"Call Me Commander examines how John Donald Cody was able to swindle tens of millions of dollars in donations from the largest fraudulent nonprofits for veterans in history"--

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A clear-eyed account of learning how to lead in a chaotic world, by General Jim Mattis—the former Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of our time—and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine. “A four-star general’s five-star memoir.”—The Wall Street Journal Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’s storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas—and short-sighted thinking—now facing our nation. He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars. Mattis divides his book into three parts: Direct Leadership, Executive Leadership, and Strategic Leadership. In the first part, Mattis recalls his early experiences leading Marines into battle, when he knew his troops as well as his own brothers. In the second part, he explores what it means to command thousands of troops and how to adapt your leadership style to ensure your intent is understood by your most junior troops so that they can own their mission. In the third part, Mattis describes the challenges and techniques of leadership at the strategic level, where military leaders reconcile war’s grim realities with political leaders’ human aspirations, where complexity reigns and the consequences of imprudence are severe, even catastrophic. Call Sign Chaos is a memoir of a life of warfighting and lifelong learning, following along as Mattis rises from Marine recruit to four-star general. It is a journey about learning to lead and a story about how he, through constant study and action, developed a unique leadership philosophy, one relevant to us all.

Wang Shuo imagines an Olympics where nations compete not on the basis of athletic prowess, but on their citizens' capacity for humiliation. China is determined to win at any cost. Enter a slacker pedicab driver from Beijing, a degenerate nihilist who rips off his own face in order to win the gold for his country.

Sylvester Roland's friends called him Silvas, at six foot two and one-half, he is a big man. Solid muscle, he has large hands and knows how to use them. He is ruggedly good looking with short, dusty blond hair, steel blue eyes and a soft but deep voice. Silvas had joined the Navy after he graduated high school in 1964. He was tough as nails and became a Navy SEAL; he fought in Nam, served his country for 20 years, and retired a Commander. When Silvas retired the CIA Clandestine Service recruited him. For almost a quarter of a century Silvas fought the Colombian drug cartels. In 2007 with Colombian commandos, he found Juan Leon Montoya Valdez. Valdez, the head of the largest drug cartel in South America, died from a gunshot wound to the heart. Silvas was there before the commandos saw Valdez, Silvas shot and killed him, and took $5,000,000. Silvas had leave and headed home to Arizona. After returning home he had a complete mental breakdown. Silvas spent two years at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Psychiatric Unit. Following his release he now needs a change of scenery. Silvas decides on Barton, Vermont a place where he can hunt and fish to his heart's content. Barton is more than a place to fish his cares away; it becomes the place Silvas finds the love of his life. The nightmare he has lived most of his life is over, he can pass the time with the woman who steals his heart. When the Valdez Family uncovers Sylvester's identity and plans to murder him, he is saved by his sixth sense. Now Silvas will have no choice but to return to the nightmare he thought he left. This time he will have to cut off the serpent's head.

The world just isn’t fair and Elizabeth Burton knows that better than anyone. Reincarnated into an otome game as a two-bit villainess, she’s been doomed by the genre’s tropes to a life of misery. What’s a girl to do… but cross-dress her way into the main character’s heart and a guaranteed happy ending of course! After years of blood, sweat, and tears fashioning herself into the perfect heartthrob, all she has to do is wait for the fated first meeting with the main character… or so she thought! As it turns out, her manly charms have come back to bite her in the butt. The other love interests have started cross-dressing too, and they don’t want the main character’s heart—they want Elizabeth’s!

Teen astronaut Houston Williams is finally headed into outer space. Houston Williams was thrilled to win a scholarship to attend a space program at NASA. What he didn’t realize was that organizers were recruiting people for a cutting-edge research project aimed at studying how space travel affects people of different ages. Now, after months of intense training, Houston is blasting off into space! He and his new friend and former rival, Ashley, are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) where, along with veteran astronaut Colonel Sanderson, they will be subjected to a variety of experiments. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the politics of space travel are getting complicated. Many feel the money being spent on Mars exploration should be redirected to address issues such as access to clean water and global warming. A planned mission to Mars may be accelerated before funding is canceled, and there is talk of repurposing the ISS crew. Houston doesn't dare say out loud what he's thinking: Is there a chance he could actually be going to Mars? This is the second book in the Teen Astronauts series, following Houston, Is There A Problem?

With her “classic with a twist” sensibility, Michelle Obama oozes chic! Mikki Taylor, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on fashion, beauty, and style, has taken Mrs. Obama as her muse, to write the book women who admire them both have been waiting for, Commander in Chic. The nation’s major networks, radio stations, and newspapers call on Mikki Taylor not only to discuss the “Obama look” and its feverish impact on style, but to hear Taylor’s own smart advice on looking polished and pulled together. She’s been privy to Obama’s style philosophy as well as that of countless celebs through her longtime role as beauty and cover director at Essence magazine, where she collaborated with Obama’s team on fashion and beauty choices for prime photo shoots for the magazine. Now Taylor is sharing the keys to the Obama look with her diary-like observations, tips, and Mikki-isms (her short, ultra-clever style aphorisms) for women everywhere. Mikki knows we all want to possess a signature look and a wardrobe of bankable pieces that allow us the kind of versatility where we never have to worry about what to wear again! Consider Commander in Chic as your personal style diary—one where you’ll find everything you need to know to possess great style—simply, effortlessly, and for keeps. Cover-to-cover, the book is full of stunning photo-graphs that take the guesswork out of what works. Every chapter in the book shares the kinds of concrete information and inspiring style ideas that not only make getting dressed a fabulous experience, but define what will make you a woman to remember! Here is everything you need to know about style—from your glossary of high-performance hair products and “do how-to’s” to the best makeup finds and techniques to what you need to know to grow your nails long and strong to the most polished hues for all skin tones. In “The Gam Slam,” Taylor tells you how to work summer-pretty legs year-round—from how to keep them even-toned and satiny smooth to vein-free. Mikki took great care in talking to the experts about what we need to know to manage our lives from the inside out—from our mental and physical health and wellness to the importance of self-nurturing. As a result, you’ll find guiding principles on diet and exercise for the various stages of your life—from age twenty and beyond. You’ll also find the critical information you need to know to nourish your well-being so you can continue to be the empowered woman you are called to be. All in all, Commander in Chic is a gold mine of information that will inspire you—from head to toe, inside and out—on how to truly style, now and for years to come.

Rick Husband wanted to be an astronaut since his fourth birthday, but it wasn't always for the right reasons. Initially, he thought it would be neat . . . cool . . . a fun thing to do. It wasn't until he came to a spiritual crossroads and was able to give that dream up to discover the true desires of his heart before he actually got into the space shuttle program at NASA. Three failed attempts didn't daunt this driven pilot-and the fourth interview process, though lengthy and difficult, proved successful for him. Husband's years at NASA served not only to develop his integrity and character, but also to increase his faith in a Creator that could not be denied in the vastness of space. His story is not only inspirational but exhilarating and invigorating, as readers will witness the life of a man who consistently pursued the desires of his heart even as he served a faithful God.