Authors Read Podcast

An action-packed thriller, The Sword of David tells the story of an Israeli commando traveling across the globe, following clues in search of a major biblical treasure that could change the destiny of the world.Chaim Klein—a fearless Israeli Special Forces officer—has his hands full. After Klein unexpectedly finds the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, he must then search the globe for the Ten Commandments tablets. Klein must also confront and stop a consortium of Islamic states and terrorist organizations who are planning a simultaneous attack that would obliterate dozens of Western cities and Israel. Along the way, he comes across the mystical and awe-inspiring Sword of David. In this nonstop action-packed thriller, which draws on supernatural elements, Klein and his crew visit Ethiopia, London, Paris, Lebanon, and Rome. We also see the terrorists plotting in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Istanbul. The final climactic confrontation between Klein and the terrorists is unexpected and inspirational.In The Sword of David, you will meet colorful characters—including Rafsani, the terrorist who trained under the infamous Carlos the Jackal; the Israeli spy Galit who works undercover in Paris under the alias Sister Chloe; Baroness Collins, who has an important position in the UK government as well as being the head of a secret organization long thought to be defunct; a renegade CIA operative; a Palestinian once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; and the Palestinian’s terrorist grandson.Based on the author’s painstaking research of biblical artifacts, religion, history, and terrorism, The Sword of David feels authentic and current.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book, podcast, author, reading, audiobook, fiction, action, thriller

It had been quiet along the Santa Fe Trail for more than a year when the Stokes Company set out for California, the Willis family among them. A reluctant traveler, young Grace Willis longs for her fortunate, safe, and comfortable life at home. Just as she is learning to negotiate life in a wagon-train, Grace is kidnapped by fellow travellers and taken into Oklahoma Territory. She must decide if she will cave in to despair or muster the courage to run away and search for her parents. Grace finds help in unlikely places. She discovers that there really is such a thing as magic, and there are some things only a child can do.Link to the book on Barnes and Noble Link to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobooks, author, reading, historical, teen, young adult

It's 1941, and the chill of something evil is spreading around the world like a black plague. Suspicion and fear have replaced the trust of innocence of humankind. The news of unheard-of violence and brutality presses heavily on the hearts of mankind. What is tomorrow going to look like? What has happened to the world as we once knew it? World War II begins its escalation, extending its chaos in all directions, including the outer shores of America, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Annie Elizabeth Jordan (known to most as Cricket) can't make any sense of the turbulence that is swirling around her life. This thing called war, newspapers headlines that are hidden from her, the heartache, the fears of loved ones all around her are very disturbing, and no one seems to want to explain it all to her. She is looking forward to her annual visit with her grandparents, who live in the Northwestern United States. This summer will be slightly different than past visits, for she will be traveling on her own, because her mom is on travel restriction due of the baby that is to arrive in the early fall. Her grandparents live in the small lumber town of Everett, Washington, in a blue-collar neighborhood of hardworking families with a plethora of children. In many ways, Everett is the quintessential example of small-town America in its day. It is peopled with an abundance of vividly unique, colorful characters. To name just a few, there is Doc Miller, who is involved at the start or end of life for most of the population. He also closely guards with the ferocity of a pit bull, the secrets given to him at times of stress or sorrow. Sheriff Davis functions in much the same way when it comes to his town folk. He looks upon every resident as his own personal responsibly. The death, the murder of one of the children in Cricket's neighborhood, sends more than a shock wave through the town. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Who could have done such a horrific thing? Who living among them could be so evil? It is beyond explanation to Cricket, but she would soon see her grandfather, a retired lawyer and judge, untangle this twisted scenario with its many suspects and astonishing conclusion.Link to the book on Amazon

“Sparks” are the doers, thinkers, innovators, and key influencers who are catalysts for personal and organizational change. But these extraordinary individuals aren’t defined by the place they hold on an organizational chart—they are defined by their actions, commitment, and will.Leadership experts Angie Morgan, Courtney Lynch, and Sean Lynch show how you can become a Spark by cultivating seven key leadership behaviors. Grounded in the latest research on leadership development, this fresh, accessible road map is packed with real-world stories from inside companies like Facebook, Google, and Boston Scientific, and from the authors’ own high-stakes, challenging experiences serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. With SPARK as a blueprint, anyone can become a catalyst for change, and any organization can identify and develop Sparks.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book, podcast, author, reading, audiobook, nonfiction, business, leadership, management, inspiration, self-help

Hani is set to investigate thefts from the king’s household that turn out to be related to a more sinister attempt on the king’s life. Meanwhile, witnesses to the crown prince’s dodgy birth begin to die, and Hani fears for his daughter and her friend, who were also present. More secrets emerge about the prince’s identity, and Hani finds himself caught between the government and the radical revolutionaries who want to restore Amen-Ra by civil war, among them the queen, whom Hani has sworn to serve. Can Hani reconcile his desire for peace with his devotion to the King of the Gods?Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobooks, author reading, podcast, author audio, historical fiction, mysteries

Bob Nelson, author of the multimillion-copy bestseller 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, and human performance expert Mario Tamayo offer hundreds of practical, creative tips for helping employees--and their managers--make work more fun.According to the employees that work for firms listed in Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America," the most defining characteristic of these organizations is they are all "fun" places to work.Fun is the secret sauce every business needs to better engage and motivate its employees today. Work Made Fun Gets Done! gives readers simple, practical ideas for instantly bringing fun into their work and workplace. Based on examples from scores of companies like Zoom, Pinterest, Bank of America, Zappos, Honda, Microsoft, and many more, this book provides clear examples of exactly what managers and employees alike can do to lighten the tone in the work environment and allow employees to have more fun at work.From AAA's "Dump a Dog" program where workers can pass their least-wanted project on to their manager and Houzz's complimentary office slippers to CARFAX's themed-wardrobe Zoom meetings and Google's company-approved Nerf-gun battles and paper airplane contests, you'll find dozens of ideas you can immediately adapt and implement in your own workplace.Work and fun have typically been considered polar opposites, but this book proves they can be integrated in ways that produce more motivated workers--and exceptional results.Link to the book at Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobooks, management, motivation, business, author reading, podcast, book podcast, reading, nonfiction

Although experience is the best teacher, it's also the most costly. Learning business lessons the hard way, through your own mistakes, often results in significant downturns or even failure. Business success doesn't require a fabulous new product or service (doesn't hurt, though) but does require avoiding the big mistakes. I made most of these big mistakes myself and barely lived to tell about it. So please do as I say and not as I did.Read on to learn business lessons the easy way and achieve success by avoiding the dreaded and expensive ten big mistakes.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobooks, author reading, book podcast, reading, nonfiction, business, management

Tales of Little Egypt is a fictional account of small town America and the peculiar, ordinary, eccentric, sturdy, cunning, and contented characters who created it. Set in the years between the Civil War and the great Influenza Plague of 1918, this is a pageant of imaginary people--the narratives of a score of men, women, and children whose lives illustrate the immense changes and challenges of that turbulent era. This was a period of great events and outsized personalities: splendid World's Fairs attended by millions, radical new inventions, devastating wars and violent revolutions; leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. But underneath were the people whose stories are as fascinating, troubled, compelling and triumphant as anything that has occupied the attention of historians. There was the town doctor, the local sheriff, the jeweler, the self-appointed matron of morality, a young black girl and her mother, a boy who ran off to the circus and many others: lovers, criminals, teachers, ministers, and odd characters. As a community, their lives and ambitions, their failures and tragedies--sometimes at their own making--and their small successes intersected and became a part of each other.Marion, Illinois is both a real place and the imaginary location for these stories. Set in the center of Little Egypt, Marion is a county seat in the middle of this unique area, a river delta wedged between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. These two great highways of American immigration and trade sent millions of settlers North and South, East and West and back. The few who stopped off to make it their home created something distinctive. Theirs was a society that reflected the crossroads it occupied and the mix of cultures and sections that it represented. It was both nowhere and everywhere. Therefore their struggles to make sense of this world exemplify the tale and the memory of modern America in the making.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book podcast, audiobook, author reading, reading, memoir, literature

If you don't have a customer onboarding plan set up for your business, you're losing customers and burning future revenues. It's as simple as that.Onboarding is the most important part of the customer journey, yet many B2B companies fail to act proactively at the start of the relationship. Instead, Customer Success teams are stuck making heroic efforts to save accounts and fighting fires when customers inevitably run into problems or get stuck. The reactive approach is a problem for your Customer Success teams, your revenues, and your customers.Customer onboarding matters. More than you may think. A successful customer onboarding program results in more satisfied customer and employees, higher solution adoption, and increased customer lifetime value.In Onboarding Matters, Donna Weber shares the Orchestrated Onboarding™ framework that she implements with leading B2B companies to turn onboarding from a missed opportunity into a competitive advantage.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobooks, customer service, business, nonfiction, author reading, book podcast

Sustainable in a Circular World:design and restore natural ecosystems through innovationThe world needs to move from grey to green, fueled by design techniques that are sustainable in a circular economy. Sustainability intentionally maximizes the environmental, social, governance, and digital actions to fully engage its potential around a long-term motivational direction. These three components environmental, social, and financial come together to build up the digital age and lead to transformation, creating real change in society. Understanding the generational differences will help close the gap that exists when discussing rebuilding the damage that has occurred to the Earth’s natural environmental since the Industrial Revolution. Communicating and getting everyone on the same pages requires a deep understanding of all the players and helping each individual, company, and country, be heard while having their objectives met.This book takes a deep dive into:•The forces shaping sustainability including generational differences, social connections, and circularity.•A historical look at the technological revolution including the Amazon Effect, Prime, showrooming, ship it my way, among others.•The basics of sustainability including sustainability 101, governance, ESG three pillars, stewardship across generations, the supply chain, the Paris Agreement, generative families, giving back to the community, the Microsoft Way, and going global.•Case studies in industries such as mining, construction, services, smart cities, and agriculture.Link to the book on Amazonbooks, nonfiction, audiobooks, reading, book, podcast, environment, ecology, author

"Ehrlich’s insightful self-help guide will resonate with Christians wishing to streamline an overstuffed life."―Publishers WeeklyLogically, we all know our purpose in life is not wrapped up in accumulating possessions, wealth, power, and prestige―Jesus is very clear about that―but society tells us otherwise. Christian Minimalism attempts to cut through our assumptions and society’s lies about what life should look like and invites readers into a life that Jesus calls us to live: one lived intentionally, free of physical, spiritual, and emotional clutter.Written by a woman who simplified her own life and practices these principles daily, this book gives readers a fresh perspective on how to live out God’s grace for us in new and exciting ways and live out our faith in a way that is deeply satisfying.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book, podcast, audiobook, author reading, author audio, self-help, how to, declutter, lifestyle

Ignition is a book of dispatches from the frontlines of communication strategy. Matthew L. Moseley draws on his eclectic life experiences to investigate the link between success and effective communication. Whether he’s choreographing a fine dining experience at the top restaurant in America, using rock stars to register voters, helping a national chain save its reputation after a gaffe goes viral, or serving as media liaison at the epic ash-blast send-off for author Hunter S. Thompson, Moseley identifies the principles that guide communication strategies toward their goals.In extensive interviews with a wide variety of experts, including authors, fighter pilots, business leaders, politicians, and astrophysicists, Moseley tests these principles, teases out new, provocative ideas, and anticipates how forming stronger connections will help us address today’s greatest challenges. Though it tackles serious subjects, offers an illuminating perspective on the evolution of human discourse, and shares important insights on interpersonal relations, Ignition is also a good, fun read. A broad range of colorful anecdotes gives this book of philosophical wisdom and practical advice the zest of a juicy memoir.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, audiobook, podcast, author reading, communication, nonfiction, business, management

Are you ready to find your way out of your box?There is a moment when you realize your life is no longer your own. You made it picture perfect. You thought it would make you happy and whole. You thought you could seal the walls tight and feel safe. But the panic doesn’t pass, and the anxiety seeps in through every crack. Your pain uses perfection to hide the unraveling. But deep inside, you still hear the whisper of a voice that’s always been there, calling to you, promising that you were meant for more.In The Box, Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just 6 years old, Wendy’s first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders: generalized, social and health, eating disorders, phobias, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, and dissociation. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.Raw and powerful, vulnerable and intimate, The Box is both a triumphant memoir and an irresistible invitation. It portrays a courageous journey to find the source of a debilitating disorder in order to find the power to overcome it. Wendy’s experience reminds us of the redemptive power of forgiveness and the healing power of love, not just for others, but for ourselves. It is a story of courage that reframes mental illness sufferers as survivors—a powerful portrait of a woman who refused to remain caged in a box of her making. Now, the invitation is yours… if you are willing to accept it.Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book podcast, audiobook, author reading, memoir, self-help, anxiety, health and fitness

A celebrated strength trainer and trauma practitioner offers a fresh and empowering approach to healing and thriving after trauma.In this innovative title, celebrated trainer and trauma practitioner Laura Khoudari brings a fresh approach to healing after trauma, using strength training as an embodied movement practice. Compassionate, witty and fastidiously researched, Khoudari’s debut, Lifting Heavy Things, is a breakthrough title that will empower and inspire you to develop resilience and build emotional and physical strength through working out with weights, while mindful of the ways that trauma can compromise the wellbeing of the mind and body.In Lifting Heavy Things, you’ll learn about:Managing chronic painCreating the conditions for training and healingUnderstanding how trauma shows up in daily lifeUsing embodied movement practices (beyond yoga) as a tool to comfortably re-inhabit the bodyNavigating interpersonal relationships during and after the healing processWhy you don’t have to tell your trauma story (to everyone)Thriving with and moving beyond traumaWith humor, tenderness and grit, Lifting Heavy Things takes readers on a journey of personal revelation and integration, helping them to lighten their emotional burden and build deep inner strength to lift all of the heavy things that life may bring with greater ease. Link to the book on Barnes and NobleLink to the book on Amazonbooks, book, podcast, author reading, audiobook, inspirational, motivational, health and fitness

When Art Mimics Life, Somebody’s Going to Get What’s Coming to ThemHenry Lindon's flight across the north Atlantic was turbulent and sleepless. His plane has just touched down in Amsterdam, where he’s come to work as a visiting professor. Lindon is torn about leaving his troubled wife, Marylou, behind in Dallas, but relieved and excited to start a new chapter in a lively city. The taxi drops him off at an elegant building at Roetersstraat 8-1, where he’s greeted by his university liaison and soon-to-be neighbor, the lovely and spunky art professor, Bernadette Gordon. After settling into his apartment, Lindon changes clothes and sets out to explore canals and cafés, wondering what the dinner invitation from Bernadette means for his fresh start.But troubles from the past soon cross the Atlantic. Lindon discovers that notorious Dutch art forger Han van Meegeren, born in 1899, is about to play a part in Lindon’s own personal drama. With evil closing in, Lindon, Bernadette, and Marylou find that secrets of the art world may hold the key to settling old scores and putting a predator away for good.Whether you are familiar with the world of Henry Lindon from author Clay Small’s first book, Heels Over Head, or this is your introduction to his works, you’re in for an exciting and unusual international adventure with characters that will live on in your memory long after you’ve finished the book.Link to the book on AmazonLink to the book on Barnes and Noblebooks, book, podcast, audiobook, author, reading, fiction, mystery, thriller

Taking shelter from the storm one Thursday evening, rookie banker Cole Johnson is introduced to the Bistro happy hour and the charismatic Bob Vukovich. Their ensuing friendship yields young Cole insightful lessons on success, failure, women, politics, and most importantly serving the perfect martini. But, will Bob, himself, remember life's most important lesson before it's too late? This contemporary parable teaches us many actionable lessons while entertaining us with the intriguing drama of discovering the truth about Bob Vukovich. We all wish we would have had the wisdom and guidance of a mentor like Bob to show us the flavor of life. Take this narrative as a guidebook on how to open our eyes to a life of class and grace, or simply to enjoy a story about overcoming fear and choosing to get back into that game called "life."Link to the book on Amazonbooks, book, audiobook, podcast, author reading, reading, fiction, philosophy, leadership

Fiction. Women's Studies. Environmental Studies. Winner of the Bronze 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for Science Fiction. Finalist for the 2021 International Book Awards for Science Fiction. Centuries from now, in a post-climate change dying boreal forest of what used to be northern Canada, Kyo, a young acolyte called to service in the Exodus, discovers a diary that may provide her with the answers to her yearning for Earth's past--to the Age of Water, when the "Water Twins" destroyed humanity in hatred--events that have plagued her nightly in dreams. Looking for answers to this holocaust--and disturbed by her macabre longing for connection to the Water Twins--Kyo is led to the diary of a limnologist from the time just prior to the destruction. This gritty memoir describes a near-future Toronto in the grips of severe water scarcity during a time when China owns the USA and the USA owns Canada. The diary spans a twenty-year period in the mid-twenty-first century of 33-year-old Lynna, a single mother who works in Toronto for CanadaCorp, an international utility that controls everything about water, and who witnesses disturbing events that she doesn't realize will soon lead to humanity's demise. A DIARY IN THE AGE OF WATER follows the climate-induced journey of Earth and humanity through four generations of women, each with a unique relationship to water. The novel explores identify and our concept of what is "normal"--as a nation and an individual--in a world that is rapidly and incomprehensibly changing.Link to the book on AmazonLink to the book on Barnes and Noblebooks, audiobooks, author reading, reading, book, podcast, fiction, science fiction, scifi, women's, dystopian

Tattoo magic. Rival brothers. Lost fae. A war full of betrayals.Nothing is as it seems.Fifteen-year-old Mina didn’t ask to become the center of a feud between two monster wielding, near immortal warriors and their faerie followers. Nor did she ask to be a faerie. Everything changes the night a dragon sends her nana’s home up in flames.Mina is forced into a life of lies, monsters, and magic. But as she searches for answers that might end the fighting, an enemy threatens Mina and the lives of those she loves.Link to the book on AmazonLink to the book on Barnes and Noblebooks, book, podcast, audiobook, author reading, fiction, young adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, narration

This unique guide details a revolutionary approach to lean systems. Whereas traditional lean techniques suffer from less-than-inspiring results, Quantum Lean (QL) rethinks this subject and provides an overdue remedy. The key to this breakthrough is that QL approaches lean systems from an entirely different perspective than conventional methods. Instead of focusing on resource utilization, QL centers on achieving efficiency from the standpoint of a company’s product. The benefits from this simple departure are vast and wide-ranging. In terms of speed, effectiveness, and sustainability, QL offers a superior process for transforming an enterprise and gives practitioners a way to avoid the shortcomings that are commonplace in conventional lean.In addition to being geared toward lean practitioners and consultants, the book is also useful for the C-suite, managers, supervisors, technical staff, and rank-and-file employees. It is intended for those who work in all economic sectors, including services, manufacturing, and government.Key Features:• Provides easy-to-understand QL analysis techniques that are much simpler than standard lean methods and offer uncomplicated rules of thumb for determining priorities and improvement targets• Details a win/win/win scenario for customers, employees, and shareholders that focuses on a company’s product, avoids conflicting objectives, and enables every stakeholder to benefit• Identifies and eliminates previously overlooked waste by analyzing operations from a QL standpoint• Shows how to gain greater buy in and sustainability for lean initiatives by avoiding employee defensiveness and creating a genuine problem-solving mindset throughout an organization.• Removes the steep learning curve often associated with conventional techniques and promotes rapid implementation from analysis to results• WAV features an overall equipment effectiveness data collection form, a time study data collection sheet, and a standard work priority method, among other valuable documents—available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center at www.jrosspub.comLink to the book on AmazonLink to the book on Barnes and Noblebooks, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, management, business, reading, book podcast, podcast

In the modern age of remote working and flexible work hours, why have most office spaces remained relatively unchanged for decades? In Where is My Office?, Chris Kane draws upon his extensive knowledge and experience in commercial property to investigate the new-found significance of innovative corporate real estate thinking in the modern workplace. With the rise of agile working, hot-desking and new technological innovations, the traditional office space no longer serves the needs of the modern workforce. With a foreword from Mark Thompson, CEO of The New York Times, this fascinating book highlights the bold new solutions to workplace practices which have the potential to invigorate employee productivity while simultaneously trimming excess costs.Chris poses his ground-breaking 'Smart Value' formula which underpinned the success of his redevelopment of the property portfolio of the BBC, and which can be adapted to enact meaningful and lasting organizational change in any business. This formula is supported through in-depth case studies from Chris's prestigious career, while interviews with prolific industry insiders such as Ronen Journo, SVP of WeWork and Mark Dixon, founder of Regus, provide fascinating insights into the ground-breaking strategies that are transforming the commercial property sector. Where is My Office? is a must-read for any business leader looking to revitalise their workplace and develop a greater understanding of the beneficial impacts that innovative workplace strategies can have upon their organization's success.Link to the book on AmazonLink to the book on Barnes and Noblebooks, audiobooks, author reading, nonfiction, management, business