What it takes to live with courage, gratitude and integrity, or whenpretty good is as good as you can be.

“[A] new literary genre, the MBA Memoir . . . Delivers 97 pearls of warmth, wit and wisdom from the most inspirational entrepreneur I have ever met.” —Frances Edmonds, bestselling author of Repotting Your Life Called the “Queen of Beauty” and the most influential lone woman to impact the beauty industry since Estée Lauder by the New York Times, Leslie Blodgett’s story is anything but ordinary. As the CEO of BareMinerals, she reinvented how beauty was sold by tapping into the power of community before the idea of social media existed. In 2006, Blodgett took the company public in one of the largest cosmetic IPOs of the decade, and in 2010, the company was acquired for $1.8 billion. Pretty Good Advice is her next chapter. This refreshing book features 97 candid and entertaining insights on business, life, and beauty. Personal and often surprising, Blodgett dishes on leading with humor, why wearing blush and reading obituaries are two of the most optimistic things you can do, and why you owe it to your coworkers not to be boring. Pretty Good Advice is full of frank, actionable advice to help light a fire under you. “If you want to laugh, get totally inspired, learn a bunch and enjoy reading something so engrossing you won’t put it down but you could because it’s written in these amazing one-ish-page chunks, GET IT. Could not be better for right now.” —Jean Godfrey June, Beauty Editor, GOOP “A moving and clear-eyed memoir of an extraordinary life. Charmingly made-up as a how-to guide, Leslie chronicles that life in vivid and memorable lessons that jump off the page.” —John W. Evans, author of Should I Still Wish

"Based on the viral Harvard Business Review article, bestselling author Anthony Tjan argues that leaders have a new imperative: you must have competent people on your team--but more importantly, they must also be of high character. As a leader you need to help develop and mentor for character further. Until now, we have only had ways of assessing competency in business, but we must also have the tools to help us judge, develop, and lead good people. Author of the bestsellingHearts, Smarts, Guts and Luckand venture capitalist Anthony Tjan offers insight into and a methodology for developing character, first in yourself and in those around you. Good people are your organization's most important competitive advantage. We all know that finding good people is difficult, as being good on paper doesn't always translate to being good in practice. While competence is necessary, Tjan argues that "goodness" is just as crucial as what's on a resume--and that a fantastic resume can never compensate for mediocre character. Yet most people who are in the business of finding and developing good people still focus on the "what" more than the "who" of the individuals surrounding them. Tjan writes that character is a lifelong proactive commitment that, like any skill, can be exercised, honed, and developed. Only when leaders learn to develop these qualities in themselves and others will great and lasting change take place throughout an organization. Good Peopleestablishes a new understanding of goodness--a word we use frequently in business without always understanding what we mean. Tjan also profiles "good people" who are extraordinary leaders and motivators in their fields, providing insights from Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Beth Comstock of GE, Dominic Barton of McKinsey, author Deepak Chopra, M.D., Dean Nitin Nohria of Harvard Business School, Army General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, and a range of everyday unsung heroes. Packed with practical, often surprising advice, Good Peopleshows that the most transformative changes in business and life come down to the people we choose, and who choose us, and the values of goodness we have in common"--

Reduce the time and stress associated with your presentations Bookshelves are crowded with books on how to be an exceptional presenter and promise to produce a brilliant, standing-ovation speaker. But what about a presentation resource for the rest of us? There are so many of us regular folk who who want to spend just a little time and effort to get over the big hurdle of giving a presentation, but don't know where to turn for advice. How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation is the easy answer to this common need. Straightforward, entertaining, and well-organized, this user-friendly resource will walk you step-by-step through the process from how to write, rehearse, and deliver a pretty good presentation that will make you appear confident, memorable, and competent. Although it does not promise the moon (or a standing ovation), this public speaking survival guide will help you: Appear confident (even while still feeling nervous!) Take the spotlight off of you and put it on your content Save time Not put people to sleep with your PowerPoint Presentation Produce better results Make better impressions Reduce the feelings of dread, sleeplessness, and procrastination associated with your presentations Prepare even if you've waited until the day before or an hour before your presentation is to be given Whatever your job, if you need to give a presentation and are feeling overwhelmed by it, How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation is there for you. If you want to reduce the time and stress associated with your presentations now and pass all future presentation opportunities with flying colors, then pick up this fun and accessible guide; you'll no doubt like the resulting improvement in both your personal and professional bottom line.

Larry David, the man behind two of the most successful and critically acclaimed sitcoms in television history, is the focus of this biography. This unofficial guide follows the career that has accorded him status as a comic genius and garnered a fanatical following—from his early exploits as a stand-up comic to his role as producer and cocreator of Seinfeld and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. It explores the back-story of the conception and development of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a mostly improvised sitcom in which the actor stars as a fictionalized version of himself. The comic’s on- and off-screen relationships with colleagues and friends such as Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, Mary Steenburgen, and the cast members of Seinfeld are discussed, and a detailed episode guide to every season of Curb Your Enthusiasm completes this informative and entertaining glimpse into the life and creative process of a great comic talent.

The first book devoted entirely to women in bluegrass, Pretty Good for a Girl documents the lives of more than seventy women whose vibrant contributions to the development of bluegrass have been, for the most part, overlooked. Accessibly written and organized by decade, the book begins with Sally Ann Forrester, who played accordion and sang with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys from 1943 to 1946, and continues into the present with artists such as Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, and the Dixie Chicks. Drawing from extensive interviews, well-known banjoist Murphy Hicks Henry gives voice to women performers and innovators throughout bluegrass's history, including such pioneers as Bessie Lee Mauldin, Wilma Lee Cooper, and Roni and Donna Stoneman; family bands including the Lewises, Whites, and McLains; and later pathbreaking performers such as the Buffalo Gals and other all-girl bands, Laurie Lewis, Lynn Morris, Missy Raines, and many others.

Originally published as an e-book that became a controversial media phenomenon, No More Mr. Nice Guy! landed its author, a certified marriage and family therapist, on The O'Reilly Factor and the Rush Limbaugh radio show. Dr. Robert Glover has dubbed the "Nice Guy Syndrome" trying too hard to please others while neglecting one's own needs, thus causing unhappiness and resentfulness. It's no wonder that unfulfilled Nice Guys lash out in frustration at their loved ones, claims Dr. Glover. He explains how they can stop seeking approval and start getting what they want in life, by presenting the information and tools to help them ensure their needs are met, to express their emotions, to have a satisfying sex life, to embrace their masculinity and form meaningful relationships with other men, and to live up to their creative potential.