We've ranked the best oil books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.
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1
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power
Daniel Yergin
5.0
The Prize recounts the panoramic history of oil -- and the struggle for wealth and power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations.
The Prize is as much a history of the twentieth century as of the oil industry itself. The canvas of history is enormous -- from the drilling of the first well in Pennsylvania through two great world wars to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.
In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.
A true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.
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Recommended by Jacqueline Novogratz.
Jacqueline Novogratz
Reads like a novel while giving a deeper understanding of both the good and the terrible that humans are capable of. [source]
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3
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
Ron Chernow
4.6
John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty--is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, the National Book Award-winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families, gives us a history of the mogul "etched with uncommon objectivity and literary grace . . . as detailed, balanced, and psychologically insightful a portrait of the tycoon as we may ever have" (Kirkus Reviews). Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America. Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay. While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light. John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. Pierpont Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves.
A biography has to be really good to make read you all 800 pages. To me, this was one of those books. Since reading it earlier this year, I’ve since found out it is the favorite book of a lot of people I respect. I think something about the quality of the writing and the empathic understanding of the writer that the main lessons you would take away from someone like Rockefeller would not be business, but life lessons. In fact, when I went back through and took notes on this book, I filled out more cards for Stoicism than I did for Strategy, Business or Money. I found Rockefeller to be strangely stoic, incredibly resilient and, despite his reputation as a robber baron, humble and compassionate. Most people get WORSE as they get successful, many more get worse as they age. Rockefeller did neither of these things, he grew more open-minded the older he became, more generous, more pious, more dedicated to making a difference. Does that excuse the “awful” things that he did? Well, the things he did really weren’t that awful so yes. (By that I mean I’d certainly choose him over the robber barons of this age like Zuckerberg or Murdoch.) [source]
@Morg2006 Yep, I already have it. great book. [source]
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4
The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
Daniel Yergin
4.6
This long-awaited successor to Daniel Yergin's Pulitzer Prize–winning The Prize provides an essential, overarching narrative of global energy, the principal engine of geopolitical and economic change
Renowned energy authority Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Prize, in this gripping account of the quest for the energy the world needs—and the power and riches that come with it. A master storyteller as well as one of the world's great experts, Yergin proves that energy is truly the engine of global political and economic change as well as central to the battle over climate change. From the jammed streets of Beijing, the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the conflicts in the Mideast to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin takes us inside the decisions and choices that are shaping our future. Without understanding these realities of energy we will surrender our place at the helm of history. Yergin shows how the drama of oil—the struggle for access to it, the battle for control, the insecurity of supply, the consequences of its use, its impact on the global economy, and the geopolitics that dominate it—will continue to shape our world. He tells the inside stories—of the oil market, the rise of the “petro-state,” the race to control the resources of the former Soviet empire, and the massive corporate mergers that transformed the oil landscape. He takes on the toughest questions: Will we run out of oil? Are China and the United States destined to conflict over oil? Yergin also reveals the surprising and turbulent history of nuclear and coal power, electricity, and natural gas. He investigates the “rebirth of renewables”—biofuels and wind—as well as solar energy, which venture capitalists are betting will be the next big thing for meeting the needs of a growing world economy. Understanding this greening landscape and its future role are crucial to answering energy's largest questions. Yergin brings climate change into unique perspective by offering an original and unprecedented history of how the issue went from concerning a handful of scientists, terrified of a new Ice Age, to one of the most vital issues of our times. The Quest presents an extraordinary range of characters and dramatic stories that illustrate the principles that will shape a robust and flexible energy security system for the decades to come. It is an extraordinary achievement from an author who is truly one of our nation's great resources.
Another great book I read recently was The Quest, by Daniel Yergin. For anyone interested in the dynamics shaping our energy future and all of the innovation around energy, it’s a fantastic book. In addition to my review of his book, I’ve also posted a response from the author to the follow-up questions I had about the important topics covered in his book. [source]
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5
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Peter H. Diamandis
4.5
Providing abundance is humanity’s grandest challenge—this is a book about how we rise to meet it.
We will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions. An antidote to pessimism by tech entrepreneur turned philanthropist, Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler.
Since the dawn of humanity, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing—fast. The authors document how four forces—exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion—are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. Abundance establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.
Examining human need by category—water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom—Diamandis and Kotler introduce dozens of innovators making great strides in each area: Larry Page, Steven Hawking, Dean Kamen, Daniel Kahneman, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, Stewart Brand, Jeff Skoll, Ray Kurzweil, Ratan Tata, Craig Venter, among many, many others.
Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]
The authors of Abundance go so far as to claim that "technology has the potential to significantly raise the basic standards of living for every man, woman, and child on the planet." Before you disagree, read the book. They make a fascinating argument, and make me happier than ever that I ditched my dream of being a doctor to enter the unpredictable world of IT. We live in exciting times. [source]
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Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air
David MacKay
4.4
Addressing the sustainable energy crisis in an objective manner, this enlightening book analyzes the relevant numbers and organizes a plan for change on both a personal level and an international scale—for Europe, the Untied States, and the world. In case study format, this informative reference answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries. While underlining the difficulty of minimizing consumption, the tone remains positive as it debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large.
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Recommended by Bill Gates, Chris Goodall, John Shepherd, and 2 others.
If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read. [source]
Chris Goodall
What the late David MacKay did was give us a rigorous understanding of the way that we use and generate energy. [source]
John Shepherd
MacKay does very simple, back-of-the-envelope sums, as to how much energy could we get from bio-fuels, how much energy could we get from wind power, how much land would it take? [source]
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7
Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power
Steve Coll
4.4
An “extraordinary” and “monumental” exposé of Big Oil from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll (The Washington Post)
In this, the first hard-hitting examination of ExxonMobil—the largest and most powerful private corporation in the United States—Steve Coll reveals the true extent of its power. Private Empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporation’s recent history and its central role on the world stage, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and leading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The action spans the globe—featuring kidnapping cases, civil wars, and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin—and the narrative is driven by larger-than-life characters, including corporate legend Lee “Iron Ass” Raymond, ExxonMobil’s chief executive until 2005. A penetrating, news-breaking study, Private Empire is a defining portrait of Big Oil in American politics and foreign policy.
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Recommended by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Sheldon Whitehouse
“Coll’s book is also the best resource for understanding the standard operating procedures and the central mission of ExxonMobil. Anybody who has written about the company and its leaders in the years since the publication of Private Empire owes a big debt to Coll.” [source]
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The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
There were dozens of books about Watergate, but only All the President's Men gave readers the full story, with all the drama and nuance and exclusive reporting. And thirty years later, if you're going to read only one book on Watergate, that's still the one. Today, Enron is the biggest business story of our time, and Fortune senior writers Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind are the new Woodward and Bernstein.
Remarkably, it was just two years ago that Enron was thought to epitomize a great New Economy company, with its skyrocketing profits and share price. But that was before Fortune published an article by McLean that asked a seemingly innocent question: How exactly does Enron make money? From that point on, Enron's house of cards began to crumble. Now, McLean and Elkind have investigated much deeper, to offer the definitive book about the Enron scandal and the fascinating people behind it.
Meticulously researched and character driven, Smartest Guys in the Room takes the reader deep into Enron's past—and behind the closed doors of private meetings. Drawing on a wide range of unique sources, the book follows Enron's rise from obscurity to the top of the business world to its disastrous demise. It reveals as never before major characters such as Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow, as well as lesser known players like Cliff Baxter and Rebecca Mark. Smartest Guys in the Room is a story of greed, arrogance, and deceit—a microcosm of all that is wrong with American business today. Above all, it's a fascinating human drama that will prove to be the authoritative account of the Enron scandal.
OIL 101 is a straightforward guide to oil and an essential read for anyone coming to grips with where oil prices, the economy and society are headed.In OIL 101, Downey provides the facts one needs to understand oil, from its history and chemistry, to refining, finished products, storage, transportation, alternatives, and how prices are determined every day in global wholesale oil markets and how those markets are connected to prices at the pump.
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10
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy
Serhii PLOKHY
4.3
On 26 April 1986 at 1.23am a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine exploded. While the authorities scrambled to understand what was occurring, workers, engineers, firefighters and those living in the area were abandoned to their fate. The blast put the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation, contaminating over half of Europe with radioactive fallout.
In Chernobyl, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy draws on recently opened archives to recreate these events in all their drama, telling the stories of the scientists, workers, soldiers, and policemen who found themselves caught in a nuclear nightmare. While the immediate cause of the accident was a turbine test gone wrong, he shows how its deeper roots lay in the nature of the Soviet political system and the ingrained flaws of its nuclear industry. A little more than five years later, the Soviet Union would fall apart, destroyed from within by its unsustainable ideology and the dysfunctional systems laid bare in the wake of the disaster.
A moment by moment account of the heroes, perpetrators and victims of a tragedy, Chernobyl is the first full account of a gripping, unforgettable Cold War story.
He’s really good here at laying down the background of the disaster itself, the plant’s construction, the days leading up to it, the moments the accident occurred. He talks about the accident itself, the delay in informing the public, the censorship of news, the trial of the nuclear power plant operators who he thinks were treated as scapegoats, and the political outcomes of all this deception. [source]
It’s just a really thrilling book, as well as being a really interesting history of that time. But the reason why I think it’s also a brilliant political book is fundamentally what Plokhii reveals in his writing, is that the failure of Chernobyl was fundamentally a failure of a political system, as well as a failure of a scientific system. [source]
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The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters
Gregory Zuckerman
4.3
Everyone knew it was crazy to try to extract oil and natural gas buried in shale rock deep below the ground. Everyone, that is, except a few reckless wildcatters - who risked their careers to prove the world wrong. Things looked grim for American energy in 2006. Oil production was in steep decline and natural gas was hard to find. The Iraq War threatened the nation’s already tenuous relations with the Middle East. China was rapidly industrializing and competing for resources. Major oil companies had just about given up on new discoveries on U.S. soil, and a new energy crisis seemed likely.
But a handful of men believed everything was about to change.
Far from the limelight, Aubrey McClendon, Harold Hamm, Mark Papa, and other wildcatters were determined to tap massive deposits of oil and gas that Exxon, Chevron, and other giants had dismissed as a waste of time. By experimenting with hydraulic fracturing through extremely dense shale—a process now known as fracking—the wildcatters started a revolution. In just a few years, they solved America’s dependence on imported energy, triggered a global environmental controversy—and made and lost astonishing fortunes.
No one understands these men—their ambitions, personalities, methods, and foibles—better than the award-winning Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman. His exclusive access enabled him to get close to the frackers and chronicle the untold story of how they transformed the nation and the world. The result is a dramatic narrative tracking a brutal competition among headstrong drillers. It stretches from the barren fields of North Dakota and the rolling hills of northeastern Pennsylvania to cluttered pickup trucks in Texas and tense Wall Street boardrooms.
Activists argue that the same methods that are creating so much new energy are also harming our water supply and threatening environmental chaos. The Frackers tells the story of the angry opposition unleashed by this revolution and explores just how dangerous fracking really is.
The frackers have already transformed the economic, environmental, and geopolitical course of history. Now, like the Rockefellers and the Gettys before them, they’re using their wealth and power to influence politics, education, entertainment, sports, and many other fields. Their story is one of the most important of our time.
MEET THE FRACKERS GEORGE MITCHELL, the son of a Greek goatherd, who tried to tap rock that experts deemed worthless but faced an unexpected obstacle in his quest to change history.
AUBREY McCLENDON, the charismatic scion of an Oklahoma energy family, who scored billions leading a historic land grab. He wasn’t prepared for the shocking fallout of his discoveries.
TOM WARD, who overcame a troubled childhood to become one of the nation’s wealthiest men. He could handle natural-gas fields but had more trouble with a Wall Street power broker.
HAROLD HAMM, the son of poor sharecroppers, who believed America had more oil than anyone imagined. Hamm was determined to find the crude before others caught on.
CHARIF SOUKI, the dashing Lebanese immigrant who saw his career crumble and his fortune disintegrate, leaving one last, unlikely chance for success.
MARK PAPA, the Enron castoff who panicked when he realized a resurgence of American natural gas was at hand, one that his company wasn’t prepared for.
@GZuckerman @stig_brodersen @SimonsFdn Gregory, thanks so much for coming on the show. Your book was really awesome! [source]
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12
The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
Alex Epstein
4.3
A sure-to-be-controversial defense of the fossil fuel industry
Conventional wisdom says fossil fuels are an unsustainable form of energy that is destroying our planet. But Alex Epstein shows that if we look at the big picture, the much-hated fossil fuel industry is dramatically improving our planet by making it a far safer and richer place. The key difference between a healthy and unhealthy environment, Epstein argues, is development—the transformation of nature to meet human needs. And the energy required for development is overwhelmingly made possible by the fossil fuel industry, the only way to produce cheap, plentiful, reliable energy on a global scale. While acknowledging the challenges of fossil fuels (and every form of energy), Epstein argues that the overall benefits, including the largely ignoredenvironmental benefits, are incomparably greater.
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13
Lucy Libido Says.....There's an Oil for That: A Girlfriend's Guide to Using Essential Oils Between the Sheets
Lucy Libido
4.3
Vavavoom! Meet Lucy Libido, your new best friend who will guide you through using essential oils between the sheets. Based on the smashingly popular Lucy Libido class, this hilarious yet informative book will teach you natural hormone balancing, oils that increase libido, and oils that increase your man's performance. She even includes her best oil recipes that have left her fans starry-eyed and smiling.Developed by a woman for a woman, "There's an Oil for THAT" gives you all the tips, tricks, and fun in one easy to read book that you'll want to store at your bedside.
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The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
Valerie Ann Worwood
4.3
A necessary resource for anyone interested in alternative approaches to healing, this book contains more than 600 easy-to-follow recipes for essential oil treatments and aromatherapy.
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15
Oil!
Upton Sinclair
4.3
In Oil! Upton Sinclair fashioned a novel out of the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California. Bribery of public officials, class warfare, and international rivalry over oil production are the context for Sinclair's story of a genial independent oil developer and his son, whose sympathy with the oilfield workers and socialist organizers fuels a running debate with his father. Senators, small investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood film star, and a crusading evangelist people the pages of this lively novel.
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16
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
Stephen Kinzer
4.3
An American Coup & the Roots of Middle East Terror Half a century ago, the United States overthrew a Middle Eastern government for the first time. The victim was Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran. Although the coup seemed a success at first, today it serves as a chilling lesson about the dangers of foreign intervention.In this book, veteran New York Times correspondent Stephen Kinzer gives the first full account of this fateful operation. His account is centered around an hour-by-hour reconstruction of the events of August 1953, and concludes with an assessment of the coup's "haunting and terrible legacy."Operation Ajax, as the plot was code-named, reshaped the history of Iran, the Middle East, and the world. It restored Mohammad Reza Shah to the Peacock Throne, allowing him to impose a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Islamic Revolution, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection."It is not far-fetched," Kinzer asserts in this book, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."Drawing on research in the United States and Iran, and using material from a long-secret CIA report, Kinzer explains the background of the coup and tells how it was carried out. It is a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents. There are accounts of bribes, staged riots, suitcases full of cash, and midnight meetings between the Shah and CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt, who was smuggled in and out of the royal palace under a blanket in the back seat of a car. Roosevelt,the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, was a real-life James Bond in an era when CIA agents operated mainly by their wits. After his first coup attempt failed, he organized a second attempt that succeeded three days later.The colorful cast of characters includes the terrified young Shah, who fled his country at the first sign of trouble; General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, father of the Gulf War commander and the radio voice of "Gang Busters," who flew to Tehran on a secret mission that helped set the coup in motion; and the fiery Prime Minister Mossadegh, who outraged the West by nationalizing the immensely profitable Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The British, outraged by the seizure of their oil company, persuaded President Dwight Eisenhower that Mossadegh was leading Iran toward Communism. Eisenhower and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain became the coup's main sponsors.Brimming with insights into Middle Eastern history and American foreign policy, this book is an eye-opening look at an event whose unintended consequences--Islamic revolution and violent anti-Americanism--have shaped the modern world. As the United States assumes an ever-widening role in the Middle East, it is essential reading.
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Recommended by Chris Abbott and Demetri Sevastopulo.
Chris Abbott
Kinzer gives a good and quick introduction to Iranian history and its relationships with America and Britain. [source]
Demetri Sevastopulo
On a totally different topic, this book by @stephenkinzer is a great look at US & UK relations with #Iran before the revolution. Lots of interesting similarities with the situation today. https://t.co/rlv8Ip0Kjn https://t.co/gz7InQkMk4 [source]
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17
Little Bee
Chris Cleave
4.3
From the author of the international bestseller Incendiary comes a haunting novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between two disparate strangers—one an illegal Nigerian refugee, the other a recent widow from suburban London.
Recommended by David Miliband.
David Miliband
It’s about Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee. [source]
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18
The Son
Philipp Meyer
4.3
Soon to be a TV Series on AMC starring Pierce Brosnan and co-written by Philipp Meyer.
Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood, and power that follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20th century.
Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching examination of the bloody price of power, The Son is a gripping and utterly transporting novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American west with rare emotional acuity, even as it presents an intimate portrait of one family across two centuries.
Eli McCullough is just twelve-years-old when a marauding band of Comanche storm his Texas homestead and brutally murder his mother and sister, taking him as a captive. Despite their torture and cruelty, Eli--against all odds--adapts to life with the Comanche, learning their ways, their language, taking on a new name, finding a place as the adopted son of the chief of the band, and fighting their wars against not only other Indians, but white men, too-complicating his sense of loyalty, his promised vengeance, and his very understanding of self. But when disease, starvation, and westward expansion finally decimate the Comanche, Eli is left alone in a world in which he belongs nowhere, neither white nor Indian, civilized or fully wild.
Deftly interweaving Eli’s story with those of his son, Peter, and his great-granddaughter, JA, The Son deftly explores the legacy of Eli’s ruthlessness, his drive to power, and his life-long status as an outsider, even as the McCullough family rises to become one of the richest in Texas, a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege.
Harrowing, panoramic, and deeply evocative, The Son is a fully realized masterwork in the greatest tradition of the American canon-an unforgettable novel that combines the narrative prowess of Larry McMurtry with the knife edge sharpness of Cormac McCarthy.
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Recommended by Marvin Liao.
Marvin Liao
Partner/500 Startups
I tend to jump from book to book and may switch if I am interested in some new topic. This is a pleasure for me (which I also do benefit work wise from too). It’s quite a random list because I have eclectic interests (or just scatterbrained most likely) on tech business, AI, general global economy, geopolitics, rising Biotech economy & history. I'm basically 15% to 50% into all these books. [source]
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19
Vitality: The Young Living Lifestyle
Jen O'Sullivan
4.3
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20
The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
James Howard Kunstler
4.3
A controversial hit that sparked debate among businessmen, environmentalists, and bloggers, The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler is an eye-opening look at the unprecedented challenges we face in the years ahead, as oil runs out and the global systems built on it are forced to change radically.
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21
The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews
Scott Cunningham
4.3
One of the secrets of real magic is that it is controlled by the mind. The more things in your ritual to help your mind associate with your goal, the more powerful your ritual may be. Colored candles, scented oils, natural incenses, and more all add to the impact of the magic you wish to do. But how do you know which incense to burn? Is it possible to add scented oils together to get a more powerful oil? And how do you make your own appropriately-scented tools?
The answers to questions like these and hundreds more can be found in The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by world-famous author Scott Cunningham. This is a greatly expanded and rewritten version of The Magic of Incenses, Oils and Brews. It includes over 100 new formulas, proportions for each element of the recipes (the most requested feature from his previous book), how to substitute ingredients, and much more. Besides the formulas, it also includes the exact methods of making all of these scented tools, including how to extract the essences from the herbs.
Each one of the formulas in this magic book is precise and easy to make. Do you need luck? Take 2 parts vetivert, 2 parts allspice, 1 part nutmeg, and 1 part calamus, grind them together as finely as possible, then sprinkle the powder in a circle around you, beginning and ending in the East and moving clockwise. Sit within this circle and absorb the powder's energies. Also included are other ways to use magical powders that will have you coming up with your own ideas for them, too.
There is a legion of recipes for incenses. There are three for the sun and two for consecrating talismans. There are incenses for each of the astrological signs and ones to help you study better and gain success. You'll also find incenses for each of the planetary influences. There are four for Saturn alone!
This compendium of magical lore is a vital tool for every magical person on any magical path, whether you are a beginner or an expert.
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22
Essential Oils Natural Remedies: The Complete A-Z Reference of Essential Oils for Health and Healing
Althea Press
4.2
From the Creators of the New York Times Bestseller Essential Oils for Beginners The healing properties of essential oils are virtually limitless. You can put them to work today without the hassle, expense, and frustration that come with consulting doctors and taking prescription medicines. Essential Oils Natural Remedies offers essential oils practitioners of all levels a comprehensive home reference for a lifetime of health-related needs. Easy-to-navigate A-to-Z guide to remedies that heal or mitigate symptoms for a range of ailments, from acne to migraines to Parkinson s disease, and more Special features explain how to diffuse oils, make a compress, and offer healing massage Over 170 ailments covered and over 300 homemade remedies included Profiles of 75 essential oils to know and use, including info on medicinal uses, application methods, blending, and precautions Reviews the 10 most popular essential oils brands and their products Take the power to heal back into your own hands with essential oils for all of your everyday health needs. "
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23
The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
Bryan Burrough
4.2
"What's not to enjoy about a book full of monstrous egos, unimaginable sums of money, and the punishment of greed and shortsightedness?"
Phenomenal reviews and sales greeted the hardcover publication of The Big Rich, New York Times bestselling author Bryan Burrough's spellbinding chronicle of Texas oil. Weaving together the multigenerational sagas of the industry's four wealthiest families, Burrough brings to life the men known in their day as the Big Four: Roy Cullen, H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson, all swaggering Texas oil tycoons who owned sprawling ranches and mingled with presidents and Hollywood stars. Seamlessly charting their collective rise and fall, The Big Rich is a hugely entertaining account that only a writer with Burrough's abilities-and Texas upbringing-could have written.
There’s no way to understand the culture and politics of Texas without talking about oil. It’s just not possible. The Big Rich follows four men who used to be called “The Big Four”: Roy Cullen, HL Hunt, Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson. These are the men after whom streets are named in Texas. The book starts all the way back in 1901, when oil was first discovered in Beaumont, Texas and stretches through the second half of the 20th century. For the most part these men came from very modest backgrounds. I think one was an elementary school dropout. They were called wildcatters, a name that reflects their risk-taking and outsized personalities. [source]
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Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine
Dr. Josh Axe, Jordan Rubin, et al.
4.2
Transform Your Health with the Power of Essential Oils
Instead of relying on prescription medications with numerous dangerous side effects, what if you could opt for a safer, natural alternative to address your health concerns? And instead of using common household cleaners and personal care products that contain toxic ingredients, what if you had access to superior alternatives that could achieve the same—or even better—results without the risk of damaging your body?
In the quest to help people around the world achieve health and vibrant living, health experts and bestselling authors Dr. Josh Axe, Jordan Rubin, and Ty Bollinger have joined forces to share this important message: Essential oils are one of the most powerful forms of plant-based medicine in the world, and they may be the crucial missing piece of your wellness program.
Essential oils can serve many different functions in your life—from fostering relaxation and caring for minor cuts and scrapes to helping fight disease and promoting healing. In fact, essential oils have been proven to:
Reduce toxicity Balance hormones Improve digestion Boost energy Alleviate aches and pains Improve brain function Reduce emotional stress Promote radiant skin Boost immunity and fight infections And much, much more! Join Dr. Josh, Jordan, and Ty as they show you the proven health benefits of the top 50 essential oils, how to use these oils to help heal more than 125 of today’s most pressing health concerns, and over 70 quick, easy DIY recipes to help you care for your body, your family, your home, and even your pets!
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A Serpent's Tooth (Walt Longmire, #9)
Craig Johnson
4.2
The inspiration for A&E's Longmire finds himself in the crosshairs in the ninth book of the New York Times bestselling series
The success of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series that began with The Cold Dish continues to grow after A&E’s hit show Longmire introduced new fans to the Wyoming sheriff. As the Crow Flies marked the series’ highest debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, in his ninth Western mystery, Longmire stares down his most dangerous foes yet.
It’s homecoming in Absaroka County, but the football and festivities are interrupted when a homeless boy wanders into town. A Mormon “lost boy,” Cord Lynear is searching for his missing mother but clues are scarce. Longmire and his companions, feisty deputy Victoria Moretti and longtime friend Henry Standing Bear, embark on a high plains scavenger hunt in hopes of reuniting mother and son. The trail leads them to an interstate polygamy group that’s presiding over a stockpile of weapons and harboring a vicious vendetta.
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The Beginner's Guide to Essential Oils: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Christina Anthis
4.2
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The Energy of Slaves: Oil and the New Servitude
Andrew Nikiforuk
4.2
A radical analysis of our master-and-slave relationship to energy and a call for change.
Ancient civilizations routinely relied on shackled human muscle. It took the energy of slaves to plant crops, clothe emperors, and build cities. In the early nineteenth century, the slave trade became one of the most profitable enterprises on the planet, and slaveholders viewed religious critics as hostilely as oil companies now regard environmentalists. Yet when the abolition movement finally triumphed in the 1850s, it had an invisible ally: coal and oil. As the world's most portable and versatile workers, fossil fuels dramatically replenished slavery's ranks with combustion engines and other labour-saving tools. Since then, oil has transformed politics, economics, science, agriculture, gender, and even our concept of happiness. But as Andrew Nikiforuk argues in this provocative new book, we still behave like slaveholders in the way we use energy, and that urgently needs to change.
Many North Americans and Europeans today enjoy lifestyles as extravagant as those of Caribbean plantation owners. Like slaveholders, we feel entitled to surplus energy and rationalize inequality, even barbarity, to get it. But endless growth is an illusion, and now that half of the world's oil has been burned, our energy slaves are becoming more expensive by the day. What we need, Nikiforuk argues, is a radical new emancipation movement. Also available in paperback.
Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation.
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Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing: 120 Remedies to Restore Mind, Body, and Spirit
Amber Robinson
4.2
Holistic health comes home—healing aromatherapy for everyone
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing is a simple, modern guide to more than 100 all-natural remedies you can make with your own hands. Learn to treat your whole self—or anyone you love—with soothing calm, gentle healing, and sustainable self-care. No mystery ingredients, no excess waste, and no prior experience required.
Get the facts on all the most popular essential oils, how they’re made, and how to turn them into holistic treatments for everything from anxiety and insomnia, to sore throats and burns, and even deodorant and shampoo. It’s never been easier to unlock the power of aromatherapy and boost your mind, body, and spirit.
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing offers:
Safety first—Not all essential oils are healthy for everybody. Discover which ones are best suited to your needs and how to use them properly. Inside and out—These custom blends can help with physical and mental healing, as well as things like love, inspiration, memory, and change. Aromatherapy revealed—Learn about the history of aromatherapy and the science behind why it works. The power to create safe healing remedies with essential oils is now in your hands.
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Gentle Babies: Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants and Young Children (10th Anniversary Edition)
Debra Raybern
4.2
Combining two decades of professional knowledge with tried-and-true techniques and first-hand testimonials, the author has compiled this insightful and easy to follow guide benefiting both experienced and first-time mothers. In addition, the book contains an introduction to therapeutic-grade essential oils and applications and provides safety information and a section on discerning the quality of essential oils. Every family taking proactive steps to better health should have this resource in their home library. "This is the first and only book we recommend specifically for mothers and expectant women. Every family needs this book." - Dr. David and Lee Stewart, authors of Safe Alternatives in Childbirth, Five Standards for Safe Childbearing, Healing Oils of the Bible and The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple. "I recommend this book to everyone I know, especially those proactively supporting the health of their children and grandchildren. It is my hope that every household will own this book and every child may benefit from the information on the use of therapeutic-grade essential oils." - Jamie Hyatt, R.N., F.C.C.I., B.C.R.S., L.S.H.
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The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross
Robert N. Ross
4.2
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Conspiracy of Fools
Kurt Eichenwald
4.2
From an award-winning New York Times reporter comes the full, mind-boggling story of the lies, crimes, and ineptitude behind the spectacular scandal that imperiled a presidency, destroyed a marketplace, and changed Washington and Wall Street forever . . .
Recommended by Keith Slotter.
Keith Slotter
Conspiracy of Fools is one of my favourite books. It came out shortly after the Enron debacle and it actually doesn’t follow the case all the way through. It really ends when the FBI is just starting to get involved, rather than with the prosecution. I like the way the book tells the story from the inside of Enron. I think it is a book that really opened a lot of people’s eyes. Before reading this it was hard to fathom that corruption and greed could be this rampant in any corporation, let alone a Fortune Top 25 Corporation. [source]
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Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia
Robert Lacey
4.1
What happened in the Middle East's oil-rich powerhouse while we weren't looking? Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. It's a modern state driven by contemporary technology & possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs & practices rolled back 1000 years to match those of the prophet Muhammad. With Inside the Kingdom, journalist & bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating & insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. While living for years among the nation's princes & paupers, its clerics & progressives, Lacey endeavored to find out how the consequences of the 1970s oil boom produced a society at war with itself. Filled with stories that trace a path thru the Persian Gulf War & the events of 9/11 to the oilmarket convulsions of today, Inside the Kingdom gives a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing world. Their struggle will have powerful reverberations around the globe. This rich work provides a penetrating look at a country no one can afford to ignore.
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The Global Oil & Gas Industry: Management, Strategy and Finance
Andrew Inkpen, Michael H. Moffett
4.1
Despite its size and importance, a surprising lack of basic knowledge exists about the oil and gas industry.
With their timely new book, authors Andrew Inkpen and Michael H. Moffett have written a nontechnical book to help readers with technical backgrounds better understand the business of oil and gas. They describe and analyze the global oil and gas industry, focusing on its strategic, financial, and business aspects and addressing a wide range of topics organized around the oil and gas industry value chain, starting with exploration and ending with products sold to consumers.
The Global Oil & Gas Industry is a single source for anyone interested in how the business of the world�s largest industry actually works: business executives, students, government officials and regulators, professionals working in the industry, and the general public.
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The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies
Richard Heinberg
4.1
The world is about to run out of cheap oil and change dramatically. Within the next few years, global production will peak. Thereafter, even if industrial societies begin to switch to alternative energy sources, they will have less net energy each year to do all the work essential to the survival of complex societies. We are entering a new era, as different from the industrial era as the latter was from medieval times.
In The Party’s Over, Richard Heinberg places this momentous transition in historical context, showing how industrialism arose from the harnessing of fossil fuels, how competition to control access to oil shaped the geopolitics of the twentieth century and how contention for dwindling energy resources in the twenty-first century will lead to resource wars in the Middle East, Central Asia and South America. He describes the likely impacts of oil depletion and all of the energy alternatives. Predicting chaos unless the United States—the world’s foremost oil consumer—is willing to join with other countries to implement a global program of resource conservation and sharing, he also recommends a “managed collapse” that might make way for a slower-paced, low-energy, sustainable society in the future.
More readable than other accounts of this issue, with fuller discussion of the context, social implications and recommendations for personal, community, national and global action, Heinberg’s updated book is a riveting wake-up call for human-kind as the oil era winds down, and a critical tool for understanding and influencing current US foreign policy.
Richard Heinberg, from Santa Rosa, California, has been writing about energy resources issues and the dynamics of cultural change for many years. A member of the core faculty at New College of California, he is an award-winning author of three previous books. His Museletter was nominated for the Best Alternative Newsletter award by Utne in 1993.
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Llewellyn's Complete Formulary of Magical Oils: Over 1200 Recipes, Potions & Tinctures for Everyday Use
Celeste Rayne Heldstab
4.1
Step into the fantastically fragrant world of magical oils and discover a new, invigorating way to delight your senses, uplift your spirits, improve your health, and enjoy total relaxation. Whether your intention is magical or medicinal, specially blended essential oils can enrich your life with their mystical, energizing, and transformative power.
Within this one-of-a-kind portable apothecary, learn to select and mix 67 essential oils for a myriad of magical, medicinal, and spiritual applications. Spanning every purpose from inner calm and romance to healing and energy work to prayer and spellcraft, all 1,200 recipes are arranged alphabetically to make it easy to find precisely what you need.
Step by step, Celeste Rayne Heldstab also shows how to create your own blends for spells, rituals, and remedies. Amp up their potency with correspondences for the elements, day of the week, time of day, Moon phase, astrological sign, herbs, and gemstones.
Protection for house & home Love & passion Career & finances Dreamwork & meditation Beauty & skin care Fatigue, headaches, & other common ailments Praise: "Celeste skillfully demystifies the process of using and blending oils by providing lucid, detailed, and easy-to-read instructions while emphasizing the magical power inherent in plants."--Judika Illes, author of The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
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Energy: A Beginner's Guide
Vaclav Smil
4.1
With one famous equation, E=mc2, Einstein proved all matter can be described as energy. It is everywhere and it is everything. In this newly updated and engaging introduction, renowned scientist Vaclav Smil explores energy in all its facets – from the inner workings of the human body to what we eat, the car we drive and the race for more efficient and eco-friendly fuels.
Energy: A Beginner's Guidehighlights the importance of energy in both past and present societies, by shedding light on the science behind global warming and efforts to prevent it, and by revealing how our daily decisions affect energy consumption. Whether you're looking for dinner table conversation or to further your own understanding, this book will amaze and inform, uncovering the truths and exposing the myths behind one of the most important concepts in our universe.
This book is about physical rather than social sciences. It explores important topics around how energy works, how our production and use might evolve, and how this affects climate change. [source]
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Betsy Bosom's Baby Book: A Girlfriend's Guide to Using Essential Oils from Bellies to Babies
Lucy Libido
4.1
Lucy Libido has done it again, and this time with extra help from her good friend Betsy Bosom! Lucy and Betsy have gone above and beyond to research many of our favorite essential oils and how they impact both mom and baby. They cover every topic that a mom could need during pregnancy and after bringing baby home. They provide fun blends and fantastic recipes for the many seasons of change that mommies are bound to go through. The value is immense as they give the inside scoop on why we choose to focus on certain oils and avoid others using science backed data. This dynamic duo pulls together the greatest use of essential oils from the trying-to-conceive stage all the way to holding baby in your loving arms. Aside from pregnant mamas, this book is a must-have for anyone who is an oil educator or who has has children or grandchildren. It includes never before seen dilution guides and oil reference charts for babies, toddlers and children. Every question you could ever have about using oils with children is covered in the well researched and modern Betsy Baby Book.
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Smart Mom's Guide to Essential Oils
Mariza Snyder
4.1
Discover Dr. Mariza Snyder's indepth guide to essential oils with over 50 of the most useful essential oil recipes for tackling every mom's daily needs
As a mother, you are always looking for ways to make your family safer, happier and healthier. This book shows how essential oils can help you achieve all those things. And you’ll save money!
An easy-to-use handbook for creating natural solutions, green cleaners, and toxin-free personal care items, the Smart Mom’s Guide to Essential Oils provides pure and potent recipes, including:
• Peppermint and Grapefruit energizing air diffusion • Fennel and Eucalyptus respiratory relief rub • Citrus-infused cleaning spray and scrub • Lavender and Melaleuca skin-soothing salve • Chamomile and Vetiver stress reliever • Spearmint-powered digestive aid
Your family’s wellness starts with you. That’s why this helpful handbook also features a powerful regimen to reduce stress, increase energy and sustain your own personal vitality.
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Healing Oils of the Bible
David Stewart
4.1
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40
Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America
Eliza Griswold
4.1
Prize-winning poet and journalist Eliza Griswold's Amity and Prosperity is an expose on how fracking shattered a rural Pennsylvania town, and how one lifelong resident brought the story into the national spotlight. This is an incredible true account of investigative journalism and a devastating indictment of energy politics in America.
Stacey Haney, a lifelong resident of Amity, Pennsylvania, is struggling to support her children when the fracking boom comes to town. Like most of her neighbors, she sees the energy companies' payments as a windfall. Soon trucks are rumbling down her unpaved road and a fenced-off fracking site rises on adjacent land. But her annoyance gives way to concern and then to fear as domestic animals and pets begin dying and mysterious illnesses strike her family--despite the companies' insistence that nothing is wrong.
Griswold masterfully chronicles Haney's transformation into an unlikely whistle-blower as she launches her own investigation into corporate wrongdoing. As she takes her case to court, Haney inadvertently reveals the complex rifts in her community and begins to reshape its attitudes toward outsiders, corporations, and the federal government. Amity and Prosperity uses her gripping and moving tale to show the true costs of our energy infrastructure and to illuminate the predicament of rural America in the twenty-first century.
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41
The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience
Rob Hopkins, Richard Heinberg
4.1
We live in an oil-dependent world. Most people don't want to think about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive). This title shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive effect.
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Organic Aromatherapy & Essential Oils: The Modern Guide to All-Natural Health and Wellness
Amber Robinson
4.1
Improving your health and well-being through aromatherapy just got an organic upgrade. In Organic Aromatherapy & Essential Oils, you’ll discover new ways to enhance your physical and psychological states without being exposed to harmful chemicals. This is your introduction into the world of authentically natural healing.
Go beyond basic aromatherapy with 150 recipes and remedies―plus gain important information on the benefits of these treatments. Learn how organic essential oils can healthfully and holistically heal your body, mind, and spirit.
This organic aromatherapy and essential oils guide includes:
Soothing concoctions―The recipes are designed to help you with everyday ailments like allergies, eczema, stress, exhaustion, and others. Detailed profiles―Get advice for building an extensive collection of organic oils, plus thorough descriptions of the top 10 must-haves. Best practices―Learn the safest, most effective methods of application for baths and showers, direct skin usage, diffusers, and steam inhalation. Go organic, and discover the natural advantage of aromatherapy and essential oils.
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43
Supplements Desk Reference: First Edition
Jen O'Sullivan
4.1
This updated first edition SDR includes CBD, and newly released IlluminEyes(TM) and Olive Essentials(TM) from the 2019 Young Living Convention. The "Supplements Desk Reference" by Jen O'Sullivan, covers all 58 of Young Living's(R) nutrition-based supplements. Each supplement showcases the ingredients and what those ingredients are known to support, so you can be sure if it is the right one for you. It contains specific protocols using Young Living's(R) recommended directions for support areas such as hormones, liver support, bone health, glucose, cholesterol, weight management, stress, and sleep, along with the basics of child, dog, cat, and horse health. The SDR contains a comprehensive list of common potential allergens, interactions, and cautions, along with a complete list of all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and herbs found in the Young Living(R) products and which supplements contain them. When you need to know what the best supplement is to take, in order to get more vitamin D, you will be able to know the answer right away... it's OmegaGize3(TM). Endorsement from Olivier Wenker, MD, MBA, ABAARM, FAARFM, DEAA "Bestselling author Jen O'Sullivan has done what has been overdue for a long time by creating a desk reference guide for Young Living's supplements. It is not a trivial task as the requirements for supplements vary from person to person, but the way this book is structured makes it easy to find what one searches for. Section 1 gives suggestions on how and why to support wellness for specific topics and individual organ systems. Section 2 is great because all Young Living's supplements can now be found in one single resource. Section 3 is important because not only does it provide a way to search for supplements containing certain specific ingredients, it also provides a list of ingredients some people might want to avoid such as dairy, nuts, shellfish, gluten, or listing products that are non-vegan. This is not only important in finding the correct supplements, but also it has huge value because one can compare or add up the individual ingredients found in the various products in order to avoid overdosing when taking multiple supplements over longer periods of time. All in all, a must-have for consumers of Young Living supplements."
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Essential Oils for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
Althea Press
4.1
Essential oils are a natural and safe way to improve your health, cure ailments, and soothe your body and mind.
Essential oils come from natural sources, and have been used for centuries for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Essential Oils for Beginners is the comprehensive guide to harnessing the power of essential oils. Recent scientific research has proven that essential oils can truly prevent and heal disease, and they are far more affordable and safe than modern medical treatments. Essential Oils for Beginners will show you how to create your own recipes to cure all of your ailments, and improve your overall well-being. Essential oils are also amazing tools for relaxation, therapy, and beauty treatments. This book will show you how to expertly blend essential oils to create your own aromatherapy mixes, and effective treatments for healthy skin and hair.
Essential Oils for Beginners will teach you to use essential oils for any purpose, with:
* Over 85 recipes for essential oils remedies Easy-to-follow recipes for curing ailments, enhancing beauty, and sprucing up the home * 10 helpful tips for blending essential oils correctly and safely * Advice for to buy the best essential oils, and how to store your collection * Detailed information on the benefits of essential oils and aromatherapy
Using Essential Oils for Beginners, you can start living a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle right away through the power of essential oils.
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Essential Oils for Beginners: The Where To & How To Guide For Essential Oil Beginners
Mary Jones
4.1
Are you worried about the side effects of pharmaceutical medicines? Discover natural solutions to safely treat a wide variety of common health issues.Are you struggling with health problems like acne, anxiety, or allergies that just won't go away? Have your efforts to cure your ailments with modern medicine made you more sick in the process? Author Mary Jones discovered the healing power of essential oils in her youth when searching for alternatives to pharmaceutical medicine. Now an essential oil expert, Jones shows you how these inexpensive and age-old remedies provide the power of self-healing.
Essential Oils for Beginners: The Where To & How To Guide For Essential Oil Beginners is a comprehensive resource that demonstrates the power of essential oils. Inside, you'll discover everything you need to know about the top 30 essential oils and the amazing aromatherapy benefits of these natural medicines. An in-depth guide to the best essential oils for every situation, Jones' book is your ultimate reference to banishing modern-day ailments.
In Essential Oils for Beginners, you'll discover: Over 50 unique essential oil recipes to treat common health issues Which essential oils to use for ailments such as obesity, stress, wrinkles, and anxiety How to boost your energy instantly using the power of essential oils A full essential oil glossary and FAQ section covering essential usage questions The best essential oils for seasonal allergy relief and much, much more! Essential Oils for Beginners is a comprehensive compendium that contains everything you need to know about conquering your everyday maladies. If you like practical methods, easy-to-learn formulas, and a natural approach to healing, then you'll love Jones' jam-packed A-Z reference.
Buy Essential Oils for Beginners and start making perfect scents today!
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Essential Oils
Susan Curtis and Fran Johnson
4.1
An introductory guide to essential oils and aromatherapy from the experts at Neal's Yard Remedies, a trusted source for natural health and beauty products.
Introduce yourself to the world of Essential Oils for treating maladies and improving mental and physical well-being. Featuring comprehensive profiles of 88 essential oils, all-natural remedies for common ailments, aromatic recipes for home and beauty, and helpful guidance for blending, storing, and using essential oils, this introductory guide is packed with authoritative information from the experts at Neal's Yard Remedies.
Whether you seek natural alternatives to conventional medicines or want to eliminate synthetically produced chemicals from your home and beauty products, simple visual instructions and gorgeous full-color photographs make it easy. An illustrated A to Z reference section helps you identify the most useful oils, while information on application methods, tips on massage techniques, guidance on creating custom blends, and up-to-date safety recommendations help you learn how to use them for maximum benefit.
Essential Oils can help you improve your overall well-being and start you on the path to a more natural you.
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47
The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East
Andrew Scott Cooper
4.1
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48
The Problem of Increasing Human Energy: With Special Reference to the Harnessing of the Sun's Energy
Nikola Tesla
4.1
Part philosophical ponderings on humanity's relationship to the universe, part scientific extrapolation on what technological advancement might bring to that understanding, this long essay, first published in Century Illustrated Magazine in June 1900, is yet another example of the genius of Serbian inventor NIKOLA TESLA (1857-1943), the revolutionary scientist who forever changed the scientific fields of electricity and magnetism. From the possibilities presented by robotics to the "civilizing potency of aluminum," from a "self-acting engine" to one of the first proposals to use solar power to run industrial civilization, and much more, this is a wide-ranging but illuminating look into the thoughts of an unsung hero of scientific philosophy.
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Essential Oil Recipes: One Drop at a Time
Brandy Jones Arnold and Brandy Garison
4.1
If you would like to gain a deeper knowledge of how to use essential oils and create your own remedies, blends, beauty products, household cleaners and gifts, this book belongs in your collection. One of the most delightful surprises as an essential oil user is the constant discovery of how many diversities each oil is capable of. The magnitude of this knowledge and the search for effective recipes that make every drop count can be somewhat overwhelming at times, for both beginning and seasoned oilers. The recipes contained in this REVISED EDITION utilize essential oils available from any reputable essential oil company. This creation is a culmination of "Best-of-the Best" recipes used successfully in various essential oil communities, and is a valuable tool for expanding your working knowledge of applications. A wide array of topics and over 300 recipes are covered in 104 pages that create creams, serums, salves, roller bottle blends, diffuser blends and more. Featuring an easy-to-use layout, there is room beside each recipe, as well as blank section in the back, to note your own modifications and experiments. This made-with-love book is a wonderful resource designed to free beginners from intimidation and feelings of being overwhelmed, as well as allow advanced essential oil users to broaden their horizons. Topics include: Respiratory Support Concentration Mood Enhancement Stress Management The Bedroom Beauty & Skin Care Health & Hygiene Men Children Household Outdoors DISCLAIMER: This document is a compilation of recipes used successfully by persons who use high-quality, authentic, plant-derived, unadulterated essential oils as determined by many factors including growth, growth location, harvesting process, distillation method used, etc. There are many grades of essential oils available. Not all essential oils are created equally, and not all essential oils are suitable for topical use or ingestion. Carefully do your research before selecting the brand(s) of essential oils that decide to use. Always follow label directions on the essential oil bottles. The willingness of individual users to share their recipes in this book is very much appreciated. However, neither the contributors to this book nor myself are medical practitioners and cannot diagnose, treat or prescribe treatment for any health condition or disease. Before using any alternative medicines, natural supplements, or vitamins, you should always discuss the products you are using or intend to use with your medical practitioner, especially if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or nursing. All information contained within this book is for reference purposes only, and is not intended to substitute advice given by a pharmacist, physician or other licensed health-care professional. As such, we are not responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising from use of the essential oil recipes contained herein.
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Painting with Bob Ross: Learn to paint in oil step by step!
Bob Ross Inc
4.1
Painting with Bob Ross—with artwork created by Bob Ross himself using his specially formulated oil paints, brushes, basecoats, and other tools—introduces artists and Bob Ross fans to the basics of painting landscapes. Everyone will enjoy Painting with Bob Ross, as his “happy accidents” approach makes this challenging subject matter enjoyable for all ages, regardless of skill level and materials used.
“All you need is the desire to make beautiful things happen on canvas…” —Bob Ross
In 1982, The Joy of Paintingmade its debut on public television. The unrehearsed, unedited show soon became a favorite among aspiring artists and painters. Almost 40 years and 403 episodes after his on-air debut, and decades after his untimely passing, Bob Ross still has enormous global popularity as a beloved painter, affable TV personality, and cultural icon.
With this guide, you can learn to paint a happy tree in seconds, just like Bob Ross! Painting with Bob Ross introduces you to the tools and materials you need to paint beautiful landscapes, as well as basic painting techniques, such as how to load your brush and how to paint with a knife.
Following the introduction are 16 painting projects, each with a complete list of tools and materials needed and instructions for preparing the canvas. Jump into painting with step one, then follow the full-color painting progressions and clearly written instructions until you’ve reached the final step—and your new, joyful work of art! This is the only Bob Ross book with all-color images.
Even if you’re brand new to painting, remember that Bob said, “Talent is nothing more than a pursued interest. All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind.” Throughout this book, Bob’s quotes encourage you to keep going.
So grab your copy of Painting with Bob Ross, relax and unwind, and paint a Bob Ross-inspired landscape! You can paint graceful mountains, ocean waves crashing onto rocks, a winter cabin, a lakeside path, a deep forest river, and many more breathtaking views. And don’t forget to sign each of your masterpieces once you’ve completed the last step!
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The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich
Daniel Ammann
4.1
Billionaire oil trader Marc Rich for the first time talks at length about his private life (including his expensive divorce from wife Denise); his invention of the spot oil market which made his fortune and changed the world economy; his lucrative and unpublicized dealings with Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran, Fidel Castro's Cuba, war-ravaged Angola, and apartheid South Africa; his quiet cooperation with the Israeli and U.S. governments (even after he was indicted for tax fraud by Rudy Guiliani) and near-comical attempts by U.S. officials to kidnap him illegally.
This sure-to-make-headlines book is the first no-holds-barred biography of Rich, who was famously pardoned by Bill Clinton, and resurfaced in the news during the confirmation hearings of Attorney General Eric Holder. The King of Oil sheds stunning new light on one of the most controversial international businessmen of all time, charting Rich's rise from the Holocaust, which he fled as a young boy, to become the wealthiest and most powerful oil and commodities trader of the century. From his earliest trading days to the present, Marc Rich's story is astonishing and compelling.
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The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations
Michael L. Ross
4.1
Countries that are rich in petroleum have less democracy, less economic stability, and more frequent civil wars than countries without oil. What explains this oil curse? And can it be fixed? In this groundbreaking analysis, Michael L. Ross looks at how developing nations are shaped by their mineral wealth--and how they can turn oil from a curse into a blessing.
Ross traces the oil curse to the upheaval of the 1970s, when oil prices soared and governments across the developing world seized control of their countries' oil industries. Before nationalization, the oil-rich countries looked much like the rest of the world; today, they are 50 percent more likely to be ruled by autocrats--and twice as likely to descend into civil war--than countries without oil.
The Oil Curse shows why oil wealth typically creates less economic growth than it should; why it produces jobs for men but not women; and why it creates more problems in poor states than in rich ones. It also warns that the global thirst for petroleum is causing companies to drill in increasingly poor nations, which could further spread the oil curse.
This landmark book explains why good geology often leads to bad governance, and how this can be changed.
-- "Choice"
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53
Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It
Gemma Milne
4.1
'Robots will steal your job!'
'AI will revolutionise farming!'
'Genetic editing will cure cancer!'
Bombastic headlines about science and technology are nothing new. To cut through the constant stream of information and misinformation on social media, or grab the attention of investors, or convince governments to take notice, strident headlines or bold claims seem necessary to give complex, nuanced information some wow factor.
But hype has a dark side, too.
It can mislead. It can distract. It can blinker us from seeing what is actually going on.
From AI, quantum computing and brain implants, to cancer drugs, future foods and fusion energy, science and technology journalist Gemma Milne reveals hype to be responsible for fundamentally misdirecting or even derailing crucial progress.
Hype can be combated and discounted, though, if you're able to see exactly where, how and why it is being deployed.
This book is your guide to doing just that.
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54
Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, an Introductory Guide: More Than 300 Recipes for Health, Home and Beauty
Sonoma Press
4.1
Your personal guide to using essential oils and aromatherapy for your health, home, and beauty regimen.
Lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and other healing plants are likely right at your fingertips, or just beyond at a nearby garden. Now unlocking their healing powers is, too. Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: An Introductory Guide offers all the techniques, tools, and tips you need to start creating natural, toxic-free medicine and everyday household products from the comfort of your home.
Essential Oils and Aromatherapy contains:
A Comprehensive Introduction covering everything you need to know to get started with essential oils
300 Recipes providing comforting remedies for your health and home, plus beauty and skincare recipes
Helpful Techniques for measuring, dispending, and blending essential oils like a seasoned aromatherapist, plus tips for massage, acupressure, inhalation, and more
Personal Apothecary featuring in-depth profiles of more than 60 essential oils for you to choose the best ones for your needs Recipes in Essential Oils and Aromatherapy address common ailments such as acne, migraines, nausea, and stress, Toxin-Free Household Items such as lavender laundry detergent and all-purpose cleaner to air fresheners, Beauty Treatments such as face masks, body butter, and soothing bath salts, and much more!
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55
Essential Oils of the Bible: Connecting God's Word to Natural Healing
Randi Minetor
4.1
It can be difficult to find the time and means by which we can reinforce our values and practice the principles of our faith. One way of connecting to our spiritual selves or a higher power is through an essential oils practice, by making their soothing and sanctifying properties a part of daily routine.
In Biblical times, essential oils were used for everything from holy ceremonies to everyday needs. Today, we can harness the all-natural power of essential oils to calm, purify, and heal our bodies and homes. Essential Oils of the Bible is written at the intersection of science and spirituality, allowing the benefits of both to infuse your spiritual essential oils practice.
In Essential Oils of the Bible, you will find:
Profiles of 30 essential oils of the Bible, each beautifully illustrated and featuring a verse in which it's mentioned Oil profiles that specify medicinal properties and uses, precautions, and complementary or substitute oils 75 common needs for essential oils--from flu and muscle pain to kitchen care--and 150 simple remedies and recipes A handy list of oils in Scripture, noting book, chapter, and verse for each As practical as it is informative, Essential Oils of the Bible will shed new light on the essential oils that God manifested for natural health and wellness.
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56
Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo
Stephanie Storey
4.1
Called “tremendously entertaining” (The New York Times) Stephanie Storey’s brilliant bestselling debut, brings early 16th-century Florence, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo Buonarroti alive for art lovers and readers of historical fiction.
With extraordinary empathy into the minds and souls of the two great Renaissance artists, Storey offers a stunning art history thriller. From 1501 to 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. Michelangelo was a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself.
Michelangelo is a virtual unknown when he returns to Florence and wins the commission to carve what will become one of the most famous sculptures of all time: David. Even though his impoverished family shuns him for being an artist, he is desperate to support them. Living at the foot of his misshapen block of marble, Michelangelo struggles until the stone finally begins to speak. Working against an impossible deadline, he begins his feverish carving.
Meanwhile, Leonardo's life is falling apart: he loses the hoped-for David commission; he can't seem to finish any project; he is obsessed with his ungainly flying machine; he almost dies in war; his engineering designs disastrously fail; and he is haunted by a woman he has seen in the market--a merchant's wife, whom he is finally commissioned to paint. Her name is Lisa, and she becomes his muse.
Leonardo despises Michelangelo for his youth and lack of sophistication. Michelangelo both loathes and worships Leonardo's genius.
Oil and Marble is the story of their nearly forgotten rivalry.
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Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
Christie Watson
4.1
Set in the Niger Delta, Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way.
When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother's family.
Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children's school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife.
But Blessing's grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world.
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58
Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil
Timothy Mitchell
4.1
Does oil wealth lead to political poverty? It often looks that way, but Carbon Democracy tells a more complex story. In this magisterial study, Timothy Mitchell rethinks the history of energy, bringing into his grasp as he does so environmental politics, the struggle for democracy, and the place of the Middle East in the modern world.
With the rise of coal power, the producers who oversaw its production acquired the ability to shut down energy systems, a threat they used to build the first mass democracies. Oil offered the West an alternative, and with it came a new form of politics. Oil created a denatured political life whose central object – the economy – appeared capable of infinite growth. What followed was a Western democracy dependent on an undemocratic Middle East. We now live with the consequences: an impoverished political practice, incapable of addressing the crises that threaten to end the age of carbon democracy – namely, the disappearance of cheap energy and the carbon-fueled collapse of the ecological order.
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59
Treasure of Khan (Dirk Pitt, #19)
Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler
4.1
Black Wind continued Dirk Pitt's meteoric career with one of Clive Cussler's most audacious, and well-received novels yet. But now Cussler takes an extraordinary leap, with one of his most remarkable villains ever.
Genghis Khan-the greatest conqueror of all time, who, at his peak, ruled an empire that stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea. His conquests are the stuff of legend, his tomb a forgotten mystery. Until now
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The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
Paul Roberts
4.1
Petroleum is now so deeply entrenched in our economy, our politics, and our personal expectations that even modest efforts to phase it out are fought tooth and nail by the most powerful forces in the world: companies and governments that depend on oil revenues; the developing nations that see oil as the only means to industrial success; and a Western middle class that refuses to modify its energy-dependent lifestyle. But within thirty years, by even conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is easily accessible. And well before then, the side effects of an oil-based society—economic volatility, geopolitical conflict, and the climate-changing impact of hydrocarbon pollution—will render fossil fuels an all but unacceptable solution. How will we break our addiction to oil? And what will we use in its place to maintain a global economy and political system that are entirely reliant on cheap, readily available energy?
Brilliantly reported from around the globe, The End of Oil brings the world situation into fresh and dramatic focus for business and general readers alike. Roberts talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, considers the promises and pitfalls of alternatives, and shows that, although the world energy system has begun its epoch-defining transition, disruption and violent dislocation are almost assured if we do not take a more proactive stance. With the topicality and readability of Fast Food Nation and the scope and trenchant analysis of Guns, Germs, and Steel, this is a vitally important book for the new century.
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Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies
Stephanie Fritz
4.1
Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies is a reference guide written to educate, inspire and empower pregnant women or anyone assisting them, including midwives and doulas.
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Renewable Energy: A Primer for the Twenty-First Century
Professor Bruce Usher
4.1
From wood to coal to oil and gas, the sources of energy on which civilization depends have always changed as technology advances. Now renewables are overtaking fossil fuels, with wind and solar energy becoming cheaper and more competitive every year. Growth in renewable energy will further accelerate as electric vehicles become less expensive than traditional automobiles. Understanding the implications of the energy transition will prepare us for the many changes ahead.
This book is a primer for readers of all levels on the coming energy transition and its global consequences. Bruce Usher provides a concise yet comprehensive explanation for the extraordinary growth in wind and solar energy; the trajectory of the transition from fossil fuels to renewables; and the implications for industries, countries, and the climate. Written in a straightforward style with easy-to-understand visual aids, the book illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of renewable energy based on business fundamentals and analysis of the economic forces that have given renewables a tailwind. Usher dissects the winners and losers, illustrating how governments and businesses with a far-sighted approach will reap long-term benefits while others will trail behind. Alongside the business and finance case for renewable energy, he provides a timely illustration of the threat of catastrophic climate change and the perils of delay. A short and powerful guide to our energy present and future, this book makes it clear that, from both economic and environmental perspectives, there is no time to lose.
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63
The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa's Wealth
Tom Burgis
4.1
The trade in oil, gas, gems, metals and rare earth minerals wreaks havoc in Africa. During the years when Brazil, India, China and the other “emerging markets” have transformed their economies, Africa's resource states remained tethered to the bottom of the industrial supply chain. While Africa accounts for about 30 per cent of the world's reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals and 14 per cent of the world's population, its share of global manufacturing stood in 2011 exactly where it stood in 2000: at 1 percent.
In his first book, The Looting Machine, Tom Burgis exposes the truth about the African development miracle: for the resource states, it's a mirage. The oil, copper, diamonds, gold and coltan deposits attract a global network of traders, bankers, corporate extractors and investors who combine with venal political cabals to loot the states' value. And the vagaries of resource-dependent economies could pitch Africa's new middle class back into destitution just as quickly as they climbed out of it. The ground beneath their feet is as precarious as a Congolese mine shaft; their prosperity could spill away like crude from a busted pipeline.
This catastrophic social disintegration is not merely a continuation of Africa's past as a colonial victim. The looting now is accelerating as never before. As global demand for Africa's resources rises, a handful of Africans are becoming legitimately rich but the vast majority, like the continent as a whole, is being fleeced. Outsiders tend to think of Africa as a great drain of philanthropy. But look more closely at the resource industry and the relationship between Africa and the rest of the world looks rather different. In 2010, fuel and mineral exports from Africa were worth 333 billion, more than seven times the value of the aid that went in the opposite direction. But who received the money? For every Frenchwoman who dies in childbirth, 100 die in Niger alone, the former French colony whose uranium fuels France's nuclear reactors. In petro-states like Angola three-quarters of government revenue comes from oil. The government is not funded by the people, and as result it is not beholden to them. A score of African countries whose economies depend on resources are rentier states; their people are largely serfs. The resource curse is not merely some unfortunate economic phenomenon, the product of an intangible force. What is happening in Africa's resource states is systematic looting. Like its victims, its beneficiaries have names.
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Recommended by Trevor Ncube.
Trevor Ncube
@shumbamutasa @PTChimusoro Agreed. Powerful book. Read it about 2 years ago. #twitterbookclub [source]
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Wayfaring Stranger (Holland Family Saga, #1)
James Lee Burke
4.1
A sprawling thriller drenched with atmosphere and intrigue that takes a young boy from a chance encounter with Bonnie and Clyde to the trenches of World War II and the oil fields along the Texas-Louisiana coast.
It is 1934 and the Depression is bearing down when sixteen-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends as Weldon puts a bullet through the rear window of Clyde’s stolen automobile.
Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland and his sergeant, Hershel Pine, escape certain death in the Battle of the Bulge and encounter a beautiful young woman named Rosita Lowenstein hiding in a deserted extermination camp. Eventually, Weldon and Rosita fall in love and marry and, with Hershel, return to Texas to seek their fortunes.
There, they enter the domain of jackals known as the oil business. They meet Roy Wiseheart—a former Marine aviator haunted with guilt for deserting his squadron leader over the South Pacific—and Roy’s wife Clara, a vicious anti-Semite who is determined to make Weldon and Rosita’s life a nightmare. It will be the frontier justice upheld by Weldon’s grandfather, Texas lawman Hackberry Holland, and the legendary antics of Bonnie and Clyde that shape Weldon’s plans for saving his family from the evil forces that lurk in peacetime America and threaten to destroy them all.
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Oil: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
Vaclav Smil
4.1
Packed with fascinating facts and insight, this book will fuel dinner party debate, and provide readers with the science and politics behind the world’s most controversial resource. Without oil, there would be no globalisation, no plastic, little transport, and a global political landscape that few would recognise. It is the lifeblood of the modern world, and humanity’s dependence upon it looks set to continue for decades to come. In this captivating book, the author of the acclaimed Energy: A Beginner’s Guide, Vaclav Smil, explains all matters related to the ‘black stuff’, from its discovery in the earth, right through to the political maelstrom that surrounds it today. Author Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He has written over 10 books on energy and been a keynote speaker at both the World Economic Forum and the Global Roundtable on Climate Change. He is the first non-American to receive the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology and is a Special Fellow of the Royal Society.
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66
The Portable Essential Oils: A Pocket Reference of Everyday Remedies for Natural Health & Wellness
Anne Kennedy
4.1
No matter where we happen to be or what we might be doing, everyday ailments have their way of s....
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Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America
Darren Dochuk
4.1
A groundbreaking new history of the United States, showing how Christian faith and the pursuit of petroleum fueled America's rise to global power and shaped today's political clashes
Anointed with Oil places religion and oil at the center of American history. As prize-winning historian Darren Dochuk reveals, from the earliest discovery of oil in America during the Civil War, citizens saw oil as the nation's special blessing and its peculiar burden, the source of its prophetic mission in the world. Over the century that followed and down to the present day, the oil industry's leaders and its ordinary workers together fundamentally transformed American religion, business, and politics -- boosting America's ascent as the preeminent global power, giving shape to modern evangelical Christianity, fueling the rise of the Republican Right, and setting the terms for today's political and environmental debates.
Ranging from the Civil War to the present, from West Texas to Saudi Arabia to the Alberta Tar Sands, and from oil-patch boomtowns to the White House, this is a sweeping, magisterial book that transforms how we understand our nation's history.
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Rick Simpson Oil - Nature's Answer for Cancer
Rick Simpson
4.1
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69
Evidence-based Essential Oil Therapy: The Ultimate Guide to the Therapeutic and Clinical Application of Essential Oils
Dr. Scott A Johnson
4.1
Whether you are new to essential oils, a long-time user, or a healthcare professional wishing to integrate essential oils into your practice, this book will quickly become your go-to resource! Endorsed by MDs, DOs, NPs, and doulas. Thousands of hours of research, clinical observations, ancient practices, and practical use are distilled into this ultimate guide to essential oils that combines evidence-based research with the art of natural healing to realize the maximum benefits of therapeutic essential oils.
What’s included: ~ In depth profiles for 88 botanical species of essential oils including cautions, possible substitutes, dilution range, primary compounds, therapeutic properties, cautions, and supportive science. ~ Hundreds of research studies summarized in one or two sentences. ~ Simple to follow protocols for more than 450 common health conditions. ~ A section specific to essential oil therapy for children including protocols specific to age groups for more than 100 childhood ailments. ~ A complete guide for using essential oils safely and effectively during pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and lactation that includes more than 70 protocols to help make these special times more enjoyable. ~ Comprehensive safety information, including interactions with medications. ~ Answers to the most common questions about essential oil therapy by both lay persons and practitioners.
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70
Aromatherapy for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Getting Started with Essential Oils
Anne Kennedy
4.1
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71
The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea
Steve LeVine
4.0
Remote, forbidding, and volatile, the Caspian Sea long tantalized the world with its vast oil reserves. But outsiders, blocked by the closed Soviet system, couldn’t get to it. Then the Soviet Union collapsed, and a wholesale rush into the region erupted. Along with oilmen, representatives of the world’s leading nations flocked to the Caspian for a share of the thirty billion barrels of proven oil reserves at stake, and a tense geopolitical struggle began. The main players were Moscow and Washington–the former seeking to retain control of its satellite states, and the latter intent on dislodging Russia to the benefit of the West. The Oil and the Glory is the gripping account of this latest phase in the epochal struggle for control of the earth’s “black gold.” Steve LeVine, who was based in the region for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Newsweek, weaves an astonishing tale of high-stakes political gamesmanship, greed, and scandal, set in one of the most opaque corners of the world. In LeVine’s telling, the world’s energy giants jockey for position in the rich Kazakh and Azeri oilfields, while superpowers seek to gain a strategic foothold in the region and to keep each other in check. At the heart of the story is the contest to build and operate energy pipelines out of the landlocked region, the key to controlling the Caspian and its oil. The oil pipeline that resulted, the longest in the world, is among Washington’s greatest foreign policy triumphs in at least a decade and a half. Along the way, LeVine introduces such players as James Giffen, an American moneyman who was also the political “fixer” for oil companies eager to do business on the Caspian and the broker for Kazakhstan’s president and ministers; John Deuss, the flamboyant Dutch oil trader who won big but lost even bigger; Heydar Aliyev, the oft-misunderstood Azeri president who transcended his past as a Soviet Politburo member and masterminded a scheme to loosen Russian control over its former colonies in the Caspian region; and all manner of rogues, adventurers, and others drawn by the irresistible pull of untold riches and the possible “final frontier” of the fossil-fuel era. The broader story is of the geopolitical questions of the Caspian oil bonanza, such as whether Russia can be a trusted ally and trading partner with the West, and what Washington’s entry into this important but chaotic region will mean for its long-term stability. In an intense and suspenseful narrative, The Oil and the Glory is the definitive chronicle of events that are understood by few, but whose political and economic impact will be both profound and lasting.
"The collapse of the Soviet Union was a big opportunity for Big Oil, whose exploits are detailed in this fast-paced work of political and economic reportage by Wall Street Journal energy correspondent LeVine. Westerners had been sniffing for black gold in Russia and its satellites long before the empire disintegrated, notes the author. Averell Harriman, “the Harvard-trained scion of nineteenth-century robber baron Edward Harriman,” tried his hand at the business before turning to manganese mining, while Armand Hammer “became a money launderer for the Bolsheviks, sneaked cash to secret Bolshevik agents in the United States, and profited handsomely as the representative in Russia of some thirty American companies.” Hammer set the tone for the Americans who flocked to the Caspian in the first years of the Clinton presidency, which maneuvered for the construction of an east-west oil pipeline that, by reversing the old pattern of Central Asian materials going north to Russia and coming back as products for sale, “would favor the West and disfavor Russia.” Not a nice way to treat a fledgling democracy, but the oil scouts, of course, considered Russia a rival for Central-Asian resources second only to Iran, with its heartfelt and long-standing enmity toward the United States in the region and abroad. These scouts–the first among equals being LeVine’s heart-of-darkness antihero, Jim Giffen–kept their distance when Russia still had control over the area, spurning a Gorbachev-era program to allow foreign co-ownership. But they rushed to support separatist movements and encouraged ethnic and political divisions that opened the door to an even bigger share of the wealth. The tale of Giffen’s rise and fall (the latter for perhaps surprising reasons) occupies much of the later pages, but he never loses sight of the bigger picture: namely, Central Asia as oil lamp and potential powder keg in the realpolitik of the next few years. A complex story rendered comprehensible, with much drama and intrigue."--KIRKUS
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72
The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted: Guided Lessons for Beginners and Experienced Artists
Kathleen Lochen Staiger
4.0
Everything you always wanted to know about oil painting...but were afraid to ask. Or maybe you weren’t afraid—maybe you just didn’t know what to ask or where to start. In The Oil Painting Course You’ve Always Wanted, author Kathleen Staiger presents crystal clear, step-by-step lessons that build to reinforce learning. Brush control, creating the illusion of three dimensions, foolproof color mixing, still-life painting, landscapes, and portraits—every topic is covered in clear text, diagrams, illustrations, exercises, and demonstrations. Staiger has taught oil painting for more than thirty-five years; many of her students are now exhibiting and selling their paintings. Everyone from beginning hobby painters, to art students, to BFA graduates has questions about oil painting. Here at last are the answers!
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73
Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy
Matthew R. Simmons
4.0
Twilight in the Desert reveals a Saudi oil and production industry that could soon approach a serious, irreversible decline. In this exhaustively researched book, veteran oil industry analyst Matthew Simmons draws on his three-plus decades of insider experience and more than 200 independently produced reports about Saudi petroleum resources and production operations. He uncovers a story about Saudi Arabia's troubled oil industry, not to mention its political and societal instability, which differs sharply from the globally accepted Saudi version. It's a story that is provocative and disturbing, based on undeniable facts, but until now never told in its entirety. Twilight in the Desert answers all readers' questions about Saudi oil and production industries with keen examination instead of unsubstantiated posturing, and takes its place as one of the most important books of this still-young century.
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74
The Long Descent: A User's Guide to the End of the Industrial Age
John Michael Greer
4.0
SeattleOil.com — The Internet writings of John Michael Greer - beyond any doubt the greatest peak oil historian in the English language - have finally made their way into print. Greer fans will recognize many of the book's passages from previous essays, but will be delighted to see them fleshed out here with additional examples and analysis.The Long Descent is one of the most highly anticipated peak oil books of the year, and it lives up to every ounce of hype. Greer is a captivating, brilliantly inventive writer with a deep knowledge of history, an impressive amount of mechanical savvy, a flair for storytelling and a gift for drawing art analogies. His new book presents an astonishing view of our society's past, present and future trajectory--one that is unmatched in its breadth and depth. Reviewed byFrank Kaminski
Wired.com—The Long Descent is a welcome antidote to the armageddonism that often accompanies peak oil discussions. "The decline of a civilization is rarely anything like so sudden for those who live through it" writes Greer, encouragingly; it's "a much slower and more complex transformation than the sudden catastrophes imagined by many soical critics today."
The changes that will follow the decline of world petroleum production are likely to be sweeping and global, Greer concludes, but from the perspective of those who live through them these changes are much more likely to take gradual and local forms. Reviewed by Bruce Sterling
Americans are expressing deep concern about US dependence on petroleum, rising energy prices, and the threat of climate change. Unlike the energy crisis of the 1970s, however, there is a lurking fear that now the times are different and the crisis may not easily be resolved.
The Long Descent examines the basis of such fear through three core themes: • Industrial society is following the same well-worn path that has led other civilizations into decline, a path involving a much slower and more complex transformation than the sudden catastrophes imagined by so many social critics today. • The roots of the crisis lie in the cultural stories that shape the way we understand the world. Since problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them, these ways of thinking need to be replaced with others better suited to the needs of our time. • It is too late for massive programs for top-down change; the change must come from individuals.
Hope exists in actions that range from taking up a handicraft or adopting an “obsolete” technology, through planting an organic vegetable garden, taking charge of your own health care or spirituality, and building community.
Focusing eloquently on constructive adaptation to massive change, this book will have wide appeal.
John Michael Greer is a certified Master Conserver, organic gardener, and scholar of ecological history. The current Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), his widely-cited blog, The Archdruid Report (thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com) deals with peak oil, among other issues. He lives in Ashland, Oregon.
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75
Saudi America: The Truth about Fracking and How It's Changing the World
Bethany McLean
4.0
"A sharp portrait of the US shale revolution." -- Financial Times
Bestselling author Bethany McLean reveals the true story of fracking's impact -- on Wall Street, the economy and geopolitics.
The technology of fracking in shale rock -- particularly in the Permian Basin in Texas -- has transformed America into the world's top producer of both oil and natural gas. The U.S. is expected to be "energy independent" and a "net exporter" in less than a decade, a move that will upend global politics, destabilize Saudi Arabia, crush Russia's chokehold over Europe, and finally bolster American power again.
Or will it?
Investigative journalist Bethany McLean digs deep into the cycles of boom and bust that have plagued the American oil industry for the past decade, from the financial wizardry and mysterious death of fracking pioneer Aubrey McClendon, to the investors who are questioning the very economics of shale itself. McLean finds that fracking is a business built on attracting ever-more gigantic amounts of capital investment, while promises of huge returns have yet to bear out. Saudi America tells a remarkable story that will persuade you to think about the power of oil in a new way.
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76
Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent
Andrew Nikiforuk
4.0
Winner of the 2009 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award , from the Society of Environmental Journalists
Canada has one third of the world’s oil source; it comes from the bitumen in the oil sands of Alberta. Advancements in technology and frenzied development have created the world’s largest energy project in Fort McMurray where, rather than shooting up like a fountain in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the sticky bitumen is extracted from the earth. Providing almost 20 percent of America’s fuel, much of this dirty oil is being processed in refineries in the Midwest. This out-of-control megaproject is polluting the air, poisoning the water, and destroying boreal forest at a rate almost too rapid to be imagined. In this hard-hitting book, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk exposes the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands and argues forcefully for change.
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A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations
Robert Bryce
4.0
Current has become currency. This is the story of electricity-the commodity that determines which nations rise and which fall or remain mired in poverty, and powers us physically and politically.
If, in the ancient world, it was guns and germs and steel that determined the fates of people and nations, in modern times it is electricity. No other form of power translates into affluence and influence like it. Though demand for it is growing exponentially, it remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and to do so reliably. Storage is even harder. This paradox has shaped global politics, affected the outcome of wars, and underlies the growing chasm between rich and poor, educated and uneducated. It is changing the game for business, and the requirements of national defense. It is altering the landscape, and complicating the task of dealing effectively with climate change.
In this book, Robert Bryce explains the unique nature of electricity as a commodity. He draws on stories from history to illustrate the stunning impact of our quest to harness it, illuminates exactly what is required to successfully sustain it, and explores the impact on societies and individuals when it collapses.
As billions of people around the world still live in darkness, the gap between the electricity haves and have-nots widens, with profound political and ethical consequences. Modern life, even civilization, has become ever more dependent on a source of energy that must be produced locally and in the moment, in a reliably steady stream at particular wattage, conveyed on wires strung on poles or threaded through pipes. If the lights go out, so does our manner of living, with potentially devastating consequences.
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78
The Big Book Of Essential Oil Recipes For Healing & Health: Over 200 Aromatherapy Remedies For Common Ailments
Mel Hawley
4.0
When it comes to alternative medical treatment, essential oils are indispensable for every home. They are natural, inexpensive and 100 effective for optimum healing and health. Synthetic substances contained in expensive drugs merely cover up symptoms but damage vital organs in the name of side effects. Essential oils are not like that. Proven to be 50 times stronger than herbs, essential oils heal at a cellular level, passing through the skin and straight into the circulatory system and cells to bring lasting healing and restoration without side effects. There are over 200 recipes in this big book to help you cure everyday ailments. From simple Coughs and Colds, headaches, fevers to pains, digestive problems and emotional issues, you will never have to spend lots of money on medications anymore. What's more, there are also plenty of information on essential oils to help you benefit immensely from their diverse usage. As a matter of fact, everything you need to know about essential oil for healing and health can be found in this big book. It's worth every penny!
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79
How to Paint: A Complete Beginners Guide to Watercolor, Acrylics, and Oils
Angela Gair
4.0
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80
Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
Robert Baer
4.0
“Saudi Arabia is more and more an irrational state—a place that spawns global terrorism even as it succumbs to an ancient and deeply seated isolationism, a kingdom led by a royal family that can’t get out of the way of its own greed. Is this the fulcrum we want the global economy to balance on?”
In his explosive New York Times bestseller, See No Evil, former CIA operative Robert Baer exposed how Washington politics drastically compromised the CIA’s efforts to fight global terrorism. Now in his powerful new book, Sleeping with the Devil, Baer turns his attention to Saudi Arabia, revealing how our government’s cynical relationship with our Middle Eastern ally and America’ s dependence on Saudi oil make us increasingly vulnerable to economic disaster and put us at risk for further acts of terrorism.
For decades, the United States and Saudi Arabia have been locked in a “harmony of interests.” America counted on the Saudis for cheap oil, political stability in the Middle East, and lucrative business relationships for the United States, while providing a voracious market for the kingdom’ s vast oil reserves. With money and oil flowing freely between Washington and Riyadh, the United States has felt secure in its relationship with the Saudis and the ruling Al Sa’ud family. But the rot at the core of our “friendship” with the Saudis was dramatically revealed when it became apparent that fifteen of the nineteen September 11 hijackers proved to be Saudi citizens.
In Sleeping with the Devil, Baer documents with chilling clarity how our addiction to cheap oil and Saudi petrodollars caused us to turn a blind eye to the Al Sa’ud’s culture of bribery, its abysmal human rights record, and its financial support of fundamentalist Islamic groups that have been directly linked to international acts of terror, including those against the United States. Drawing on his experience as a field operative who was on the ground in the Middle East for much of his twenty years with the agency, as well as the large network of sources he has cultivated in the region and in the U.S. intelligence community, Baer vividly portrays our decades-old relationship with the increasingly dysfunctional and corrupt Al Sa’ud family, the fierce anti-Western sentiment that is sweeping the kingdom, and the desperate link between the two. In hopes of saving its own neck, the royal family has been shoveling money as fast as it can to mosque schools that preach hatred of America and to militant fundamentalist groups—an end game just waiting to play out.
Baer not only reveals the outrageous excesses of a Saudi royal family completely out of touch with the people of its kingdom, he also takes readers on a highly personal search for the deeper roots of modern terrorism, a journey that returns time again and again to Saudi Arabia: to the Wahhabis, the powerful Islamic sect that rules the Saudi street; to the Taliban and al Qaeda, both of which Saudi Arabia helped to underwrite; and to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the most active and effective terrorist groups in existence, which the Al Sa’ud have sheltered and funded. The money and arms that we send to Saudi Arabia are, in effect, being used to cut our own throat, Baer writes, but America might have only itself to blame. So long as we continue to encourage the highly volatile Saudi state to bank our oil under its sand—and so long as we continue to grab at the Al Sa’ud’s money—we are laying the groundwork for a potential global economic catastrophe.
From the Hardcover edition.
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81
The American Trap: My battle to expose America's secret economic war against the rest of the world
Frédéric Pierucci
4.0
This is the story of a man caught in the middle of a huge American destabilizing operation, illustrating the secret economic war that the United States is waging against developed nations across the world.
In 2014, France lost part of the control of its nuclear power plants to the United States. Frédéric Pierucci, former senior executive of one of Alstom's subsidiaries, found himself at the heart of the $12 billion thriller that illustrates the secret economic war that the United States is waging in Europe. And after being silenced for a long time, he has decided, with the help of journalist Matthieu Aron, to reveal all.
In April 2013, Frédéric was arrested in New York by the FBI and prosecuted for a bribery case, despite not being involved at all. The U.S. authorities locked him up for more than two years - including 14 months in a very high security prison. In doing so, they forced Alstom to pay the biggest penalty ever imposed by the United States and to give up areas of control to General Electric, Alstom's biggest American competitor.
Frédéric's story unpacks how the United States is diverting the law and morality and using corporate law as an economic weapon against its own allies. One after the other, some of the world's largest companies are being actively destabilized to the benefit of the U.S. Treasury, in acts of sabotage that seem only to be the beginning of what's to come. . .
Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy
Russell Gold
4.0
In the ever more urgent quest for sources of renewable energy, meet the man boldly harnessing the natural forces that could power America’s future.
The United States is in the midst of an energy transition. We want to embrace renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and rely less on dirty fossil fuels. We don’t want to keep pumping so many heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Any transition from a North American power grid that uses mostly fossil fuels to one that is predominantly clean requires a massive building spree—billions of dollars’ worth.
Enter Michael Skelly, an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000, when many considered the industry a joke. Eight years later, Skelly helped create the second largest wind power company in the United States—which was sold for $2 billion. Wind energy was no longer funny; it was well on its way to generating a substantial percentage of the electricity in the United States.
Acclaimed journalist and author of The Boom, “the best all-around book yet on fracking” (San Francisco Chronicle), Russell Gold tells the story of this pioneer whose innovations, struggles, and persistence represent the groundbreaking changes underway in American energy. InSuperpower, we meet Skelly’s financial backers, a family that pivoted from oil exploration to renewable energy; the farmers ready to embrace the new “cash crop”; the landowners prepared to go to court to avoid looking at overhead wires; and utility executives who concoct fiendish ways to block renewable energy. Gold also shows how Skelly’s innovative company, Clean Line Energy, conceived the idea for a new power grid that would allow sunlight where abundant to light up homes thousands of miles away in cloudy states, and take wind from the Great Plains to keep air conditioners running in Atlanta. Thrilling, provocative, and important, Superpower is a fascinating look at America’s future.
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83
Petroleum Refining in Nontechnical Language
William L. Leffler
4.0
Using analogies, graphs, formulas and illustrations, the author overviews key topics in the refining industry for professionals in finance and marketing. The third edition reflects changes in petroleum processing and the impact of environmental regulation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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84
Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
Vandana Shiva
4.0
With Soil Not Oil, Vandana Shiva connects the dots between industrial agriculture and climate change. Shiva shows that a world beyond dependence on fossil fuels and globalization is both possible and necessary.
Condemning industrial agriculture as a recipe for ecological and economic disaster, Shiva’s champion is the small, independent farm: their greater productivity, their greater potential for social justice as they put more resources into the hands of the poor, and the biodiversity that is inherent to the traditional farming practiced in small-scale agriculture. What we need most in a time of changing climates and millions hungry, she argues, is sustainable, biologically diverse farms that are more resistant to disease, drought, and flood. In her trademark style, she draws solutions to our world’s most pressing problems on the head of a pin: “The solution to climate change,” she observes, “and the solution to poverty are the same.”
Using Shiva’s organization Navdanya—praised by Barbara Kingsolver as “a small, green Eden framed against the startling blue backdrop of the Himalayas”—as a model, Soil Not Oil lays out principles for feeding the planet that are socially just and environmentally sound. Shiva then expands her analysis to broader issues of globalization and climate change, arguing that a healthy environment and a just world go hand in hand. Unwavering and truly visionary, Soil Not Oil proposes a solution based on self-organization, sustainability, and community rather than corporate power and profits.
A world-renowned environmental leader and thinker, Vandana Shiva is the author of many books, including Earth Democracy, Water Wars, and Staying Alive. She is the editor of Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed.
Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum
Michael Klare
4.0
In his pathbreaking Resource Wars, world security expert Michael Klare alerted us to the role of resources in conflicts in the post-cold-war world. Now, in Blood and Oil, he concentrates on a single precious commodity, petroleum, while issuing a warning to the United States--its most powerful, and most dependent, global consumer.
Since September 11 and the commencement of the "war on terror," the world's attention has been focused on the relationship between U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the oceans of crude oil that lie beneath the region's soil. Klare traces oil's impact on international affairs since World War II, revealing its influence on the Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Carter doctrines. He shows how America's own wells are drying up as our demand increases; by 2010 the United States will need to import 60 percent of its oil. And since most of this supply will have to come from chronically unstable, often violently anti-American zones--the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, Latin America, and Africa--our dependency is bound to lead to recurrent military involvement.
With clarity and urgency, Blood and Oil delineates the United States' predicament and cautions that it is time to change our energy policies, before we spend the next decades paying for oil with blood.
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87
Chakras: A Complete Guide to Chakra Healing: Balance Chakras, Improve your Health and Feel Great
Kristine Marie Corr
4.0
What is Chakra Healing and How can you apply its principles throughout your life? Learn the basics today with this straightforward book. Are you looking to uncover the immense natural energy you can enjoy when your chakras are balanced and healthy? Do you find yourself looking for a path that can help you unlock the secrets to happiness, energy, and wellbeing?
The chakras have long been seen as the most important centers of energy and power in the human body. When the chakras are fully functional, the body can stay healthy and at peace.
Naturally, there are many outside forces that can hurt our bodies and keep the chakras from being open. The chakras must be open and flowing if the body and mind are to be healthy and happy.
This guide will help you to understand the seven chakras and how they will work to improve your body in general. Each individual chakra covers different parts of the body and various emotional and physical aspects of your life.
You will learn about how to identify the key signs of blocked chakras while also learning about what you can do to restore their functions. These include many routines that are easy to incorporate into your daily life.
After reading this book you will learn What are the seven chakrasWhat are the signs and symptoms of blocked chakrasCauses of Blockages and Healing of ImbalancesPositive Habits and How They Influence The ChakrasDietary HabitsThe Energetic Influence of OthersEnhancing Intuition with AntioxidantsAromatherapy for The ChakrasAffirmations for The ChakrasHerbals for The ChakrasGemstones & Crystals for The ChakrasChakra Block - A Healing TechniqueExternal Triggers of Chakra BlocksChakra Block - General Healing TechniqueAnd Much More
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88
Depression, Oil Trading & a Mind at War with Itself
Jonathan Ford
4.0
From a largely joyless childhood in the UK, Jonathan shares his troubled family life, with an alcoholic father and domineering mother, through the school and college years and to the present day. He chronicles his agonizing struggles with severe depression and anxiety that caused massive marital strife with his two American wives plus career upheaval, almost resulting in suicide. His mental illness could not have made him more unsuited to his chosen career as an oil trader during which he suffered many failings, disappointments and betrayal that threw him into deep despair and his life into turmoil and, ultimately, near financial ruin. His unfailing love for his four children from two difficult marriages shines through the darkness and has been the principal factor behind his survival. Jonathan offers valuable insight into the murky world of oil trading, supported by his first-hand knowledge of the industry, gained whilst working notably for Vitol and BP, as well as a trader's perspective on the Enron era, sprinkled with eye-opening, fascinating, and often amusing anecdotes.
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89
Savages
Joe Kane
4.0
Savages is a firsthand account, by turn hilarious, heartbreaking, and thrilling, of a small band of Amazonian warriors and their battle to preserve their way of life. Includes eight pages of photos.
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90
The Colder War: How the Global Energy Trade Slipped from America's Grasp
Marin Katusa
4.0
How the massive power shift in Russia threatens the political dominance of the United States There is a new cold war underway, driven by a massive geopolitical power shift to Russia that went almost unnoticed across the globe. In The Colder War: How the Global Energy Trade Slipped from America's Grasp, energy expert Marin Katusa takes a look at the ways the western world is losing control of the energy market, and what can be done about it.
Russia is in the midst of a rapid economic and geopolitical renaissance under the rule of Vladimir Putin, a tenacious KGB officer turned modern-day tsar. Understanding his rise to power provides the keys to understanding the shift in the energy trade from Saudi Arabia to Russia. This powerful new position threatens to unravel the political dominance of the United States once and for all.
Discover how political coups, hostile takeovers, and assassinations have brought Russia to the center of the world's energy market Follow Putin's rise to power and how it has led to an upsetting of the global balance of trade Learn how Russia toppled a generation of robber barons and positioned itself as the most powerful force in the energy market Study Putin's long-range plans and their potential impact on the United States and the U.S. dollar If Putin's plans are successful, not only will Russia be able to starve other countries of power, but the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) will replace the G7 in wealth and clout. The Colder War takes a hard look at what is to come in a new global energy market that is certain to cause unprecedented impact on the U.S. dollar and the American way of life.
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91
Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil
Peter Maass
4.0
A stunning and revealing examination of oil's indelible impact on the countries that produce it and the people who possess it.
Every unhappy oil-producing nation is unhappy in its own way, but all are touched by the "resource curse"—the power of oil to exacerbate existing problems and create new ones. In Crude World, Peter Maass presents a vivid portrait of the troubled world oil has created. He takes us to Saudi Arabia, where officials deflect inquiries about the amount of petroleum remaining in the country's largest reservoir; to Equatorial Guinea, where two tennis courts grace an oil-rich dictator's estate but bandages and aspirin are a hospital's only supplies; and to Venezuela, where Hugo Chávez's campaign to redistribute oil wealth creates new economic and political crises.
Maass, a New York Times Magazine writer, also introduces us to Iraqi oilmen trying to rebuild their industry after the invasion of 2003, an American lawyer leading Ecuadorians in an unprecedented lawsuit against Chevron, a Russian oil billionaire imprisoned for his defiance of Vladimir Putin's leadership, and Nigerian villagers whose livelihoods are destroyed by the discovery of oil. Rebels, royalty, middlemen, environmentalists, indigenous activists, CEOs—their stories, deftly and sensitively presented, tell the larger story of oil in our time.
Crude World is a startling and essential account of the consequences of our addiction to oil.
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Recommended by Adam Haslett.
Adam Haslett
Yes, this was written before the spill in the Gulf but it is a very well-written and detailed account of how countries have been affected and infected by the oil industry and how their politics have been distorted. It covers places like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, New Guinea and Ecuador. [source]
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92
Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse
Paul Carter
4.0
A take no prisoners approach to life has seen Paul Carter heading to some of the world's most remote, wild and dangerous places as a contractor in the oil business. Amazingly, he's survived, to tell these stories from the edge of civilization, and reason.
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93
Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs and Security
Amory B. Lovins, E. Kyle Datta, Odd-Even Bustnes, Jonathan G. Koomey, Nathan J. Glasgow
4.0
Recommended by Jerry McNerney.
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94
On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines - and Future
Karen Elliott House
4.0
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter who has spent the last thirty years writing about Saudi Arabia—as diplomatic correspondent, foreign editor, and then publisher of TheWall Street Journal—an important and timely book that explores all facets of life in this shrouded Kingdom: its tribal past, its complicated present, its precarious future.
Through observation, anecdote, extensive interviews, and analysis Karen Elliot House navigates the maze in which Saudi citizens find themselves trapped and reveals the mysterious nation that is the world’s largest exporter of oil, critical to global stability, and a source of Islamic terrorists.
In her probing and sharp-eyed portrait, we see Saudi Arabia, one of the last absolute monarchies in the world, considered to be the final bulwark against revolution in the region, as threatened by multiple fissures and forces, its levers of power controlled by a handful of elderly Al Saud princes with an average age of 77 years and an extended family of some 7,000 princes. Yet at least 60 percent of the increasingly restive population they rule is under the age of 20.
The author writes that oil-rich Saudi Arabia has become a rundown welfare state. The public pays no taxes; gets free education and health care; and receives subsidized water, electricity, and energy (a gallon of gasoline is cheaper in the Kingdom than a bottle of water), with its petrodollars buying less and less loyalty. House makes clear that the royal family also uses Islam’s requirement of obedience to Allah—and by extension to earthly rulers—to perpetuate Al Saud rule.
Behind the Saudi facade of order and obedience, today’s Saudi youth, frustrated by social conformity, are reaching out to one another and to a wider world beyond their cloistered country. Some 50 percent of Saudi youth is on the Internet; 5.1 million Saudis are on Facebook.
To write this book, the author interviewed most of the key members of the very private royal family. She writes about King Abdullah’s modest efforts to relax some of the kingdom’s most oppressive social restrictions; women are now allowed to acquire photo ID cards, finally giving them an identity independent from their male guardians, and are newly able to register their own businesses but are still forbidden to drive and are barred from most jobs.
With extraordinary access to Saudis—from key religious leaders and dissident imams to women at university and impoverished widows, from government officials and political dissidents to young successful Saudis and those who chose the path of terrorism—House argues that most Saudis do not want democracy but seek change nevertheless; they want a government that provides basic services without subjecting citizens to the indignity of begging princes for handouts; a government less corrupt and more transparent in how it spends hundreds of billions of annual oil revenue; a kingdom ruled by law, not royal whim.
In House’s assessment of Saudi Arabia’s future, she compares the country today to the Soviet Union before Mikhail Gorbachev arrived with reform policies that proved too little too late after decades of stagnation under one aged and infirm Soviet leader after another. She discusses what the next generation of royal princes might bring and the choices the kingdom faces: continued economic and social stultification with growing risk of instability, or an opening of society to individual initiative and enterprise with the risk that this, too, undermines the Al Saud hold on power.
A riveting book—informed, authoritative, illuminating—about a country that could well be on the brink, and an in-depth examination of what all this portends for Saudi Arabia’s future, and for our own.
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95
Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post Peak Oil World: A 25-Point Program for Action
Michael C. Ruppert, Colin Campbell Ph.D.
4.0
The book that inspired the movie Collapse.
The world is running short of energy-especially cheap, easy-to-find oil. Shortages, along with resulting price increases, threaten industrialized civilization, the global economy, and our entire way of life.
In Confronting Collapse, author Michael C. Ruppert, a former LAPD narcotics officer turned investigative journalist, details the intricate connections between money and energy, including the ways in which oil shortages and price spikes triggered the economic crash that began in September 2008. Given the 96 percent correlation between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions and the unlikelihood of economic growth without a spike in energy use, Ruppert argues that we are not, in fact, on the verge of economic recovery, but on the verge of complete collapse.
Ruppert's truth is not merely inconvenient. It is utterly devastating.
But there is still hope. Ruppert outlines a 25-point plan of action, including the creation of a second strategic petroleum reserve for the use of state and local governments, the immediate implementation of a national Feed-in Tariff mandating that electric utilities pay 3 percent above market rates for all surplus electricity generated from renewable sources, a thorough assessment of soil conditions nationwide, and an emergency action plan for soil restoration and sustainable agriculture.
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96
Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling & Production
Norman J. Hyne
4.0
In this popular text that has trained thousands in the petroleum industry for years, Dr. Norman Hyne takes readers through upstream operations--from how oil and gas are formed; how to find commercial quantities; how to drill, evaluate, and complete a well--all the way through production and improved oil recovery. He uses lots of pictures, graphs, and illustrations to aid readers in understanding topics and to provide necessary visuals.
Read it cover-to-cover as a complete primer, read it a section at a time as it comes up in your profession, and keep it handy as a quick reference.
New to this edition: - A chapter on unconventional oil and gas (including gas shales) - Modern tools used in well logging - Modern drilling rig methods and equipment - Expanded glossary includes 1,500 new terms - More figures and plates - Up-to-date statistics
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97
The Windup Girl
Paolo Bacigalupi
4.0
Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko...
Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe.
What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? Award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers one of the most highly acclaimed science fiction novels of the twenty-first century.
My list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make sense of life and Science fiction to picture what the future could be like (not always utopian). [source]
Novels: The Windup Girl and Pattern Recognition are chock full of images and ideas that will stick with you for months. [source]
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98
The Solar Sales Leap: Stop Knocking on Doors, Cold Calling, and Buying Leads and Start Using the Internet to Grow Your Solar Energy Business for the Long Term
Erik Curren
4.0
"In the rapidly changing PV industry, The Solar Sales Leap is a must-read for anyone involved in the task of marketing solar power to residential homeowners. Curren summarizes here what many PV installers are failing to recognize when trying to capture the attention of a qualified residential solar power prospect."-- Joe Sadonis, Solar Consultant, Paradise Clean Energy
The Solar Sales Leap will help anyone who works in marketing, sales, or management at a residential or commercial solar contractor to sell more solar with the powerful new tools of online outreach.
These days, even while solar panels are getting cheaper and cheaper, the cost of acquiring a new solar customer remains high - around $3,000 on average for a residential installation, according to GTM Research. This raises the price of installations and cuts into the profit of solar installers.
If solar sales and marketing was effective it would be cheaper and easier to get a new solar customer. But traditional tactics, most of which have been used for decades, from door-knocking to cold calling to direct mail, don't work well anymore. In some cases, by destroying consumer trust, outdated outreach can backfire for solar sales.
Why? Blame it on the Internet.
No Patience for Cold Calls and Door-to-Door Sales
Suffering from an overload of information through phones and computers, not to mention cable TV and satellite radio, the average American consumer today gets thousands of marketing messages a day. That's why more and more people are blocking ads on their computers and on their phones. Busy consumers have even less patience for solar telemarketers or door knockers than they do for ads.
That's why today, people are not just blocking the ads. Potential solar buyers are also hanging up on the cold callers, slamming the door on the canvassers, and tossing out the direct mail unread. And that means lost sales for solar installers.
Pushy marketing tactics create distrust for the solar industry. And that distrust is fanned by monopoly electric utilities who use stories of solar scams spread around the news media and online to throw mud on the rooftop solar industry. As scare stories spread they'll create distrust and make homeowners and commercial property owners think twice about working directly with solar installers.
The Solar Sales Leap is a practical guide to help solar installers survive and thrive in today's market by using the power of the Internet to build trust with homeowners and commercial property owners.
The book is also a manifesto calling for the industry to remove the biggest roadblock to solar's growth by bringing the industry's marketing out of the 1970s into the 21st century.
Different than Other Books on Solar Marketing and Sales
While there have been books published previously on solar sales and marketing, The Solar Sales Leap is the first book to introduce Internet marketing to solar companies.
It's a detailed guide to help solar installers make the transition online with concrete advice to create content they can use to establish themselves as trusted advisors rather than sales bullies. The book covers such topics as:
How all marketing today has become Internet marketing Why going online is much more than getting a Facebook page or putting up a website - it's a change of mindset The secrets to building a website that will generate solar leads online Why solar installers need to distinguish themselves from competitors in order to make sales Blogging as the secret weapon to build a successful solar brand
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99
The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World
Russell Gold
4.0
An award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist offers an insightful, no-holds-barred exploration of today’s most controversial yet promising new energy technology: fracking.
Russell Gold, a brilliant and dogged investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, has spent more than a decade reporting on one of the biggest stories of our time: the spectacular, world-changing rise of “fracking.” Recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award for his work, Gold has traveled along the pipelines and into the hubs of this country’s energy infrastructure; he has visited frack sites from Texas to North Dakota; and he has conducted thousands of interviews with engineers and wildcatters, CEOs and roughnecks, environmentalists and politicians. He has also sifted through reams of engineering reports, lawsuit transcripts, and financial filings. The result is an essential book—a commanding piece of journalism, an astounding study of human ingenuity, and an epic work of storytelling.
Fracking has vociferous critics and fervent defenders, but the debate between these camps has obscured the actual story: Fracking has become a fixture of the American landscape and the global economy. It has upended the business models of energy companies around the globe, and it has started to change geopolitics and global energy markets in profound ways. Gold tells the story of this once-obscure oilfield technology—a story with an incredible cast of tycoons and geologists, dreamers and drillers, speculators and skeptics, a story that answers a critical question of our time: Where will the energy come from to power our world—and what price will we have to pay for it?
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100
Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage - New Edition
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