Black Books

G-Town's Finest is absolutely the greatest gangster book that i have ever read. It has a story line and a plot that will knock you off your feet. The ending is unreal and unexpected. It kept me interested and wanting to read more. I couldn't put this book down for nothing. It only took me 9 hours to finish it and I cried at the end. I recommend this book to all readers!
Keep up the wonderful work CeDee and I will support all that you do.
Thank you for the wonderful entertainment that I received from reading G-Town's Finest!

THIS BOOK INDEED WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT MADE ME SHEAD A TEAR OF 2 OR 3..... BUT MY POINT IS THAT THIS BOOK WAS OFF THE WALL. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN AT ALL..... I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE IN THE URBAN FICTIONS GENRE.... PLEASE GO GET IT G-TOWN'S FINEST BOY I TELL YOU

...... PLEASE GO GET IT

... GOT ME ALL SPEECHLESS AND SH*T

G TOWN'S FINEST IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS YOU COULD EVER READ. I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL. IT WILL DEFINTALY CAPUTURE YOUR ATTENTION FROM BEGINING TO THE END FLAT OUT.THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ! ANYONE FROM THE HOOD OR OTHERS WILL FEEL THIS BOOK TILL THE VERY END.IF U LIKED COLDEST WINTER EVER,B MORE CAREFUL,TRU TO THE GAME,AND ALL THE OTHER FAST PACE BOOKS THEN YOU WILL LOVE G TOWN'S FINEST.

I really enjoyed the book. I couldn't put the book down.
I want to know where is G-Town Finest's money at???. MAYBE
this could be the next part II.

I have never been the type of person to read, but a friend of mine convinced me to read this book, and I did, and I loved it! Put it this way, I started the book on my lunch break from work. I took the rest of the day off just so I could go home and finish reading it. I needed to know what was going to happen next. The thing I liked the most was everything that I expected to happen, DIDN'T happen. It's not one of those books where you can predict the ending just by reading a few chapters. I don't want to go into any detail because I don't want to tell you too much, so I'll just end this by saying that the book is excellent, and you will enjoy it! I hope this review is helpful.

Gaunt's Ghosts is the tale of the Imperial Guard from the viewpoint of the Imperial Guard. Dan Abnett throws the reader into the fray immediately, with no remorse or apologies, just the way war really is.

To get the experience of 40K in the thick of front line combat, look no further!

This is the first in the series but I read it second. It was backwards, but it was a great read. You learn were the Ghosts come from, how Gaunt got them, etc. It is a great set of books about people you will care about. Hell, I had a lump in my throat more than once after an especially emotional turn of events.

A collection of the first books in the Gaunt's Ghost's series, it is great book for any Warhammer 40K fan. It is also a great book for anyone who has an interest in the series but hasn't picked the right book out yet.

FIRST AND ONLY
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The first book in the Ghost's series, it tells the story of the Ghost's fight against an army of heretical troops. But along with the enemy facing them across the trenches, the Ghost's face an even greater threat: an ignorant military leader who is more than willing to throw troops to the meat grinder that is this war.

GHOSTMAKER
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A sequel-prequel-connector story, Ghostmaker works to tie the reader in to the story of the Ghost's current position. Fighting on a forest world against a dug in enemy, some Ghosts remember life before this fight. A collection of short fights and battles, along with some non combat situations, really flesh out who the Ghosts are. Whether they're fighting in city streets, dropping into Normandy-like beach fights, or just gambling with a group of rowdy soldiers, the Ghost's really start to grow on you.

NECROPOLIS
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Necropolis is the first of what I call "epic" fights in the Ghost's series. The Ghosts have been sent to stop a civil war between two giant industrial cities. The city is easy to defend, but treachery and back stabbing among bring down its shields and walls. The Ghost's fight enemies on all sides, and when the hour is dark, heroes will rise, and the fate of the city will be decided.

I started this book before being a fan of Warhammer 40K or the Black Library and it was still interesting and fun to read. You don't have to be a 40K expert to enjoy the story and the interesting characters. Dan Abnett is also great at keeping a series interesting and different by keeping the same characters and ideas, but writing with very different plots and styles. One thing I hate in a series is when it seems like the author follows a specific plot outline with every book and just adds new places and storys. The Dan Abnett books do not do this, and this keeps the books very interesting.
The characters are the best part of the books, they are not archetype characters that are either purely good or completely evil. The characters have depths and shades of gray.
Overall I would say this book is a great read, and I highly reccomend the other works by Dan Abnett.

This is was my first of the much larger Gaunt's Ghosts series -- I'm ready for the rest!

This is definitely a must have for any Leader who works with teens and is looking for ways to impact a future generation.

Efrem Smith and Phil Jackson's THE HIP-HOP CHURCH: CONNECTING WITH THE MOVEMENT SHAPING OUR CULTURE provides an important survey which advocates reaching spiritual souls through their own language - the music of hiphop. From understanding hiphop culture to bringing it into the church, any involved in a church and seeking to involve urban youth must have THE HIP-HOP CHURCH: it's an inspirational survey of how to reach out in an alternative manner.

Efremm and Jackson do a great job bridging the gap between the hip hop generation and the church. They engage one without the defaming the the other. Great book and informative. it also gives diffrent ways to use hip hop in youth ministries.

this book is a must read of any minister, youth worker, dj, music worker, or anyone dealing with the youth wanting to use the hip hop culture.

This book has open my eyes to a world that has so much to offer to The Kingdom Of Jesus the Christ....the book will help you understand the Hip-Hop Generation and help take back for the Glory of Christ....this book is a must read for everyone, even if you don't like Hip--Hop....

This book provides a good overview of how businesses can align employees' efforts and focus with the goals of the organization. Helps you to prioritize projects and improvement efforts. A good introduction that will compel you to purchase and read the other books in this series that go into great detail covering the "how to" make it happen...

How many times have you run into a situation where questions and answers seem separated by a barrier of unnecessarily complex metrics, reports, and measurement systems? Do objectives and reports seem out of alignment? Are the reports published on a schedule or at a level that doesn't support product and customer requirements?

This short read does an excellent job of showing leaders how to avoid these pitfalls and achieve success by integrating a governance model that connects metrics with strategy, tactics, and operations.

Forrest has written yet another thought provoking book. With his original book Implementing Six Sigma he set the stage at which the Six Sigma world would baseline "How it is done". Now he has set off with a series of new books which will open the door to looking at our businesses differently - in a new light.

With the book `Integrated Enterprise Excellence' Forrest uncovers some of weaknesses of corporations through identifying the impact of Short Term vs Long Term change. Attention is brought to day to day Firefighting situations, that too many of us know intimately at our jobs.

Ironically when I met with Forrest earlier this year, he spent time specifically speaking about the (Red Light / Green Light) syndrome. I had first seen this at Harley Davidson Motor Company, when Erik Buell rolled it out a new tool that all motorcycle platforms would use. There were rumblings within the launch teams about this new tool. It had stoplight colors, and our direction was to never have a red light. Little did I realize that the measurement system we were launching was establishing what we delivered to, as employees. That hopefully the metrics were well aligned with the 30,000 foot needs of the corporation and that which led to Long Term change.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system that is taught in this book shows management techniques that followed can effectively charter good change for a corporation. That change which is measurable, predictable, and drives bottom line results.

There is a lot of information on the market today about 6 Sigma, and change movements. Take time to look at Forrest Breyfogle's work. I have personally spent time with him, and been through his MBB program. In contrast to the many people who do this type of stuff for pure financial benefit; I believe that Forrest's work is about setting the record straight - and letting the truth be told. The new series of books show a no nonsense approach to doing 6 Sigma in a less complex methodology, that delivers big results. With today's workplace putting more pressure on belts to produce with less time, these methodologies will lead to solutions better than ever before.

Forrest does an excellent job of presenting a new way to manage businesses. This book is good for someone who wants to get a good high level understanding of the IEE and the E and P DMAIC processes. Once you understand what is proposed by his methods you will want to buy volumes 2 and 3 in this series to find out even more about his proposed new system.

This book works for me as a MBB of a Fortune 500 company tasked with delivering financial business value in transformational magnitudes. Many of the techniques described here are time-proven methods for developing and implementing the roadmap to continous improvement. It is a great guide to develop and strengthen leadership. This is the first time I have seen many of the techniques, which I have used repeatedly, compiled in one place. This book is a user-friendly guide.

This is a serious self-help book which requires thoughtful effort on the reader's part, but promises a concomitant reward. Dick Richards urges you to find your genuine inner talents and spiritual beliefs, your "genius," and to pursue them to find your career, your purpose and true fulfillment. However, the quest for genius is difficult to execute, though many successful people may have already completed this internal search and made genius-based career decisions without even knowing it. Richards is writing for those who have not. His audience is people who hold jobs that don't give them a sense of accomplishment or meaning. Richards spends a good bit of time explaining how people can find and name their genius, and perhaps not enough time telling them what they can do with it once that "eureka" moment has happened. As a result, we find that he articulates a noble goal but may leave some of its realization up to you. Then again, that seems valid: After all, no one can activate your genius for you. This book is useful for counselors and therapists, as well as for spiritually oriented readers who are willing to undertake serious introspection to refocus on their true gifts and purpose.

The subtitle of this book is "Four key questions to ask before your next career move." Unfortunately I think the subtitle is wrong. Really, this book asks us four key questions about our life.

The book revolves around those four questions:

1. What is your genius?
2. Is your genius at work?
3. What is your purpose?
4. Is your genius on purpose?

And after the chapters devoted to each question comes some fantastic exercises to help you put the ideas in this book into action.

When I read a book I typically view it in four ways:

1. Content
2. Writing
3. Layout
4. Overall feel

By each of these criteria this book, this book is a winner. The content is fantastic. The writing style is approachable and includes stories I can relate to and that illustrate the points very well. The layout if the book is outstanding - there are helpful illustrations and plenty of room for notes - an important consideration for a book like this. Above these tangible dimensions, the feeling I get when reading is book is positive. The author cares about his readers and it shows in every part of this book.

I recommend this book highly for anyone - not just those in a career assessment or transition situation.

Before I go any further with this review, let me set something straight: the value of this book is not limited to jobseekers. This is stuff that will help you reframe the way you view your life. There are plenty of other books that help you figure out your most basic competencies (books on enneagrams, Now Discover Your Strengths, etc...). I've only done a little bit of messing around in this genre, but from my experience, Genius takes the most direct path to the heart of the discovery process. The book is an easy read but, like another reviewer said, a deep one. If you take it seriously, you'll likely struggle with naming your genius for more time than it takes to read the book.

The four questions that the book asks are, What is your genius, Is your genius at work, What is your purpose and Is your genius on purpose. About 2/3 of the book is devoted to working through these questions and the last third is filled with excercises to help you narrow down the search for the name of your genius. The excercises are awesome-nothing trivial or useless here. These are thoughtful and clearly designed to help you think in new directions and they do it well. I've been working through the excercises and they're hard for me. This kinda bums me out because there was a time, not all that long ago, that I was intently focused on self-knowledge, and I felt like I knew myself pretty well. To some degree the excercises make me feel kinda bad that I don't simply have snap answers anymore. On the other hand, it's been good to get to know myself again.

I'm still unsure of the name of my genius. The book describes several ways that you might know when you've landed on your genius' name. I experienced none of this when I wrote Exploring Service. Last week I felt like that was a servicable name for use while I kept seeking, but this week I don't think that's the case. I'm continuing to work on some of the excercises and also allowing things to just sit and simmer for a while. I think that's important. What's really different about Genius versus other books like the ones I mentioned earlier is that there aren't any easy quizzes or surveys to take which will spit out the answer. Figuring out the name of your genius takes work and time. It feels like you can't look directly at it...gotta look kinda sideways or pretend you aren't looking and wait for it to pop up. I suspect it's worth the wait.

This book has been really well received by other folks I think highly of. Check out reviews by Dave Pollard[1], Steve Pavlina[2] and Dwayne Melancon[3]. Also, Dick Richards is doing something really remarkable for an author of a book like this. He's created an online discussion group, called Genius Workshop[4], where readers of the book can get some personal insight from him and from others who are on the same journey. Very, very helpful. Also, for more good reading, check out Dick's blog[5] where he's also got a sample chapter and some exercises you can work through.

(...)

What is genius? It has nothing to do with IQ, and everyone has it. Richards describes it this way:

"...everyone's genius is unique. Your genius can be thought of in a practical way: as the exceptional power that comes most naturally to you, as the process you undertake so spontaneously and easily that you do not notice it, and as the business in which you are engaged as a person. It can also be thought of in a mystical way: as the energy of your soul and as an answer to the question of why you exist within the human community."

Finding your genius is a way to live in alignment with yourself. It is a way to tap into the power of your unique gifts. It's about paying attention to who and how you are, and then taking action that is in alignment with that.

A key step in discovering your genius is naming it (he points out that you might go through numerous names as you peel back the layers and get more clear about the nature of your genius). What do you do uniquely well? What do you do automatically, without even thinking about it? What are you doing when you shine?

Some examples of what others have identified include:

* Engaging the Heart
* Digging Deeper
* Pursuing Understanding
* and Making it Work

Once you have identified your genius, Richards encourages you to identify your purpose (so you can put that genius to work in pursuit of that purpose) and to consistently ask the question, "Is my genius on purpose?" That is to say are your beliefs, the decisions you are making, your enviernoment, etc. helping or hindering the effective application of your genius?

Richards does a great job of both outlining his ideas and illustrating them with real life examples. But an interesting read won't do much in the long run to change your life. What I really love is the extensive section Richards provides with exercises to lead you through the genius process and put it to work in your life.

My recommendation in a nutshell - read it. More importantly, do the exercises.

I just finished reading Is Your Genius At Work? by Dick Richards, and I give it my highest recommendation. The book focuses on discovering your genius, the thing that you can do better than anyone else, then finding the way you are meant to apply your genius (purpose). I found the book enjoyable and very useful for answering some key questions I had about my genius. Actually, the book and some deep soul searching helped me discover my genius. My genius is "Creating Order". And as I look back over my life, I see that this explains a lot of the things I have done. I still haven't discovered the way I'm supposed to apply my genius in my life, but I have clues to keep me aware of its discovery.

What does "Creating Order" mean to me? It basically boils down to my ability to enter chaos and turn it around into an orderly environment. This has always been my key strength. I am extremely organized and disorder creates an emotion in me that drives me to create order. In addition, I have always been technically capable, everything from repairing automobiles, all terrain vehicles, lawn mowers to installing and maintaining cutting-edge computer networks. This genius has driven me to take things that were "out of order" and restore them back into order. Discovering this genius just felt so right. I felt like I learned something about myself at a very deep level. I knew it was right, and I was filled with a deep joy and excitement. I had many hits and misses but they never gave me that deep feeling of being right. I now know where I can be most useful in providing service to others.

The book guides you through a question and explanation process of its 4 key questions:

1. What is your genius?
2. Is your genius at work?
3. What is your purpose?
4. Is your genius on purpose?

The book includes multiple explanations and stories that will provide you clarity on discovering the answers to each of the questions. This is not always an easy process, but the way this book lays it out definitely makes the journey a lot simpler. I have spent a lot of time searching for this type of information in various other books and websites, but this book was the key in me finally discovering my genius and gaining a good grasp on what my purpose (also known as mission) might be.

This book was instrumental in me discovering my genius, and also provided some valuable clues and clarification on where I can realize my purpose. My purpose currently is "to serve and contribute by utilizing my genius for the highest good of all". My aim in serving my purpose is to find a way to utilize my genius then increase the amount of contribution I can make with it. Although I don't have any tangible benefits from this discovery yet, I know there will be as I search for more concrete ways to contribute with my genius.

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. It has definitely added positive value to my life.