Showing results by author "A J Alan" in All Categories

Confidence feels good. It feels convincing. And very often, it’s wrong. If you’ve ever wondered why people with the least experience speak with the most certainty—or why smart, capable individuals still make baffling mistakes—you’re already brushing up against the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This book explains it clearly, calmly, and without academic fog. A Simple Guide to The Dunning-Kruger Effect reveals how confidence can outpace competence, how blind spots form without our awareness, and how self-deception quietly shapes decisions at work, online, and in everyday life. The result ...

You believe you’re rational. You value honesty. You like to think your decisions are guided by reason. So why does your mind work so hard to explain away mistakes, defend shaky choices, and protect beliefs long after evidence starts to pile up? The Basics of Cognitive Dissonance reveals the hidden psychological force shaping your opinions, decisions, loyalties, and justifications—often without your awareness. This book explains, in clear and compelling language, why inner conflict feels so uncomfortable and why the mind instinctively rewrites reality to make that discomfort disappear. ...

Jackson Hunt wants nothing more than to be a professional monster tamer - skilled trainers who raise and battle magical creatures called Djinn. He longs for the day when he comes of age and can leave home to pursue his dreams of taming Djinn. Unfortunately for Jackson, dreams and reality don’t always coincide. To help his grandmother make ends meet, Jackson spends his days doing manual labor on a breeder’s ranch - just about as far removed from the bright lights and roaring crowds of the DBL (Djinn Battle League) as it gets.

Serious students of the Bible quickly discover the diversity that stems from the human origins of Scripture, such as different authors writing in different times, places, genres, and languages. Written by an expert in biblical theology, this short, accessible book helps listeners understand the unity that springs from the divine authorship of Scripture and how the whole Bible fits together.

Tovak, a pariah amongst dwarves, an outcast, bears the burden of his people’s disdain and his family’s disgrace. And yet, through many trials and tests, he has managed to stubbornly prove himself in battle time and time again, and shown his courage in selflessly risking life and limb. Though not everyone accepts him, he has been chosen by his god as a holy warrior, a paladin in service to Thulla. Meanwhile, the Horde is on the march and intent upon taking back the valley. A battle will soon be at hand, the likes of which Tovak can hardly imagine.

From the outside, The Lyon’s Den doesn’t look like much; there isn’t even a sign. But Mercs of all species know that if you head to Southwest Houston, near the Starport, there’s a particular run-down strip mall that looks like it’s been abandoned for years. The glass door second from the south end of the strip is plastered over on the inside with blue paper, and the faint golden outline of a rampant lion is the only clue.

Jackson Hunt dreams of becoming a professional monster tamer - to capture, power up, and battle creatures called Djinn. But dreaming of becoming a champion and actually achieving mastery are two very different things. Before he can ever become a champion, Jackson must tame his first monster - a wild, feral Djinn left to him by his dead mother. And then there’s the small problem of fighting in illegal underground tournaments.

Do you love sparkly vampires? Well, too bad, because you won’t find a single one of those fancy-dancy bloodsuckers anywhere in this collection! It Came from the Trailer Park began as a fun idea to revisit the classic horror and old-school creature feature genres, with a hefty helping of B-rate tropes thrown in for good measure. Who doesn’t love a good Bruce Cambell or classic Vincent Price flick on a dark and dreary night? Emmy award winner Bill Oberst, Jr. opens the collection and sets the stage for the stories to come.

They are all gone now―the Titanic survivors. No human being who stood on her decks that fateful night was alive to commemorate the event on its 100th anniversary. Their stories are with us, however, and the lessons remain. From the moment the world learned the Titanic had sunk, we wanted to know, who had survived? Those answers didn’t come until the evening of Thursday, April 18, 1912―when the Cunard liner Carpathia finally reached New York with the 706 survivors who had been recovered from Titanic’s lifeboats. Harold Bride, “Titanic’s surviving wireless operator,” relayed the...

A Pariah amongst dwarves, Tovak bears the burden of his people’s disdain and his family’s disgrace. And yet, Tovak has proven himself in battle, shown his courage in risking life and limb to save his comrades. Though not everyone accepts him, he has finally found his place as a skirmisher and member of the Baelix Guard Company. Armed with his faith in his god, ample determination, and unquenchable courage, Tovak soldiers forward.

Calling all explorers of God’s great stories! Join Peter, Mary, and their dog, Hank, in a new series of adventures from M. J. Thomas, author of the beloved The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series, as they follow an ancient map to travel back in time to key moments in Biblical history. The...

The fifteen stories and three screenplays that make up Volumes Two and Three of the Emmy® Award–winning Netflix Original series Love, Death + Robots. Featuring bestselling authors and screenwriters from all over the globe, curated by filmmakers Tim Miller and David Fincher, and Supervising Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

The creation of the executive branch of government was one of the most audacious decisions in American history. The story of our greatest presidents create a narrative as compelling as an historical novel, and these 48 compelling lectures look at the lives, the achievements, and the legacies of those generally considered our 12 greatest presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan.

In this 2024 re-release, the apocalypse has ended for Adrian Ring, and the rebuilding of the world has begun. But have all the stories of the old world's death been told? Elsewhere on Earth, there is a plane filled with innocents, and a criminal could wipe it from the skies with a tide of undeath. A young man in Manhattan is going mad with hunger and fear. A veterinarian races to save her animal patients, and their owners, one by one. A drunk lunatic is driven to self-destruction, craving the undead horde and the absolution they will give him.

The dwarven nations are facing extermination. Their ancient enemy has returned. The Horde is coming and, along with it, a dark tide is spreading across the world of Tanis. One by one, the free peoples of the world have fallen under a shadow, crushed by the merciless boot of the Horde. The Syrulian Empire, the last buffer state between three dwarven nations and the advancing armies of the Horde, has fallen.

Most mercenary units fly flags on two flagpoles at their headquarters: one with their unit’s flag, and other bearing the flag of their current employer. However, the Third Regimental Combat Team—a.k.a. the Eridani Light Horse—leaves one flagpole bare, as a reminder of the death of the Star League, and the other pole flies the Light Horse’s unit and regimental flags at half-mast.

The authors offer unique insights into the factors that make us susceptible to dietary and lifestyle excesses and present ways to restore the biological processes designed by nature to keep us running at maximum efficiency and vitality. Foreword by John McDougal, M.D.

With his glory days behind him and nothing but life as a loser to look forward to, Zane can’t wait for MythRune. A first-of-its-kind immersive fantasy game that promises to provide just the escape from reality a washed-up athlete like him needs.

Welcome to the big leagues. It’s time to crown a champion. It’s time to evolve. Jackson Hunt has spent countless hours training his team of monsters and battling rivals as an up and coming Djinn Tamer. All his hard work, the stunning wins, and heartbreaking losses lead to one place: The league playoffs. But what got Jackson where he is won’t be enough to take him to the top. As the season draws to a close, Jackson and his friends find themselves far away from the stadiums and crowds, searching for a means to take his Djinn to the next level.

Calling all explorers of God’s great stories! Join Peter, Mary, and their dog, Hank, in a new series of adventures from M. J. Thomas, author of the beloved The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series, as they follow an ancient map to travel back in time to key moments in Biblical history. The...