Alice Sycamore, a young woman from a happy, but very eccentric family, has second thoughts about her relationship with her wealthy boss's son, Tony, after a meeting between the two families goes terribly wrong.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

A Daily Devotional Guide For Doing God's Word This one year devotional will take you on an adventure through hundreds of Scripture passages in the Old and New Testaments. Each day you will be assigned four passages throughout the Bible that pertain to topics such as seeking and obeying the Lord's will, living what you say, and finding your place in the body of Christ. By dedicating just minutes a day to this unique book, you will find yourself growing in God's Word, planting seeds of wisdom that will last a lifetime. About the author Linda Sommer is the author of Around the Word in 365 Days and Sunrise, Sunset. In addition to being an author, she is a teacher and intercessor who speaks at retreats, seminars, and churches, sharing God's Word in a practical, understandable manner. Linda and her husband, Tom, have three sons, all of whom are serving the Lord. They also have eight grandchildren. The Sommers make their home in Atlanta, Georgia, where they are part of Landmark Church. View all the titles in Linda Sommer's devotional trilogy: Around the Word in 365 Days Sunrise, Sunset

The days are long, but the years are short. No matter if it’s your child’s first step, first day of school, or first night tucked away in a new dorm room away from home, there comes a moment when you realize just how quickly the years are flying by. Christian music artist Nichole Nordeman’s profound lyrics in her viral hit “Slow Down” struck a chord with moms everywhere, and now this beautiful four-color book will inspire you to celebrate the everyday moments of motherhood. Filled with thought-provoking writings from Nichole, as well as guest writings from friends including Shauna Niequist and Jen Hatmaker, practical tips, and journaling space for reflection, Slow Down will be a poignant gift for any mom, as well as a treasured keepsake. Take a few moments to reflect and celebrate the privilege of being a parent and getting to watch your little ones grow—and Slow Down. Nichole Nordeman has sold more than 1 million albums as a Christian music artist and has won 9 GMA Dove Awards, including two awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Nichole released a lyric video for her song “Slow Down,” and it struck a chord with parents everywhere, amassing 14 million views in its first five days. She lives in Oklahoma with her two children.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

During the spring of my fourteenth year, I ran away from home. On a cold night in early February, I disappeared into a Kansas snowstorm. My family lived outside Kansas City. For much of our time together, Dad preached at Edwardsville Christian Church. We lived in the parsonage, a two-bedroom box just south of the railroad tracks separating the white and black parts of town. As the Civil Rights movement heated up, Mom crossed the tracks whenever she could. For that, and for other indiscernible reasons, Dad beat her. My story begins during America’s Civil Rights movement, a time when my family fell apart and my future became a struggle between parents and ways of life. Much of my struggle took place within my father's house. In running away, I found a new life. But I wasn’t alone. My journey also marked a rebirth for mom and for Jefferson Jackson, the black Baptist preacher who became my father and who raised me. Together, we lived in hiding and in poverty. From that beginning, I’ve risen to the highest levels of international charity, serving as senior vice president of World Vision U.S. and vice president of PATH before joining Global Impact as CEO. Take Me with You delivers a first-person narrative of a boy who found his future by running away. My childhood and escape from abuse has influenced my present work and driven a personal inspiration to leave a lasting mark on humanity. Today, as the CEO and President of Global Impact, I’ve made a career of trying to stop cycles of abuse, racism, and inequality. I'm the sum of my story, this memoir rooted in love, faith, and moral courage. Take Me with You is one boy’s story about choosing love, forgiveness, and the charity within—and about choosing to be positive. Take Me with You is a call to action to help those in need, especially children. As the statistics reveal, there is an alarming need both in the United States and throughout the world: • In 2013, 14.7 million children under the age of 18 were in poverty in the America • More than one in three African American children live in food-insecure households • Today, nearly 18,000 children under age 5 will die of mostly preventable causes, such as diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia. This translates to more than 6.5 million per year • Globally, nearly half of under five deaths are attributable to undernutrition • Globally, 51 million under-five-year-olds were wasted (malnourished) and 17 million were severely wasted in 2013 • 4 in 10 children fail to meet minimum learning standards worldwide • Each year, between 2000 through the present, there have been at least 10 million children under age 18 who had lost either one or both parents to AIDS • In 2013, 4 in 5 deaths due to malaria were in children under five I hope that my story will inspire you and encourage you to do whatever you can to change a life for the better. All children—whether in the United States or in third-world countries—deserve to have a fighting chance in life. You have the choice to live your life in a way that will change another person’s life for the better, and maybe transform your own along the way. Go ahead, make your mark.

Threatened with a visit to Mrs. Cole by his working mother whenever he doesn't get his chores done in her absence, a young boy finally searches out the woman on his own and finds out what things really happen at her house.