People are always asking me what I am reading this month, well no one actually asks me that for some reason, I just like to think they do. But even though my main job is to sell discount books here at shop-books.ca I do read many of the books that pass through. After all I love reading too going from collector to seller was a bit of a process and a story for another time). So, here in no particular order, are the books I am trying to get through this month: Eifelheim by Michael Flynn A brilliant, and I don't often use that word, first contact story set in two time frames, medieval Germany and present day USA. I will be doing a  short review of this. The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller Miller's travel book about his trip to Greece just before World War 2 broke out, is a gale of words, almost stream of consciousness, storm of a book. Not for all but for lovers of Miller's verbal high volume ejections, it's great. On Gurdjieff by Garrett Thomson Not sure I will be able to get to this one before October is out but I will try. Although G.I. Gurdjieff's spiritual philosophy of work on one's habits resonates with me, I somewhat distrust his method of belittlement, if I can call it that. I admit to a cursory knowledge of his methods so I am reading this one to get more familiar and be able to speak more intelligently about it.

This list hopefully utilizes the second approach (with a dash of the third).

A list of NY Times Bestsellers in genre* fiction this week: one huge newcomer. In Hardcover: Two weeks on the list and already number 1 is James Patterson and Bill Clintons' The President's Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is up 1 spot, ending the week at number 13. 34 weeks on the list

travel now due to the pandemic and many of us can’t travel at all, I thought I’d put together a personal list

A list of NY Times Bestsellers this week: a couple of newcomers and a couple of mainstays.

Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy This might be an odd one for this list but here me out.

And since I've started to add a few board games on the site I thought I'd link to Amazon's Summer Toy List

I don't own or sell e-books as I still love the feel and atmosphere of holding and reading a physical book, even the smell of paper gives me a pleasurable sensation, but I appreciate that folks do enjoy reading in other ways! So, here are the best sellers in the Amazon Kindle store via my associates link. Enjoy reading!

Staying updated and up-to-date can be essential for folks so here are the NY Times Top 5 Bestsellers in Business books as of May 31, 2021. Bookstores and the NY Times seem to have a broad definition of business books and a couple of these might properly be categorized as fitting into a Community and Culture section of a bookstore, but they do have solid, if not explicit business advice. If expansive advice books can help transform one personally, it should follow that the person can transform in business. Do you agree? 1: Atomic Habits by James Clear Still at number 1! An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear distills complex topics into simple behaviours that can be easily applied to daily life and work. In this book, using real life examples and stories, he draws on ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create a guide for transforming your habits. 2: Noise: A Flaw In Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein New at number 2. This book shows the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Where there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations are unaware of, and neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions. 3: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown Moves up 2 spots. Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. 4: Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Moving to number 4. A portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, who controlled a company responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, by the prize-winning, bestselling author of Say Nothing 5: Nomadland by Jessica Bruder Back into the top 5 The inspiration for Chloé Zhao's 2020 Golden Lion and Oscar award-winning film starring Frances McDormand. From the beet fields of North Dakota to the campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older adults. Nomadland reveals the dark underbelly of the American economy. At the same time, it celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive, but have not given up hope. Do you have a favourite business book you would like to share here? I respond to enthusiasm!

This week I scoured some best-of lists to see if they had any job search books in common.

A list of NY Times Bestsellers in genre* fiction this week: everything drops.

While my reading preferences tend to more literary styles and genre fiction (and I collect and sell mostly gently used books), my background in business development and account management means I try to keep up with trends in the business world and read quality business books as much as possible given a hectic work life. Staying updated can be essential for folks so here are 3 of the most recent top sellers in business books on shop-books.ca (caveat, I have only read two of these this time out so my comments will be sparse). Do you have a favourite business book you would like to share here? I respond to enthusiasm! 1: Atomic Habits by James Clear Subtitled - An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear distills complex topics into simple behaviours that can be easily applied to daily life and work. In this book, using real life examples and stories, he draws on ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create a guide for transforming your habits. 2: How To Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers by David M. Rubenstein I like quotes from writers and often I will note down a particularly fascinating or compelling quote from a book I’ve read as you may have noticed from my previous blog updates. This book is full of quotes on leadership and how some of the most famous business people today handle decision making, failure, innovation, change, and crisis. Includes views and advice from Warren Buffett, Christine Lagarde, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Lorne Michaels, Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Knight, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marilyn Hewson and many others. 3: No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer Now, I haven’t read this one yet but I know it was longlisted for the 2020 Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year and sells well here. In this book we have Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings revealing the unorthodox culture behind one of the world's most innovative and successful companies. Since I am Netflix all the time, I must get round to reading this one soon.

I hope to maintain a list of NY Times Bestsellers on this blog if folks find it useful.

Staying updated and up-to-date can be essential for folks so here are the NY Times Top 5 Bestsellers in Business books as of April 30, 2021. Again, I am not sure all of these are what one might consider business books but a mixture of self-help, social commentary, and biography with some solid if not explicit business advice. the NY Times and bookstores seem to use Business as an all-encompassing term fpr anything related to "business". But enough editorializing. 1: Atomic Habits by James Clear Still at number 1! An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear distills complex topics into simple behaviours that can be easily applied to daily life and work. In this book, using real life examples and stories, he draws on ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create a guide for transforming your habits. 2: Everything Will Be Okay: Life Lessons For Young Women by Dana Perino Holding at number 2. A no-nonsense how-to guide to life for young women looking to reframe their thinking, to believe in themselves, to take risks, to understand their power, and to feel better overall through finding serenity and taking action. For everyone from the job-seeker fresh out of college to the ambitious career woman looking to make her next big jump up the ladder, Everything Will Be Okay has tips, advice, and reassurance for young women everywhere *Note we don't carry this book at the moment but can special order for anyone interested. 3: Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe New at number 3! The highly anticipated portrait of three generations of the Sackler family. The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions: Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oxford, the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations to the arts and sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis. 4: Nomadland by Jessica Bruder Holding at number 4. The inspiration for Chloé Zhao's 2020 Golden Lion and Oscar award-winning film starring Frances McDormand. From the beet fields of North Dakota to the campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older adults. Nomadland tells a revelatory tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy—one which foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, it celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive, but have not given up hope. 5: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown New at number 5! Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Do you have a favourite business book you would like to share here? I respond to enthusiasm!

A list of NY Times Bestsellers this week: a few newcomers and a one mainstay. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is down 5 spots, ending the week at number 14. 33 weeks on the list

Certain stories must be told. Otherwise we forget or bury our heads in the sand or grow insensitive to reality and continued suffering. To remain human, we need to remember, take responsibility, and make better choices with our resources. I will begin with these voices and hope to educate myself first. *These are the top 5 bestselling books by First Nations/Indigenous authors on our site (please ask your local library or bookstore to stock them): 1: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph Based on a viral article, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act in Canada is the essential guide to understanding the legal document and its repercussion on generations of Indigenous Peoples, written by a leading cultural sensitivity trainer. 2: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley A groundbreaking Young Adult thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community. 3: Call Me Indian by Fred Sasakamoose Subtitled: From The Trauma Of Residential School To Becoming The NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player Trailblazer. Residential school survivor. First Treaty Indigenous player in the NHL. All of these descriptions are true--but none of them tell the whole story. This isn't just a hockey story; Sasakamoose's groundbreaking memoir sheds piercing light on Canadian history and Indigenous politics, and follows this extraordinary man's journey to reclaim pride in an identity and a heritage that had previously been used against him. 4: Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson A striking and precise coming-of-age novel, in which everyday teen existence meets Indigenous beliefs, crazy family dynamics and cannibalistic river otters. 5: Five Little Indians: A Novel by Michelle Good Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention. With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.