Training from the Back of the Room! - Sharon L. Bowman

65 Ways to Step Aside and Let Them Learn
The author's four-step instructional design and delivery process involves learners every step of the way. 
Designed to be user-friendly, Training from the BACK of the Room! is filled with definitions, descriptions, and practical training strategies for each of the 4 Cs:
Connections—Fifteen opening activities that connect learners to the topic, to each other, and to what they want and need to learn.
Concepts—Twenty strategies that engage and involve learners during the lecture or "direct instruction" training segment.
Concrete Practice—Fifteen strategies in which learners actively review content and practice skills.
Conclusions—Fifteen learner-led summaries, evaluations, and celebration activities.

In addition, the book offers "nice-to-know" information that will add to what you have learned: the secret about adult learning theory, a new way to write learning outcomes, The World Cafe, tips for interactive e-learning, and other useful resources to expand your learning adventure.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 4.27 out of 5 (136 Ratings; 18 Reviews - As on April 23 2017)
My Rating:  4 out of 5
My Comments:  A very innovative approach to training that promotes Learning by Doing. Techniques described in this book will appeal to learners who tend to get quickly bored by lecture style delivery by trainers.


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Barnabas - Bombay's First Private Detective by Sangeeta Nambiar

British India. 
The summer of 1942.
Bombay. 
From the leafy lanes of Wodehouse Road, a British woman goes missing from her home. 
Her husband Thomas Stanton, wants to keep the police out of the loop, and thus calls in Bombay's first Private Detective, Barnabas Mehta.

Barnabas, the son of a cook, has been brought up under the tutelage of his father's employer, Francis Curtis, and thus knows the ways of the British. But that isn't enough to solve the mystery for him. 
His search for Rose leads him to the by-lanes of Girgaum where he finds a murder to solve and webs of deceit to traverse. 
Who would murder Rose so brutally? 
Family secrets and the machinations of an evil mind they're all there for Barnabas Mehta to unveil! 
A gripping murder mystery, set against the events of the Indian freedom struggle.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.25 out of 5 (20 Ratings; 8 Reviews - As on April 14 2017)
My Rating:  3 out of 5
My Comments:   Well written enough to keep you engaged. The identity of the murderer is rather easy to guess for a seasoned detective fiction reader though.


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The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

The Thriller That Shook A Generation 
Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning: sterilisation procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. 
Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of space in order to 'collect organisms and dust for study'. 
Then a probe falls to the earth, landing in a desolate area of northeastern Arizona. 
A little while later, in the nearby town of Piedmont, bodies are discovered heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise. 
But the terror has only just begun, because when they try to find the cause of death, the scientists don't realise just what kind of unearthly danger they are dealing with...Brilliantly filmed by Robert Wise in 1971, The Andromeda Strain was the first book to introduce Michael Crichton's audacious combination of believable plots and white-knuckled excitement to a wide audience.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.87 out of 5 (173,920 Ratings; 2448 Reviews - As on April 13 2017)
My Rating:  3.5 out of 5
My Comments:  Keeps you fully engaged and almost convinces you that it is a true story. The narration of the climax could have been better.


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Essential Kanban Condensed - David J. Anderson and Andy Carmichael

Kanban is a method of organizing and managing professional services work.
It uses Lean concepts such as limiting work in progress to improve results. A Kanban system is a means of balancing the demand for work to be done with the available capacity to start new work. 
This book provides a distillation of Kanban: the "essence" of what it is and how it can be used. 
This brief overview introduces all the principal concepts and guidelines in Kanban and points you to where you can find out more. 
Essential Kanban Condensed is a great resource to get started or continue exploring ideas for evolutionary change and improvement in business agility.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com  ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.95 out of 5 (21  Ratings; 4 Reviews - As on April 10 2017)
My Rating:  4 out of 5
My Comments:  A very precise summary of The Kanban Method that serves as a great introduction to the topic and provides guidance for further study. 
Probably the first book one should read about The Kanban Method.  

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Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business by David J. Anderson

Kanban is becoming a popular way to visualize and limit work-in-progress in software development and information technology work. 
Teams around the world are adding kanban around their existing processes to catalyze cultural change and deliver better business agility. This book answers the questions: 
What is Kanban? 
Why would I want to use Kanban? 
How do I go about implementing Kanban? 
How do I recognize improvement opportunities and what should I do about them? 
The author David J. Anderson pioneered the kanban technique with Microsoft in 2004 and has been refining the approach ever since.
This book gives his insights into this new, evolutionary approach to change management.
The Kanban Method will improve your organization's maturity and agility with minimum resistance to change.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com  ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.96 out of 5 (1739  Ratings; 80 Reviews - As on April 9 2017)
My Rating:  4 out of 5
My Comments:  The official and comprehensive introduction to the Kanban Method. Well written with convincing enough arguments to try out Kanban. 

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Kanban and Scrum - Making the Most of Both by Henrik Kniberg and Mattias Skarin

Scrum and Kanban are two flavors of Agile software development - two deceptively simple but surprisingly powerful approaches to software development. 
So how do they relate to each other?
The purpose of this book is to clear up the fog, so you can figure out how Kanban and Scrum might be useful in your environment.
Part I illustrates the similarities and differences between Kanban and Scrum, comparing for understanding, not for judgement. 
There is no such thing as a good or bad tool - just good or bad decisions about when and how to use which tool.
Part II is a case study illustrating how a Scrum-based development organization implemented Kanban in their operations and support teams.
Consistent with the style of "Scrum and XP from the Trenches", this book strikes a conversational tone and is bursting with practical examples and pictures.
This book includes:

• Kanban and Scrum in a nutshell
• Comparison of Kanban and Scrum and other Agile methods
• Practical examples and pitfalls
• Cartoons and diagrams illustrating day-to-day work
• Detailed case study of a Kanban implementation within a Scrum organization

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com  ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.94 out of 5 (448 Ratings; 46 Reviews - As on April 7 2017)
My Rating:  4 out of 5
My Comments:  A very concise and too-the-point book that brings out the similarities and differences between Scrum and Kanban approaches clearly. The conversational style writing  supported by illustrations and cartoons makes it a very light weight and interesting reading. It also has a  well described case study drawn from real-life experience of the authors. Highly recommend this  book to get a super-quick introduction to how Scrum and Kanban can work together.
 
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Agatha Christie's Poirot by Anne Hart

The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot 
 'My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' 
The dapper, moustache-twirling little Belgian with the egg-shaped head, curious mannerisms and inordinate respect for his own 'little grey cells' has solved some of the most puzzling crimes of the century. 
Yet despite being familiar to millions, Poirot himself has remained an enigma -- until now. 
From his first appearance in 1920 to his last in 1975, from country-house drawing-rooms to opium dens in Limehouse, from Mayfair to the Mediterranean, Anne Hart stalks the legendary sleuth, unveiling the mysteries that surround him. 
Sifting through 33 novels and 56 short stories, she examines his origins, tastes, relationships and peculiarities, revealing a character as fascinating as the books themselves.

[Book Description Source: www.flipkart.com  ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.78 out of 5 (192 Ratings; 13 Reviews - As on April 6 2017)
My Rating:  4 out of 5
My Comments:  A very informative biography of Hercule Poirot one of the most popular fictional detectives created by Agatha Christie. Very cleverly written without any spoilers. Kindles a desire for reading all the books he is featured in. A must read for all Poirot and Agatha Christie fans.
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