Showing results by author "Os Swift" in All Categories

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014) by neuroscientist and atheist Sam Harris explores how to develop a spiritual practice that is not based on outmoded religious beliefs about how the world works. Harris draws upon personal experience, neuroscience, psychology, and Buddhist conceptions of the mind to explore the nature of consciousness and how it is possible to embrace spirituality and remain secular....

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1994) by Barack Obama chronicles his quest to understand how the varied threads of his upbringing, including his father’s absence and his multiracial and multinational roots, shaped him and his understanding of his place in the world. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to Stanley Ann Dunham, a white woman, and Barack Obama Sr., a black economist from Kenya. Obama Sr. and Dunham met while studying at the University of Hawaii....

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time (1997) details how a small coffee roastery in Seattle became a monolithic corporation with a worldwide reputation for providing affordable luxury beverages. Author Howard Schultz, now retired CEO and chairman of Starbucks, recounts how he grew the company into an internationally recognized chain after joining Starbucks in the early 1980s and buying it later that same decade...

Undo It! How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases (2019), outlines a wellness system that can help listeners prevent, manage, or even recover from common chronic health conditions. Preventative medicine specialist Dean Ornish and his wife, Anne, a yoga and meditation expert, have used the Ornish program to treat thousands of patients suffering from diseases that usually require lifelong medication or surgery.

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation (2011) shows companies how assertive sales representatives can increase profits and create repeat customers. Authors and entrepreneurs Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson use the results of interviews with more than 5,000 sales representatives to outline five different profiles most employees fit into. Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Emotional Intelligence (published in 1995, last updated in 2005) by Daniel Goleman is a seminal work about how people recognize, navigate, and manage emotions in themselves and others. Those who can successfully read human moods, including their own, have a high degree of emotional intelligence…Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

First Things First (originally published in 1994, updated in 2015) by Stephen Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill is a time-management book that asks readers to examine their most deeply held values. When people center the things in life that are most important, whatever those may be, triaging a busy schedule becomes an easy exercise instead of an ongoing nightmare....

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (2004) explains how a real estate agent can build a lucrative business and routinely net $1 million or more in personal income by copying techniques from high-earning industry professionals. Authors Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan use interviews with dozens of top real estate agents, along with their own experiences in the field, to outline a strategy even novice agents can use to reach their true earning potential....

Carly James dream of opening her own jewelry shop is fast becoming a reality. The little shop with its crushed strawberry paintwork springs to life - filled with delightful things. The building’s history intrigues Carly, especially when she senses a spirit presence. Carly is a bit of a free spirit, which is evident by her outrageous clothing and vibrantly colored hair. Jazz and Evan - Carly’s friends who appear in The Secret of Chestnut Hall, the first book in the Blooms, Bones, and Stones Series, are about to be married.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions (2018) presents the thoughts of theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking on 10 major scientific and philosophical debates, including whether a deity exists, whether intelligent life exists in space, and whether humans should seek out a new home outside of Earth.

Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead (2015) by Laszlo Bock describes the unorthodox methods Google uses to hire and retain the most talented employees. Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, knew they wanted to create the world’s best search engine.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

In The Big Short (2010), journalist Michael Lewis traces the stories of a handful of misfit investors who predicted the 2008 financial crisis. In the parlance of Wall Street, to “short” something is to bet against an investment or company through the purchase of a complex high-finance product.... (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

In Becoming (2018), Michelle Obama recounts the familial, educational, romantic, and political experiences that culminated in her tenure as first lady of the United States. Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Christopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers is an expansive account of the days, months, and years leading up to World War I. Clark’s central contention is that scholars’ continuous preoccupation with the question of who was responsible for starting the war stems from an erroneous understanding of the events....

Full Disclosure (2018) by Stormy Daniels is the adult film star’s tell-all memoir, with special emphasis on her relationship with Donald Trump. While her association with Trump was brief, its aftermath has been long and painful, with no end in sight.... (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

In Leading Change (2012), long-time Harvard business professor John P. Kotter outlines his influential process to establish and secure permanent changes that will make any organization more efficient, successful, and competitive. Bringing change to an organization often entails high stakes. Success can revitalize a business and unlock new potential, but failure can doom a firm to years of stagnation. Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (2018) teaches companies and entrepreneurs how to increase productivity and improve work performance by setting reasonable boundaries on the hours spent completing tasks. Authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson use their web application company, Basecamp, as an example of a tranquil work environment where calm, steady progress is favored over breakneck speed.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty (2018) by fitness guru Jillian Michaels, with Myatt Murphy, is a guide to aging gracefully. Michaels researched the latest in scientific breakthroughs on living a healthy life and learned that most scientists and physicians focus on singular areas of health.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future (2018) introduces a simple, effective organizational method that uses only a pen and notebook to improve productivity and enhance introspection. Author and Bullet Journal creator Ryder Carroll explains how readers can lead a more meaningful life, vanquish challenging tasks, and streamline their workflow by creating a custom planner using the book’s journaling system. Listen to this in-depth summary by Swift Reads to learn more.

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (2018) by best-selling author Anne Lamott is a collection of essays on finding glimmers of optimism even amid great turbulence. Just before her sixty-first birthday, Lamott wrote these essays to share the wisdom she has gleaned from her many decades of living with her grandson and niece. Listen to this in-depth summary by Swift Reads to learn more.