Other books that might interest you

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  Essays and Dialogues

  Giacomo Leopardi

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  We would no more choose to feed the minds of our countrymen and women with the despairing utterances of the pessimist poet, than we would their bodies with hasheesh. Such melancholy as his clothed in such eloquent words may be the luxury of the idle; it is poison to those who have work to do in the world. It shuts out hope, the very spring of energy; it makes the cheerful steady pursuit of duty a thing utterly beyond human powers. For we can none of us stand alone. Either in human or divine love we must find the mainspring of all life worth living. There must be something outside of ourselves which we regard not with despair, but with hope. -- Handwritten dedication in the book, dated Feb. 19th, 1883

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  FRUIT YOU’LL NEVER SEE THE - A...

  Gail Brenner Nastasia

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  Growing up in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a quaint coastal town with a dark underbelly, Gail Brenner Nastasia learned early on that some people mattered and others didn’t. As the child of a heroin-addicted mother and an aunt who brokered deals with men who liked to have sex with young girls, Gail was sure she didn’t matter. As a result of keeping her secrets and those of her family, she developed a cunning and merciless pill addiction. 
  Despite moving away from Gloucester in her early twenties and becoming an attorney, Gail continued to use drugs while carrying the shame of her childhood. It wasn’t until she began to appreciate the value in her criminally-charged clients, those with whom she shared similar struggles, that she finally recognized her own worth. This new understanding gave her the courage to put down the drugs, fully embrace her history, and stop hiding. 
  A candid look at the things we inherit, THE FRUIT YOU’LL NEVER SEE reminds us of the value intrinsic in every human being and the responsibility we all have to each other and ourselves.

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  The Secret Life of Glenn Gould -...

  Michael Clarkson

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  Through the memories of his women and confidantes, this biography provides a fresh portrait of virtuoso pianist Glenn Gould, detailing his many motivations, dreams, quirks, and fears. Filled with personal stories from the people who were intimately involved with the man, this account shows how Gould, the world's greatest pianist in the 1950s and 1960s, was richly inspired by, and bared his soul at the keyboard to, the numerous women who stirred his hard-to-fetch emotions. Long considered to be an asexual, lonely, and egocentric figure, this exposé examining the details about Gould's many love affairs and how they affected his life, music, and filmmaking — presents a unique perspective on one of the most enigmatic artists of the 20th century.

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  The Hockneys - Never Worry What...

  John Hockney

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  ‘The most charming… portrait of this ever-popular artist… so enormously appealing: good-natured, bluntly told, skimmed with Yorkshire humour… This is a story of sticky jam tarts, catching tadpoles in jars, torchlit conversations under the bedclothes, gossipy queues at the butcher’s and hikes among the hedgerows under swallow-strewn skies.’ The Telegraph 
  ‘Never worry what the neighbours think’ was the philosophy that Kenneth Hockney used to inspire his children – David Hockney, one of the world’s greatest living artists and siblings John, Paul, Philip and Margaret – to each choose their own route in life. 
  The Hockney’s is a never before seen insight into the lives of the family by youngest brother John, from growing up in the Second World War in Bradford through to their diverse lives across three continents. Hardship, successes as well as close and complex relationships are poignantly illustrated with private photographs. 
  With a rare and spirited look into the lives of an ordinary family with extraordinary stories, we begin to understand the creative freedom that led to their successful careers and the launchpad for an artist’s work that has inspired and continues to inspire generations across the world.

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  The Cello Suites - J S Bach...

  Eric Siblin

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  An award-winning journey through Johann Sebastian Bach’s six cello suites and the brilliant musician who revealed their lasting genius.   One fateful evening, journalist and pop-music critic Eric Siblin attended a recital of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites—an experience that set him on an epic quest to uncover the mysterious history of the entrancing compositions and their miraculous reemergence nearly two hundred years later. In pursuit of his musicological obsession, Siblin would unravel three centuries of intrigue, politics, and passion.   Winner of the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-fiction and the McAuslan First Book Prize, The Cello Suites weaves together three dramatic narratives: the disappearance of Bach’s manuscript in the eighteenth century, Pablo Casals’s discovery and popularization of the music in Spain in the late nineteenth century, and Siblin’s infatuation with the suites in the present day. The search led Siblin to Barcelona, where Casals, just thirteen and in possession of his first cello, roamed the backstreets with his father in search of sheet music and found Bach’s lost suites tucked in a dark corner of a store. Casals played them every day for twelve years before finally performing them in public.   Siblin sheds new light on the mysteries that continue to haunt this music more than 250 years after its composer’s death: Why did Bach compose the suites for the cello, then considered a lowly instrument? What happened to the original manuscript? A seamless blend of biography and music history, The Cello Suites is a true-life journey of discovery, fueled by the power of these musical masterpieces.   “The ironies of artistic genius and public taste are subtly explored in this winding, entertaining tale of a musical masterpiece.” —Publishers Weekly   “Siblin’s writing is most inspired when describing the life of Casals, showing a genuine affection for the cellist, who . . . used his instrument and the suites as weapons of protest and pleas for peace.” —Booklist, starred review

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  Hit Refresh - The Quest to...

  Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw

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  Foreword by Bill Gates 
  Microsoft's CEO tells the inside story of the company's continuing transformation, tracing his own personal journey from a childhood in India to leading some of the most significant technological changes in the digital era. As much a humanist as engineer and executive, Nadella concludes with his vision for the coming wave of intelligent technologies and a distinct call to action for leaders everywhere. 
  Hit Refresh is about individual change, about the transformation happening inside of Microsoft and the technology that will soon impact all of our lives—the arrival of the most exciting and disruptive wave of technology humankind has experienced: artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and quantum computing. 
  It's about how people, organizations, and societies can and must transform "hit refresh" in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas, and continued relevance and renewal. At its core, it's about us humans and how our one unique quality—empathy—will become ever more valuable in a world where technological advancement will disrupt the status quo as never before.  
  Satya Nadella explores a fascinating childhood before immigrating to the U.S. and how he learned to lead along the way. He then shares his meditations as sitting CEO—one who is mostly unknown following the brainy Bill Gates and energetic Steve Ballmer. He tells the inside story of how a company rediscovered its soul—transforming everything from culture to their fiercely competitive landscape and industry partnerships. Nadella concludes with his vision for the coming wave of technology and by exploring the potential impact to society and delivering call to action for world leaders.  
  "Ideas excite me," Nadella explains. "Empathy grounds and centers me." Hit Refresh is a reflection, meditations, and series of recommendations presented as algorithms from a principled, deliberative leader searching for improvement—for himself, for a storied company, and for society.

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