Not That It Matters

An Eclectic Essay Collection from Winnie-the-Pooh's Father. Not That It Matters is a collection of essays that a appeared in a variety of newspapers at the beginning of the last century, sort of an upper class, mild mannered Dave Barry of the 20Õs. Many were charming and generally humorous in gentle, whimsical way, as you might expect from the author of Winnie the Pooh. Some were a bit dated such as the essay about the perfect walking stick or the one about pipe smoking and there is some use of some now un-politically correct language; but others felt just as current now as they must have been then, such as the essay titled ÒIntellectual SnobberyÓ about the shame one feels about reading popular fiction as opposed to the classics or the one titled ÒMy LibraryÓ, about the eternal quandary of how to best arrange oneÕs books. These essays are probably best enjoyed a few at a time over days or weeks and not all in one go. (From Goodreads) Get Your Copy Now.

"Life is full of tiny moments thrown together to create events worth remembering." Most people miss out on these mundane, ordinary, and bizarre moments because they are so busy living, they never take the time to stop and notice them. Not John E. Budzinski. He is an observer and storyteller. He not only stops and takes time to notice, but then he writes about them, too. For years the whimsical Budzinski has written about these moments with wonder, amusement, and bewilderment. For several years he chronicled his world in a column he penned in a New Hampshire weekly paper, writing about the commonplace moment, events, and items of his life. The discussions included a variety of topics, such as dating, highway travels, funerals, clutter, and more. Budzinski has gathered some favorite musings together in this book. He also included some new amusing and poignant vignettes written especially for this book. Those subjects include being stuck in the mud, being the aliens’ first contact, the joys (and frustrations) of gift-giving, and others. Over 60 short essays and columns comprise the collection, grouped by topics such as Life on the Highway, Politics, Bewildering Society, and Clothing—The Naked Truth. Budzinski calls his essays "simple and uncomplicated yammerings." Indeed, the author’s style is conversational and borders a stream of consciousness with humor embedded in all but the most serious subjects. Not that it matters, but none of it is all that special. Still, aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know, anyway? After all, don’t you think about these things, too? Isn’t your world just as weird and strange? Budzinski’s world probably doesn’t matter much. But, just like you’re willing to tell us your stories, and we’re eager to listen, John E. Budzinski tells you about his world. Why? Because once you read his stories, you realize this. It does matter—to someone somewhere—someone like you.

When was the last time you listened to someone, or someone really listened to you? "If you’re like most people, you don’t listen as often or as well as you’d like. There’s no one better qualified than a talented journalist to introduce you to the right mindset and skillset—and this book does it with science and humor." -Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take **Hand picked by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink for Next Big Ideas Club** "An essential book for our times." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone At work, we’re taught to lead the conversation. On social media, we shape our personal narratives. At parties, we talk over one another. So do our politicians. We’re not listening. And no one is listening to us. Despite living in a world where technology allows constant digital communication and opportunities to connect, it seems no one is really listening or even knows how. And it’s making us lonelier, more isolated, and less tolerant than ever before. A listener by trade, New York Times contributor Kate Murphy wanted to know how we got here. In this always illuminating and often humorous deep dive, Murphy explains why we’re not listening, what it’s doing to us, and how we can reverse the trend. She makes accessible the psychology, neuroscience, and sociology of listening while also introducing us to some of the best listeners out there (including a CIA agent, focus group moderator, bartender, radio producer, and top furniture salesman). Equal parts cultural observation, scientific exploration, and rousing call to action that's full of practical advice, You're Not Listening is to listening what Susan Cain's Quiet was to introversion. It’s time to stop talking and start listening.

More than a decluttering guide, this book “speaks to the heart and soul of the minimalist lifestyle . . . a must-have manual for serenity in the modern world!” (Anne Sage, author of Sage Living). For anyone looking to declutter, organize, and simplify, author Erin Boyle shares practical guidance and personal insights on small-space living and conscious consumption. At once pragmatic and philosophical, Simple Matters is an essential manual for anyone who wants to bring more purpose and sustainability to their daily lives. Boyle demonstrates how the benefits of “living small” are accessible to us all—whether we’re renting a tiny apartment or purchasing a three-story house. Filled with personal essays, projects, and helpful advice on how to be inventive and resourceful in a tight space, Simple Matters shows that living simply is about making do with less and ending up with more: more free time, more time with loved ones, more savings, and more things of beauty.

The life and times of Warwick Davis, star of Ricky Gervais's forthcoming sitcom, Life's Too Short Actors work their entire careers hoping to achieve the kind of cult movie hero status that Davis achieved at the age of eleven playing Wicket W. Warrick, the lead Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. In this lively and down-to-earth memoir, Davis offers personal stories on the making of some of the most popular films of the last few decades—including the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Leprechaun movie franchises, among many others—and shares the unique perspective of life as experienced by someone with a one-in-a-million genetic condition. The real life of the man who helped destroy a Death Star, saved a princess, defeated an evil sorceress, taught magic to Harry Potter, became a Jedi Master, and embodied a mass murdering, gold-obsessed leprechaun—the one and only Warwick Davis Warwick Davis's honest look at the highs and lows of life as an actor and pop culture icon, from his screen debut in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi to his starring role in Ricky Gervais's forthcoming sitcom, Life's Too Short Includes behind-the-scenes stories, from sweltering inside a furry Ewok costume and filling in for R2-D2 to sliding down a glacier at Mach 2 with Val Kilmer and getting kicked in the face by Ricky Gervais (again and again) Features a foreword by George Lucas, who has been friends with Davis for almost three decades Both refreshingly frank and highly entertaining, this book will help you see what life is like when it really is too short.

This book is for you if you want a stronger feeeling of mastery over your choices and a deeper sense of fulfilment that permeates your life.

The creator of Winnie-the-Pooh shares his musings on some of the matters of his day in this delightful collection of essays, short stories, and poems. Not That It Matters is “a collection of essays from the end of that extraordinary silver age of English belles-lettres at the turn of the last century, when men such as Shaw and Belloc earned their daily bread by scribbling in newspapers and magazines about anything they could scrape a thousand or so words out of: socialism, dogs, the weather, how they celebrated Christmas, capital punishment, Wagner. For those who like this sort of thing, this volume is very nearly perfect. There are pieces on snobbery, oranges, cricket, bad fiction, ‘Smoking as a Fine Art’ (‘My first introduction to Lady Nicotine was at the innocent age of eight’), chess, thermometers, Holy Writ (‘Isaiah was the ideal author. . . . He kept to one style’), and—prophetically—those bores who fetishize ‘good brown ale’” (National Review). “Milne writes on goldfish, daffodils, writing personal diaries, the charm of lunch, intellectual snobbery, and even what property program presenters would now call ‘kerb appeal’—but which was simply ‘looking at the outside of a house’ in Milne’s day. . . . It is still a delight and a joy to have Not That It Matters and its ilk waiting on my shelf.” —Stuck in a Book