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Agatha Christie, the bestselling author of all time, not only wrote crime novels but also worked as a pharmacist during World War I. She qualified as an assistant apothecary in 1917 and worked at a hospital pharmacy where she learned about poisons, which would later become a key element in her detective novels. She even wrote an article in 1945 for the Pharmaceutical Journal, describing how her pharmaceutical training helped her in her writing career. Christie's unique combination of knowledge in medicine and mystery made her one of the most celebrated and influential authors of the 20th century.

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📝 Note

📚️ Staff Pick of the Week

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

"Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker is a New York Times bestseller that delves into the purpose and power of sleep, which is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. Walker, a preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert, shares the explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years that shed new light on the fundamental aspect of our lives. He explains how sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions, and how it recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. The book also discusses how common sleep aids affect us and can do long-term damage, and offers suggestions on how to harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels, and prevent various diseases.

🎥 Reading Talk's

📈 Rising Quickly - Week of April 17, 2023

The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma

"The 5am Club" is a book written by Robin Sharma that introduces a morning routine aimed at maximizing productivity, improving health, and increasing serenity in a world of overwhelming complexity. Sharma's revolutionary concept, which he introduced over 20 years ago, is based on the habits of great geniuses, business titans, and the world's wisest people. The book takes readers on an amusing journey with two struggling strangers who meet an eccentric tycoon, their secret mentor, and teaches them a formula for waking up early feeling inspired, focused, and driven. It provides a step-by-step method to protect the quietest hours of daybreak for exercise, self-renewal, and personal growth, and insider-only tactics to defend against digital distraction and trivial diversions. This book is a manifesto for mastery, a playbook for genius-grade productivity, and a companion for living a beautiful life.

🪄Most Talked About Fiction - Week of April 17, 2023

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a satirical novel about a young man who grows up in an isolated area of Los Angeles and ends up in a race trial that reaches the Supreme Court. The narrator, raised by a controversial sociologist, believes that his father's work will result in a memoir that will solve his family's financial problems, but when his father dies, he discovers that there never was a memoir. He then sets out to correct a wrong by reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school in his hometown of Dickens, which ultimately leads to his trial. The novel challenges various aspects of American life and racial equality with wit and humor.

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📚️ Most Talked About Non-Fiction - Week of April 17, 2023

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia

Dr. Peter Attia presents a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity in his book Outlive. He draws on the latest science to provide innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. The traditional framework of mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people. Dr. Attia aims to replace this with a scientific approach to extending lifespan while also improving physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Outlive provides readers with a new perspective on long-term health and practical advice on topics such as nutrition, exercise, emotional health, and more. With the right roadmap, aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think.

🆕 New and Noteworthy

Trust: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken by Henry Cloud

Trust is a fundamental aspect of human relationships that underpins all human endeavors, from art to science to commerce. We are wired biologically, neurologically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically to trust, and nothing works without trust. However, trust is not always easy to spot or maintain, and we may struggle to earn or keep the trust of others when trust bonds are broken. Dr. Cloud explores the five foundational aspects of trust that must be present for any relationship to function successfully and helps us to understand how to implement them. He also guides us through the difficult process of repairing trust when it has been violated and broken. Trust is a valuable resource for managing this complex human bond, allowing us to experience more fruitful and rewarding relationships in every area of our lives.

✍️ Quote of the Week

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