An entertaining and eye-opening look into the new frontier of idea making - breaking news, fresh gossip, tiny scandals, trumped up crises - every day we are distracted by a culture that rings our doorbell and then runs away. Stories spread wildly and die out in mere days, quickly replaced by more stories with ever shorter shelflives. How we participate in these stories has changed, too. No longer do we sit on the sidelines waiting for monolithic media giants to tell us what's happening. Anyone on a computer in his or her local Starbucks can spread a story almost as easily as The New York Times, CNN, or People - in fact blogs are now often the source for journalists working in big media.
And Then There's This is Bill Wasik's journey along the unexplored frontier of our churning and rambunctious viral culture. Covering this world - watching new bands promote themselves at South by Southwest; reporting on a website contest while secretly entering it; and creating a site that aggregates all blog smears against the presidential primary candidates - he ends up conducting six experiments himself. He doesn't always get the results he expected, but along the way he meets a cast of characters who are capable of getting their information into our brains - and they're not who you think.
And Then There's This reveals how our culture is now created from the ground up. Wasik proves that any one of us can cause a small ripple that can turn into a tsunami. Anyone involved in journalism, business, or information technology - and those who want to be - must read this book. And for the rest, Wasik's tour is great, eye-opening fun.
What makes a story a story? What is style? What’s the connection between realism and real life? These are some of the questions James Wood answers in How Fiction Works, the first book-length essay by the preeminent critic of his generation.
Ranging widely from Homer to David Foster Wallace, from What Maisie Knew to Make Way for Ducklings, Wood takes the reader through the basic elements of the art, step by step. He sums up two decades of insight with wit and concision, resulting in nothing less than a philosophy of the novel, which has won critical acclaim nationwide, from the San Francisco Chronicle to the New York Times Book Review.
“Deservedly famous for [his] intellectual dazzle, literary acuteness and moral seriousness…Wood writes like a dream.”—Daniel Mendelsohn, New York Times Book Review
This simple and effective introduction to Polish teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Polish. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Polish includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
This simple and effective introduction to Greek teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Greek. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Greek includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
This simple and effective introduction to Croatian teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Croatian. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Croatian includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
This simple and effective introduction to Thai teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Thai. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Thai includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
This simple and effective introduction to Irish Gaelic teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Irish Gaelic. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Irish Gaelic includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
This simple and effective introduction to Dutch teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Dutch. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Dutch includes:
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life "discovery" activities and internet resources
We all hope and expect our children will learn to read, but how many of us realize we can get our kids on the road to reading simply by reading aloud to them every day? With passion and humor, Mem Fox explains why reading aloud to young children has such an impact on their ability to read—and on their entire lives. Writing as an ordinary mother as well as a bestselling author and internationally respected literacy expert, Fox explores when and where to read aloud and demonstrates with clear, easy-to-follow examples how to read aloud to best effect and how to get the most value and joy out of a read-aloud session. Filled with practical advice, activities, and inspiring true read-aloud miracles, this audiobook is a must for every parent—and for anyone who would like to know more about how children learn to read.
Word Power is an easy-to-follow series of vocabulary lessons from master linguist Peter Funk. His proven techniques will dramatically help you to improve your vocabulary and express yourself more clearly and forcefully. You will also gain the confidence that comes from having exactly the right word for every situation.Word Power offers simple steps and helpful tips for developing a vocabulary that will:*help you to sound and feel better*make your writing and conversation come alive*increase your effectiveness at work or at school*win argumentsListen to Word Power today!Not only will you learn new words and their pronunciations, but the simple memory tricks will ensure that you remember them!From the Compact Disc edition.
Now from Peter Funk, the Reader's Digest word columnist and the bestselling author of Word Power, comesUpsize Your Word Power, teaching you the fastest and easiest way to expand your vocabulary: the use of synonyms.
Synonyms are a sound and often overlooked way to build vocabulary. With synonyms, you can express almost any shade of feeling or describe almost anything in minute detail. In Upsize Your Word Power, Peter and Mary Funk will examine the use of synonyms and help you to:
-broaden your vocabulary
-better your use of the English language
-learn to use precise and attention-getting meaning-related words
-practice using target words in commonly experienced situations
Through the powerful and underutilized vocabulary tool of synonyms, you too can Upsize Your Word Power.
Included inside the Audio package is a pocket synonym guide to use for quick reference
1 cassette / 60 minutes
Read by Peter Funk
Word Power is also available on Audio from Random House AudioBooks.
Today's challenging times call for passionate visionaries who are authentic and articulate communicators. Speaking coach and consultant Gail Larsen presents a proven program that liberates the "speaker within" and transforms even the reluctant orator into an agent of change. While most programs on public speaking focus on a polished presentation and overcoming fear, Larsen's holistic blend of spirit and logic goes far beyond the standard format, making Transformational Speaking a must listen for even the most seasoned speechmakers. With her uniquely inspirational approach, Larsen reaches out to those who want to make a genuine difference in our world by changing minds through changing hearts. Transformational Speaking offers insightful advice on everything from defining your message and refining your delivery, to managing the dynamics of a room, handling logistics like a pro, and building a connection with an audience of any size. Larsen has helped business executives and entrepreneurs, community and social change leaders, and healers and life coaches become active movers and shakers through the power of effective communication.
