I do love looking like I’m the smartest person in the room. So was stoked to see this week’s free B&N eBook. It sounds like the perfect book to glance over before attending a work related function, party or other event where you want to have great conversation starters. I usually tell people stay clear of politics, religion or crime stories since you don’t know how they’ll react. I can discuss them without taking it personally but I find that a lot of people get upset and angry so if you want to make a good impression to stick to light, amusing and a bit breezy. So this brings me back to this book as perfect fodder for a night out. Because who can’t discuss history with a bit of laughter and without getting upset?? Well maybe you shouldn’t bring up the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ aka the ‘Civil War’ in mixed company <chortle> but a good bit of history that you can tie into an upcoming movie .. new Lincoln film out on November 9th or TV show … Boardwalk Empire well that won’t offend anyone! What’s your favorite casual bar conversation? I keep it classic with ‘are you a LA native’, have you seen any good movies or tv shows and what brought you to LA or the party? All pretty light and not too intrusive. Feel free to steal my conversation starters .. be my guest!
Have a GREAT Friday and download this book!
Described as, “a history book that is reassuringly epic in scope but refreshingly short in length,” today’s Free Fridays selection is the bestselling A Short History of the World by Christopher Lascelles.
There are thousands (maybe millions?) of book pages devoted to Abraham Lincoln. Same could be said for Churchill, the Mayans, and more. But what Christopher Lascelles aims to do in his compact compendium is offer a history of the world that fits our time-strapped lives. Leave the doorstop biographies to serious historians; this book gives the rest of us just the ammunition we need for our next cocktail party conversation.
Rather than just listing dates and places, Lascelles turns world history into a story. His narrative starts with the Big Bang and hits all of the high notes between then and now. You’ll easily remember everything he covers, because the people and places come vividly to life thanks to the author’s talent for spinning a good yarn. Visual learners will especially appreciate the 32 specially-drawn maps that help put the historical events into context.
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