Showing results by author "Os Swift" in All Categories

Shipwrecked and cast adrift, Lemuel Gulliver wakes to find himself on Lilliput, an island inhabited by little people whose height makes their quarrels over fashion and fame seem ridiculous. His subsequent encounters with the crude giants of Brobdingnag, the philosophical Houyhnhnms, and the brutish Yahoos give him further insight into human behavior. Presented through Swift's satiric hall of distorting mirrors, mankind is cast as diminished, magnified, and bestial - the composite of which is an uncompromising reflection of human nature.

Set and written in 1726, This is a marvelously imaginative tale of the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver. He finds himself shipwrecked and the prisoner of captors ranging in size from 6 inches tall to 60 feet tall and of various other persuasions. But this is just the beginning of a story written, strangely enough to satirize the foolishness and vices of modern men as they were perceived at the time. No one, young or old, can ever forget the Lilliputians and the Yahoos that starred in these wonderful and riveting stories of long ago.

After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa's punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals - many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.

Big Debt Crises (2018) by Ray Dalio is an economic primer based on the proprietary decision-making system used at the author’s hugely successful hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates. Financial crises across history tend to share certain features....Listen to this in-depth summary by Swift Reads to learn more.

In 1972, Robert Beech, First World War veteran and prominent figure in the arms industry, is killed by a car bomb. The event cuts short the career of his son Harry, a news photographer, and comes close to destroying his granddaughter Sophie. Ten years later, Harry, now working in aerial photography, and Sophie, visiting an analyst in New York, remain scarred and divided by the event. Around their broken relationship and Harry’s memories of his truncated career and his father, the novel builds a story that is acutely private, yet sweepingly public.

Bill Unwin, an academic of dubious status, has never recovered from the death of his famous actress wife and is now convalescing from a recent brush with his own mortality. He has two tales to tell. One, spanning postwar Paris, 1950s Soho and contemporary sexual and scholarly entanglements, surveys the muddle of his own life. The other, drawn from the notebooks of a Victorian ancestor, is the very different story of Matthew Pearce, a serious-minded man whose happiness is destroyed by his compulsive search for truth.

It's Christmas in Strawberry Park and our squeaky pals are decorating the hutch and rocking around their broccoli Christmas tree! But when Henrietta's mother is called to investigate the mystery of missing Inca gold, the furry friends find themselves on their way to... Peru! Eduardo is thrilled to be back home with his family. But when he discovers that their precious Christmas Cocoa Bean has been stolen, he realizes he has a mission too... Can the pals find the Cocoa Bean and save Christmas?

This is a summary of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert (1999), which provides married couples with a system for evaluating the health of their marriages, as well as tactics for reinvigorating those unions if they become unfulfilling.

[Explicit Content] In The Other Animals, a worm goes through a breakup, a vulture contemplates the act of killing, a whale falls in love with a song, and more.

This funny, moving collection of eight stories - written by a diverse crew of scientists, literary writers, and comics, and informed by science - explores what animal perspectives can show humans about the world we all share....

Deb Willet takes a position as companion to Elisabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife. Deb believes it will give her the respectability she craves, but it proves far more complicated than she could ever have imagined. Samuel Pepys' influence in Restoration London means that the Dutch are keen to get their hands on his secrets, even if that means murder. Deb is soon caught up in a dangerous game, while at the same time trying to counter Mr Pepys' lust for her....

This is an in-depth summary of Michal Hyatt's Free to Focus. Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less (2019) by Michael Hyatt explains how to streamline business operations and become more productive. By paring down inessential tasks through elimination or delegation, managers and business leaders can create more time for the work they’re most passionate about.

Adelaide Rechnov. Wealthy socialite and granddaughter of the Architect, she spends her time in pointless luxury, rebelling against her family in a series of jaded social extravagances and scandals until her twin brother disappears in mysterious circumstances. Vikram Bai. He lives in the Western Quarter, home to the poor descendants of storm refugees and effectively quarantined from the wealthy elite. Can Adelaide and Vikram bridge the divide at the heart of Osiris before conspiracies bring them to the edge of disaster?

Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead (2015) by Laszlo Bock describes the unorthodox methods Google uses to hire and retain the most talented employees. Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, knew they wanted to create the world’s best search engine.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, is a novel by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travelers' tales" literary sub-genre. It is widely considered Swift's magnum opus and is his most celebrated work, as well as one of the indisputable classics of English literature.

Meet the Puppies Online! Einstein the brainy dachshund, Puzzle the snoozy sheepdog, and Bounce the speedy spaniel spend their holidays at a very special kind of kennels - a lighthouse by the sea! But there's no time for sunbathing. The woof-tastic trio meet the evil Mike Dodger, discover an ancient treasure map and find themselves caught up in a race against time. Luckily the pups are equipped with all the latest online gadgets and tech know-how. But will their super skills be enough to sniff out the treasure before Mike does?

This is the audio summary of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing which demonstrates why index funds should make up the majority of the average investment portfolio.

This is a summary of Say Good Night to Insomnia (1998) by sleep doctor Gregg D. Jacobs. It is a primer on sleeplessness and how to correct it. Insomnia is a widespread problem that’s often treated with dangerous prescription drugs, if it’s treated at all....

When schoolteacher Lorna Buchanan witnesses a strange ceremony on the grounds of St. Anne’s College, she is sacked by the tyrannical headmistress - and becomes entangled in a web of mysticism and murder. Set in a cozy 19th-century English spa town, The Malvern Mystery follows Lorna as she investigates a deadly crime clouded by deception, greed, and ancient rituals.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life (1999) by clinical psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg offers a life-affirming, empathy-based approach to conflict resolution. The goal of practicing nonviolent communication, or NVC, is not to win an argument.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

New Amerland was designed and built by survivors of the Incident. Those were the people who, by some miracle, managed to get underground before the bombs fell; they managed to lock away themselves and their families and to survive the worst nuclear attack in history. A lucky few would be selected by lottery and handed a ticket for free. At least 50 percent failed the test and were fated to die on their desolate and degraded planet.