Sidney Sheldon's Mistress of the Game

 By Tilly Bagshawe

Plot

Kate Blackwell has died and left the company in the hands of her granddaughters, Eve Blackwell-Webster and Alexandra Blackwell-Templeton, who are both pregnant. Eve secretly vows revenge against her husband Keith, who deliberately destroyed her face during a plastic surgery procedure so she would never leave him, and Alexandra's family, who she believes ruined her plan to acquire total control of the family company, Kruger-Brent Ltd. Weeks later, Alexandra hemorrhages giving birth to Alexandra "Lexi" Templeton, while Eve painstakingly gives birth to a son named Max. While Lexi grows up showered with love from everyone in her household, Max is raised by his mother to hate his cousins and his father and to aim for total control of Kruger-Brent Ltd. one day.

On their joint eighteen birthday, Max makes it clear to Lexi that he hates her after she easily wins over Kruger-Brent's board members despite his attempts to charm them, and vows to make the company all his. Lexi's older brother, Robbie, is a successful pianist and wants nothing to do with the company and gives his share to Lexi. With Lexi standing to gain 2/3 control of the company when she turns twenty-five, Eve sends Max to seduce her, and they slowly form a romantic relationship. Lexi lets her guard down and willingly gives him the code to her safe, where he finds a memory card filled with racy pictures from her college days and leaks it to the public. The board members unanimously agree to terminate Lexi from Kruger-Brent for her bad publicity, giving full control to Max. However, after a year, Lexi's new company "Templeton" restores her professional reputation and outshines Kruger-Brent, which is failing due to Max's unsteady control.

When Lexi opens a branch of her company in Africa, her company comes into conflict with Phoenix Industries, owned by her distant relative, Gabriel McGregor. Although initially attracted to him, Lexi does not pursue him after knowing that he has a family, and is content to be business partners with him. However, after his family is murdered, Lexi consoles him during his depression and they slowly form a relationship. Gabriel begs her to let go of her obsession of taking back Kruger-Brent as they have enough to be happy about, but although she promises to, she does not give up. She destroys Kruger-Brent by buying off most of its companies, secretly stealing from Gabriel's charity fund to fund her plan. Eventually, Kruger-Brent goes bankrupt and Max commits suicide. The Kruger-Brent board members agree to sell Kruger-Brent, and are surprised when Lexi buys it and restores the company back to its power. She learns that she is pregnant and is about to tell Gabriel the good news, but he angrily breaks up with her after finding out about his charity fund before she can reveal the good news. They eventually reconcile when Gabriel finds out about her pregnancy and he realizes that he loves her and stops her from aborting, and they marry after their daughter Maxine is born.

Meanwhile, Eve is on her deathbed, hallucinating the ghosts of people in her past. She sends a threatening note to Lexi admitting that she knows what she did and has sent another note to the police. The police take Lexi to the police station after her wedding, but Gabriel, Robbie, and two of their loyal servants help her escape to her villa in Maldives, where the police have no jurisdiction, and she is reunited with Gabriel and Maxine. Lexi is hopeful for future knowing that, unlike Eve, she can still play the game.

Master of the Game (novel)

Spanning six generations in the lives of the fictional MacGregor/Blackwell family, the critically acclaimed novel spent four weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller List,and was later adapted into a 1984 television miniseries.

Plot

Kate Blackwell, matriarch of the Blackwell family and head of her father's multinational business empire, Kruger-Brent Ltd., celebrates her ninetieth birthday with her family and friends, but is more focused on the ghosts of her past who are there. She recalls how the company started, and the story is told through flashback through different members of Kate's family.

Jamie

A hundred years ago, Kate's father Jamie McGregor leaves Scotland for Klipdrift, South Africa to find wealth by mining diamonds. He makes a contract with a local Dutch merchant, Salomon Van Der Merwe, but is double-crossed after nearly dying to find an untapped diamond mine only to find out that the contract gives Van Der Merwe the entire mine while Jamie is paid minimum wage for his services. Jamie tries to protest, but he is beaten and left for dead in the desert. He is saved by Van Der Merwe's servant, Banda, who wants revenge on Van Der Merwe for raping his sister, who died giving birth to Van Der Merwe's child. They manage to pull off a dangerous heist and take millions worth of diamonds, and Jamie returns to Klipdrift under the persona Ian Travis, a widowed millionaire looking for business opportunities. He catches Van Der Merwe's attention and convinces him to let his daughter, Margaret, tour him around Klipdrift, and Jamie seduces her and impregnates her. When Margaret announces her pregnancy, Jamie reveals his true identity and refuses to marry her, shaming her conservative father. Margaret is kicked out, eventually giving birth to Jamie Jr. Meanwhile, Van Der Merwe becomes a social outcast and heavily borrows from the local bank, not knowing that Jamie owns it. Jamie tricks Van Der Merwe to borrow heavily, and then calls in all his debts when he knows Van Der Merwe cannot afford to pay. Jamie later finds out that Van Der Merwe committed suicide, but feels an empty victory.

Jamie's company Kruger-Brent Ltd., thrives in South Africa. He hires David Blackwell for his ambition and determination which mirrors Jamie's own. In an attempt to make Jamie love her, Margaret abandons her son with him, and Jamie slowly loves his son. Margaret twists Jamie's arm to marry her, threatening him with leaving for America with their son, and while her reputation is restored, Jamie acts cold towards her and openly keeps a prostitute named Margaret as a mistress. After a drunken fight with the mistress Margaret, Jamie mistakenly apologizes to his wife Margaret and has sex with her, resulting in their second child, Kate. Banda warns Jamie that the Bantu rebellion may harm his family and steals one-year-old Kate from her crib during a riot in order to protect her. However, he did not reach Jamie Jr. in time, and he was left to die in the desert. The news of this causes Jamie to have a stroke, and dies after five months of paralysis; Margaret runs Kruger-Brent with Blackwell's aid. During the rebellion, Margaret and Kate are taken as prisoners-of-war due to being South African citizens, and Kate realizes the need for power so she will never feel helpless.

Kate and David, and Kruger-Brent Ltd.

Kate grows up falling in love with Blackwell, despite their large age difference and his view of her as nothing more than a child, and vows that she will marry him one day. After her mother's death, she decides to get serious about running the company and goes to business school. Upon her return, she learns that Blackwell is engaged and is planning to leave Kruger-Brent for his fiance's family business, and secretly buys out his fiance's company, knowing that David hates sell-outs. She seduces him and they marry after two months.

At the beginning of World War I, Kate capitalizes on the war by planning to sell bullets and weapons, but is stopped by Blackwell, who is against it. He begins to realize Kate's obsession with the company, and enlists for the war and is gone for four years. Kate decides to push through with her idea when she sees the opportunity being wasted, and when David arrives, he is annoyed by Kate's actions. Kate becomes pregnant, and she realizes her own obsession when she is happier about good news about the company than a married life with David and their upcoming son. Two months before the baby's birth, David is killed in a mine explosion and Kate gives birth to Anthony "Tony" Blackwell.

Tony

With no one to stop her, Kate pours all her attention to Kruger-Brent and makes it a global success. She is a demanding mother to her son, expecting nothing but the best from him, but is disappointed to see that he stutters in her presence and would rather go into art than business. After World War II, Tony goes to art school in France and begins dating Dominique, a French model. During an exhibit, Kate pays-off a renowned French critic to bash Tony's work, despite his honest opinion that Tony could have been successful, in order to end Tony's career and push him to take over the business. Tony eventually finds out that Dominique is a model from one of Kruger-Brent's agencies and has been spying on him for his mother, and Tony gains the courage to stand up against her and leave.

Kate manipulates Tony into marrying Marianne Hoffman, as she wants both Marianne's father's patents and a grandchild who can take over the company since Tony will not. She pushes Marianne to carry out her pregnancy despite warnings from her doctor that her health makes it unsafe to bear children, and Marianne dies giving birth to twin daughters. Tony learns of Marianne's health issues and how his mother persuaded her to carry out the pregnancy and, after bumping into Dominique and her boyfriend, that his mother was responsible for the end of his career, Tony goes insane and tries to kill Kate, but misses. He is lobotomized and sent to an asylum, while Kate takes care of both the company and her granddaughters, Eve and Alexandra.

Eve and Alexandra

Eve, the older twin, is manipulative and evil, and despises Alexandra, whom she sees as an interloper, and tries to kill her several times. Kate decides to name Eve heir to Kruger-Brent for her Kate-like personality while Alexandra, clumsy but kind-hearted, will receive the charity foundations and will live a comfortably wealthy life. Kate eventually finds out about Eve's evil nature and disinherits her, quietly but obviously turning to Alexandra as her heir. Eve meets George Mellis during a party, and after getting raped by him, she digs into his past and finds out that they share similar backgrounds, and they plot to have Alexandra marry Mellis and then kill her, leaving George the heir of Kruger-Brent. Eve helps Mellis win Alexandra's love and Kate's approval, and they marry.

One night, Eve taunts Mellis to the point that he assaults her. She recovers without any scars due to the work of talented surgeon Keith Webster. Kate reconciles with Eve after hearing about her, and restores Eve to her will. Eve realizes that Alexandra's death will put her under her grandmother's suspicion and begs Mellis not to continue. However, Mellis wants to inherit Alexandra's share and goes on with a honeymoon ploy in a private yacht, where he intends to push Alexandra overboard and kill her. Eve hastily stops the plan by delaying Alexandra and posing as her sister to kill Mellis, but when the police find his body stabbed to death before drowning they suspect Eve to be responsible for Mellis' death. Keith realizes the truth when Dr. Peter Templeton, a psychiatrist Eve visited under the guise of a suicidal Alexandra, says that Eve's distinctive feature was a scar from her head from her assault. Keith threatens to confess to the police if she doesn't marry him, and although Eve marries him, she cheats on him openly with a younger man. With Keith's silence and Kate's decision to lie for her so Eve can be punished in Kate's terms, Eve is acquitted. However, Keith deliberately destroys her face during a laugh line removal procedure, making Eve devoted to Keith in fear that he will leave her and she will be alone, and Kate decides that that will be Eve's punishment. Meanwhile, Alexandra marries Dr. Templeton and they have a son named Robert.

The book closes after Kate's ninetieth birthday party with all her relatives present. Robert, now eight, is turning into a talented pianist. She tries to meddle with Robert's future, but is rebuffed by Peter. Kate relents, but offers to introduce him to a renowned musician, leaving the reader to wonder whether Kate will repeat her mistake on Tony's career.

IF TOMMORROW COMES

If Tomorrow Comes (novel)

If Tomorrow Comes is a 1985 crime fiction novel by American author Sidney Sheldon. It is a story portraying an ordinary woman who is framed by the Mafia, her subsequent quest for vengeance towards them and her later life as a con artist. 

Plot

Tracy Whitney, an intelligent operator for a prominent bank in Philadelphia, is at the peak of her young life: she is engaged to Charles Stanhope III, a wealthy heir from a prominent family, she is carrying Charles' baby, and she is expecting a promotion after her honeymoon. However, after she hears that her mother, Doris Whitney, has committed suicide after Joe Romano, the right-hand man of New Orlean's Mafia Don Anthony Orsatti, scammed Doris into letting him sell all of her assets in her small auto-parts company and left her with a huge debt and charges of fraud, Tracy hastily returns to New Orleans to try coercing Romano into confessing her mother's innocence. She brings a gun with only the intention to scare him, but things get out hand and she non-fatally shoots him when he tries to rape her, and she attempts to flee back to Philadelphia. However, she is arrested for attempted murder and allegedly stealing one of Romano's expensive paintings so she can pay her mother's debt. She is given an attorney named Perry Pope, who convinces her to take the guilty plea so that she will only receive a three-month sentence because if she doesn't, she will face a long trial with Judge Lawrence and risk ten years in jail if she is found guilty. She takes the guilty plea, and after Judge Lawrence sentences her to fifteen years in jail, Tracy realizes that Judge Lawrence and Pope work for Orsatti as well. Romano claims a large sum from the insurance from the painting, which he actually kept hidden, Tracy is snubbed by her boss, and Charles breaks up with her to avoid being connected to the scandal, abandoning her and his unborn child.

In prison, Tracy is assigned to a cell with two Mexicans, Lola and Paulita, and a large black woman named Ernestine Littlechap. She is subjected to the horrors of physical and sexual abuse from the other inmates, and miscarries her baby. During her recovery, she vows revenge against Romano, Orsatti, Pope, and Judge Lawrence for harming her and her mother, as well as Charles for abandoning her and his son and marrying another woman. She befriends Ernestine, who notices the change in her personality and makes everyone stop abusing her. Because of Tracy's status as Ernestine's pet, she gains the unwanted attention of Big Bertha, an equally large Swedish inmate and Ernestine's rival as "queen bee". Tracy gets a visit from Daniel Cooper, an eccentric private investigator assigned to look for Romano's painting, and admits that he knows she did not steal the photo and Romano is hiding it, but he refuses to help her. Tracy eventually becomes the warden's daughter's nanny, and although hesitant to love a child after the death of her own, Tracy slowly begins to love Amy. Ernestine is informed of her upcoming parole, and decides to help Tracy escape knowing that Big Bertha will rape and kill Tracy once Ernestine is no longer there to protect her. Tracy follows the plan, but Amy falls into a nearby lake and she misses her chance to escape to save Amy. Tracy is recognized for her good work and, being a behaved prisoner, she is granted an early parole. Her high-profile exit from prison is watched by many: Cooper is indifferent, Romano is aroused, while Charles looks at his wife and wonders if he made a mistake.

Tracy exacts revenge on all those who tricked her, and gets the help of Ernestine and her boyfriend Al. She uses her knowledge of her former bank to make Romano's bank account receive deposits from other people, and then make it look like he secretly made a large amount of money and was planning to escape to Brazil, and it is implied Orsatti kills him for his betrayal. Al plants evidence in Pope's home to make it look like he is cheating in poker games with Orsatti, and Orsatti kills him as well. While Judge Lawrence is in Russia, she sends him carefully coded letters that implicates him as an American spy, and is sentenced to ten years of hard labor. With the three gone from Orsatti's Mafia, a younger, ruthless mob is trying to force him to leave New Orleans, and Tracy boldly sends him a funeral wreath. She stalks Charles into a restaurant, but decides that his marriage is his own punishment when she sees how he and his wife ignore each other and look obviously bored and depressed.

With her mission of revenge complete, Tracy begins to face the hardships of having a criminal record. It is revealed that her boss was only kind to her because of her connection to the Stanhopes, and refuses to take her back. Tracy leaves for New York for a job opportunity one of the inmates told her about. She finds out that the job is a jewel heist and she reluctantly agrees out of desperation. She narrowly escapes the police but successfully steals the jewels. In the train, she is conned by Jeff Stevens, who pretended to be a policeman, but she realizes that Jeff couldn't be a policeman and that the store owner was making Jeff steal it from her so he can buy them cheaper, and she cons Jeff into giving them back with a real policeman in their presence. She meets Jeff once more in a cruise ship to England, and they scheme against two chess grand masters to win money; Jeff tries to leave with all the money, but she catches him and leaves with her half.

Tracy is introduced to Gunther Hartog, who helps her steal only from those who deserve to be stolen from, and she becomes one of the world's smartest criminals as all the evidence is there, pointed out by Cooper, who decides to help the police catch her, but there is never enough evidence to arrest her. Tracy pursues brilliant con schemes filled with humor and ingenuity all over Europe — such as stealing jewelry from an actress on the Orient Express, a valuable painting from a museum, reselling a gem to a jeweler for much higher than its worth, and tricking a Frenchman with fake US Dollar plates. During a heist, Tracy has a fever and nearly gets caught if Jeff did not rescue her and nurture her back to health, and the two begin to fall in love. After having collected enough money to live a luxurious life, Tracy and Jeff plan to marry and live together in Brazil as law-abiding citizens. In their last scheme, Cooper convinces the police to plant microphones in their hotel room, but the two outsmart them all and manage to steal a large diamond without getting caught. Tracy boards her flight to Brazil and finds Maximilian Pierpont, the elusive, ruthless businessman Jeff and Gunther had been trying to catch, sitting next to her. Maximilian shows an interest to Tracy, leaving the reader to wonder if she will steal from Pierpont in an open-ended conclusion

RAGE OF ANGEL

curtsey wikipedia

Rage of Angels is a novel by Sidney Sheldon published in 1980. The novel revolves around young attorney Jennifer Parker, as she rises as a successful lawyer after being framed for threatening the chief witness against a Mafia boss by mistakenly giving him a dead canary with a broken neck which in turn leads to a situation that promises to break Her life's dreams. As the story progresses, the protagonist is romantically torn between a famous politician, who helps her rise again and a Mafia boss, the man that framed her, swearing to destroy her after he finds out about her affair with the politician that had short-lived though long enough to gift her a son.

Plot summary

Jennifer Parker, an Assistant District Attorney for the State of New York, is a beautiful, inexperienced criminal defense attorney who foils a plot by Michael Moretti, the rising star of one of the most powerful organized crime families in America. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Di Silva, believing that Jennifer is truly responsible, fires her and vows to destroy her for her part in the fiasco with Moretti. Di Silva arranges for young lawyer Adam Warner to meet Jennifer in an attempt to persuade him that she is truly responsible for the bribe. Adam immediately realizes that she is not guilty at all, and falls for her. With Adam's help Jennifer begins to rise again; meanwhile Moretti, inspired by her determination to succeed, decides he would like to induct her as the Family consigliere (a mafia lawyer).

Adam, despite being married and groomed for the United States Senate, cannot help falling in love with Jennifer. When he tells her that his wife Mary Beth has asked for a divorce, Jennifer meets with her. Being so close to the Senate election, the two women decide it is best for Adam to wait until after the election. But Mary Beth sleeps with Adam one last time, in the process tricking him into impregnating her. Adam learns that his wife is pregnant, wins the election and Jennifer ends their affair. Jennifer, having previously discovered that she too is pregnant and not wanting to be hurt by Adam, accepts but does not reveal to him that she is carrying his child.

Jennifer gives birth and names her son Joshua Adam Parker. Only her assistant Ken Bailey knows of Joshua's existence. Jennifer returns to her practice and soon makes headlines as a successful lawyer. Meanwhile, Moretti constantly tries to spark friendship with Jennifer, which she rebuffs at every attempt, reminding him of his earlier tricks. Nevertheless, when her son is kidnapped by a criminal Jennifer is defending, she, in desperation, turns to Moretti for help. After helping her, he seduces her and Jennifer becomes the Family consigliere. Jennifer's son Joshua dies in a skiing accident. Jennifer and Moretti are soon being hunted down by the government; he shoots her, wrongly thinking she has betrayed him, and is killed himself in an FBI raid of his house. Adam is able to use his position to save Jennifer. Soon Jennifer watches on television as Adam is sworn in as President of the United States

How to teach… reading for pleasure

Culled from http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/dec/16/reading-for-pleasure-reluctant-readers-schools-resources
Studies have found that reading for pleasure is more important to a child's educational achievement than their family's wealth or social class. But how to inspire children to ditch the tech (e-readers excepted) and get into reading for fun?
Having a couple of nice books in the book corner won't necessarily cut it anymore, especially if your students' parents/carers don't have a reading habit. So, here are some great teaching resources and ideas which will help you to encourage all your students to become lifelong readers and turn your school into a reading school.
We start with some inspiring resources from the Scottish Book Trust. For fabulous ideas on creating a reading culture check out The big book bash. It's full of ideas from holding a whole school celebration to setting up blind dates with a book.

If you want to give parents some quick guidance on how to encourage their children to read these top tips sheets are really handy; this sheet is for three-to-seven year-olds and this one for eight-to-11-year-olds. Don't give up on the teens, here are some tips for helping young people aged 12-16. The books don't have to be too wordy, here are some great ideas for picture books for older readers – and their breadth and depth might take you by surprise.
Shared reading between older and younger pupils is a great way to increase confidence and reading skills of older pupils as well as helping early years and reception-aged children to experience the thrills of reading. This paired reading toolkit from the National Literacy Trust has some more great ideas on how reading with other children works.
Getting parents and carers to read at home with their children is vital. The Discover Centre, the UK's first hands-on story museum, has some engaging tips to help families enjoy books via these story book activity cards.
Librarian and children's author Dawn Finch has years of experience of engaging families in reading. Find tips on reading for pleasure with children and What shall we do today? A month of simple reading activities.
For the ultimate inspiration on what to read, send students to the Guardian children's books site. They'll find fantastic reviews and recommendations for books written by their peers, as well as inspiration from authors. Individual children can sign up and contribute their own reviews to the site, as well as getting opportunities to receive free books and question authors. Book groups can also join in the fun as a collective. The Guardian's book doctor is ready to deal with children's book-related problems, such as where are all the funny books for teenagers?
Also see the Book Trust's invaluable online bookfinder, to find the perfect book for all ages and tastes. And, there are more ideas on what books to give for Christmas from the Guardian's children's books team in the best in children's literature 2013.
nking of setting up a reading group for teenagers. Check out the Reading Agency's Instragrammer in Residence project for something a little bit different. Here are some great tips and hints for running a children's bookclub from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), the iniative was funded by the Siobhan Dowd Trust. Also see this teaching sequence based on Alexis Deacon's Beegu for years 1 and 2, part of the CLPE's Power of Reading project. The sequence helps children to become deeply involved in the text through creative approaches and develop into more reflective readers, plus it is fully updated to include requirements for the national curriculum 2014. Books to support phonics within a reading curriculum is also a really useful list for a rich reading curriculum.
From book to film and back again is a fantastic guide from FilmClub exploring some of the greatest children's books from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the action-packed Stormbreaker which have been adapted into films. The idea is to encourage children, especially reluctant readers, to read the original text for themselves after watching the films. Also find From watching to writing.
Random House has created some great teaching activities to inspire children to get into reading. For younger readers, find activity sheets on Shirley Hughes' classic creation Alfie and the Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet.
For seven-to-11 year olds, check out this resource on the fabulous Darcy Burdock books which, despite the pinkish covers, are perfect for boys as well as girls.
For Jacqueline Wilson fans we have activities on The Worst Thing About My Sister, the Victorian era pack, Hetty Feather and Jacky Daydream, where fans can find out all about the author.
Also find resources on RJ Palacio's Wonder, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne and Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co ghost hunting agency.
Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses series is a powerful hook to get reluctant teenagers reading, tackling the issues of racism and prejudice in a world set in an alternate historical reality. Find thought-provoking resources on the first book in the series Noughts and Crosses, and then Knife Edge, Checkmate and Double Cross.
This blog on Drop Everything and Read is an inspirational story about the magic of whole-school reading.
And finally, a date for your diary. The Guardian's Education Centre is running a full-day Reading for Pleasure conference aimed at primary school teachers on 20 March 2014. The lineup of speakers and workshop leaders is yet to be announced but will doubtless be as inspirational as ever. You can find notes on the Reading for Pleasure conferences which will soon be updated with the next itinerary.

Proper reading posture; How To Eliminate Neck, Back and Shoulder Pain When Reading or Typing

Sitting with the right leg height. When you sit in a chair for a long period of time, it is important that blood circulation to your legs continues. To this end, you should sit so that your thighs are parallel to the floor when your lower legs are perpendicular to the floor. In other words, the front of your seat should not cut off the blood supply in your legs. You can always use a little foot platform to lift up your feet and legs, if you need to have your seat higher than otherwise permissible.

Sitting back with proper neck, shoulder and upper back support. It is very important to support your neck and shoulders as you read. Hunching forward is almost guaranteed to cause neck and back pain and reduce your focus, concentration and the amount of time you can read. The proper approach is to sit back with your neck and shoulders supported. This means you are sitting against support just past the vertical position. You will note that your relaxed line of vision rises up when you do this. This is why E-Tool has the book raised up, so as to match your new, relaxed line of vision, now that you are sitting with proper neck and back support. Your seat and the back of your chair should be cushioned.

 

 Head Tilt. Do not bend your head down to read. You should not lower your head to read. This causes a lot of neck stress. Set the height of E-Tool properly for your seat, which you may be able to raise or lower.

Elbows. Do not raise your elbows awkwardly to type. Doing so will cause a lot of stress on your shoulders. Ideally, you should rest your elbows on side rests or side arms, adjusted so that the weight of the arms is off the shoulders.

Wrist position. Ideally, when you type, your forearms and the back of your hands should be all on one flat line. Your laptop can be in your lap, or you can use an extended keyboard if necessary, placed in a comfortable position, like on a lower keyboard tray or on a pillow in your lap. With an extended keyboard, your laptop can be on a table and at some distance from the extended keyboard. If you need to raise your hands and forearms substantially, tilt the back of the keyboard up to compensate, so that the flat line discussed above is maintained.

Forearms. Do not type with your forearms below your armrests. This is also very awkward. If you are sitting in an armchair, place your extended keyboard or laptop on a small pillow or attaché on your lap. This will allow you to use the armrests and type with level forearms. Your mouse can rest on a small side table. You can quickly place the keyboard or laptop on this side table or main table if you need to get up.

Lumbar support. Make sure your lumbar area is supported by a small pillow or bend in the back of your chair. Otherwise, you are going to have pain.

In-Line reading and typing. As you work you should not have to turn your head from left to right. The centers of your keyboard, screen and workspace (for books or papers) should all line up on the same centerline. Turning your head repeatedly is a sure way to hurt yourself and loose concentration and accuracy, especially when editing, transcribing or entering data, or taking notes from reading. Make sure you line up your work elements properly. See many more pictures at E-Tool.

By far the easiest and quickest way for anybody to improve his or her reading concentration is to remove physical discomfort when reading. Also, typing notes as you read greatly increases concentration and comprehension.

Why Reading is So Important?

Why Reading is So Important?
Everyone knows that reading is important, but have you ever asked yourself why that is so? In this post, I will list out 8 reasons why reading is important. I hope you can really find out the reason why reading is so important for you, so you can get a brand new desire to explore the world of reading.

1. Expose Yourself to New Things

Through reading, you expose yourself to new things, new information, new ways to solve a problem, and new ways to achieve one thing. Who knows – you might find your new hobbies within it. Who knows – you might actually explore one thing you really like and it may end up becoming your career and success in the future. Exploration begins from reading and understanding.

2. Self Improvement

Reading does help you form a better you, doesn’t it?  Through reading, you begin understand the world more. Through reading, you begin to have a greater understanding on a topic that interest you; for example: how to build self confidence, how to make plan better before taking action, how to memorize things better and more. All of these self improvements start from the reading; through reading, you create a structured path towards a better understanding and better actions to take in the future.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  -Charles W. Elio-

3. Improve Understanding

The more you read, the more you understand one thing: the A to Z of a thing. Let me give an example here: reading allows you learn more about crocodiles and their habits. That you need to be aware of places it usually lurks for, the purpose of staying away from being harmed or bitten. Or perhaps you can try by real life experience, in approaching the crocodile, to see what happen. It can also help you find out the truth of something, right? Reading also increases the understanding of the rules of life, in order for you to adapt, adopt and accommodate into the society better. To play well in a game, you first need to understand the rules well.

4. Preparation to Action

Before you take action on anything, where should you seek for help and guidance? Reading is an essential way which can help you out. In today’s world, getting reviews and feedback from other people can make a big impact on your next decision, and the pros and cons of each choice. Read about how to cook a meal; how to play chess; which place is nice for the holiday family trip; read the menu before ordering food, read the manual before using a new gadget. These all can help you become more prepared before you really get into it.
Read > Learn > Do > Achieve

Reading is a starting step of many things, which build a more solid stairs for you to climb up achieving something big out there.

5. Gain Experience from Other People

When you are reading, you are actually gaining the knowledge and experience of someone. It can hasten your success towards a goal, as you don’t need to repeat the same mistake while focusing on the right path in achieving one thing. It’s like a mountain of gems for you to discover in books, which contain people’s successes, failures and advice. Life is too short for you to keep repeating the mistakes that had been done by other people in the past, in order for you to reach the results that someone might already reached. There are more than four thousand billionaires and 12 million millionaires today. To become one of them, the first thing is to learn and get to know their past, what they did in the past that makes them where they are today. Reading is a great path to get to know them, and learn from these great people.

The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one’s encounter with it in a book.  | André Maurois

6. Tools of Communicating

Communication is the most important tool which can be transmitted through reading. As you communicate through reading, you understand more, and thus you can communicate better with people. As with a person that knows nothing, he hasn’t had anything to share, and he probably doesn’t even understand what people are sharing. Through reading, you build a more solid foundation for communication. It is one of the most important tools we use every day to connect with each other. Whereas if you don’t read, you can’t even connect with the world and what people are talking about out there, including understanding what this article is all about. Reading connects you with the world.

7. Connecting Your Brain

When reading, you’re in full silence because reading connects directly to your brain. In silence, you seek for more; in silence, your brain is clear and focuses. Thus, you learn and grow, and therefore you feel and see from the point of view of the author about everything in life. Hence you shape a better self.

Because silence exists with total abandon, it is fearless. Because silence is fearless, it holds the power that can break through any barrier. | On Silence

8. Boost Imagination and Creativity

Reading exposes you to a world of imagination, showing you nothing is impossible in this world. By reading, you are exploring a different angle to see a thing you’ve known, on how different action leads to different results. Books are beyond imagination. It’s like a huge spider web, where you keep linking to more and more to things you knew, and things you just learn, structuring  new solutions and answers.
So in your opinion, why is reading so important to you?

How to Start a Reading Group

Culled from http://www.fastcompany.com/bookclub/group.html

Finding Interested Participants

Within Your Organization: Ask colleagues within your department, or from other departments throughout the company to participate.
In Your Community: Ask family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, members of professional associations to which you belong, colleagues in other organizations in your field, members of your church or synagogue, or members of other types of groups to participate. You might also explore one of the Fast Company Book Club Meetup events.

The Ideal Number of Participants

The ideal size for a lively discussion is around six to ten people, assuming that it is a highly participative group. When deciding how many members to include in your group, however, you must take into account other factors, such as hectic schedules, unanticipated conflicts, or varying interest in topics chosen. Such factors will mean that, often, 3 or 4 people may be unable to attend a given meeting. Hence, the best strategy is to have enough people join the group so that at each meeting you are assured approximately 6 to 8 participants. Consider having a total membership of 10 to 12 to insure optimum attendance at every meeting. (Within a company, you may choose to make the group larger, or have more than one group. If you do choose to have more than one group, you might consider focusing each on a topic or topics of mutual concern, such as teams, customer service, leadership, performance, etc.).

How Often Should You Meet?

For most groups, meeting more than once a month would be a struggle, and if you meet less, the group will never get any momentum going. If your group s purpose is professional or organization development, however, you might find that people are motivated to meet more often. It is a good idea to meet on some predictable day, such as the first Wednesday of every month.

Where Should You Meet?

If this is a group within one organization, you could choose a conference room within the company's offices. If it is a professional (and/or personal) development group not connected to any one organization or meeting outside the organization, you could rotate among members' homes or use library rooms, local community centers, conference rooms in offices, large bookstores, churches, synagogues, etc. Of course, online discussions are a possibility for all types of groups.

How Much Will it Cost?

There are various costs associated with having a reading group, depending on how you choose to do things. Obviously, the books cost money (quantity discounts may be available from participating bookstores and members of the consortium).
Also, if you are not connected to one organization and meet outside of work, and if you mail out reminders, there are the costs of printing and mailing. If you provide refreshments, there are more costs. An e-mail list or phone tree can be fairly simple to set up and easy to administer, thus saving on paper and mailing costs. And pot-luck dinners can be simple and cheap, plus may be a big help to busy members who find it difficult to find time to eat before the meeting.
If your organization is not covering the costs, you could ask members for a one-time fee to cover six months of postage, snacks, etc. Or, ask each member to supply self-addressed-stamped envelopes.

Members' Responsibilities

Of course, the most obvious responsibility of members is to read the book. Other ground rules should be discussed among the group at the first meeting. The discussion might include issues of punctuality. At what time will meetings begin and end? What are the expectations of group members regarding level and consistency of participation (what if members have to miss a session? what if they miss several in a row? what if someone only comes once in a while?) How will we deal with the cost issues? If outside of work, should members be allowed to bring their children? Are guests allowed?
It is a good idea to discuss all of these issues at the first meeting of the group and to make decisions, as a group, about such things as location, food, cost-sharing, how books will be chosen, whether there will be one facilitator or if the role will rotate among members, as well as the issues mentioned above.

The Role of the Facilitator

The facilitator may be the same person each time, or members may choose a rotation system for the role, depending on the needs and wants of the group. The facilitator is responsible for:

• Monitoring start and stop times
• Encouraging dialogue from all participants
• Reviewing the book carefully for specific discussion topics
• Identifying the next facilitator if the group uses a rotation for the facilitator role

Questions to ask at the first meeting

• Where will we meet?
• When will we meet?
• How will we notify people of meeting locations, times, and reading selections?
• What are the costs involved and how will we divide them up?
• How will we choose books to read?
• What are our basic ground rules?
• Will we have a single facilitator or will the role rotate among members?
• How will we purchase the books, individually or as a group?

WHY START A READING CLUB

 http://www.fastcompany.com/bookclub/group.html

Why Start a Reading Group?

Start a Book Club

Put the Leading-Edge Business Practices You Read About to Use in Your Work and in Your Organization.

Why Start a Reading Group?

In today's turbulent and rapidly changing work world, we are confronted with a constant blur of new information and new ideas. Surviving in this competitive world means keeping up with new ideas about the organizations in which we work and about the way work gets done.
Do ever you wish there was a forum in your organization for discussing the newest trends and ideas in the business world? Do you wish you could explore the leading-edge business practices you read about with others in your company? Do you wish you could set aside a few hours every month to connect with like-minded coworkers or to get to know others in your business community?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the answer is simple: Start a business book reading group in your organization or business community. Joining with others in a reading group not only provides impetus for keeping up with the latest business books, but even more important, being part of a reading group can stimulate your own thinking, providing the opportunity for greater insight on how new ideas or theories might be put to practical use in your own work and in your organization.

FORMING A READING LIST

Culled from  http://lifehacker.com/5807774/how-to-create-an-awesome-summer-reading-list

Before you jump straight into building your list, a few quick tips and considerations.

• First, tackle your reading backlog: If you have books you've been meaning to read for ages but haven't gotten around to them, sift through your pile to make sure you still want to read each of them; purge the ones you honestly will never read but which may have been weighing heavily on you or preventing you from finding new books. If you still want to read the books in your pile someday, you may just need a broader mix of book genres—keep this in mind when building this year's reading list.
• Look for the right types of books based on your available time: If you don't have a lot of time to read, consider looking for novellas, graphic novels, or collections of short stories, essays, or poetry. When searching for new books, you can filter for these book types. On the other hand, if you have a long summer vacation week coming up, add more engrossing or longer books to your list.
• Tap your friends: When it comes to book recommendations, your friends are a great bet. After all, they know you and share common interests.

If your friends aren't readers, or you'd like to branch out, you can find other like-minded readers via book recommendation engines and book trading sites, as well as online social networks and blogs (e.g., Lifehacker). Here's a look at your many options. Now on to the less obvious stuff that—hopefully—will yield you some great results.

Take advantage of social book sites

Sites suchas https://www.librarything.com/, https://www.goodreads.com/etc

Build your book list on the shoulders of giants

Speaking of book lists, another way to build your reading list—for this summer or for a lifetime—is by going through lists of great books that critics, authors, or scholars have curated. Robert Teeter's Great Books Lists is a master list of book lists. You'll find Harold Bloom's list of books for the Western Canon, Anthony Burgess' selection of the best 99 novels since 1939, the New York Public Library's Books of the Century, and many other book lists.

In hardcopy, check out For the Love of Books, edited by Ronald Shwartz, which features the most-loved books of 115 famous writers.

Find book recommendations from social networks and blogs

Social sites like Facebook or LinkedIn or sites with an active community of like-minded people (like Lifehacker) can also help you build a better reading list. A Mensa networking group on LinkedIn, for example, compiled this list of books members would recommend to anyone. And over 250 Lifehacker readers helped with the curating of this list of life-changing books.

Use your local library

Your local library is another excellent and often under-used resource. Specifically, take advantage of your local librarian—someone whose job is to recommend and help you find the right book(s). Help your librarian help you by coming in knowing your favorite authors, subjects, genres, or what your want to get out of your book selection. Some libraries' online sites also provide reading list recommendations and advanced services like Fiction Connection.

Explore, and be open to serendipity

Finally, don't discount pure luck. There's nothing like browsing a bookstore's shelves (or, better yet, bargain bin) and coming away with a new favorite author or book or two. (I discovered two of my favorite writers, Margaret Atwood and Mark Strand, at library book sales, taking a chance simply after reading a few passages).

 

Lord of the Clans

For the computer game that was cancelled by Blizzard before release, see Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans.

Lord of the Clans is a novel by Christie Golden telling the story of Warchief Thrall's rise to glory after the collapse of the Horde. It is an adaptation of the cancelled Blizzard game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. An audiobook version read by Dick Hill will be released in February 2009.

Description

"I will not be here long," said Thrall.

"Come spring, I will rejoin Grom Hellscream, and help his noble clan storm the camps and free our people."

"Grom Hellscream," sneered the stranger, waving his hand dismissively. "A demon-ridden dreamer. I have seen what the humans can do, and it is best to avoid them, believe me."

"I was raised by humans, and believe me, they are not infallible!" cried Thrall. "Nor are you, I would think, you coward!"

"Thrall--" began Drek'Thar, speaking up at last.

"No, Master Drek'Thar, I will not be silent. This stranger comes seeking our aid, eats at our fire, and dares to insult the courage of our clan and his own race. I will not stand for it. I am not the chieftain, nor do I claim that right. But I will claim my right to fight this stranger, and make him eat his words sliced upon my sword!"

The strange Orc laughed heartily and rose. He was almost as big as Thrall, and now, to his astonishment, Thrall saw that he was completely clad in black plate armor, trimmed with brass. Uttering a fierce cry, the stranger opened his pack and pulled out the largest warhammer Thrall had ever seen. He held it aloft with seeming ease, then brandished it at Thrall.

"See if you can take me, whelp!"

Back-of-book description

Slave. Gladiator. Shaman. Warchief. The enigmatic orc known as Thrall has been all of these. Raised from infancy by cruel human masters who sought to mold him into their perfect pawn, Thrall was driven by both the savagery in his heart and the cunning of his upbringing to pursue a destiny he was only beginning to understand—to break his bondage and rediscover the ancient traditions of his people. Now the tumultuous tale of his life's journey—a saga of honor, hatred, and hope—can at last be told....

Day of the Dragon

Culled from http://wow.gamepedia.com/Day_of_the_Dragon


Day of the Dragon is a novel by Richard A. Knaak which takes place in the Warcraft universe after the Second War. It narrates about the freeing of the Dragonqueen Alexstrasza from the Dragonmaw clan carried out by the Dalaran mage Rhonin and his companions.
The novel was released in February, 2001. An audiobook version, read by Dick Hill, was released in December, 2008.

Back-of-book description

In the mist-shrouded haze of the past, the world of Azeroth teemed with wondrous creatures of every kind. Mysterious Elves and hardy Dwarves walked among tribes of man in relative peace and harmony—until the arrival of the demonic army known as Burning Legion shattered the world's tranquillity forever. Now Orcs, Dragons, Goblins, and Trolls all vie for supremacy over the scattered, warring kingdoms—part of a grand, malevolent scheme that will determine the fate of the world of
WARCRAFT
A terrifying upheaval amongst the wizards of Dalaran sends the maverick mage Rhonin on a perilous journey into orc-controlled lands. Rhonin uncovers a dark, far-reaching conspiracy that will lead him into a dangerous alliance with ancient creatures of air and fire if the world of Azeroth is to see another dawn.
DAY OF THE DRAGON
"To free the Dragon Queen…
An impossible task to some, certain death to most. Dragonmaw clan would forever retain its hold on Khaz Modan unless Alexstrasza was freed, and so long as the orcs continued the work of the Horde, they remained a possible rallying point for those in the guarded enclaves.
A brief rumble of thunder disturbed Rhonin's contemplations. He looked up but saw only a few cottony clouds.
A second, more menacing rumble set every muscle taut as a massive shadow covered their surroundings.
An ear-shattering roar shook the vicinity and a force akin to a tornado ripped at the landscape. Rhonin twisted around so as to see the heavens--and saw instead a hellish sight.
A dragon the color of raging fire filled the sky above and in its forepaws it held what remained of his horse and his costly and carefully chosen supplies. The crimson leviathan consumed in one gulp the rest of the carcass, eyes already fixed on the tiny, pathetic figures below.
And seated atop the shoulders of the beast, a grotesque, greenish figure with tusks and a battle axe barked orders in some harsh tongue and pointed directly at Rhonin.
Maw gaping and talons bared, the dragon dove toward him."

Plot

The novel opens at the waning days of the Second War, with Orgrim Doomhammer having already been captured, and most of the Orcish Horde having already surrendered. A few clans of orcs remain scattered about Azeroth, including the Dragonmaw Orcs, who, holed up in Khaz Modan, maintain control over the Red Dragonflight. Nekros Skullcrusher still holds the Demon Soul, and wields it against the captive Alexstrasza forcing her to mate with her consorts to produce more dragons, although her ability to do so is deteriorating, along with her health and the health of her consorts.
The dragon mage Krasus, desperate to save his queen Alexstrasza, secretly enlists the help of Rhonin (then holding an ignominious reputation) in order to send him on a secret mission to Grim Batol to free her, while also soliciting the aid of the other Dragon Aspects. In doing so, Vereesa Windrunner is assigned to the task of seeing Rhonin to the seaport Hasic on his way to Khaz Modan, ostensibly so that he may undertake a mission of observation at Grim Batol. Vereesa suspects otherwise.
Meanwhile, Deathwing, posing as the noble Lord Prestor, works his way into the diplomatic negotiations involving Alterac, and uses his spellwork to influence King Terenas into declaring that he will succeed the deposed King Perenolde of Greymane. From this vantage point, Deathwing would use his new position of power to tear down the diplomatic foundations of the Alliance.
Early on in their journey, Vereesa and Rhonin are attacked by a Dragonmaw orc patrol, and are rescued by a band of Wildhammer gryphon-riders, led by Falstad Wildhammer. Vereesa initially thought the mage a burden, but quickly begins to change her mind when she sees his spell casting skill in defending them from the dragons. After the ensuing battle, Rhonin and Vereesa are picked up by a few Knights of the Silver Hand, Duncan Senturus their leader, and are taken to the unnamed keep nearby where the Knights maintain watch. They are distrustful of Rhonin, as most are wary of wizards, but welcoming to Vereesa. During their stay, a mysterious explosion rocks the keep when Rhonin attempts to cast a spell, killing a few of the paladin guards, and resulting in the mysterious disappearance of Rhonin. Rhonin was saved by what we later find out was presumably Deathwing, or another dragon, since he claimed to have been picked up by a great set of claws or hands just at the moment a tower was to collapse on him. The paladins believe Rhonin caused the explosion, and they ride out to find him, only to find him right under their noses a short ways off. After questioning him, they decide that he did not cause the explosion, and escort him and and Vereesa to Hasic.
When they arrive they find that Hasic has been ravaged by dragon riders, and that the Wildhammer dwarves had driven them off. Vereesa, deciding that her oath to defend Rhonin on his mission extended beyond Hasic, decides to accompany him further. Partially out of necessity, and partially out of Falstad's and Duncan's enamorment with Vereesa's elven beauty, the paladin and the dwarf agree to escort Rhonin and Vereesa by flight to Khaz Modan. Along the way, they are attacked by a pair of Dragonmaw dragon-riders. Duncan, in an act of brazen heroism, leaps from a gryphon onto a dragon mid air and kills it, sacrificing himself at the hands of the dragon's rider. During this time, Rhonin and his escort Molok, are knocked out of the sky, and fall to the earth. The other dragon is killed when, out of nowhere, Deathwing arrives and slays it, seemingly in defense of Vereesa and Falstad