The publishing phenomenon of summer reading, often focused on novels set in vacation destinations, started in the nineteenth century, as both print culture and tourist culture expanded in the United States. As an emerging middle class increasingly embraced summer leisure as a marker of social status, book publishers sought new market opportunities, authors discovered a growing readership, and more readers indulged in lighter fare. Drawing on publishing records, book reviews, readers' diaries, and popular novels of the period, Donna Harrington-Lueker explores the beginning of summer reading and the backlash against it. Countering fears about the dangers of leisurely reading—especially for young women—publishers framed summer reading not as a disreputable habit but as a respectable pastime and welcome respite. Books for Idle Hours sheds new light on an ongoing seasonal publishing tradition.

**First Place Grand Prize Winner for Non-Fiction books at the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!! Congratulations Mary!!**

Yearning for a life of leisure? In 24 chapters representing each hour of a typical working day, this book will coax out the loafer in even the most diligent and schedule-obsessed worker. From the founding editor of the celebrated magazine about the freedom and fine art of doing nothing, The Idler, comes not simply a book, but an antidote to our work-obsessed culture. In How to Be Idle, Hodgkinson presents his learned yet whimsical argument for a new, universal standard of living: being happy doing nothing. He covers a whole spectrum of issues affecting the modern idler—sleep, work, pleasure, relationships—bemoaning the cultural skepticism of idleness while reflecting on the writing of such famous apologists for it as Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Johnson, and Nietzsche—all of whom have admitted to doing their very best work in bed. It’s a well-known fact that Europeans spend fewer hours at work a week than Americans. So it’s only befitting that one of them—the very clever, extremely engaging, and quite hilarious Tom Hodgkinson—should have the wittiest and most useful insights into the fun and nature of being idle. Following on the quirky, call-to-arms heels of the bestselling Eat, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss, How to Be Idle rallies us to an equally just and no less worthy cause: reclaiming our right to be idle.

You sleep (hopefully) for 8 hours. You work (at least) 8 hours. What are you doing in those remaining 8 hours of your day, and more importantly, what are the other 8 hours doing for you? To the bleary-eyed worker who doesn't have time to stop and catch his breath, the idea of having 8 hours may sound absurd. If that's you, this is your wake-up call. THE OTHER 8 HOURS provides a blueprint that will help you carve out more time in your day and find the inspiration to spend that free time in a more productive way. Whether you want to pay off debt, make more money, start a business, develop a hobby, write a blog, or write the next great American novel, Robert Pagliarini will get you closer to living a richer, more fulfilled life. In THE OTHER 8 HOURS, you'll learn how to: - GET MORE TIME: Chances are you are overworked, overscheduled, and overstressed. There's too much to do and not enough time. You can create hours of additional free time you never knew you had. - GET MORE MONEY: Traditional financial advice has likely left you frustrated and stuck. Pagliarini introduces new, highly-effective yet unconventional strategies. - GET A LIFE: In order to "get rich" you have to "get a life." The other 8 hours ultimately determine your happiness and net worth. With anecdotes and inspiration from many who have taken control of their other 8 hours, plus hands-on tools for getting started, minimizing risk, and maximizing success, you'll discover new ways to radically improve your life both personally and financially. Isn't it time to recapture your time and your life?

Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.

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