A Book a Day

Warning This is an independent addition to Team of Teams, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. OVERVIEW Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal is a New Your Times bestselling book exploring a new organizational model designed to be adaptable in the emerging and unpredictable world created by communication technologies. The author uses his considerable experience as a commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq, as well as drawing on several well researched examples from the corporate world, to make an argument that vertical and compartmentalized organizations are no longer well situated to thrive in the contemporary environment. Instead, he offers a detailed look at how he and others successfully transformed the Task Force based on the principles of shared consciousness and empowered execution. This review offers a detailed summary of the main themes and arguments in the book, followed by an analysis. Retired General McChrystal is largely credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2006, who was at that time the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. At that time he was serving as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq. He has also served as Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. He has gone on to found the consulting firm the McChrystal Group along with others from military, academic and civilian sectors. The firm advises organizations on the kinds of practices argued for in this book. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley Mcchrystal - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Team of Teams

Warning This is an independent addition to Between the World and Me, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. In Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates was published in 2014 in the wake of several highly public acts of police violence against black men and the death of nine black parishioners at a church in South Carolina at the hands of a white supremacist. The book explores race relations in contemporary America with a focus on the lived experience of the author, and a conceptual framework that locates the effects of racism on the black body, traceable both through history and in the contemporary context. The book is styled as a letter to the author's fourteen year old son and is broken into three chapters. This review offers a detailed summary of the main themes of the book, followed by an analysis. Ta-Nehisi Coates is regarded by many as the premier author of contemporary race relations in the United States. He is an author of the 2008 book The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, And an Unlikely Road to Manhood, and senior editor and prolific blogger for The Atlantic. He has also written for The Village Voice, Time, The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post. He attended Howard University. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Ta-nehisi Coates - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Between the World and Me

Warning This is an independent addition to The Girl in the Spider's Web, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRODUCTION When we last left our iconic hero Lisbeth Salander, she had been acquitted of all criminal charges, declared mentally competent, was on the path to mending her relationship with journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and was free at last from her brutal father, Alexander Zalachenko. But as we quickly find out in The Girl with the Spider's Web, her troubles are far from over. On the hunt to root out the remainder of her father's villainous legacy, Lisbeth stumbles upon a vast conspiracy to steal research on artificial intelligence - research that could have devastating consequences should it fall into the wrong hands. Mikael Blomkvist, desperate for a scoop, is quickly drawn into the mess, and he and Lisbeth soon find themselves on everybody's hit list. A powerful new enemy is emerging - one that is all too familiar to Lisbeth Salander. David Lagercrantz' continuation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium series is a smooth transition - he manages to stay true to the series' unique blend of breathtaking thrills and social commentary, flavored with his own original characters and an intricate plot that will keep readers hooked until the end. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Lisbeth Salander Novel, Continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series by David Lagercrantz - Summary & Analysis

Summary of the Girl in the Spider's Web

Warning This is an independent addition to Wild, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed is a memoir that details the journey of a single woman on the Pacific Crest Trail on a search for meaning after devastating personal losses. In 1995, four years after the death of her mother, and recently divorced, Cheryl Strayed backpacked into the wilderness unprepared for the journey that awaited. This review includes a detailed summary of her tale, followed by a brief analysis. Cheryl Strayed has written essays for the New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Vogue and The Sun. She is also the author of the Dear Sugar advice column and co-host of the WBUR podcast by the same name. She has a bachelor's from the University of Minnesota and an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University. Wild is a New York Times bestselling memoir and was selected for Oprah's Book Club. It has also been adapted as a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail Oprah's Book Club 2.0 1 - Summary & Analysis

Wild

Warning This is an independent addition to Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRO The first couple chapters of this novel might as well have been called "Libby Ross and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day." Within a matter of hours, Libby learns that she has aggressive cancer and that her beloved husband Tom is gay. Having lost her own mother to cancer at the age of ten, Libby is well acquainted with the realities of such a diagnosis. Facing three to six months of loneliness and pain followed by death, she goes a little off the rails. Unable to bear the thought of breaking the news to her twin brother Paul, her father or her now estranged husband, and unwilling to subject herself to the horrors of chemotherapy Libby packs her bags and jet sets off to the remote island town of Vieques in Puerto Rico. She plans to spend her time there sealed away from the world, wrapping her head around her impending doom and enjoying life's little pleasures while she still has the time. Except that it's true what they say about best laid plans and life has plenty more surprises in store for Libby. A new adventure begins when she meets Shiloh, an enigmatic pilot who pays no attention to the walls Libby tries to put up around herself. As their relationship develops, Libby is forced to take a step back and reconsider the snap decisions she has made about her sickness, and the effects those decisions will have on the people she loves - and who love her. Life and Other Near Death Experiences is a quick read that nonetheless manages to pack an emotional punch. As a protagonist, Libby is occasionally insufferable and sometimes even downright cruel to those around her, but that's what makes the book so refreshingly honest. As stated on the very first page, this isn't Eat, Pray, Love. Instead it's a story of how much life can suck sometimes and what people do to deal with that. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Camille Pagn - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Life and Other Near-death Experiences

Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir by Wednesday Martin is a humorous and yet serious look into the culture of motherhood among the elite residents of New York's Upper East Side. The book traces the author's journey from outsider to full participant, a process she describes as "going native." The narrative of the book describes this enculturation process through a framework that uses Martin's considerable expertise in anthropology and primatology. Equal parts memoir and observational study, the book offers readers insight into the peculiar social rules and morays of some of the most economically privileged mothers in the world operating in a highly competitive environment. This review includes a detailed summary of the books major themes followed by an analysis. Wednesday Martin is a prominent social critic with special expertise in parenting. Her book Stepmonster received critical acclaim and was a finalist of the Books for a Better Life Award. Her work is often cross disciplinary and draws from anthropology, psychology, primatology and cultural studies. Her PhD is in comparative literature and cultural studies from Yale University. She writes for numerous publications including Psychology Today, the New York Post, and The Daily Telegraph. She has appeared on a variety of news networks concerning her parenting expertise such as NPR, CNN, NBC, Fox News, and BBC. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Memoir by Wednesday Martin - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Primates of Park Avenue

Warning This is an independent addition to The Einstein Prophecy, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. The Einstein Prophecy is a novel set during World War II that centrally follows the experiences of Lucas Athan as the war approaches its end. The novel begins with Athan investigating stolen antiquities the Nazis had gathered in France. Athan has been tasked with recovering a particular artifact, but is also assisting in locating and recovering many other artifacts and pieces of artwork in the process. The artifact in question, though, is of the utmost interest to other parties as well. Hitler had ordered the artifact in question, an ossuary, to be sent to him personally. Additionally - two scholars from Egypt are also pursuing the ossuary. Athan finds himself wondering what exactly this ossuary represents that would have world powers in the midst of war desperately clamoring for it. However, Athan is injured in the process of recovering the ossuary and is honorably discharged from service. He imagines that this will be the end of his part in determining the importance of the ossuary, but finds that the ossuary follows him back to his civilian life. Thus begins the work of trying to discover the mysteries of the ossuary. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert Masello - Summary & Analysis

Summary of the Einstein Prophecy

Captivated by You: Crossfire Series, Book 4, is built using alternating chapters from the two main characters', Gideon's and Eva's, first-person perspectives. Captivated by You uses a unique and most refreshing literary device for romance genre, and one which proves emotional-ly anchoring for the reader and the couple. Also, unlike many other romance flicks, this book attempts to bring in and deal with some weightier, real-life issues. The narrative in this book is female focused, as every attention is given to what we know about female readership preferences. Our male hero, Gideon, is attentive, rich, good-looking - and (bonus, cherry-on-top) yes ladies he cooks in the kitchen - not just in bed! Eva and most fe-male readership will resonate with his continual doting. Gideon is very needy on the love he both gives to and gets from Eva. This is so much so, that the book's title Captivated By You is understated and might be better renamed, Can't Live an Hour Without You. (Yes, it's a tongue in cheek title - or at least his tongue in her cheek(s) title.) The two main characters are, Gideon, the book's central character, and Eva, the protagonist. Gideon and Eva are two professional 20-somethings and painfully needy. Largely, their needi-ness stems from their abusive sexual pasts. While, both characters come from prior dysfunction, they meet their codependent states mostly with boxers down and skirts up. In this novel, sex is the glue holds all chapters together. There is Monday-night sex, early morning sex, wet shower sex, dry sex, make-up sex, midday sex, weekend sex, after work sex, and sex after sex .... And, yes, this sex starts to wear thin (as likely so do the sheets) about chapter 10 or 11. However, somewhere between psychosis and gratification, the two seem to truly love one another, as even the primal nature of the page garners Gideon's "Angel mine," and reflective poetry. The softness of Gideon's poetic times provide balance for the violent foreshadowing which may be occurring in Day's narrative. Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Captivated by You

Warning: This is an independent addition to The Lake House, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRODUCTION The Lake House by Kate Morton is about diving into the past. The novel transports the reader to different time-periods throughout a century. The story takes place in the early 1900's, the 1930's (1932 - 1933 for the most part), and in 2003. In August 1933, a young woman buries something in the woods. We aren't sure what it is or who she is, but we learn she will never forget what she's done. The book then takes us to June 1933, a month earlier, where we meet a young, adventurous, romantic girl named Alice Edevane. Alice lives with her mother, Eleanor, her father, Anthony, her two sisters (her younger sister Clementine and her older sister Deborah), and her baby brother, Theodore, on an estate known as Loeanneth. Leoanneth, located in Cornwall, England, is described through Alice's thoughts as being a very beautiful and peaceful place to live. It's a beautiful day and all Alice wants to do is go talk with Ben Munro and forget about the annual Midsummer Party her mother is frantically preparing for. We are then brought to the year 2003, where we're introduced to detective Sadie Sparrow. We learn that she's on temporarily leave for mishandling a case involving a missing child (referred to as the Bailey case throughout the novel) and is visiting her grandfather who lives in Cornwall. When she's on her daily run, she stumbles across an abandoned Loeanneth. She learns that the little baby, Theodore disappeared during a party held at Loeanneth back in June 1933. The book takes the reader back and forth between the early 1900's, the 1930's, and to the year 2003 as Sadie uncovers the truth behind Theodore Edevanes disappearance. The novel is about motherhood, the difficulties of motherhood, and the loss of oneself as well as the loss of loved ones. It's about the lives of different characters and the decisions they make when placed in difficult situations. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Novel by Kate Morton

Summary of the Lake House

Warning This is an independent addition to Fates and Furies, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. SUMMARY/SYNOPSIS INTRO Fates and Furies is not a story about a marriage - it is a story about two people and how their marriage determines the trajectory of their lives. Lotto - short for Lancelot - and Mathilde seem like the perfect dream team when they first elope in their final year of college. Lotto is the tall and charismatic pack leader, who plans to pursue a career on the stage. Mathilde is a tall, blonde scholarship student. Theirs is a love story that inspires jealousy from all who know them. But as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Lotto and Mathilde have two very different perspectives of a shared life - and some of the secrets they hide from each other could have explosive consequences. Piece by piece, truth is revealed, and there is plenty of romance, intrigue and heartbreak to fill several marriages. This is an ambitious and dynamic novel, and Groff executes exquisite prose. Lotto and Mathilde are protagonists who will not be soon forgotten. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Novel by Lauren Groff - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Fates and Furies

Warning This is an independent addition to Gone Girl, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRODUCTION Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is more than a simple thriller novel. This complicated tale of intricate twists, turns, and deceptions is mystery, crime drama, and psychological thriller all at once. The story of the disappearance of Amy Elliott Dunne unfolds in chapters that focus on Nick Dunne's perspective, interspersed with diary entries written by Amy Elliott Dunne that provide background and insight for the reader. Flynn takes the reader on an exciting ride through Nick and Amy's separate realities and keeps us guessing until the very end. SETTINGS The events of the novel's primary storyline take place in and around North Carthage, MO, beginning in July of 2012. Amy's diary entries provide the reader with background and are set in New York City and North Carthage beginning in January of 2005. STORY PLOT ANALYSIS The plot is centered on the mysterious disappearance of Amy Elliot Dunne. Events of this plot line are told early in the novel with a focus early in the novel on Nick Dunne's perspective and actions. Later in the novel, Amy Elliott Dunne's perspective and actions are added. A great deal of tension is created as the reader attempts to determine which perspective - Nick's or Amy's - is the real one. Or are they both false? Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Novel by Gillian Flynn - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Gone Girl

This quick read summary "My Life Span of A Butterfly" gives us a look into the life of Dr. Alice Howland from the point where symptoms of Alzheimer's start to creep into her life. At first she just puts them down to symptoms of possible menopause and just plain forgetting due to aging. For many of us in our day to day lives they are filled with work and home life leaving us exhausted at the end of the day glad to have our heads greet our pillows in our beds. We may love to read but the truth of the matter is time and energy is a big factor at play. I myself find that I cannot keep my eyes open at night to read a book, I end up nodding off. My husband has to tell me to put my book down as I am falling asleep. I find a quick read more suitable for me these days, enjoy reading them while commuting on train making the ride fly by. I would suggest making a point of reading the full version of the book when you have time to enjoy it-during your holidays is a great time when you will find some time to enjoy the full version. The full version the award-winning New York Times bestseller "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova is certainly worth putting some time aside for when you have the extra time. But, for now I hope you will enjoy this quick read summary. Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Lisa Genova - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Still Alice

Warning This is an independent addition to The Japanese Lover, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRODUCTION On its surface, the main plot of The Japanese Lover is a sweeping tale of clandestine romance set in the midst of social and political upheaval. However, if you peer deeper into the intricacies of the plot, you will notice that at its heart, this is a book about how lives are shaped by both uncontrollable circumstances and by our own actions. The host of characters that the reader will become intimately acquainted with in this book - sweet Irina with her heartbreaking past, Alma the force of nature, steady Ichimei and so on - represent human diversity at its finest and most complex, and show us how life is a constant negotiation between our fears, our values and our passions. Let this book wash over you as you read - see the images of the different lives before your eyes - and imagine what you yourself might do when faced with the same dilemmas our characters are forced to confront. Only by doing so can you truly appreciate the power and beauty of The Japanese Lover. SETTING The bulk of the story takes place at the Lark House senior residence community in San Francisco, California, where Irina Bazili works to uncover the mystery that is Alma Belasco. The Lark House accommodates mainly progressive-minded seniors of all different ability levels, and provides them with a myriad of ways to pass the time - painting, yoga, political protests, marijuana and so on. However the book has many settings and it tends to juxtapose opulence with despair - a scene at the enormous Belasco estate Sea Cliff is quickly followed by a scene of life in Japanese internment camp in the desolate Utah desert. These contrasts serve to highlight the starkly different lives and worlds that the different characters in the book occupy. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Novel by Isabel Allende - Summary & Analysis

Summary of the Japanese Lover

Warning This is an independent addition to Everything I Never Told You: A Novel, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. SUMMARY/ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION Everything I Never Told You is a very different kind of mystery. It opens like countless other thrillers - a young girl vanishes from her home and is later found at the bottom of a lake, drowned. The town is shocked and fascinated by the tragedy, and the police launch an investigation. But as the mystery unfolds, we find that the clues to Lydia Lee's untimely demise are embedded deep within the history of the girl's family. At first, the Lees seem like the perfect all-American clan, with sixteen-year-old Lydia as the flawless, favored child. However as the Lees mourn and desperately search for answers, the ugly truth of the pursuit of perfection is revealed. The Lees are mixed-race Chinese and white family and in 1977 small town Ohio, they stick out like a sore thumb. Lydia's parents, James and Marilyn each carry deep regrets - James always longed to fit in and have friends, and Marilyn dreamt of being among the ranks of the first woman doctors in America, before pregnancy and marriage dashed her ambitions. So instead they turned their hopes and expectations on Lydia, forcing her to resort to lies and deception to keep them happy. Meanwhile, their other children, Nath and Hannah, watched from the fringes, knowing they would never have their parents' full attention. But Nath knew that Lydia was buckling under the pressure - and something had to give. This novel bounces back and forth in time, detailing the investigation in Lydia's death alongside the Lee's backstory. Each of the remaining family members is keeping secrets from the others, and each holds a piece of the puzzle. Don't expect a stereotypical thriller with this book. Instead, Celeste Ng beautifully reveals the struggle of new kind of family desperately seeking acceptance in America, as well as the darker side of parental pride and ambition. This is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking read that will linger in your mind long after you put it down. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

Celeste Ng - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Everything I Never Told You a Novel

Warning This is an independent addition to Finders Keepers, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. In the second installment of the Kermit Hodges trilogy following the close call of the first novel, Mr. Mercedes, Hodges stumbles onto a cold case nearly 50 years in the making. In the 1970's a young man, only in his twenties, and his two accomplices break into the home of a renowned writer turned recluse. Threatening him, they are able to gain access to the writer's, John Rothstein's, safe. In it, they find over $20,000 in cash and his invaluable intellectual property, unpublished novels. Forty years later, a smart teenager finds the hidden treasure not far from his backyard. The mayhem that ensues is another case for the trio who work for Finders Keepers detective agency. Chasing an unknown man who has had ample time to think about his trespasses, and his treasure they fight to keep teenager, and his family, safe. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

A Novel by Stephen King - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Finders Keepers

Warning: This is an independent addition to When Breath Becomes Air, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is an exquisitely profound memoir chronicling his transformation from a na�ve medical student, to a neurosurgeon and then into a man, a new father, face with his mortality. He has to face the fears and emotions that are associated with being a patient rather than the doctor. He spends his education and career searching for the answer to what brings life meaning or what makes life meaningful. With his diagnosis, the author now faces the need to find a new identity and discover a new sense of self. He struggles to answer questions like how do you plan a future when you know the outcome? How do you nurture a young growing life when you are faced with your own life slowly fading away? When Breathe Becomes Air is one of those books that is a life changing and unforgettable account of a man dealing with the challenges of facing his own illness and the interpersonal relationship that develops between doctor and patient. Paul Kalanithi takes his readers on a journey through his own self discovery of what it means to be an effective doctor, and how as a doctor he could help his patients discover what gives their lives meaning. Available on PC, Mac, iphone, android, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Paul Kalanithi - Includes Analysis on When Breath Becomes Air

Summary of When Breath Becomes Air

Warning This is an independent addition to Elon Musk, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future focuses mainly on the creation and growth of the two companies listed in the title. The plot delves the ups and downs of the company's prospects, while delving into the psyche and interpersonal habits of Elon Musk. Musk's life is examined in detail, from the history of his forbears through to his youth and to the modern day. Though sometimes abrasive, Musk's drive and ambition would let nothing stand in the way of his dreams. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

How the Billionaire Ceo of Spacex and Tesla Is Shaping Our Future by Ashlee Vance - Summary & Analysis

Summary of Elon Musk

Warning: This is an independent addition to Paper Towns, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. Quentin Jacobsen has always been content with his comfortably routine, completely unremarkable life. However, he cannot deny the lure of his enigmatic and adventurous next door neighbor, the beautiful and mysterious Margo Roth Spiegelman. After Margo recruits Quentin in an elaborate revenge plot against the people in her life who have wronged her in various ways, she disappears the next day; the only thing left in her wake are a series of frustratingly vague clues and Quentin's obsessive desire to find her. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved

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