Books to Read

  Scarcity Why Having Too Little Means So Much Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir Scarcity is a universal human experience: the feeling that we don’t have enough of what we need. In  Scarcity,  behavioral science researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain how scarcities of time and money temporarily change our brains: They make us more efficient with a limited resource in the short term, but they also decrease our mental bandwidth, distorting the way we process information and make decisions. This not only exacerbates scarcity, but it also takes a huge toll on other areas of our lives, like health, relationships, and work. In this guide, we’ll explore both the good and bad sides of scarcity: how it enables us to work at a superhuman pace as a deadline approaches and how our decreased mental bandwidth digs us deeper into scarcity. We’ll discuss strategies to counteract the negative cognitive effects of scarcity, why poverty is a unique scarcity, and how w...

  Life Force How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, and Robert Hariri Imagine a world where our lifespans aren’t limited by illness or aging, where people could live for as long as they wanted to. This sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but according to Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and Robert Hariri, such a scenario may be more fact than fiction. In  Life Force , the authors explain how ongoing development of new technologies and information in the medical field may extend our lifespans beyond what we ever thought possible. Robbins is a bestselling author and speaker, Diamandis is a bestselling author and scientist, and Hariri is a neurosurgeon and scientist. In our guide, we’ll explore the lifestyle changes you can make now to increase your lifespan and overall health. We’ll also look at new technologies that are rapidly improving our healthcare and upcoming...

  The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth Live Them and Reach Your Potential John C. Maxwell Everybody has the potential to live a meaningful, fulfilling life, but in a world teeming with possibilities, it can be hard to figure out  how  exactly   you’re going to accomplish that. John C. Maxwell believes that if you want to live meaningfully and transform into your highest self, you have to pursue  personal growth . In  The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth,  Maxwell—a pastor and personal growth expert—offers directions to help you navigate the journey of personal growth more smoothly. In this guide, you’ll learn how to build strong character and how living with integrity can help you become your highest self. You’ll also learn how to envision, commit to, and pursue meaningful goals, and the importance of learning and growing throughout the rest of your life. We’ll supplement Maxwell’s advice with current research on personal growth and the perspectives of other s...

  Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing A Memoir Matthew Perry You’ve seen him play a cigarette-smoking, intimacy-fearing, humor-as-a-cudgel-wielding twenty-something from a broken home trying to find love and build a meaningful career. But Matthew Perry’s role as Chandler on the iconic show  Friends  is a lot closer to reality than you might have imagined. In  Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing , Perry shares his story of battling loneliness, health scares, and the big terrible thing: addiction. His hope is that it will help others who are also struggling with substance abuse know they are not alone in their challenges, and that, if he could get sober, they can, too. This guide explores the evolution of three major themes throughout Perry’s life: his addiction, struggles in establishing relationships, and his search for fame. We also contextualize the events and struggles of his life within psychological theories about childhood trauma, attachment the...

  The Master Guides: Focus Shortform Do you often feel that there isn’t enough time to finish all the projects you’d like to get done? Does it seem that when you try to concentrate, your attention gets pulled in a thousand directions? Many authors agree that the ability to focus—to concentrate on an individual task—is key to success and fulfillment, not just in your career but also in your personal life. They also agree that focus is a skill you have to learn through practice, deliberate repetition, and strategies to minimize distractions. In Shortform's Master Guide, we’ve gathered the best strategies from the experts—including psychologists, productivity gurus, and business consultants—to help you harness your attention to achieve any goal. We’ll talk about what focus is (and why it’s so hard to do) and provide a step-by-step process for improving your focus, from removing distractions from your environment and disconnecting digitally to maintaining your motivation and refining y...

You Should Smile More By Anastasia Ryan Telemarketer Vanessa is shocked when her boss fires her for her facial expressions, but she figures she’ll just file for unemployment and get a new job. Her friends, however, are ready to plot their revenge…  Kirkus Reviews  says this spunky debut is “reminiscent of  The Office  and  9 to 5 … a slapstick blend of comedy and heart, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and strong female heroines.”

  White Smoke By John Gilstrap If you like Tom Clancy, you’ll love this pulse-pounding adventure that the  Providence Journal  promises is “a one-sitting read if ever there was one.” In the wake of a global conflict that ravaged the United States, can single mom Victoria — who Jeffery Deaver calls “one of the most compelling heroines to come along in years” — restore peace amidst anarchy?