Business Fiction

In How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, veteran journalist Chris Taylor traces the series from the difficult birth of the original film through its sequels, the franchise’s death and rebirth, the prequels, and the preparations for a new trilogy. Taylor provides portraits of the friends, writers, artists, producers, and marketers who labored behind the scenes to turn Lucas’s idea into a legend.

When the enemy is pushed to the edge, they burn your house down. But a house is just a wall. The only home Damion has ever known is Alana. And his enemy's end will not be gentle. He will do whatever he has to do to end this story with Alana on the Wall Street throne next to him.

In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, who include the ski-suit-wearing, bin-foraging Nicky. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommends books - both lost classics and new discoveries - introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.

If laughter is the best medicine, then this book is your prescription. Turn off the news and spend a few days not following current events. Instead, return to the basics - humanity's ability to laugh at itself. Maybe you should even do a news cleanse for a few days! Hide under the covers and listen to these stories instead. Or listen to a chapter a day, or a story a day for 101 days. This book contains the antidote to whatever is troubling you. They will definitely put you in a good mood.

Yes, I climbed into Jake Jensen’s lap and kissed the crap out of him in a crowded bar to make my ex jealous. Yes, I lied to my family and told them I’m in a relationship with the guy, even though he doesn’t know my name or my family’s connection to one of the hottest software companies in the US. Yes, I’m now on my way to convince him to be my fake boyfriend for my father’s company retreat in exchange for...whatever the heck he wants if it’ll get me out of this mess. And no, I’m not interested in his smoldering eyes or the way his hands feel against my body.

Unfinished Business focuses on an ordinary suburban office worker, fundamentally weak but always keeping his eyes fixed on some horizon where a heightened, romantic, better world must surely exist. Faced with the regular stuff of life - work, aspiration, marriage, age, divorce, bereavement - his ordinary plight is sharpened, becoming increasingly urgent. Having lived in a modern condition, confusing pleasure with happiness, wanting the dream to deliver, what do you do when you notice the shadows begin to lengthen on the lawn?

On Sarah Whitfield's 75 birthday, memories take her back to New York in the 1930s. To a marriage that ends after a year, leaving Sarah shattered. A trip to Europe with her parents does little to raise her spirits, until she meets William, Duke of Whitfield. In time, despite her qualms, William insists on giving up his distant right to the British throne to make Sarah his duchess and his wife. On their honeymoon, the newlyweds buy an old French château, but not long after, the war begins. William joins the allied forces, leaving Sarah; their first child, an infant; and their second child on the way, in France.

As a technology pioneer at MIT and as the leader of three successful start-ups, Kevin Ashton experienced firsthand the all-consuming challenge of creating something new. Now, in a tour-de-force narrative 20 years in the making, Ashton leads us on a journey through humanity's greatest creations to uncover the surprising truth behind who creates and how they do it.

Operated by the same family for more than a century, Midnight Blues may be fun for the locals and the tourists, but as of late, the club hasn’t been fun for its owner, Big Shirley Duncan, or her son Tyrese, descendants of the original proprietors. The pair finds themselves in the middle of a turf war between local politicians, developers, and a ruthless underworld boss, Jean LeBlanc, who is looking to make a name for himself. Afraid for the first time in her life that her family may lose control of The Blues, Big Shirley sends Tyrese to New York to see her brother-in-law, LC Duncan.

As the days pass, I begin to realize how much my life is missing. Companionship. Romance. Intimacy. When I discover my heart has space for one more female, it’s a lost cause, another curveball. The hot-as-hell nanny is leaving soon for a mission trip to Central America. No sense in letting myself fantasize about Jessa being a permanent part of my life. The closer we get, the more difficult it becomes to keep my feelings in check, because my heart won’t listen. And neither will my libido.

When Abi inherits her uncle's quaint and storied single malt distillery, she finds herself immersed in a competitive high-stakes business that elicits deep passions and prejudices. An award-winning photojournalist, Abi has no trouble capturing the perfect shot - but making the perfect shot is another matter. When she starts to receive disturbing, anonymous threats, it's clear that someone wants her out of the picture.

From professional athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan to philosophers like Confucius, inspirational business books love to suggest that listeners can succeed in business and in life by adopting the traits of their famous subjects. In Z.E.O. by Scott Kenemore, frustrated employees will finally find inspiration in a source they can already relate to: zombies!

Rain Christiansen, cold-case detective and reluctant medium, is very aware of that fact. But when infamous serial killer Thomas Kane wants to meet, there's no way Rain can say no. He also can't refuse Kane's offer - find his missing wife, Delilah, and he'll reveal the location of his victim's bodies. Rain has never turned down a good quid pro quo, and he doesn't intend to start. The hunt for Kane's wife leads to yet another cold case, three copycat murders, and an investigation where nothing is as it seems. Soon, Rain is dealing with a ghost unlike any he's ever dealt with before.

Commitment - I hate the damn word. That's since my ex walked out on me. Not even looking back at our son. My son is my world. I think he deserves so much better than her. In fact, we both do! And then I notice Mia stepping into my gym. My world stops still, I notice the first drop of sweat from her forehead, and God, I am hooked. I can see that dark, hooded desire in her shy eyes. I am picturing her being an animal in bed...all wild and unhinged! And soon I give into the temptation. Forget that she's my client, and it's so off-limits.

When Selena Martinez had one night with Tom Murray and fell pregnant, she thought maybe this was the start of her happily ever after—just like in her favorite romance novels. But then he told her to get lost, and she realized that life isn't anything like a book. Now, she knows her place. She's meant to be in the background, never the main character, and she's fine with it. She needs all of her energy to focus on raising her son, Max, without the man she once thought could be her hero. When she runs into him again, he's caring and attentive—making her rethink everything she knew about him.

Damage’s club has had an offer it can’t refuse, to patch over to join The Brethren MC. But as the bikes rumble and roar across the wild Northern fells, what does this mean for Damage and his brothers? What choices will they have to make as they ride through the wind? What bloody oil stained history might it reawaken? And why are The Brethren making this offer? Loyalty to his club and his brothers has been Damage’s life and route to wealth, but what happens when business becomes serious and brother starts killing brother?

When Marlene Cowley hires Spenser to see if her husband Trent is cheating on her, he encounters more than he bargained for: not only does he find a two-timing husband, but a second investigator as well, hired by the husband to look after his wife. As a result of their joint efforts, Spenser soon finds himself investigating both individual depravity and corporate corruption.

Thrust into a life and family that neither of them were looking for, Gabi Jacobs and Terrence Whitaker decide that they'll just make the best of it, because the have most important ingredient: love. Through the ashes of their failed romantic relationship, they're able to form a different type of bond, one that allows them to effectively co-parent their daughter, and even become friends. Constantly pulled together by chance and circumstance, will Gabi and Terrence decide to embark on a journey to finish what they started, or will they decide that it's best to leave the past in the past?

Here are three classics that must be in any business person's library: The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Prince by Machiavelli, and A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. This impressive collection is accompanied by one hour of Zen-inspired Japanese music, performed on authentic instruments.

This bundle includes books seven, eight, and nine of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series.