Leon's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:36:23 -0700 60 Leon's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living]]> 815715 Start Where You Are is an indispensable handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart. With insight and humor, Pema Chödrön presents down-to-earth guidance on how we can "start where we are"—embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema Chödrön frames her teachings on compassion around fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, or slogans, such as: "Always apply only a joyful state of mind," "Don't seek others' pain as the limbs of your own happiness," and "Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment."

Working with these slogans and through the practice of meditation, Start Where You Are shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our inner pain and discover joy, well-being, and confidence.]]>
176 Pema Chödrön 1570628394 Leon 0 to-read 4.22 1994 Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
author: Pema Chödrön
name: Leon
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1994
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<![CDATA[To Have or to Be? The Nature of the Psyche]]> 25490 182 Erich Fromm 0826417388 Leon 5 4.24 1976 To Have or to Be? The Nature of the Psyche
author: Erich Fromm
name: Leon
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1976
rating: 5
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The Marx-Engels Reader 52184 788 Karl Marx 039309040X Leon 0 to-read 3.98 1971 The Marx-Engels Reader
author: Karl Marx
name: Leon
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1971
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Das Kapital 238953 Das Kapital, Karl Marx's seminal work, is the book that above all others formed the twentieth century. From Kapital sprung the economic and political systems that at one time dominated half the earth and for nearly a century kept the world on the brink of war. Even today, more than one billion Chinese citizens live under a regime that proclaims fealty to Marxist ideology. Yet this important tome has been passed over by many readers frustrated by Marx’s difficult style and his preoccupation with nineteenth-century events of little relevance to today's reader.

Here Serge Levitsky presents a revised version of Kapital, abridged to emphasize the political and philosophical core of Marx’s work while trimming away much that is now unimportant. Pointing out Marx’s many erroneous predictions about the development of capitalism, Levitsky's introduction nevertheless argues for Kapital's relevance as a prime example of a philosophy of economic determinism that "subordinates the problems of human freedom and human dignity to the issues of who should own the means of production and how wealth should be distributed."

Here then is a fresh and highly readable version of a work whose ideas provided inspiration for communist regimes' ideological war against capitalism, a struggle that helped to shape the world today.]]>
356 Karl Marx 089526711X Leon 0 to-read 3.89 1867 Das Kapital
author: Karl Marx
name: Leon
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1867
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Ethics 205218 Ethics is undoubtedly Spinoza's greatest work—an elegant, fully cohesive cosmology derived from first principles, providing a coherent picture of reality, and a guide to the meaning of an ethical life. Following a logical step-by-step format, it defines in turn the nature of God, the mind, the emotions, human bondage to the emotions, and the power of understanding—moving from a consideration of the eternal, to speculate upon humanity's place in the natural order, the nature of freedom and the path to attainable happiness. A powerful work of elegant simplicity, the Ethics is a brilliantly insightful consideration of the possibility of redemption through intense thought and philosophical reflection. The Ethics is presented in the standard translation of the work by Edwin Curley. This edition also includes an introduction by Stuart Hampshire, outlining Spinoza's philosophy and placing it in context.]]> 186 Baruch Spinoza 0140435719 Leon 0 to-read 4.09 1677 Ethics
author: Baruch Spinoza
name: Leon
average rating: 4.09
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Deschooling Society 223403 116 Ivan Illich 0714508799 Leon 0 to-read 4.06 1971 Deschooling Society
author: Ivan Illich
name: Leon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1971
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The Cloud of Unknowing 241902 The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous English monk’s sublime expression of what separates God from humanity. Originally written in the 14th century, now part of the HarperCollins Spiritual classics series, this beautiful contemplative resource, has been embraced for hundreds of years for its simple, engaging style and spiritual truths. As the unknown author assures us, “if you are to experience Him or to see Him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud.” —The Cloud of Unknowing.]]> 176 Anonymous 0060737751 Leon 0 to-read 4.05 1400 The Cloud of Unknowing
author: Anonymous
name: Leon
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1400
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<![CDATA[On Becoming A Person: A Therapist's View on Psychotherapy, Humanistic Psychology, and the Path to Personal Growth]]> 19105559 444 Carl R. Rogers 054408666X Leon 5 4.33 1961 On Becoming A Person: A Therapist's View on Psychotherapy, Humanistic Psychology, and the Path to Personal Growth
author: Carl R. Rogers
name: Leon
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1961
rating: 5
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The Metamorphosis 485894 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 0553213695 / 9780553213690

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes."

With it's startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing—though absurdly comic—meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. As W.H. Auden wrote, "Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man."]]>
201 Franz Kafka 0553213695 Leon 0 to-read 3.90 1915 The Metamorphosis
author: Franz Kafka
name: Leon
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1915
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<![CDATA[The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI]]> 45024007 The noted inventor and futurist’s successor to his landmark book The Singularity Is Near explores how technology will transform the human race in the decades to come

Since it was first published in 2005, Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near and its vision of an exponential future have spawned a worldwide movement. Kurzweil's predictions about technological advancements have largely come true, with concepts like AI, intelligent machines, and biotechnology now widely familiar to the public.

In this entirely new book Ray Kurzweil brings a fresh perspective to advances toward the Singularity—assessing his 1999 prediction that AI will reach human level intelligence by 2029 and examining the exponential growth of technology—that, in the near future, will expand human intelligence a millionfold and change human life forever. Among the topics he discusses are rebuilding the world, atom by atom with devices like nanobots; radical life extension beyond the current age limit of 120; reinventing intelligence by connecting our brains to the cloud; how exponential technologies are propelling innovation forward in all industries and improving all aspects of our well-being such as declining poverty and violence; and the growth of renewable energy and 3-D printing. He also considers the potential perils of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, including such topics of current controversy as how AI will impact employment and the safety of autonomous cars, and "After Life" technology, which aims to virtually revive deceased individuals through a combination of their data and DNA.

The culmination of six decades of research on artificial intelligence, The Singularity Is Nearer is Ray Kurzweil’s crowning contribution to the story of this science and the revolution that is to come.]]>
432 Ray Kurzweil 0399562761 Leon 0 to-read 3.84 2024 The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI
author: Ray Kurzweil
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<![CDATA[How to Smile (Mindfulness Essentials Book 10)]]> 62843758 The latest book in the bestselling How To simple, refreshing meditations of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh give us inspiration and tools for transforming our suffering and cultivating happiness

In inspiring passages and simple exercises, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us what he calls “the art of suffering.” He gives us teachings and tools for transforming suffering as well as ways to touch moments of happiness and smile even while suffering is still there.

Written with characteristic simplicity and wisdom, these insightful meditations—born from the Zen master’s lifetime of Zen practice and peacemaking—teach us how to come back to ourselves, calm our body and mind, and not let suffering overwhelm us.

When we’re willing to face our suffering and look deeply into it, we begin to understand its origins. Transformation and healing become possible, and along with it a greater capacity to understand the suffering of others and resolve conflicts in our relationships.

Creating peace and understanding in ourselves and our relationships in this way is essential for helping create true understanding and peace in our communities, society, and the world.

Thich Nhat Hanh offers practices for transforming our own suffering, listening deeply to the suffering of others, and especially how to cultivate our own smile and happiness.

All Mindfulness Essentials books are illustrated with playful sumi-ink drawings by California artist Jason DeAntonis.]]>
127 Thich Nhat Hanh 195269244X Leon 5 4.20 How to Smile (Mindfulness Essentials Book 10)
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Phenomenology of Spirit 9454 640 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 0198245971 Leon 0 to-read 3.96 1807 Phenomenology of Spirit
author: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
name: Leon
average rating: 3.96
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Fear and Trembling 24965
In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard wanted to understand the anxiety that must have been present in Abraham when God commanded him to offer his son as a human sacrifice. Abraham had a choice to complete the task or to forget it. He resigned himself to the loss of his son, acting according to his faith. In other words, one must be willing to give up all his or her earthly possessions in infinite resignation and must also be willing to give up whatever it is that he or she loves more than God. Abraham had passed the test -- his love for God proved greater than anything else in him. And because a good and just Creator would not want a father to kill his son, God intervened at the last moment to prevent the sacrifice.]]>
152 Søren Kierkegaard 0143037579 Leon 0 to-read 4.02 1843 Fear and Trembling
author: Søren Kierkegaard
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Toward a Psychology of Being 332792 Abraham Maslow's theories of self-actualization and the hierarchy of human needs are the cornerstone of modern humanistic psychology, and no book so well epitomizes those ideas as his classic Toward a Psychology of Being.

A profound book, an exciting book, its influence continues to spread, more than a quarter century after its author's death, beyond psychology and throughout the humanities, social theory, and business management theory.

Of course, the book's enduring popularity stems from the important questions it raises and the answers it provides concerning what is fundamental to human nature and psychological well-being, and what is needed to promote, maintain, and restore mental and emotional well-being. But its success also has to do with Maslow's unique ability to convey difficult philosophical concepts with passion, precision, and astonishing clarity, and, through the power of his words, to ignite in readers a sense of creative joy and wholeness toward which we, as beings capable of self-actualization, strive.

This Third Edition makes Abraham Maslow's ideas accessible to a new generation of psychology students, as well as businesspeople, managers, and trainers interested in applying the study of human behavior to management techniques.

An energetic and articulate scholar, Professor Maslow was the author of more than twenty books, including Eupsychian Management; Psychology of 카지노싸이트; Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences; Motivation and Personality; and Principles of Abnormal Psychology (with B. Mittelmann). He also edited New Knowledge in Human Values and wrote nearly one hundred articles. His teachings continue to be a staple for psychologists and psychology students.

"Capacities clamor to be used, and cease their clamor only when they are well used. . . . Not only is it fun to use our capacities, but it is necessary for growth. The unused skill or capacity or organ can become a disease center or else atrophy or disappear, thus diminishing the person." —Abraham Maslow

Toward a Psychology of Being, Third Edition

Abraham Maslow doesn't pretend to have easy answers, absolutes, or solutions that bring the relief of finality—but he does have a deep belief in people. In this Third Edition of Toward a Psychology of Being (the original edition sold well over 100,000 copies), there is a constant optimistic thrust toward a future based on the intrinsic values of humanity. Professor Maslow states that, "This inner nature, as much as we know of it so far, seems not to be intrinsically evil, but rather either neutral or positively 'good.' What we call evil behavior appears most often to be a secondary reaction to frustration of this intrinsic nature." He demonstrates that human beings can be loving, noble, and creative, and are capable of pursuing the highest values and aspirations.

This Third Edition will bring Professor Maslow's ideas to a whole new generation of business and psychology readers, as well as anyone interested in the study of human behavior.

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274 Abraham H. Maslow 0471293091 Leon 0 to-read 4.17 1961 Toward a Psychology of Being
author: Abraham H. Maslow
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Become What You Are 60553
It has been said that the highest wisdom consists in detachment—not regretting the past nor fearing the future, letting life take its course without attempting to interfere with its movements and changes, without seeking to prolong pleasant things or hasten the end of unpleasant ones. To do this is to enter time with life and be in complete harmony with its changing melody, which is called enlightenment. In short, it means detaching yourself from both the past and the future and living in the eternal now. Life exists only in this single moment, and it is precisely in this moment that it is infinite and eternal.

Alan Watts is one of the foremost authorities on Eastern wisdom. It was he who, in the middle of the last century, built a bridge between the West and the East, introducing the Western reader to Eastern philosophy and culture. Alan Watts is a scholar of both Zen Buddhism and Indian and Chinese spiritual traditions.]]>
144 Alan W. Watts 1570629404 Leon 5 4.06 1955 Become What You Are
author: Alan W. Watts
name: Leon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
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<![CDATA[Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality]]> 94318 Awareness in a grand synthesis.

In short chapters for reading in quiet moments at home or at the office, he cajoles and challenges: We must leave this go-go-go world of illusion and become aware. And this only happens, he insists, by becoming alive to the needs and potential of others, whether at home or in the workplace.

Here, then, is a masterful book of the spirit, challenging us to wake up in every aspect of our lives.]]>
184 Anthony de Mello 0385249373 Leon 0 to-read 4.30 1990 Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality
author: Anthony de Mello
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average rating: 4.30
book published: 1990
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The Art of Loving 14142 180 Erich Fromm 0061129739 Leon 5 4.05 1956 The Art of Loving
author: Erich Fromm
name: Leon
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1956
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The Sane Society 40717990 386 Erich Fromm Leon 0 to-read 4.26 The Sane Society
author: Erich Fromm
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The Art of Being 25492 144 Erich Fromm 0826406734 Leon 0 to-read 4.07 The Art of Being
author: Erich Fromm
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<![CDATA[Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis]]> 25493 188 Erich Fromm 0285647474 Leon 0 to-read 4.03 1960 Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis
author: Erich Fromm
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average rating: 4.03
book published: 1960
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Escape from Freedom 25491 Escape from Freedom, a landmark work by one of the most distinguished thinkers of our time, and a book that is as timely now as when first published in 1941. Few books have thrown such light upon the forces that shape modern society or penetrated so deeply into the causes of authoritarian systems. If the rise of democracy set some people free, at the same time it gave birth to a society in which the individual feels alienated and dehumanized. Using the insights of psychoanalysis as probing agents, Fromm's work analyzes the illness of contemporary civilization as witnessed by its willingness to submit to totalitarian rule.]]> 301 Erich Fromm 0805031499 Leon 4 4.29 1941 Escape from Freedom
author: Erich Fromm
name: Leon
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1941
rating: 4
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<![CDATA[The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less]]> 56913172
A revolutionary roadmap for building startups that go the distance
 
Now more than ever, you don’t need a fancy office, Ivy League degree, or millions of dollars in venture capital to launch a business that matters for the communities you care most about. Software, the internet, and remote work have made it possible for entrepreneurs to start for free, make a customer of anyone, and grow a profitable, sustainable company from anywhere. 

Packed with hard-won, battle-tested lessons from Lavingia’s own journey of building Gumroad, a platform for creators to sell their work, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how
 
  ‧  start then learn
  ‧  build a community, then solve a problem for them
  ‧  charge for something even before you’ve built anything
  ‧  avoid running out of money and, more importantly, energy
  ‧  run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work
  ‧  own a business without it owning you back.
 
The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of founders who would rather build great companies than big ones. This is essential knowledge for every founder aspiring to build a business worth building.]]>
256 Sahil Lavingia 0593192397 Leon 4 4.16 The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less
author: Sahil Lavingia
name: Leon
average rating: 4.16
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The Brothers Karamazov 4934
This award-winning translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky remains true to the verbal inventiveness of Dostoevsky’s prose, preserving the multiple voices, the humor, and the surprising modernity of the original. It is an achievement worthy of Dostoevsky’s last and greatest novel.]]>
796 Fyodor Dostoevsky 0374528373 Leon 0 to-read 4.37 1880 The Brothers Karamazov
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Leon
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1880
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<![CDATA[Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty]]> 12158480 Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?

Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.

Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:

   - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West?
   - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?
   - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More
philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?

Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.]]>
529 Daron Acemoğlu 0307719219 Leon 5 4.06 2012 Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
author: Daron Acemoğlu
name: Leon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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Thus Spoke Zarathustra 51893 Thus Spoke Zarathustra is translated from the German by R.J. Hollingdale in Penguin Classics.

Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary and subversive thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most famous and influential work. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that the Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. Nietzsche's utterance 'God is dead', his insistence that the meaning of life is to be found in purely human terms, and his doctrine of the Superman and the will to power were all later seized upon and unrecognisably twisted by, among others, Nazi intellectuals. With blazing intensity and poetic brilliance, Nietzsche argues that the meaning of existence is not to be found in religious pieties or meek submission to authority, but in an all-powerful life passionate, chaotic and free.]]>
327 Friedrich Nietzsche Leon 5 4.10 1883 Thus Spoke Zarathustra
author: Friedrich Nietzsche
name: Leon
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1883
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<![CDATA[Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within]]> 44905 336 Natalie Goldberg 1590303164 Leon 0 to-read 4.21 1986 Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
author: Natalie Goldberg
name: Leon
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1986
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Walden or, Life in the Woods 16902 352 Henry David Thoreau Leon 0 to-read 3.77 1854 Walden or, Life in the Woods
author: Henry David Thoreau
name: Leon
average rating: 3.77
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<![CDATA[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]> 92057
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.

An established classic of modern America, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcolm X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.]]>
466 Malcolm X Leon 0 to-read 4.35 1965 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
author: Malcolm X
name: Leon
average rating: 4.35
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Notes from Underground 49455 Notes from Underground marks the dividing line between nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction, and between the visions of self each century embodied. One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator is a former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In complete retreat from society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man’s essentially irrational nature.

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, whose Dostoevsky translations have become the standard, give us a brilliantly faithful edition of this classic novel, conveying all the tragedy and tormented comedy of the original.]]>
136 Fyodor Dostoevsky 067973452X Leon 0 to-read 4.21 1864 Notes from Underground
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Leon
average rating: 4.21
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<![CDATA[Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything]]> 1202
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life -- from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing -- and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.

Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives -- how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and -- if the right questions are asked -- is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.

Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.
(front flap)]]>
268 Steven D. Levitt 0061234001 Leon 0 to-read 4.01 2005 Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
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<![CDATA[Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages]]> 8444621
Challenging the consensus that the fundaments of language are hard-wired in our genes and thus universal, Deutscher argues that the answer to all these questions is—yes. In thrilling fashion, he takes us from Homer to Darwin, from Yale to the Amazon, from how to name the rainbow to why Russian water —a "she"— becomes a "he" once you dip a tea bag into her, demonstrating that language does in fact reflect culture in ways that are anything but trivial.]]>
304 Guy Deutscher 080508195X Leon 0 to-read 3.89 2010 Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages
author: Guy Deutscher
name: Leon
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2010
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Metaphors We Live By 34459 The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by", metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.]]>
276 George Lakoff 0226468011 Leon 0 to-read 4.10 1980 Metaphors We Live By
author: George Lakoff
name: Leon
average rating: 4.10
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<![CDATA[The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language]]> 5755 448 Steven Pinker 0060958332 Leon 0 to-read 4.01 1994 The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
author: Steven Pinker
name: Leon
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1994
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<![CDATA[Tilopa's Wisdom: His Life and Teachings on the Ganges Mahamudra]]> 45010979
Most traditions of Mahamudra meditation can be traced back to the mahasiddha Tilopa and his Ganges Mahamudra , a “song of realization” that he sang to his disciple Naropa on the banks of the Ganges River more than a thousand years ago. In this book, Khenchen Thrangu, a beloved Mahamudra teacher, tells the extraordinary story of Tilopa’s life and explains its profound lessons. He follows this story with a limpid and practical verse-by-verse commentary on the Ganges Mahamudra , explaining its precious instructions for realizing Mahamudra, the nature of one’s mind. Throughout, Thrangu Rinpoche speaks plainly and directly to Westerners eager to receive the essence of Mahamudra instructions from an accomplished teacher.]]>
224 Khenchen Thrangu 1559394870 Leon 0 to-read 4.96 Tilopa's Wisdom: His Life and Teachings on the Ganges Mahamudra
author: Khenchen Thrangu
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<![CDATA[Abiding in Emptiness: A Guide for Meditative Practice]]> 176443693
Before the growth of the Mahayana and the Perfection of Wisdom, before Avalokitesvara taught Sariputra the meaning of emptiness, the Buddha gave his own teachings, to his attendant Ananda, on the importance of emptiness (Pali sunnata , Sanskrit sunyata ) in everyday practice. In this volume, renowned scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo explores these teachings and shows us how to integrate them into our lives.

In this practical companion to his scholarly work The Signless and the On the Realization of Nirvana , Bhikkhu Analayo draws from instructions found in the Greater and the Smaller Discourses on Emptiness (the Mahasunnatasutta and the Culasunnatasutta ). In each chapter, he provides a translation of a pertinent excerpt from the discourses, follows this with clear and precise explanations of the text, and concludes by offering instructions for practice.

Step by step, beginning with daily life and concluding with Nirvana, Bhikkhu Analayo unpacks the Buddha’s teachings on this foundational concept.]]>
200 Bhikkhu Anālayo 161429917X Leon 0 to-read 4.67 Abiding in Emptiness: A Guide for Meditative Practice
author: Bhikkhu Anālayo
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<![CDATA[Don't Believe Everything You Think]]> 60726415
In this book, you'll discover the root cause of all psychological and emotional suffering and how to achieve freedom of mind to effortlessly create the life you've always wanted to live.

Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

This book offers a completely new paradigm and understanding of where our human experience comes from, allowing us to end our own suffering and create how we want to feel at any moment.

No matter what has happened to you, where you are from, or what you have done, you can still find total peace, unconditional love, complete fulfillment, and an abundance of joy in your life.

No person is an exception to this. Darkness only exists because of the light, which means even in our darkest hour, light must exist.

Within the pages of this book, contains timeless wisdom to empower you with the understanding of our mind’s infinite potential to create any experience of life that we want no matter the external circumstances.

Don’t Believe Everything You Think is not about rewiring your brain, rewriting your past, positive thinking or anything of the sort.

We cannot solve our problems with the same level of consciousness that created them. Tactics are temporary. An expansion of consciousness is permanent.

This book was written to help you go beyond your thinking and discover the truth of what you already intuitively know deep inside your soul.]]>
99 Joseph Nguyen Leon 0 to-read 3.80 2022 Don't Believe Everything You Think
author: Joseph Nguyen
name: Leon
average rating: 3.80
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<![CDATA[The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe]]> 10638 The Road to Reality carefully explores the movement of the smallest atomic particles and reaches into the vastness of intergalactic space. Here, Penrose examines the mathematical foundations of the physical universe, exposing the underlying beauty of physics and giving us one the most important works in modern science writing.]]> 1099 Roger Penrose 0679776311 Leon 0 to-read 4.16 2004 The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
author: Roger Penrose
name: Leon
average rating: 4.16
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<![CDATA[The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation]]> 95747 Thich Nhat Hanhs enkla, rättframma stil går rakt in i hjärtat och förmedlar en stark känsla av sinnesnärvaro. Han vet hur man gör för att släppa taget om alla tankar som driver oss hit och dit och hindrar oss från att vara närvarande i stunden.
Praktiska övningar varvas med enkla berättelser ur vardagen som visar att vi alltid kan välja att fokusera på det väsentliga och därmed fånga nuet. Thich Nhat Hanh lär oss att diska varje kopp och tallrik varsamt, som om de vore heliga ting. På köpet lär vi oss att se värdet i vardagliga göromål och finna ro i oss själva.
Han delar också med sig av meditationsövningar som leder oss inåt mot vårt autentiska jag. Vi är större än vad vi tror och genom att iaktta och släppa taget om negativa tankar och föreställningar kan vi så småningom leva ett mer medvetet och glädjefyllt liv.]]>
140 Thich Nhat Hanh 0807012394 Leon 0 to-read 4.20 1975 The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
author: Thich Nhat Hanh
name: Leon
average rating: 4.20
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In Search of Lost Time 18796
For this authoritative English-language edition, D. J. Enright has revised the late Terence Kilmartin’s acclaimed reworking of C. K. Scott Moncrieff’s translation to take into account the new definitive French editions of À la recherche du temps perdu (the final volume of these new editions was published by the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade in 1989).]]>
4211 Marcel Proust 0812969642 Leon 0 to-read 4.34 1913 In Search of Lost Time
author: Marcel Proust
name: Leon
average rating: 4.34
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<![CDATA[Man for Himself: An Inquiry Into the Psychology of Ethics]]> 40718037 Routledge is now re-issuing this prestigious series of 204 volumes originally published between 1910 and 1965. The titles include works by key figures such as C.G. Jung, Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Otto Rank, James Hillman, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney and Susan Isaacs. Each volume is available on its own, as part of a themed mini-set, or as part of a specially-priced 204-volume set. A brochure listing each title in the International Library of Psychology series is available upon request.

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257 Erich Fromm Leon 0 to-read 4.29 1947 Man for Himself: An Inquiry Into the Psychology of Ethics
author: Erich Fromm
name: Leon
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1947
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A Way of Being 174876 A profound and deeply personal collection of essays by renowned psychologist Carl Rogers

The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement and father of client-centered therapy, based his life's work on his fundamental belief in the human potential for growth. A Way of Being was written in the early 1980s, near the end of Carl Rogers's career, and serves as a coda to his classic On Becoming a Person. More philosophical than his earlier writings, it traces his professional and personal development and ends with a prophetic call for a more humane future.]]>
395 Carl R. Rogers 0395755301 Leon 0 to-read 4.24 1980 A Way of Being
author: Carl R. Rogers
name: Leon
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1980
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Crime and Punishment 7144 671 Fyodor Dostoevsky Leon 0 to-read 4.26 1866 Crime and Punishment
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Leon
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1866
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<![CDATA[The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size]]> 106732 480 Tor Nørretranders 0140230122 Leon 0 to-read 4.32 1991 The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size
author: Tor Nørretranders
name: Leon
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1991
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell]]> 42118073
Bill Campbell played an instrumental role in the growth of several prominent companies, such as Google, Apple, and Intuit, fostering deep relationships with Silicon Valley visionaries, including Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt. In addition, this business genius mentored dozens of other important leaders on both coasts, from entrepreneurs to venture capitalists to educators to football players, leaving behind a legacy of growing companies, successful people, respect, friendship, and love after his death in 2016.

Leaders at Google for over a decade, Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle experienced firsthand how the man fondly known as Coach Bill built trusting relationships, fostered personal growth—even in those at the pinnacle of their careers—inspired courage, and identified and resolved simmering tensions that inevitably arise in fast-moving environments. To honor their mentor and inspire and teach future generations, they have codified his wisdom in this essential guide.

Based on interviews with over eighty people who knew and loved Bill Campbell, Trillion Dollar Coach explains the Coach’s principles and illustrates them with stories from the many great people and companies with which he worked. The result is a blueprint for forward-thinking business leaders and managers that will help them create higher performing and faster moving cultures, teams, and companies.]]>
240 Eric Schmidt 0062839268 Leon 0 to-read 3.94 2019 Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell
author: Eric Schmidt
name: Leon
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
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<![CDATA[Einstein: His Life and Universe]]> 10884 675 Walter Isaacson 0743264738 Leon 0 to-read 4.16 2007 Einstein: His Life and Universe
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Leon
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
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<![CDATA[The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)]]> 52767659
We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it went from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from dark matter to black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life. But what happens at the end of the story? In billions of years, humanity could still exist in some unrecognizable form, venturing out to distant space, finding new homes and building new civilizations. But the death of the universe is final. What might such a cataclysm look like? And what does it mean for us?

Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was eighteen, when her astronomy professor first informed her the universe could end at any moment, setting her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she unpacks them in The End of Everything, taking us on a mind-bending tour through each of the cosmos’ possible finales: the Big Crunch; the Heat Death; Vacuum Decay; the Big Rip; and the Bounce. In the tradition of Neil DeGrasse’s bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Mack guides us through major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, in a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of everything we know.]]>
226 Katie Mack 198210354X Leon 0 to-read 4.25 2020 The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
author: Katie Mack
name: Leon
average rating: 4.25
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<![CDATA[Simply Being: Texts in the Dzogchen Tradition]]> 2508157 Book by Low, James 208 James Low 0953284506 Leon 0 to-read 4.21 2001 Simply Being: Texts in the Dzogchen Tradition
author: James Low
name: Leon
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2001
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<![CDATA[On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas)]]> 97412 106 Seneca 0143036327 Leon 0 to-read 4.19 49 On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas)
author: Seneca
name: Leon
average rating: 4.19
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The Undiscovered Self 67891 One of the world's greatest psychiatrists reveals how to embrace our own humanity and resist the pressures of an ever-changing world.

In this challenging and provocative work, Dr. Carl Jung—one of history's greatest minds—argues that civilization's future depends on our ability as individuals to resist the collective forces of society. Only by gaining an awareness and understanding of one's unconscious mind and true, inner nature—"the undiscovered self"—can we as individuals acquire the self-knowledge that is antithetical to ideological fanaticism. But this requires that we face our fear of the duality of the human psyche—the existence of good and the capacity for evil in every individual.

In this seminal book, Jung compellingly argues that only then can we begin to cope with the dangers posed by mass society—"the sum total of individuals"—and resist the potential threats posed by those in power.]]>
112 C.G. Jung 0451217322 Leon 0 to-read 4.17 1961 The Undiscovered Self
author: C.G. Jung
name: Leon
average rating: 4.17
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<![CDATA[Modern Man in Search of a Soul]]> 646175 A provocative and enlightening look at spiritual unease and its contribution to the void in modern civilization

Considered by many to be one of the most important books in the field of psychology, Modern Man in Search of a Soul is a comprehensive introduction to the thought of Carl Gustav Jung. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology, including dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion. Additionally, Jung looks at the differences between his theories and those of Sigmund Freud, providing a valuable basis for anyone interested in the fundamentals of psychoanalysis.
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244 C.G. Jung 0156612062 Leon 0 to-read 4.20 1931 Modern Man in Search of a Soul
author: C.G. Jung
name: Leon
average rating: 4.20
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Man and His Symbols 123632 Man and His Symbols owes its existence to one of Jung's own dreams. The great psychologist dreamed that his work was understood by a wide public, rather than just by psychiatrists, and therefore he agreed to write and edit this fascinating book. Here, Jung examines the full world of the unconscious, whose language he believed to be the symbols constantly revealed in dreams. Convinced that dreams offer practical advice, sent from the unconscious to the conscious self, Jung felt that self-understanding would lead to a full and productive life. Thus, the reader will gain new insights into himself from this thoughtful volume, which also illustrates symbols throughout history. Completed just before his death by Jung and his associates, it is clearly addressed to the general reader.]]> 415 C.G. Jung 0440351839 Leon 0 to-read 4.19 1964 Man and His Symbols
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name: Leon
average rating: 4.19
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<![CDATA[Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity]]> 29939161
"I raced through Radical Candor --It’s thrilling to learn a framework that shows how to be both a better boss and a better colleague. Radical Candor is packed with illuminating truths, insightful advice, and practical suggestions, all illustrated with engaging (and often funny) stories from Kim Scott’s own experiences at places like Apple, Google, and various start-ups. Indispensable." ― Gretchen Rubin author of New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project

"Reading Radical Candor will help you build, lead, and inspire teams to do the best work of their lives. Kim Scott's insights--based on her experience, keen observational intelligence and analysis--will help you be a better leader and create a more effective organization." ― Sheryl Sandberg author of the New York Times bestseller Lean In

"Kim Scott has a well-earned reputation as a kick-ass boss and a voice that CEOs take seriously. In this remarkable book, she draws on her extensive experience to provide clear and honest guidance on the fundamentals of leading others: how to give (and receive) feedback, how to make smart decisions, how to keep moving forward, and much more. If you manage people--whether it be 1 person or a 1,000--you need Radical Candor . Now." ― Daniel Pink author of New York Times bestseller Drive

From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. When you become a manager, it’s your job to say it--and your obligation.

Author Kim Scott was an executive at Google and then at Apple, where she worked with a team to develop a class on how to be a good boss. She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management, Radical Candor.

Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly. When you challenge without caring it’s obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging it’s ruinous empathy. When you do neither it’s manipulative insincerity.

This simple framework can help you build better relationships at work, and fulfill your three key responsibilities as a leader: creating a culture of feedback (praise and criticism), building a cohesive team, and achieving results you’re all proud of.

Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Taken from years of the author’s experience, and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity, finding meaning in their job, and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues.]]>
336 Kim Malone Scott 1250103509 Leon 0 to-read 4.05 2017 Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
author: Kim Malone Scott
name: Leon
average rating: 4.05
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The Book of Disquiet 45974 The Book of Disquiet, an astonishing work that, in George Steiner's words, "gives to Lisbon the haunting spell of Joyce's Dublin or Kafka's Prague." Published for the first time some fifty years after his death, this unique collection of short, aphoristic paragraphs comprises the "autobiography" of Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa's alternate selves. Part intimate diary, part prose poetry, part descriptive narrative, captivatingly translated by Richard Zenith, The Book of Disquiet is one of the greatest works of the twentieth century.]]> 544 Fernando Pessoa 0141183047 Leon 0 to-read 4.46 1982 The Book of Disquiet
author: Fernando Pessoa
name: Leon
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1982
rating: 0
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Think and Grow Rich 30186948 233 Napoleon Hill Leon 1 No deep wisdom in this book, only hypothetical advices.]]> 4.19 1937 Think and Grow Rich
author: Napoleon Hill
name: Leon
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1937
rating: 1
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/26
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Felt like somebody was yelling at me. Thank god he calmed down by chapter 10.
No deep wisdom in this book, only hypothetical advices.
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<![CDATA[Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693]]> 1451617 156 Bankei 0865475954 Leon 0 to-read 4.22 2000 Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693
author: Bankei
name: Leon
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High]]> 15014
When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. Crucial Conversations gives you the tools you need to step up to life's most difficult and important conversations, say what's on your mind, and achieve the positive resolutions you want. You'll learn how to:

Prepare for high-impact situations with a six-minute mastery technique
Make it safe to talk about almost anything
Be persuasive, not abrasive
Keep listening when others blow up or clam up
Turn crucial conversations into the action and results you want]]>
240 Kerry Patterson 0071401946 Leon 0 to-read 4.04 2002 Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
author: Kerry Patterson
name: Leon
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life]]> 71730
In this internationally acclaimed text, Marshall Rosenberg offers insightful stories, anecdotes, practical exercises and role-plays that will dramatically change your approach to communication for the better. Discover how the language you use can strengthen your relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain. Revolutionary, yet simple, Nonviolent Communication offers you the most effective tools to reduce violence and create peace in your life—one interaction at a time.]]>
220 Marshall B. Rosenberg 1892005034 Leon 0 to-read 4.32 1999 Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
author: Marshall B. Rosenberg
name: Leon
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1999
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Discourses and Selected Writings]]> 4143812 Enchiridion, a manual of his main ideas, and the fragments collected here, The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of Stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love, and leaves an intriguing document of daily life in the classical world.

In the introduction that accompanies his lively new translation, Robert Dobbin discusses Epictetus' life, his place in the Stoic tradition, his influence on world philosophies and his relevance in the modern day. This edition also includes a bibliography, notes and a glossary of names.]]>
276 Epictetus 0140449469 Leon 5 4.40 108 Discourses and Selected Writings
author: Epictetus
name: Leon
average rating: 4.40
book published: 108
rating: 5
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<![CDATA[After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path]]> 341631
But even after achieving such realization — after the ecstasy — we are faced with the day-to-day task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We are faced with the laundry.

Drawing on the experiences and insights of leaders and practitioners within the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Sufi traditions, this book offers a uniquely intimate and honest understanding of how the modern spiritual journey unfolds — and how we can prepare our hearts for awakening.

Through moving personal stories and traditional tales, we learn how the enlightened heart navigates the real world of family relationships, emotional pain, earning a living, sickness, loss, and death.]]>
336 Jack Kornfield 0553378295 Leon 0 to-read 4.11 2000 After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path
author: Jack Kornfield
name: Leon
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2000
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<![CDATA[The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology]]> 1920089
Trained as a monk in Thailand, Burma, and India, Jack Kornfield experienced at first hand the life-changing power of Buddhist the emphasis on the nobility and sacredness of the human spirit, the fine-grained analysis of emotion and thought, the precise techniques for healing, training, and transforming the mind and heart. In contrast to the medical orientation of most Western psychology and psychiatry, here is a vision of radiant human dignity, and a practical path for realizing it in our own lives.

The Wise Heart is the fruit of a life’s work that includes such classics as A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry . Filled with stories from Kornfield’s Buddhist psychotherapy practice and portraits of remarkable teachers, it also includes a moving account of his own recovery from a violence-filled childhood. For meditators and mental health professionals, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, The Wise Heart offers an extraordinary journey from the roots of consciousness to the highest expression of human possibility.]]>
448 Jack Kornfield 0553803476 Leon 0 to-read 4.30 2008 The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
author: Jack Kornfield
name: Leon
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2008
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Selected Works 84596 Against Verres, I
‧ twenty-three letters
The Second Philippic Against Antony
On Duties, III
On Old Age
‧ Appendices inc. maps, genealogy, definitions.

First published 1960; reprinted w/revisions 1965; reprinted w/additional revisions 1971.]]>
272 Marcus Tullius Cicero Leon 0 to-read 4.02 -43 Selected Works
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name: Leon
average rating: 4.02
book published: -43
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<![CDATA[The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment]]> 796429 480 Philip Kapleau 0385260938 Leon 0 to-read 4.07 1965 The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment
author: Philip Kapleau
name: Leon
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1965
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results]]> 16256798 The One Thing explains the success habit to overcome the six lies that block our success, beat the seven thieves that steal time, and leverage the laws of purpose, priority, and productivity.]]> 240 Gary Keller 1885167776 Leon 0 to-read 4.11 2012 The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
author: Gary Keller
name: Leon
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Five Dysfunctions of a Team]]> 21343 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.]]>
228 Patrick Lencioni 0787960756 Leon 0 to-read 4.09 2002 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
author: Patrick Lencioni
name: Leon
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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The E-myth Revisited 81948 Small business coaching. 269 Michael E. Gerber 0887307280 Leon 0 to-read 4.06 1985 The E-myth Revisited
author: Michael E. Gerber
name: Leon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon]]> 53138083 Working Backwards is an insider's breakdown of Amazon's approach to culture, leadership, and best practices from two long-time, top-level Amazon executives.

Colin started at Amazon in 1998; Bill joined in 1999. In Working Backwards, these two long-serving Amazon executives reveal and codify the principles and practices that drive the success of one of the most extraordinary companies the world has ever known. With twenty-seven years of Amazon experience between them, much of it in the early aughts—a period of unmatched innovation that brought products and services including Kindle, Amazon Prime, Amazon Studios, and Amazon Web Services to life—Bryar and Carr offer unprecedented access to the Amazon way as it was refined, articulated, and proven to be repeatable, scalable, and adaptable.

With keen analysis and practical steps for applying it at your own company—no matter the size—the authors illuminate how Amazon’s fourteen leadership principles inform decision-making at all levels and reveal how the company’s culture has been defined by four characteristics: customer obsession, long-term thinking, eagerness to invent, and operational excellence. Bryar and Carr explain the set of ground-level practices that ensure these are translated into action and flow through all aspects of the business.

Working Backwards is a practical guidebook and a corporate narrative, filled with the authors’ in-the-room recollections of what “Being Amazonian” is like and how it has affected their personal and professional lives. They demonstrate that success on Amazon’s scale is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously-executed principles and practices—shared here for the very first time.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
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304 Colin Bryar 1250267595 Leon 0 to-read 4.16 2021 Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon
author: Colin Bryar
name: Leon
average rating: 4.16
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<![CDATA[Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think]]> 34890015 Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.

When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school—we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.

In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective—from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse).

Our problem is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases.

It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.

Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. ]]>
342 Hans Rosling 1473637465 Leon 0 to-read 4.34 2018 Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
author: Hans Rosling
name: Leon
average rating: 4.34
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Tao Te Ching 67896 A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition.

Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching, or -The Classic of the Way and Its Virtue, - is one of the true classics of the world of spiritual literature.

Traditionally attributed to the legendary -Old Master, - Lao Tzu, the Tao Teh Ching teaches that the qualities of the enlightened sage or ideal ruler are identical with those of the perfected individual.

Today, Lao Tzu's words are as useful in mastering the arts of leadership in business and politics as they are in developing a sense of balance and harmony in everyday life. To follow the Tao or Way of all things and realize their true nature is to embody humility, spontaneity, and generosity.

John C. H. Wu has done a remarkable job of rendering this subtle text into English while retaining the freshness and depth of the original. A jurist and scholar, Dr. Wu was a recognized authority on Taoism and the translator of several Taoist and Zen texts and of Chinese poetry.

This book is part of the Shambhala Pocket Library series. The Shambhala Pocket Library is a collection of short, portable teachings from notable figures across religious traditions and classic texts.

The covers in this series are rendered by Colorado artist Robert Spellman. The books in this collection distill the wisdom and heart of the work Shambhala Publications has published over 50 years into a compact format that is collectible, reader-friendly, and applicable to everyday life.
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107 Lao Tzu 0679724346 Leon 5 4.29 -350 Tao Te Ching
author: Lao Tzu
name: Leon
average rating: 4.29
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<![CDATA[The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company]]> 13557008 sparked the Lean Startup revolution, comes its sequel…
The Startup Owner's Manual

The Manual incorporates 10 years of learning and best practices
that have swept the startup world. It:

Incorporates the "Business Model Canvas" as the organizing principle for
startup hypotheses
Provides separate paths and advice for web/mobile products versus
physical products
Offers a wealth of detailed instruction on how to get, keep, and grow
customers recognizing the different techniques for web and physical channels
And teaches a "new math" for startups: "metrics that matter for fueling growth"

The Startup Owner's Manual is a step-by-step, near-encyclopedic reference manual or "how to" for building a successful, scalable startup.
Want to know what to do the first, week, month or year?
What's the right distribution channel for your product?
How to get traffic to your web site?
…and how to activate customers or users on arrival?
Who are the right "first customers," and why?
…plus many more great tips in nearly 500 pages, complete with index,
glossary, and Customer Development Checklists

It's the indispensible reference guide for any startup founder, entrepreneur, investor or educator.]]>
608 Steve Blank 0984999302 Leon 0 to-read 4.10 2012 The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company
author: Steve Blank
name: Leon
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2012
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<![CDATA[The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery]]> 45280024 The Pragmatic Programmer, 20th Anniversary Edition cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process: transforming a requirement into working, maintainable code that delights users. Extensively updated with ten new sections and major revisions throughout, this edition covers topics ranging from career development to architectural techniques for keeping code flexible, adaptable, and reusable.
Organized into self-contained sections -- and filled with compelling anecdotes, examples, and analogies -- The Pragmatic Programmer illustrates today's best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Wherever possible, the authors abstract away specific technologies, focusing on insights you can apply no matter what tools or languages you use -- or will use.
Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, applying this guide's lessons will help you rapidly improve your productivity, quality, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer.]]>
352 Dave Thomas 0135957052 Leon 4 4.41 1999 The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery
author: Dave Thomas
name: Leon
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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Nausea 298275 Nausea is the story of Antoine Roquentin, a French writer who is horrified at his own existence. In impressionistic, diary form he ruthlessly catalogues his every feeling and sensation about the world and people around him.

His thoughts culminate in a pervasive, overpowering feeling of nausea which "spread at the bottom of the viscous puddle, at the bottom of our time, the time of purple suspenders and broken chair seats; it is made of wide, soft instants, spreading at the edge, like an oil stain."

Roquentin's efforts to try and come to terms with his life, his philosophical and psychological struggles, give Sartre the opportunity to dramatize the tenets of his Existentialist creed.

The introduction for this edition of Nausea by Hayden Carruth gives background on Sartre's life and major works, a summary of the principal themes of Existentialist philosophy, and a critical analysis of the novel itself.]]>
178 Jean-Paul Sartre 0811201880 Leon 0 to-read 3.96 1938 Nausea
author: Jean-Paul Sartre
name: Leon
average rating: 3.96
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Letters from a Stoic 97411 No man can live a happy life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-AD 65) is one of the most famous Roman philosophers. Instrumental in guiding the Roman Empire under emperor Nero, Seneca influenced him from a young age with his Stoic principles. Later in life, he wrote Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, or Letters from a Stoic, detailing these principles in full.

Seneca’s letters read like a diary or a handbook of philosophical meditations. Often beginning with observations on daily life, the letters focus on many traditional themes of Stoic philosophy, such as the contempt of death, the value of friendship, and virtue as the supreme good.

Using Gummere’s translation from the early twentieth century, this selection of Seneca’s letters shows his belief in the austere, ethical ideals of Stoicism – teachings we can still learn from today.]]>
254 Seneca 0140442103 Leon 5 4.33 64 Letters from a Stoic
author: Seneca
name: Leon
average rating: 4.33
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The Communist Manifesto 30474 The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels' revolutionary 1848 summons to the working classes, is one of the most influential political theories ever formulated. After four years of collaboration, the authors produced this incisive account of their idea of Communism, in which they envisage a society without classes, private property, or a state. They argue that increasing exploitation of industrial workers will eventually lead to a revolution in which capitalism is overthrown. Their vision transformed the world irrevocably, and remains relevant as a depiction of global capitalism today.]]> 288 Karl Marx 0140447571 Leon 0 to-read 3.67 1848 The Communist Manifesto
author: Karl Marx
name: Leon
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1848
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The Dhammapada 159964 The Buddhist scholar and commentator Buddhaghosa explains that each saying recorded in the collection was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and his monastic community. His commentary, the Dhammapada Atthakatha, presents the details of these events and is a rich source of legend for the life and times of the Buddha.]]> 114 Anonymous 0938077872 Leon 0 to-read 4.26 -400 The Dhammapada
author: Anonymous
name: Leon
average rating: 4.26
book published: -400
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<![CDATA[The Unbearable Lightness of Being]]> 9717 The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover. This magnificent novel juxtaposes geographically distant places, brilliant and playful reflections, and a variety of styles, to take its place as perhaps the major achievement of one of the world’s truly great writers.]]> 314 Milan Kundera 0571224385 Leon 0 to-read 4.12 1984 The Unbearable Lightness of Being
author: Milan Kundera
name: Leon
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1984
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Civilization and Its Discontents]]> 357636 127 Sigmund Freud 0393301583 Leon 0 to-read 3.79 1930 Civilization and Its Discontents
author: Sigmund Freud
name: Leon
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1930
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding]]> 130119 96 David Hume 1420926993 Leon 0 to-read 3.93 1748 An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
author: David Hume
name: Leon
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1748
rating: 0
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Being and Time 92307 589 Martin Heidegger 0060638508 Leon 0 to-read 4.04 1927 Being and Time
author: Martin Heidegger
name: Leon
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1927
rating: 0
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The Republic 30289 416 Plato 0140449140 Leon 0 to-read 3.97 -400 The Republic
author: Plato
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average rating: 3.97
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The Prince 28862
1. So it is that to know the nature of a people, one need be a Prince; to know the nature of a Prince, one need to be of the people.
2. If a Prince is not given to vices that make him hated, it is unsusal for his subjects to show their affection for him.
3. Opportunity made Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and others; their virtue domi-nated the opportunity, making their homelands noble and happy. Armed prophets win; the disarmed lose.
4. Without faith and religion, man achieves power but not glory.
5. Prominent citizens want to command and oppress; the populace only wants to be free of oppression.
6. A Prince needs a friendly populace; otherwise in diversity there is no hope.
7. A Prince, who rules as a man of valor, avoids disasters,
8. Nations based on mercenary forces will never be solid or secure.
9. Mercenaries are dangerous because of their cowardice
10. There are two ways to fight: one with laws, the other with force. The first is rightly man’s way; the second, the way of beasts.]]>
144 Niccolò Machiavelli 0937832383 Leon 0 to-read 3.85 1513 The Prince
author: Niccolò Machiavelli
name: Leon
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The Symposium 81779
In the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire. From their conversation emerges a series of subtle reflections on gender roles, sex in society and the sublimation of basic human instincts. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by Plato's mentor, Socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. The Symposium is a deft interweaving of different viewpoints and ideas about the nature of love--as a response to beauty, a cosmic force, a motive for social action and as a means of ethical education.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]>
90 Plato 0140449272 Leon 0 to-read 4.11 -380 The Symposium
author: Plato
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Critique of Pure Reason 18288 'The purpose of this critique of pure speculative reason consists in the attempt to change the old procedure of metaphysics and to bring about a complete revolution'

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (1781) is the central text of modern philosophy. It presents a profound and challenging investigation into the nature of human reason, its knowledge and its illusions. Reason, Kant argues, is the seat of certain concepts that precede experience and make it possible, but we are not therefore entitled to draw conclusions about the natural world from these concepts. The Critique brings together the two opposing schools of philosophy: rationalism, which grounds all our knowledge in reason, and empiricism, which traces all our knowledge to experience. Kant's transcendental idealism indicates a third way that goes far beyond these alternatives.]]>
785 Immanuel Kant 0521657296 Leon 0 to-read 3.95 1781 Critique of Pure Reason
author: Immanuel Kant
name: Leon
average rating: 3.95
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<![CDATA[Discovering the True Self: Kodo Sawaki's Art of Zen Meditation]]> 53196073 “You can’t see your true Self. [But] you can become it. Becoming your true Self is zazen.” Profound Zen Buddhism teachings explained in ordinary language from one of the most respected Zen masters of the 20th century, Kodo Sawaki.

Having come of age as an orphan in the slums of Tsu City, Japan, Kodo Sawaki had to fight his way to adulthood, and became one of the most respected Zen masters of the 20th century. He had a great understanding of Dogen Zenji’s teaching and he knew how to express Dogen’s philosophy in clear, easily-understood language. Sawaki’s primary mission was to bring all people to an awareness of the Self, which he believed came through Zen meditation.

His humor and straightforward talk garnered Sawaki followers from all walks of life. Though he remained poor by choice, he was rich in spirit. Two of his disciples who became known in America as well as in Japan were Kosho Uchiyama, abbot of Antaiji Temple and author of Opening The Hand of Thought, and Gudo Nishijima, Zen teacher and translator of Dogen’s Shobogenzo.

A student of Kosho Uchiyama, Arthur Braverman has compiled an anthology of Sawaki’s writings and a garland of sayings gathered from throughout his lifetime. One of a few collections of Sawaki’s teachings published in English, his life and work bracket the most intriguing and influential period of modern Zen practice in Japan and America.]]>
272 Kodo Sawaki Leon 4 4.00 Discovering the True Self: Kodo Sawaki's Art of Zen Meditation
author: Kodo Sawaki
name: Leon
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The Awakening 58345 The Awakening shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.

Aside from its unusually frank treatment of a then-controversial subject, the novel is widely admired today for its literary qualities. Edmund Wilson characterized it as a work "quite uninhibited and beautifully written, which anticipates D. H. Lawrence in its treatment of infidelity." Although the theme of marital infidelity no longer shocks, few novels have plumbed the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship with the perception, artistry, and honesty that Kate Chopin brought to The Awakening.]]>
195 Kate Chopin 0543898083 Leon 0 to-read 3.69 1899 The Awakening
author: Kate Chopin
name: Leon
average rating: 3.69
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The Sorrows of Young Werther 16640 149 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0812969901 Leon 0 to-read 3.71 1774 The Sorrows of Young Werther
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Leon
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1774
rating: 0
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How to See 40957777 Truly see yourself

How to See is about our misperceptions, how we can gain insight and how mindfulness practices can help us see our real selves. Thich Nhat Hanh brings his signature clarity, compassion and humour in showing us how to achieve an awakened, more relaxed state of self-awareness so we cn understand ourselves and the world around us.

This is a perfect pocket-sized guide to life by the most renowned Zen master in the world, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.]]>
125 Thich Nhat Hanh 1846046106 Leon 0 currently-reading 4.28 How to See
author: Thich Nhat Hanh
name: Leon
average rating: 4.28
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<![CDATA[God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning]]> 56097578 Meghan O'Gieblyn Leon 0 to-read 4.23 2021 God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning
author: Meghan O'Gieblyn
name: Leon
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Writings from the Zen Masters (Penguin Great Ideas)]]> 9623420 These are unique stories of timeless wisdom and understanding from the Zen Masters. With rich and fascinating tales of swords, tigers, tea, flowers and dogs, the writings of the Masters challenge every perception - and seek to bring all readers closer to enlightenment.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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132 Paul Reps Leon 0 to-read 3.59 2009 Writings from the Zen Masters (Penguin Great Ideas)
author: Paul Reps
name: Leon
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2009
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<![CDATA[Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]> 24113 777 Douglas R. Hofstadter 0465026567 Leon 0 4.29 1979 Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
name: Leon
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1979
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life]]> 2068 588 Daniel C. Dennett 068482471X Leon 0 to-read 4.07 1995 Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
author: Daniel C. Dennett
name: Leon
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Mind’s I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul]]> 2081 The Mind's I is a searching, probing cosmic journey of the mind that goes deeply into the problem of self and self-consciousness as anything written in our time. From verbalizing chimpanzees to scientific speculations involving machines with souls, from the mesmerizing, maze-like fiction of Borges to the tantalizing, dreamlike fiction of Lem and Princess Ineffable, her circuits glowing read and gold, The Mind's I opens the mind to the Black Box of fantasy, to the windfalls of reflection, to new dimensions of exciting possibilities.

"Ever since David Hume declared in the 18th century that the Self is only a heap of perceptions, the poor Ego has been in a shaky conditions indeed...Mind and consciousness becomes dispensable items in our accounts of reality, ghosts in the bodily machine...Yet there are indications here and there that the tide may be tuming...and the appearance of The Mind's I, edited by Douglas R. Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett, seems a welcome sign of change." William Barrett, The New York Times Book Review]]>
512 Douglas R. Hofstadter 0553345842 Leon 0 to-read 4.14 1981 The Mind’s I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul
author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
name: Leon
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1981
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[A History of Western Philosophy]]> 243685 A History of Western Philosophy has been universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on the subject—unparalleled in its comprehensiveness, its clarity, its erudition, its grace and wit. In seventy-six chapters he traces philosophy from the rise of Greek civilization to the emergence of logical analysis in the twentieth century. Among the philosophers considered are: Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the Atomists, Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Cynics, the Sceptics, the Epicureans, the Stoics, Plotinus, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Benedict, Gregory the Great, John the Scot, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Occam, Machiavelli, Erasmus, More, Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, the Utilitarians, Marx, Bergson, James, Dewey, and lastly the philosophers with whom Lord Russell himself is most closely associated -- Cantor, Frege, and Whitehead, co-author with Russell of the monumental Principia Mathematica.]]> 906 Bertrand Russell 0671201581 Leon 0 to-read 4.12 1945 A History of Western Philosophy
author: Bertrand Russell
name: Leon
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1945
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The Lessons of History 174713 119 Will Durant 1567310249 Leon 0 to-read 4.05 The Lessons of History
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<![CDATA[The Creative Act: A Way of Being]]> 60965426 From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.

"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment." --Anne Lamott

"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." --Rick Rubin

Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn't, he has learned that being an artist isn't about your specific output, it's about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities.

The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.]]>
406 Rick Rubin 0593652886 Leon 0 to-read 3.98 2023 The Creative Act: A Way of Being
author: Rick Rubin
name: Leon
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
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<![CDATA[Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course Lesson Book, Bk 1]]> 87491 112 Willard A. Palmer 0882846167 Leon 0 to-read 4.06 1983 Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course Lesson Book, Bk 1
author: Willard A. Palmer
name: Leon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1983
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst]]> 31170723 Why do we do the things we do?

More than a decade in the making, this game-changing book is Robert Sapolsky's genre-shattering attempt to answer that question as fully as perhaps only he could, looking at it from every angle. Sapolsky's storytelling concept is delightful but it also has a powerful intrinsic logic: he starts by looking at the factors that bear on a person's reaction in the precise moment a behavior occurs, and then hops back in time from there, in stages, ultimately ending up at the deep history of our species and its evolutionary legacy.

And so the first category of explanation is the neurobiological one. A behavior occurs—whether an example of humans at our best, worst, or somewhere in between. What went on in a person's brain a second before the behavior happened? Then Sapolsky pulls out to a slightly larger field of vision, a little earlier in time: What sight, sound, or smell caused the nervous system to produce that behavior? And then, what hormones acted hours to days earlier to change how responsive that individual is to the stimuli that triggered the nervous system? By now he has increased our field of vision so that we are thinking about neurobiology and the sensory world of our environment and endocrinology in trying to explain what happened.

Sapolsky keeps going: How was that behavior influenced by structural changes in the nervous system over the preceding months, by that person's adolescence, childhood, fetal life, and then back to his or her genetic makeup? Finally, he expands the view to encompass factors larger than one individual. How did culture shape that individual's group, what ecological factors millennia old formed that culture? And on and on, back to evolutionary factors millions of years old.

The result is one of the most dazzling tours d'horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted, a majestic synthesis that harvests cutting-edge research across a range of disciplines to provide a subtle and nuanced perspective on why we ultimately do the things we do ... for good and for ill. Sapolsky builds on this understanding to wrestle with some of our deepest and thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, morality and free will, and war and peace. Wise, humane, often very funny, Behave is a towering achievement, powerfully humanizing, and downright heroic in its own right.]]>
790 Robert M. Sapolsky 1594205078 Leon 5 next-to-read 4.39 2017 Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
author: Robert M. Sapolsky
name: Leon
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
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The Way of Zen 514210 The Way of Zen begins as a succinct guide through the histories of Buddhism and Taoism leading up to the development of Zen Buddhism, which drew deeply from both traditions. It then goes on to paint a broad but insightful picture of Zen as it was and is practiced, both as a religion and as an element of diverse East Asian arts and disciplines. Watts's narrative clears away the mystery while enhancing the mystique of Zen.

Since the first publication of this book in 1957, Zen Buddhism has become firmly established in the West. As Zen has taken root in Western soil, it has incorporated much of the attitude and approach set forth by Watts in The Way of Zen, which remains one of the most important introductory books in Western Zen.]]>
236 Alan W. Watts 0375705104 Leon 5 buddhism 4.17 1957 The Way of Zen
author: Alan W. Watts
name: Leon
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: buddhism
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<![CDATA[An Introduction to Zen Buddhism]]> 129377 An Introduction to Zen Buddhism is illuminating for the serious student and layperson alike. Suzuki provides a complete vision of Zen, which emphasizes self-understanding and enlightenment through many systems of philosophy, psychology, and ethics. With a foreword by the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung, this volume has been generally acknowledged a classic introduction to the subject for many years. It provides, along with Suzuki’s Essays and Manual of Zen Buddhism, a framework for living a balanced and fulfilled existence through Zen.]]> 132 D.T. Suzuki 0802130550 Leon 0 to-read 3.94 1934 An Introduction to Zen Buddhism
author: D.T. Suzuki
name: Leon
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1934
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/03
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<![CDATA["What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character]]> 35167718 Among the book's many tales we meet Feynman's first wife, Arlene, who taught him of love's irreducible mystery as she lay dying in a hospital bed while he worked nearby on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. We are also given a fascinating narrative of the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger's explosion in 1986, and we relive the moment when Feynman revealed the disaster's cause by an elegant experiment: dropping a ring of rubber into a glass of cold water and pulling it out, misshapen.]]> 288 Richard P. Feynman 0393355640 Leon 0 to-read 4.10 1988 "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: Leon
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1988
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/29
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<![CDATA["Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character]]> 35167685 A New York Times bestseller—the outrageous exploits of one of this century's greatest scientific minds and a legendary American original.


Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador. In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentric—a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah.]]>
400 Richard P. Feynman 0393355624 Leon 0 to-read 4.25 1985 "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: Leon
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/29
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