Author

David Vandver

Fiction, Health & Wellness, Writers on Writing

JUL 09: Dan Millman’s Return of the Peaceful Warrior & Mary Simses’ The Rules of Love and Grammar

July 6, 2018

Dan Millman provides a calm harbor in the storm of today’s ever-changing daily news cycles and stresses in his new book, The Hidden School: Return of the Peaceful Warrior.  He intertwines fiction and autobiography, and shows how to stay centered, focused, and present.

Dan Millman is a former world champion gymnast, coach, martial arts teacher, and college professor, and has authored 17 books.

Later, Mary Simses gives a valuable lesson in the futility of striving for perfection in her second novel,  The Rules of Love and Grammar.  Bestselling author James Patterson calls it a “… smart, well-told story about memory, family, and of course, love.”

Mary Simses enrolled in a fiction writing course while working as a corporate attorney, and her experiences getting short stories published led her to write her first novel, which was adapted into a Hallmark movie.

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Fiction, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

JUL 02: Amy Meyerson’s The Bookshop of Yesterdays & Summer Reads for Everyone

June 26, 2018

How does the dream of becoming a published author compare to the reality?  Amy Meyerson was already an established writer when she penned her first novel, The Bookshop of Yesterdays, and today she shares her journey in going from writer to novelist.

Amy is an Assistant Professor in the Writing Department of USC, and her writings have been published in numerous literary magazines.

Later, summer weekends are filled with camping trips, journeys to the beach, barbecues, and bonfires, but during the week are the warm and relaxing evenings to yourself.  And there is no better way to pass a few of them then on the back porch with a glass (or two) of wine and a good book.  Today, Vicki will introduce you to books for everyone, from fiction to nonfiction, love to horror, and children to octaogenarians.

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Humor, Non Fiction, Personal Development

JUN 25: Ken Jennings’ Planet Funny & Allen Gannett’s The Creative Curve

June 10, 2018

From Jeopardy! champion and  New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings comes a history of humor.  From fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter gags and Facebook memes, Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world.

Since his record-breaking Jeopardy! streak, Ken has become a best-selling author and has appeared in numerous ads.  He is a frequent speaker at college campuses and corporate events.

Later, it helps to be creative to be considered a genius, but you don’t have to be a genius to be creative.  In The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time, author Allen Gannett disproves the notion that creativity is limited to the brilliant few who possess a certain gift, showing how anyone is capable of turning their genius idea into reality.

Allen is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a software analytics firm whose clients have included Microsoft, Marriott, Saks Fifth Avenue, Home Depot, Aetna, Honda, and GE.  He has been on the “30 Under 30” lists for both Inc. and Forbes.

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Business, Career, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Self-help, Social Issues

JUN 18: Kate Davies’ Intrinsic Hope, Maia Duerr’s Work That Matters, & Aaron Edelheit’s The Hard Break

June 10, 2018

We are living in an era of unprecedented crisis, resulting in widespread feelings of fear, despair, and grief. Now, more than ever, maintaining hope for the future is a monumental task.  Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times by Kate Davies, M.A.D., offers a powerful antidote to these feelings.

Kate Davies has worked with numerous nongovernmental and governmental organizations on environmental issues, including Greenpeace, and is currently core faculty at Antioch University Seattle’s Center for Creative Change and Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

Are you trapped in wage slavery at a dead end job, not knowing how to channel your talents to your real life’s purpose?  In Work That Matters: Create a Livelihood that Reflects Your Core Intention, life coach Maia Duerr shares her “6 Keys to Liberation-Based Live-lihood” to point you in a positive direction towards breaking that glass ceiling.

Maia is a writer, organizational consultant, and coach for people going through life and career transitions, drawing years of Zen meditation practice and training in anthropology to create powerful tools for integrating mindfulness into the workplace and home life.

Aaron Edelheit used to work so hard, it nearly killed him.  In The Hard Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle, he breaks down the myths around productivity, revealing how taking a one day “hard break” each week to reset can be a life-changing experience, and shares the seven steps to a successful Sabbath.

Aaron is the Chief Strategy Officer for FLO Technologies.  He is the founder of Mindset Capital, a private investment firm, and serves on the board of Moishe House Foundation, also partnering with Social Venture Partners in Santa Barbara working on homelessness.

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Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Self-help

JUN 11: Dr. Chris Cortman and Dr. Harold Shinitzky’s Take Control of Your Anxiety & Karen Koenig’s Outsmarting Overeating

June 10, 2018

There’s nothing funny about anxiety, but licensed psychologists Dr. Chris Cortman and Dr. Harold Shinitzky use humor in their approach to helping others. In their new book is Take Control of Your Anxiety: A Drug-Free Approach to Living a Happy, Healthy Life, they combine brain science, case studies, exercises and a little levity to deliver an easy read for anyone suffering from anxiety.

Chris Cortman, PhD is a much sought-after speaker, as well as providing psychological consultation at several hospitals. Harold Shinitzky, was on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Both have been licensed psychologists for over two decades.

Food is not the culprit leading to overeating according to psychotherapist and eating coach Karen R. Koenig. In Outsmarting Overeating, she illustrates how boosting essential life skills such as physical self-care, problem solving, and handling emotions can propel you toward beating overeating rather than relying on sheer willpower.

Karen is a licensed psychotherapist, eating coach, and speaker who has authored five other books about eating and weight.

 

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Fiction, Health & Wellness, Memoir, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

JUN 04: Brendan Kiely’s Tradition & Edward Hallowell’s Because I Come From a Crazy Family

May 16, 2018

High school English teacher Brendan Kiely was always on the hunt for books that would not only excite his students to learn the skills needed to study and practice in class, but also inspire them to think critically about their role in society, developing who they are and helping form their beliefs.  Award-winning author Kiely explores the insidious nature of a traditional boarding school in Tradition (is not an excuse).

Brendan is a New York Times bestseller whose numerous awards include the Walter Dean Myers Award, and Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association twice.

Later, Dr. Edward M. Hallowell turned an eye inward towards his emotionally complex upbringing, using it to build a successful life and career.  He chronicles his childhood inspiration in his new memoir, Because I Come From a Crazy Family: The Making of a Psychiatrist.

Dr. Hallowell is a bestselling author of over 20 books on attention deficit disorder and emotional well-being.  He is founder of the Hallowell Centers for Cognitive and Emotional Health, one of which is based in Seattle.  His national tour brings him to University Bookstore in Seattle on June 15th.

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Conservation, Environment, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Personal Development, Women's Issues

MAY 28: Mary DeMocker’s The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution, Yvonne Tally’s Breaking Up with Busy & Trisha Ashworth’s Just When You Are Comfortable in Your Own Skin

May 16, 2018

The climate revolution begins with two important phrases and one word:  “Stop Stupid. Start Smart. Revolution.”  Mary DeMocker joins us today to examine engaging ways to get your kids to care, and get them involved, in The Parent’s Guide to Climate Revolution.

Mary has reveled in an artistic life, performing harp, dressing sets for NY film productions, and now using public art and writing to mobilize for climate action.  She is co-Founder of the international climate action group 350.org.

Next, in a world where we are constantly connected, it’s become nearly impossible not to remain swamped.  In Breaking Up with Busy, Yvonne Tally helps women identify what type of Overscheduled Woman (OSW) they are and why, and her 5-Step Super Solution Process will help you lighten the load!

Yvonne  leads meditation and de-stressing programs for corporations, individuals, and private groups in Silicon Valley. An NLP master practitioner, Yvonne cofounded Poised Inc., a Pilates and wellness training studio.

Finally, whether you’re married, single, widowed, divorced, with children or without, at some point women inevitably ask the question, “What’s next for me?” Just When You’re Comfortable in Your Own Skin, It Starts to Sag provides a road map for how to thrive in this new phase of life by turning a midlife crisis in midlife opportunity.

Today’s guest Trisha Ashworth and her co-writer Amy Nobile are bestselling authors and founders of Ash and Ames, empowering female artisans around the globe.

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Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Self-help, Women's Issues

MAY 21: Dr. Laurie Nadel’s Coping with Disaster & Jalaja Bonheim’s The Magic of Circlework

May 16, 2018

Disaster strikes.  Media Swarms.  The cameras leave.  Then your real story begins.  Journalist and psychotherapist Dr. Laurie Nadel offers a psychological roadmap through cycles of shock and trauma to help readers discover new meaning, renewal, and peace after catastrophe strikes in The Five Gifts: Discovering Healing, Hope and Strength When Disaster Strikes.

After losing her home to Hurricane Sandy, Dr. Nadel ran long-term support groups for survivors.  She has reported for Newsweek, and written stories for CBS, ABC News, and Reuters.

Next, if you have ever been prone to anxiety, depression, addiction or moments of rage, you might be suffering from Spiritual Famine.  In The Magic of Circlework: The Practice Women from Around the World Are Using to Heal and Empower Themselves, Jalaja Bonheim, PhD., explains how to tap into the Circlework’s healing powers, and why the circle remains a powerful structure to connect to ancient wisdom.

Jalaja is an internationally acclaimed speaker and award winning author, and one of the world’s foremost experts in the use of circle gatherings as a tool for healing.

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Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Self-help

MAY 14: Julie Simon’s When Food is Comfort & Sunny McMillan’s Unhitched

May 9, 2018

Ice Cream.  Mac and cheese.  For the more gluttonous among us, pizza.  Many of us turn to these comfort foods when life takes one of its downward spirals. When Food is Comfort: Nurture Yourself Mindfully, Rewire Your Brain, and End Emotional Eating reveals a lack of consistent nurturing at a young age can cause us to turn to outside substances such as food to receive that needed stress relief.  Author Julie M. Simon offers easily mastered skills to put an end to unhealthy indulging through self-nurturing and rewiring our brains.

Julie is a licensed psychotherapist and Life Coach with a full-time private practice specializing in eating and body image challenges.  She founded the popular Los Angeles based online Twelve-Week Emotional Eating Recovery Program and offers workshops at venues like Whole Foods and UCLA.

Later, by their nature, separation and divorce are unpleasant and stressful experiences, but they don’t have to be one-sided, angry affairs.  Life Coach and ‘recovering’ attorney Sunny Joy McMillan explores how to navigate the ending of a bad marriage peaceably and with clarity, utilizing the methods she learned during her own experience.  Her new book is Unhitched: Unlock Your Courage and Clarity and Unstick Your Bad Marriage.

Sunny is an attorney and Master Life Coach and host of weekly radio show Sunny in Seattle.  She is passionate about empowering adults to make soul-based relationship and work choices, as well as using divorce as a catalyst for personal transformation, spiritual awakening and creating a kickass new life.

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Inspirational, Personal Development, Self-help

MAY 07: Scott Stabile’s Big Love & Neil Pasricha’s Two Minute Mornings

May 3, 2018

Scott Stabile’s parents were murdered when he was 14 years old. His brother died of a heroin overdose when he was 23. Rudderless, Scott found temporary refuge in a cult that dominated his life for 13 years, until he knew he had to escape.

Scott shares his journey in Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide-Open Heart.  A frequent Huffington Post contributor, Scott has a huge social media following for his inspirational posts and videos, and conducts personal empowerment workshops around the globe.  Scott will be appearing at Third Place Book in Lake Forest on October 4, at 7PM.

Can you “win” your day, overcoming adversity before it even begins, in just two minutes every morning

NYT bestseller Neil Pasricha lays out the strategy to jump starting each day with a positive impact in Two Minute Mornings: A Journal to Win Your Day Every Day.  Neil is a Harvard MBA and is the Director of the Institute for Global Happiness, and has one of the most watched Ted Talks of all time.

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