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George Orwell, the author of "1984" and "Animal Farm," was actually born as Eric Arthur Blair. He adopted the pen name George Orwell both to protect his personal life and because he felt that his real name lacked the snap and resonance needed to attract attention as an author. The name "Orwell" is derived from the River Orwell in Suffolk, England, a place he knew and loved.

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📚️ Staff Pick of the Week

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory.

An instant bestseller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.

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📈 Rising Quickly - Week of August 21, 2023

The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes

In "The Intelligence Trap," David Robson delves into the counterintuitive notion that intelligent individuals and esteemed organizations are not only prone to making errors but may even be more susceptible to them due to overconfidence, cognitive biases, and other pitfalls. Using concepts like "strategic ignorance," "meta-forgetfulness," and "functional stupidity," Robson highlights notable failures from history and contemporary settings, such as blunders by Thomas Edison, NASA, Nokia, and the FBI. The book combines research and practical advice, including lessons from thinkers like Benjamin Franklin, Richard Feynman, and Daniel Kahneman, to offer strategies for recognizing and sidestepping these cognitive traps.

🪄Most Talked About Fiction - Week of August 21, 2023

The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoevsky’s final, greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov, paints a complex and richly detailed portrait of a family tormented by its extraordinarily cruel patriarch, Fyodor Pavlovich, whose callous decisions slowly decimate the lives of his sons—the eponymous brothers Karamazov—and lead to his violent murder. In the aftermath of the killing, the brothers contend with dilemmas of honor, faith, and reason as the community closes in on the murderer in their midst. Acclaimed translator Michael R. Katz renders this masterpiece’s nuanced and evocative storytelling in a vibrant, signature prose style that captures all the power of Dostoevsky’s original—the clever humor, the rich emotion, the passion and the turmoil—and that will captivate and unsettle a new generation of readers.

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📚️ Most Talked About Non-Fiction - Week of August 21, 2023

$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff

This book promises to unlock the secret to exponentially increasing your leads, transforming your business from struggling to highly profitable. Alex Hormozi, who once slept on a gym floor and now owns a portfolio generating $200 million annually, attributes his success to mastering lead generation across multiple industries. The book provides eight playbooks that offer practical strategies, including an easy method to acquire five new customers in a day, a 6-part ad framework that draws people in, and direct referral methods accounting for 30% of the author's sales. Designed to solve the "leads problem" that plagues many business owners, these playbooks are actionable within an hour of reading, setting you on a fast track to business growth.

🆕 New and Noteworthy

Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk

In "Gambler," the autobiography of Billy Walters—often dubbed the "Michael Jordan of sports betting"—readers are given an insider look into a life built on beating the odds. Walters, a self-made multi-millionaire with an unparalleled 36-year winning streak in sports betting, details not only his rags-to-riches journey from rural Kentucky poverty to Las Vegas legend but also offers a masterclass in his sophisticated, proprietary betting strategies. His story is punctuated by overcoming addictions, outsmarting organized crime figures, and navigating a complex relationship with Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson. Walters delves into the granular aspects of sports betting, explaining how to optimize wagers through detailed data analysis, and covers variables ranging from player statistics to weather conditions. His book serves as a gripping narrative, a candid tell-all, and an invaluable guide for anyone interested in sports wagering.

✍️ Quote of the Week

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