Great reads for busy people. This is a guide to help busy people find great reads in fiction and nonfiction. Filled with recommendations of popular, entertaining reading, this book covers mystery and suspense, romance, women’s fiction and chick lit, Westerns, science fiction, such nonfiction topics as animals, art, biography, memoirs, business, true crime, and more. Plus, each entry includes a summary of the book, its significance, and a critique/observation/comment.

Recommends popular and entertaining titles in a variety of genres including: mystery and suspense, romance, women's fiction and chick lit, westerns, science fiction, fantasy, horror and classics. Nonfiction selections on topics ranging from nature, history, and travel to biography, memoirs, and true crime.

The essential guide to looking at literature with your own two eyes. What students know about Shakespeare, Orwell, Dickens, and Twain is primarily what their instructors tell them. HereÂ's a book that teaches the students how to move on to the next level—evaluate and read critically on their own, trust their own opinions, develop original ideas, analyze characters, and find a deeper appreciation for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and more. • Ideal companion for college students and accessible for the casual reader as well • Covers fiction, poetry, narrative nonfiction, biographies and memoirs, essays and editorials, and newspapers, magazines, and journals • Features examples from published writing • Includes a reading list and a glossary of literary terms

Libraries are public places—open to anyone and everyone. This book contains invaluable, practical tips for library staff who sometimes must deal with difficult or even dangerous individuals and situations. Every library experiences difficult patrons. Thorough preparation is the best defense: it's always much better to be proactive than reactive. The authors of Crash Course in Dealing with Difficult Library Customers realized that these kinds of situations are more universal than unique, despite the great variations in library environments and customer bases, and pooled their more than 100 years of experience to offer practical advice that will help library staff prepare for the many kinds of "worst case scenarios"—before they arise. The book identifies the basic types of problem-causing individuals, thoroughly overviews effective strategies for offsetting their actions, and explains how to successfully manage the stressful, emotionally charged situations that can arise. Drawing on their extensive real-world experience, the authors provide instructions for "last resort" options when dealing with illegal activities, acknowledge the rights of employees in difficult situations, and present strategies that will minimize staff members' stress levels when dealing with patrons. While this book will be extremely valuable to public library staff, it addresses common situations that can happen in public service at any type of library. Administrators who need to develop policies to protect their staff and their users will also find this unique work essential reading.

Get the gift of gab. In this guide, readers will find indispensable information on how to pursue public speaking as a full- or part-time career. Written by a 30-year veteran public speaker and bureau chief, this book shares details, advice, and insider tips on how to prosper in this highly competitive and lucrative field. * Expert author in a rapidly growing field * Contains inside tips on every aspect of speaking professionally * Clear and practical information about how to set up a professional speaker's business and promote it * Suggestions for extra goods and services for additional revenue * Features event planning and organizing strategies and instructive anecdotes from the field

On your marks, get set, read! Most adults today are working with antiquated skills and ingrained beliefs about their reading abilities, or lack thereof. But with the tips and examples offered in The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Speed Reading, getting through a load of must-do reading doesn't have to be an arduous or overwhelming chore. The strategies are surprisingly simple once revealed. With practice, readers will not only speed through and understand books, articles, and professional journals but will also build their personal reading confidence and competence. * Written by a reading specialist * Useful for students, business people, lawyers, doctors * Includes how-to strategies as well as practice timed readings * Tips for reading on paper and onscreen Show More Show Less

Taking a management position in a new library or being promoted to a higher position in your library means a new approach to interpersonal relations. How to make this transition can be a challenge. This book provides the information you need to learn so you can become an effective leader and to recognize and circumvent the legal pitfalls that you may find in your path. Written in reader-friendly language, two seasoned veterans share their experiences and the experiences of others in this introduction to managing people. Managing a small library requires skills in working with personnel, the library board, patrons, and the key people in the community. Understanding these requirements will help the person with no formal education to be a more effective administrator in this setting.

With over 300 puzzles with a great variety of themes (20 letters by 20 letters, with never fewer than 25 terms), The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Word Search Puzzlesprovides hours of fun. In addition, many people believe that working word puzzles improves concentration, vocabulary, and problem-solving skills. Everyone knows the feeling of going blank on just the right word from time to time. It's this feeling that accounts for much the popularity of word search puzzles. Teachers have been using them for years for this very reason. 352 Pages