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February 28, 2009

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
by Steve Martin

At age 10, Martin got a job selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland. In the decade that followed, he worked in Disney's magic shop, print shop, and theater, and developed his own magic/comedy act. By age 20, studying poetry and philosophy on the side, he was performing a dozen times a week, most often at the Disney rival, Knott's Berry Farm. Neatly combining his personal and professional worlds, Martin chronicles his life as a talented young comedian in this memoir.

Outliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell builds dramatic tension into his storytelling. This book explores the unique childhood of software tycoon Bill Gates to the secrets of success found along the rice fields of ancient China and Japan. Gladwell gives a fascinating analysis of the factors that lead to success.

The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel
by Elle Newmark

It is 1498, and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that holds the secret to unimaginable power. Everyone, rich and poor alike, speculates about the long-buried secrets scrawled in its pages and where it could possibly be hidden within the labyrinthine city. While those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.