Books

From leading global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the minds behind the New York Times bestseller CEO Excellence comes a compact, insight-packed guide to navigating the distinct phases of leadership that every CEO must pass through on their way to mastery. In the high-stakes world of corporate leadership, becoming a Fortune 500 CEO is an Everest-like ascent—with only the savviest managing to avoid falling off the mountain. In A CEO for All Seasons you’ll find an essential climbing route that will take you through every stage. Featured in this tip-dense guide is wisdom from some of the world’s most iconic leaders, including Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman, Chevron’s Mike Wirth, Merck’s Ken Frazier, NASDAQ’s Adena Friedman, ASML’s Peter Wennink, and Morgan Stanley’s James Gorman. Unique in applying a number of sophisticated metrics to isolate the world’s top 200 CEOs, reduce them to a representative sample, and then reap their wisdom, the McKinsey team, in A CEO for All Seasons, spotlights the specific stage-based hurdles that CEOs face. From preparing for the role (stepping up) to leading with impact (starting strong) to sustaining momentum (staying ahead) to fortifying a lasting legacy (sending it forward), the book leaves no segment of the journey unmapped. Along the way, it offers proven strategies for maintaining forward progress and, crucially, alerts readers to common blind spots, as revealed by a detailed survey of thousands of executives. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or a new-to-the-job CEO—or even a board member wanting to better steward your company’s performance—this is the compact, hands-on guide you’ve needed. Its compendium of pressure-tested tips is a must-have game changer for leaders at all levels.

What is the secret to success? Black Box Thinking. Ten years on from its original publication, Black Box Thinking remains a game-changing manifesto for success. In this special anniversary edition - featuring brand new material from Matthew Syed - his bold thesis that failure, far from being something to fear, is the secret to innovation and improvement feels more urgent than ever. Packed with gripping case studies, eye-opening research, and stories from elite sport, cutting-edge medicine, aviation, business, and beyond, Syed shows how the most progressive individuals and organizations treat mistakes not as threats, but as tools for growth. This is a book for anyone striving to do better. It will change how you think about failure - and show you how to turn it into success. 'Highly persuasive' DAILY MAIL 'It highlights the need for a growth mindset in life' RICHARD BRANSON 'A book that dares us to do better' HOWARD JACOBSON

Aspiring leaders are hungry to learn all that they can about how to be a more effective leader. And certainly there are tools and best practices young leaders should know and add to their toolkit. But - as Steve Mostyn, one of the world's leading innovators in executive leadership, has learned over the past decades of teaching this cohort - two equally useful activities for the aspiring leader are reflection and experimentation. In his new book WHY GREAT LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, Mostyn has crafted an elegant collection of the seven provocative questions aspiring leaders should ask themselves in order to spur that reflection and experimentation. These are some of the most important questions Mostyn poses to each cohort of the Oxford Executive Leadership program's students, honed by the past answers and engagement of thousands of students. The book is simple in conception, profound in execution. In seven accessible chapters, with exercises, research, and examples, the reader will engage with these questions: How do I reflect? How do I spend my time? Where does my power come from? How do I grow my network? How do I make change happen around here? How do I manage my energy? How do I grow more leaders? Inspired in part by Mostyn's work on the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme - an accelerated international leadership development program with over 5,000 alumni around the world - and in part by his numerous workshop sessions where he challenges and supports leaders through his unique questions, the premise of the book is well-tested with aspiring and practicing leaders and is proven to spark both reflection and growth. These seven questions are drawn from the author's deep experience with the needs of rising young executives. Readers will engage with provocative exercises, highly accessible overviews of applicable research, and examples from fellow mid-career executives.

The perfect guy. The perfect date. Utterly disastrous timing. There might be no such thing as the perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes - all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until he opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. But there's nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong . . . . . . unless he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible date - possibly the best in living history - Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one perfect memory is to make a life - and even a love - worth remembering

The highly anticipated standalone sequel to "Bride", a paranormal romance from TikTok sensation Ali Hazelwood, the Sunday Times bestselling author of "The Love Hypothesis".

What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End. Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life. Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him. It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life. But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists. When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.

He has to play by the rules . . . but for her, he'd break them all. As the captain of Blackcastle Football Club and one of the highest-paid athletes in the game, Vincent DuBois should be on top of the world. ​ But when his fame brings danger to his doorstep, he finds himself in his worst nightmare scenario - secretly sharing a flat with his coach's daughter, knowing full well she's far too big a temptation for him to resist. ​ When his new living arrangements escalate into a bet that throws them even closer together, he realizes he's in deeper trouble than he thought. ​ He's always played to win - but for her, he might just risk it all. ​ *** ​ As a sports nutritionist and the daughter of a legendary coach, Brooklyn Armstrong is used to dealing with hotshot athletes. ​ However, no player gets under her skin like Vincent, her best friend's infuriatingly cocky (and gorgeous) brother. She left California hoping for a fresh start, and he's the kind of distraction she doesn't need. ​ Now, he's sleeping in the room next to hers while her career is up in the air and her defenses are crumbling. ​ But no matter how many sparks fly between them, a relationship between the captain and the coach's daughter could never work . . . could it?

The fifth Kings of Sin book from NYT bestselling author Ana Huang's delicious new series of standalones, featuring seven steamy billionaires inspired by the seven deadly sins.

Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever. You can hide in the farthest reaches of the deepest hell, and I will still drag you out. Even the devil can't save you from me. Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colourful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. But with tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won't let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary at any cost. Troublesome tourists don't check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper's award-winning flowerbeds. But Nolan Rhodes isn't your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. Every year, Nolan slays another target. And he's saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. The problem? Harper isn't the monster he expected. And she won't go down without a fight. When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she'll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage - including their fragile love. Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade - and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.

Releasing 10 is an epic and unforgettable love story in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh. The power and pain of first love has never been more deeply felt than in Chloe Walsh''s extraordinary stories about the irresistible Boys of Tommen, which will give you the ultimate book hangover. ......................... A love that couldn''t be broken, except by the truth. Lizzie Young has always felt she was too much everything. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a young age, she''s never fit in with her family, her friends, her community. Lizzie wants to be accepted and understood, but with few people in her corner, she''s carried her burdens and her trauma on her own. But when she meets a kind boy on the school bus, things start to look bright for the first time in her life . . . Hugh Biggs has an old soul and the wisdom of someone far beyond his years. A young man with a sharp mind and a firm code of ethics, he sees something in Lizzie Young that he can''t resist. He wants to be her everything and shoulder her burden. And Lizzie wants that too. Lizzie and Hugh''s bond seems unbreakable - their chemistry is electric, their love is potent, and their connection is soul deep - but even the truest love can be shaken by forces beyond control. Warning: Releasing 10 tackles several sensitive topics, including childhood abuse, sexual trauma, self-harm, and suicide. It includes explicit sexual content and graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.