Skip to main content

2012 Ten best books about excellence: from arts to politics and everything in between




Bestcollegesonline.com (June 12, 2012) have released their ten best books about excellence from ten areas of life. Some are how-to books, while others are biographies of people who have achieved excellence in their life.

Their list of 10 best books about excellence include:


(1)   College

This book is about studying smarter, not harder

“How to Become a Straight A-Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less” by Cal Newport (2006)



(2)   Personal Life

Read about his “pyramid of success” guidelines

“Coach Wooden’s Leadership Game Plan for Success: 12 Lessons for Extraordinary Performance and Personal Excellence” by John Wooden (2009)



(3)   Military

George Patton was a champion swordsman, leader and US general

“Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1845” by Martin Blumenson (1994)



(4)   Business

Jim Murphy is a sports coach and presents principles that helped Navy SEALS and professional athletes to be passionate, focus, and get tough mentally

“Inner Excellence: Achieve Extraordinary Business Success Through Mental Toughness” by Jim Murphy (2009)


(5)   Sports

Kramer explains the difference between willpower and “the zone” – and how to think clearly and trust your own instincts

“Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life” by Garret Kramer (2012)



(6)   Literature/Arts

The advice is simple – just follow the rules!

“On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction” by William Zinsser (2006)



(7)   Culture

The Samurai way of life – the code of moral principles (character, honour, and integrity)

“Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence” by Dr. Bohdi Sanders PhD and David Nelson PhD (2011)



(8)   Teaching

How 18 award-winning teachers conduct their classes to make good teachers great and great teachers excellent

“Conversations with America’s Best Teachers: Teacher of the Year Award Winners Give Practical Advice for the Classroom and Beyond” by J. William Towne (2009)



(9)   Biography

Rising from humble beginning to a life of accomplishment as a speaker, writer, and statesman, Douglass tells how to be better in a challenging society

“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave” by Frederick Douglass (2012)


(10) Politics

Goodwin tells of Abraham Lincoln’s rise above partisanship to find common ground for progress amid the criticism of three political opponents






MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...