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Books: Computers: Graphic Design
The Kept Womanby Susan Donovan Available from Amazon $6.99 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review “Fun, fast and sexy.” —Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author on Knock Me off My Feet Book Description WHEN A GOOD-GIRL DIVORCÉE Playing by the rules has left Samantha Monroe with an AWOL ex-husband, maxed out credit cards, and the task of raising three children on a hairstylist’s salary. It’s time for a new game plan. When Sam learns that politician Jack Tolliver needs someone to play the part of his fiancÉe for six months in return for a generous paycheck, she’s ready to sign up on the spot. MEETS A BAD-BOY POLITICIAN Jack needs Sam and her kids to help tone down his image from womanizing cad to dependable dad. But he was expecting Sam to be a frumpy single mom, not a wickedly smart, sexy redhead. Keeping nosey newshounds from discovering that his engagement is a charade is going to be a tough job, but one mind-blowing kiss from Sam and suddenly Jack is ready to put in all the overtime necessary… LOVE WINS IN A LANDSLIDE… Now, with scheming opponents itching to bring Jack down, Sam’s ex returning to stir up trouble, one stubborn pre-schooler, two squabbling teenagers, a crazy dog, and some out-of-this-world sex, Jack and Sam are discovering that playing make-believe can be complicated—but not nearly as much as falling in love… |
Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Resultsby Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg List Price: $35.00 Available from Amazon $22.05 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Economist.com "a profound and powerful critique of America’s health-care system. It deserves to be read widely. And probably will be." Book Description The U.S. health care system is in crisis. At stake are the quality of care for millions of Americans and the financial well-being of individuals and employers squeezed by skyrocketing premiums-not to mention the stability of state and federal government budgets.
In Redefining Health Care, internationally renowned strategy expert Michael Porter and innovation expert Elizabeth Teisberg reveal the underlying-and largely overlooked-causes of the problem, and provide a powerful prescription for change.
The authors argue that participants in the health care system have competed to shift costs, accumulate bargaining power, and restrict services, rather than create value for patients. This zero-sum competition takes place at the wrong level-among health plans, networks, and hospitals-rather than where it matters most, in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of specific health conditions. Redefining Health Care lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining health care competition based on patient value. With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, this book shows how to move to a positive-sum competition that will unleash stunning improvements in quality and efficiency.
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Possible Side Effectsby Augusten Burroughs List Price: $23.95 Available from Amazon $15.57 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer. His theme is himself: his struggles with alcoholism, a voracious Nicorette habit, compulsive Web surfing, slovenliness, social isolation, unfitness for employment, gross bodily emissions and general embarrassment at being alive. The thin story lines—a visit from the tooth fairy, a trip to the doctor, house-training a puppy—suggest that Burroughs's well-mined vein of life experience may be played out. He fattens up the material—a (Frey-inspired?) disclaimer warns some events have been "expanded and changed"—in ways that sometimes ring false, especially in his childhood reminiscences, which are improbably detailed and infused with an adult sense of camp. Often, though, the only thing animating the writing is the author's perverse imagination. Fortunately, Burroughs has superb comic sensibility, throwing off sparkling riffs on everyday humiliations in a voice that's alternately caustic and warm, bitchy and self-deprecating. His self-involvement can get claustrophobic, but when he steps outside his head no one is funnier or more perceptive. (On sale May 2) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Burroughs is the author of the memoir Running with Scissors (2002), a "runaway" best-seller, and an equally popular collection of essays, Magical Thinking (2004). In light of recent publishing events vis-a-vis truth versus truth-stretching in memoir writing, it is interesting to note the author's prefatory comments in this, his latest collection of memoir-essays. He indicates that some events recounted in the pieces have been "expanded and changed" and that some of the "individuals portrayed are composites of more than one person." What follows is a series of funny, extremely eloquent takes on modern life and Burroughs' own particular responses to life's various stimuli. "Bloody Sunday" begins with a nosebleed on an airplane flight from New York to London and then describes his reluctance to get out and enjoy the sights once there. "The Sacred Cow" is a very sweet story about getting a second bulldog, and now both his dogs, the new one and the older one, are "more precious to me than anything." And "Killing John Updike" finds Burroughs collecting Updike first editions before he dies ("If I was going to spend two thousand dollars on a book about a rabbit, that old man better be dead by morning, or I was going to be furious"). Irreverence done to an amusing turn. Brad Hooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
Real Estate Investing for Dummiesby Eric Tyson and Robert S. Griswold List Price: $21.99 Available from Amazon $14.29 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description "This is simply the best book on the topic.” —Randall Bell, Author, Home Owner's Manual "Tyson and Griswold have truly opened the world of real estate investing to all by tackling often complex issues in this easy to understand and use book. I can't think of a better way to get smart about building wealth through rental properties than to read their excellent Real Estate investing For Dummies!" Non-prime time TV is cluttered with infomercials about how you can buy non-prime real estate for next to nothing and get rich quick. Common sense should tell you that’s an exaggeration. (If common sense doesn’t tell you, bankers will.) Nevertheless, it is possible to get rich gradually by investing in real estate. Long term, you can expect to realize an annual return of 8 to 10% a year. Real Estate investing for Dummies gives you the keys to successful real estate investment, whether it’s in single family homes and condos, apartments, vacation homes, commercial properties (office, industrial, and retail), raw land, or REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts). With guidance from authors Eric Tyson, MBA, a financial counselor, and Robert S. Griswold, a veteran real estate investor, you’ll discover how to:
Whether you’re interested in a fixer supper for rental, premier office space you can lease, or a vacation home you can enjoy and rent, when you become a buyer, you also become a landlord. That means you can hear from tenants any time, night or day. It means you may not hear from them when the rent is due. Real Estate investing for Dummies also helps you:
Remember, with any deal, you have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. So Real Estate investing for Dummies gives you guidelines on when and how to sell and how to reinvest to build wealth. It also lists 10 real estate investments you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Especially if you’re tempted by those late-night infomercials, that warning could save you a fortune!
With up-to-date information on all your mortgage options. Praise for Real Estate investing For Dummies. "Tyson and Griswold have truly opened the world of real estate investing to all by tackling often complex issues in this easy to understand and use book. I can't think of a better way to get smart about building wealth through rental properties than to read their excellent Real Estate investing For Dummies!" Discover how to:
Get Smart! @www.dummies.com
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The Fashion Designer Survival Guide: An Insider's Look at Starting and Running Your Own Fashion Businessby Mary Gehlhar and Zac Posen List Price: $22.95 Available from Amazon $14.92 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Women’s Wear Daily "Lest fashion's neophytes get too dreamy, Gehlhar is there to ground them…" —Margaret Hayes, President, The Fashion Group International "Mary presents many expectations he or she will confront in the marketplace and provides excellent professional advice throughout the book." |
The Non-Designer's Design Book, Second Editionby Robin Williams List Price: $19.99 Available from Amazon $12.99 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description So you have a great concept and all the fancy digital tools you could possibly require—what's stopping you from creating beautiful pages? Namely the training to pull all of these elements together into a cohesive design that effectively communicates your message. Not to worry: This book is the one place you can turn to find quick, non-intimidating, excellent design help. In The Non-Designer's Design Book, 2nd Edition, best-selling author Robin Williams turns her attention to the basic principles of good design and typography. All you have to do is follow her clearly explained concepts, and you'll begin producing more sophisticated, professional, and interesting pages immediately. Humor-infused, jargon-free prose interspersed with design exercises, quizzes, illustrations, and dozens of examples make learning a snap—which is just what audiences have come to expect from this best-selling author. Book Info If you want to learn more about design, but don't have the time or desire to actually study it, then this is the book for you. Paper. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firmby Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman, Tom Peters, and Tom Peters List Price: $29.95 Available from Amazon $18.87 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Product Review IDEO, the world's leading design firm, is the brain trust that's behind some of the more brilliant innovations of the past 20 years--from the Apple mouse, the Polaroid i-Zone instant camera, and the Palm V to the "fat" toothbrush for kids and a self-sealing water bottle for dirt bikers. Not surprisingly, companies all over the world have long wondered what they could learn from IDEO, to come up with better ideas for their own products, services, and operations. In this terrific book from IDEO general manager Tom Kelley (brother of founder David Kelley), IDEO finally delivers--but thankfully not in the step-by-step, flow-chart-filled "process speak" of most how-you-can-do-what-we-do business books. Sure, there are some good bulleted lists to be found here--such as the secrets of successful brainstorming, the qualities of "hot teams," and, toward the end, 10 key ingredients for "How to Create Great Products and Services," including "One Click Is Better Than Two" (the simpler, the better) and "Goof Proof" (no bugs). But The art of Innovation really teaches indirectly (not to mention enlightens and entertains) by telling great stories--mainly, of how the best ideas for creating or improving products or processes come not from laboriously organized focus groups, but from keen observations of how regular people work and play on a daily basis. On nearly every page, we learn the backstories of some now-well-established consumer goods, from recent inventions like the Palm Pilot and the in-car beverage holder to things we nearly take for granted--like Ivory soap (created when a P&G worker went to lunch without turning off his soap mixer, and returned to discover his batch overwhipped into 99.44 percent buoyancy) and Kleenex, which transcended its original purpose as a cosmetics remover when people started using the soft paper to wipe and blow their noses. Best of all, Kelley opens wide the doors to IDEO's vibrant, sometimes wacky office environment, and takes us on a vivid tour of how staffers tackle a design challenge: they start not with their ideas of what a new product should offer, but with the existing gaps of need, convenience, and pleasure with which people live on a daily basis, and that IDEO should fill. (Hence, a one-piece children's fishing rod that spares fathers the embarrassment of not knowing how to teach their kids to fish, or Crest toothpaste tubes that don't "gunk up" at the mouth.) Granted, some of their ideas--like the crucial process of "prototyping," or incorporating dummy drafts of the actual product into the planning, to work out bugs as you go--lend themselves more easily to the making of actual things than to the more common organizational challenge of streamlining services or operations. But, if this big book of bright ideas doesn't get you thinking of how to build a better mousetrap for everything from your whole business process to your personal filing system, you probably deserve to be stuck with the mousetrap you already have. --Timothy Murphy
Copyright 2001 Cahners business Information, Inc. |
Succeed on Your Own Termsby Herb Greenberg and Patrick Sweeney List Price: $21.95 Available from Amazon $14.93 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description Real-life success stories to live by and learn from Renowned for its phenomenal success in analyzing a person's strengths and weaknesses, Herb Greenberg's Caliper profile has been used by 25,000 corporate clients to assess more than 2 million employees. Now Greenberg brings the power of that profile to help you maximize your own strengths for success. Through analyses of and interviews with a wide range of successful people, as well as an in-depth profile readers can take, Succeeding on Your Own Terms helps you harness personal "defining qualities" to create outstanding career and life success. Back Cover Copy THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE DEFINITION OF SUCCESS: YOURS “Whether you are an executive looking to surround yourself with employees who can grow with your company or an individual looking to succeed on your own terms, this book is perfect for you.”-Roger Staubach, the legendary quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and Founder of The Staubach Company “Full of profound wisdom, engaging stories and practical advice, this book is ideal for anyone who wants to succeed at the highest level.”-James D. Power III, Founder, J.D. Power and Associates “Success is about understanding what drives you and tapping into your inner strengths. This impressive book shows you how to do that.”-U.S. Congressman Rush Holt “By combining in-depth interviews with keen psychological insights, this one-of-a-kind book will help you succeed on your own terms.”-Jeffrey Lurie, Owner, Chairman & CEO, Philadelphia Eagles “I have known and respected the work of Dr. Greenberg and his company for more than 25 years. Reading this book will show you the genius and insights he brings to finding the best in people.”-Gaston Caperton, President of the College Board and former Governor of West Virginia “The authors will help you understand your defining qualities and take advantage of your defining moments. This powerful book will ignite your success.”-Gerhard Gschwandtner, Publisher, Selling Power In this inspiring book, you will read compelling stories, learn to create your own definition of success, and receive a free, in-depth personality assessment (worth more than $200) that will help you discover your defining qualities and develop your key strengths. |
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