100 Must-Read Books

: The Essential Man’s Library

There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money, and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.

Whether it be a book on adventure, war, or manners, there is so much to learn about life’s great questions from these gems.

http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/

This week's communication-related quotation

No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or three words can dishearten it; and there is no calamity which right words will not begin to redress.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

This week's Must Reads

Torn Apart

by James Patterson

Honour Thyself by Danielle Steel

The birthday present by Barbara Vine

To Love, Honour and Betray

Cathie Lette

The Persimmon Tree

by Bryce Courtenay

More about the books here

The Definitive Book of Body Language

by Barbara and Allan Pease This international bestseller reveals the secrets of nonverbal communication to give you confidence and control in any face-to-face encounter–from making a great first impression and acing a job interview to finding the right partner.

(... more)

Narrow your Focus: Why Writers Should Specialize

Want to set yourself from other freelancers? Save time pitching, researching, and writing stories? Create a lucrative niche for yourself? And best of all, make more money as a freelancer? I have one word for you: "specialize." When I started my fulltime freelance writing career seven years ago, I employed what I now call the "saturation bombing" technique. I queried every magazine I could think of with a wide variety of ideas. At one point, I had 54 queries out-- yet few were assigned. Those that were assigned covered the gamut of topics from business articles to bridal pieces to personal finance stories. Nearly every article concerned a subject new to me, so each time I wrote one, I spent hours researching and learning about the topic so I could write about it with authority. Finally, I got smart ... Read on

The Anatomy of sarcasm

researchers reveal how the brain handles this complex communication Israeli psychologists draw conclusions from how brain-damaged people comprehend sarcasm – or not

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WASHINGTON — The ability to comprehend sarcasm depends upon a carefully orchestrated sequence of complex cognitive skills based in specific parts of the brain. Yeah, right, and I’m the Tooth Fairy. But it’s true: New research details an “anatomy of sarcasm” that explains how the mind puts sharp-tongued words into context. The findings appear in the May issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). http://www.apa.org/releases/sarcasm.html

Study: 38 Percent Of People Not Actually Entitled To Their Opinion

In a surprising refutation of the conventional wisdom on opinion entitlement, a study conducted by the University of Chicago's School for Behavioral Science concluded that more than one-third of the U.S. population is neither entitled nor qualified to have opinions. (read on ...)

Video - Impactful Communication

Greg Gillis and Lesly Higgins, experienced corporate coaches, will discuss and demonstrate various methods to effectively communicate; whether it is delivering a yearly review to a fellow Googler, developing your group's strategic vision, or influencing others towards an idea. By learning about Advocacy and Inquiry, Appreciate Inquiry, and Effective Feedback/Feedforward, you will come away from this workshop with concrete examples and experiences to help you get your message across with impact.

Create an instant bond with anyone you meet

People form their first impression of you in the first four seconds! Maximize your natural attributes to create an instant bond with anyone you meet.

Irresistible attraction means bringing your charismatic you to all of your relationships. Whether you are moving toward intimacy or simply want to be at your best, this video takes you through the laws of attraction and charisma. You will learn how to: ...Communicate with others at the Unconscious Level. ...Use easy to learn gestures and body positions to make or break a first impression. ...See what your (or their) eyes are really saying. ...What to say when you don't know what to say! ...Create chemistry with anyone at will. ...Words and phrases that virtually guarantee they will say yes! Kevin Hogan is an author and certified instructor of hypnotherapy and a body language media expert. Beth Bednar is a well known public speaker and real estate investor. She was an ABC-TV affiliate anchorperson and now does commercials and voice-overs.

Find out more here...

Prime Minister's Literary Awards

The Prime Minister has announced the winners of the new Prime Minister's Literary Awards, an inititiative celebrating Australian literature. Chosen from over 200 entries, these titles will make great reading. Fiction The Zookeeper's Warby Steven Conte Nonfiction Ochre and Rust: Artefacts and Encounters on Australian Frontiers by Philip Jones Click here for more information on the Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

The power of words - Quotation

No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or three words can dishearten it; and there is no calamity which right words will not begin to redress. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Swagger

The word "swagger" conjures up images of John Wayne starring in a classic Western movie or Mohammed Ali brashly proclaiming "I am the greatest." Does such swagger fit within the skill set of a leader? (...more)

Chat slang creeps into teens' assignments

It's nothing to LOL about: Despite best efforts to keep school writing assignments formal, two-thirds of teens acknowledge in a survey that emoticons and other informal styles have crept in. The Pew Internet and American Life Project, in a study released Thursday, also found that teens who keep blogs or use social-networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace have a greater tendency to slip nonstandard elements into assignments. The results may give parents, teachers and others a big :( — a frown to the rest of us — though the study's authors see hope. (... more)

Review: Conversationally Speaking : Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness

More than a million people have learned the secrets of effective conversation using Conversationally Speaking. By Alan Garner ... more