun offers startlingly profound and fresh insights into many of the same problems that concern us today. Translator William Scott Wilson notes Ekikens relevance for the 21st century: The Yojokun, then, is not just a vestige of quaint Orientalia, but rather a living guide to a traditional Way of life and balanced health. If we do not immediately understand some of its more exotic prescripts, it may be wiser not to dismiss them outright, but to approach the work as Ekiken himself might have: with humility, curiosity, respect, and imagination.

Twin Study


Stacey Richter - 2007
    Enter Stacey Richter, a virtuoso contender for that very prize, whose offbeat characters manage to toe the line between eccentricity and banal daily life. Each story is organized around a pair of characters, and these characters are permitted to reach their full bizarre potential against mundane backdrops. The result is fiction that drives toward a place of surreal revelation, in these sometimes disturbing, often funny, short pieces. In Twin Study, Richter beautifully captures -- albeit through unlikely exemplars -- the essential experience of humanity.

Pazhya Kanakku (Tamil)


S. Viswanathan
    This is a collection of his memories with famous and notable people and incidents.

Letters and Drawings of Bruno Schulz


Bruno Schulz - 1988
    

Eye Scream


Henry Rollins - 1996
    I was crossing America constantly andexperiencing the morality shifts, attitudes, and rituals in different partsof the country - the difference in the way people were in the Bible Belt asopposed to New York City, the way blacks and whites interfaced, theintolerance of homosexuality, the morality plays. I started to become awareof how brutal the country is and how much ferocity, cruelty, and oppressionare inherent in the culture and how much of it was in me. I wanted todocument it and create a book that brought the whole thing to a boil and see where it left me off. In the summer of 1995, I finished the book and startedto edit. Re-reading the manuscript over and over, I realized all the things Ihad picked up over a decade of playing Devil's advocate and it was inspiringbecause it clearly defined who my enemies are. As an American, I feel itimpossible not to be infuriated by the way things are and have been. I refuseto be happy about the day-to-day and go along with it. There's too muchspitting in my face and too much spitting in the faces of people who don'tknow any other way of life. This book is brutal, and at times, funny. I knowthat I will probably get a ton of shit for Eye Scream. Enjoy, or betteryet... don't." ---- Henry Rollins