Other books that might interest you

• 

  Maurya Empire - The Rise of...

  Rolf Hedger

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The Maurya Empire, one of the most significant dynasties in Indian history, emerged in the late 4th century BCE. Its foundations were laid by Chandragupta Maurya, who, with the guidance of his advisor Chanakya, overthrew the ruling Nanda dynasty and established a powerful empire. The rise of the Mauryas marked a turning point in Indian history, as they created a centralized and efficient administration that governed vast territories. 
  Before the Maurya Empire, the Indian subcontinent was fragmented into various kingdoms and republics. The dominant power during this time was the Nanda dynasty, which ruled over Magadha, a region in present-day Bihar. Though the Nandas controlled a significant portion of northern India, their rule was marked by heavy taxation and unpopular policies, which created discontent among the people and the military. This environment of dissatisfaction provided an opportunity for Chandragupta Maurya to challenge their authority. 
  Chandragupta’s rise to power is closely linked to Chanakya, a scholar and strategist who had been humiliated by the Nandas. Seeking revenge, Chanakya trained Chandragupta in statecraft, military tactics, and governance. With his mentor’s guidance, Chandragupta built an army and gradually expanded his influence. By allying with local rulers and gaining the support of disgruntled soldiers, he launched a successful campaign against the Nandas, eventually seizing control of Magadha around 321 BCE.

  Show book

• 

  Cancel Culture Dictionary -...

  Jimmy Failla

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
  You may know Jimmy Failla as the best dressed man in cable news. A force multiplier of positive energy on the radio who sounds like he gets paid in Tequila and Tide Pods. But he’s also a former New York City Taxi Driver who’s spent countless hours conversing with people from all over this planet and several planets you’ve never heard of.  It’s those chats with hobbits, hookers, and time travelers that fill The Cancel Culture Dictionary with the unique perspective and savage self-awareness we need to escape the outrage era society is stuck in.  
  Let’s face it. Life in this country was WAY better before the Smart Phone came along and made us infinitely dumber. Social Media has turned our “shining city on a hill” into a Real Housewives episode on Bravo where every day is a constant cat fight about politics. Weaponized censorship and runaway speech policing has left many people unable to tell the difference between a comedian and a criminal. Although to be fair, sometimes they’re the same, in Bill Cosby’s case.  
  But if there’s one thing we can all be sure of, it’s that spending the past 10 years with our faces glued to our phones has made us crankier, crazier, and much fatter, despite what the Instagram Filters show you. 
  This book is a collection of naughty jokes and nutty people whose stories guide us to a world where we don’t spend all day slugging it out on Twitter, X, or whatever dumb name Elon Musk gives it next time he gets stoned. No, it's not an actual dictionary, although the author should probably spend more time reading one. Think of it as a ridiculous roadmap to a time where life didn’t revolve around the Republican Party and the Democratic Party because we were all too focused on The Keg Party. And unlike other works devoted to the cancel craze, we'll show how the people who lost the most with each celebrity firing were everyday Americans who had nothing to do with it. 
  Cancel Culture and the outrage era have dragged us all into a war on fun. But this book is not a call to arms, girlfriend. If anything, it’s a call to chill the f**k out.  
  So hop in, shut the door, and don’t waste time fiddling with the seatbelt. The way we’re about to drive, it can’t help you anyway.  
   

  Show book

• 

  Lucky: A True Story

  David A. Green, Judy D'Mello

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Slumdog Millionaire meets Forrest Gump 
  In 2018, under a full moon in the remote Mantiqueira mountain range in Brazil, a sickly stray dog chose to follow a runner during the Brazil 135 ultramarathon. He stayed by his side for 140 miles. 
  Fast forward to 2021, when Lucky the stray, now living the life in Florida, set off with his ultrarunner soulmate, David Green, on the journey of their lives — a four-month run covering 3,400 miles from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to Muir Beach, California. Their route took them through a nation ravaged by Covid-19 and still reeling from the most toxic presidential election in history. An RV became their nightly retreat-on-wheels, captained by Chris, an affable chef from Brooklyn, who would provide so much more than food. 
  This is David’s honest account, his love letter to Lucky, after three short years together, during which time they inspired each other to break barriers of what is thought possible for dogs and humans -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

  Show book

• 

  The Art of Setting Stones - &...

  Marc Peter Keane

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Philosophical essays on the beauty and meaning of traditional Japanese gardens.
   
  In Japanese gardens, composition follows from placement of the first stone; all elements and plantings become interconnected. These eight essays on Kyoto gardens similarly begin with keen description and build into richly meditative excursions into art, Buddhism, nature, and science. 
   
  Landscape architect Marc Keane shows how Japanese gardens are both a microcosm of the natural universe and a clear expression of our humanity, mirroring how we think, worship, and organize our lives and communities. Filled with passages of alluring beauty, this is a truly transcendent book about "experiencing" Japanese design.

  Show book

• 

  Let There Be Laughter - A...

  Michael Krasny

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  From the host of NPR affiliate’s Forum with Michael Krasny, a compendium of Jewish jokes that packs the punches with hilarious riff after riff and also offers a window into Jewish culture. 
  Michael Krasny has been telling Jewish jokes since his bar mitzvah, and it’s been said that he knows more of them than anyone on the planet. He certainly states his case in this wise, enlightening, and hilarious book that not only collects the best of Jewish humor passed down from generation to generation, but explains the cultural expressions and anxieties behind the laughs. 
  ""What’s Jewish Alzheimer’s?"" 
  ""You forget everything but the grudges."" 
  ""You must be so proud. Your daughter is the President of the United States!"" 
  ""Yes. But her brother is a doctor!"" 
  ""Isn’t Jewish humor masochistic?"" 
  ""No. And if I hear that one more time I am going to kill myself."" 
  With his background as a scholar and public-radio host, Krasny delves deeply into the themes, topics, and form of Jewish humor: chauvinism undercut by irony and self-mockery, the fear of losing cultural identity through assimilation, the importance of vocal inflection in joke-telling, and calls to communal memory, including the use of Yiddish. 
  Borrowing from traditional humor and such Jewish comedy legends as Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks, and Joan Rivers, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer, Let There Be Laughter is an absolute pleasure for the chosen and goyim alike.

  Show book

• 

  Turkey Run Indiana State Park -...

  Paul Wonning

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Hikers will love the rugged, magnificent trails at Turkey Run State Park in Parke County, Indiana. Stay at Turkey Run Inn and dine in the restaurant or camp in the beautiful campground. Canoeists can float down Sugar Creek, which traverses two State Parks. Considered the Covered Bridge Capitol of Indiana, Parke County maintains several lovely covered bridge auto tours which allow visitors to drive through the countryside and see the 31 surviving covered bridges in the county.

  Show book