Unpacking Narcissism’s Guises: A Roadmap to Understanding and Recovery (Mental Health for Everyday Warriors) by Riley Ellis
It might surprise you to learn that narcissists come in more flavors than a box of jelly beans (it certainly did me), and none of them are sweet. These people survive on a whole spectrum of “me, me, me,” and whether they’re loud and proud or lowkey and shady, one thing’s for sure: empathy has left the building.
Let’s begin with the overt narcissist. You know this one. They walk in like they own the place, turn every conversation into a TED Talk about themselves, and if they haven’t name-dropped three CEOs and a yacht by lunch, are they even breathing?
Now slide on down the spectrum to the covert narcissist. These guys and gals are slick. They play the humble card like it’s their job, but behind that soft-spoken “Oh, I’m just trying my best” nonsense is a full-blown manipulator.
Both types are playing the same twisted game, but with different playbooks. Overt narcissists are straight-up bullies. They gaslight, criticize, and steamroll you like a bad date with a bulldozer. They’ll say stuff like, “That’s not what happened—you’re just dramatic.” Meanwhile, covert narcissists act like they’re the ones being bullied: “I’m doing my best, but nothing’s ever good enough for you…” Cue the sad violins. You better believe manipulation is their love language.
Mid-life crises are hard, whether a drug lord who has lost his mojo, an English Lit professor with a Walter Mitty complex, or a grizzled DEA agent one case away from being officially washed up. The path forward for this trio arrives in the unlikely form of a poetry conference hosted by the drug lord’s son who reluctantly uses his beloved world of literature to try and save his father and the family’s narcotics empire. This is a story that with humor and compassion celebrates those willing to stumble their way to a rejuvenated understanding of relationships and what really matters.
Financial Literacy 101: Core Principles of Personal Finance, Career Planning, and Investing They Never Taught You by Dave Levine
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Part I: Building Your Money Machine (Chapters 1-3)
Imagine this scenario: while your friends are losing money on get-rich-quick schemes and treating the stock market like a casino, you’re about to learn a powerful lesson: real investing is the opposite of gambling.
In the casino racket, the longer you play, the more you lose. It’s mathematically guaranteed. But when you invest properly by applying genuine, historically backed principles, the longer you stay invested, the more you earn. Additionally, you’ll discover how to spot the difference between a risky gamble and a solid investment that can appreciate and grow larger for decades, particularly if you start at a young age.
But investing is only powerful if you have money to invest. That’s why you’ll need to master the art of managing your income and savings, then grow them throughout your life.
Instead of letting money randomly flow in and out of your life without intention or purpose, after reading this book, you’ll redirect your money into categories: some for spending today, some for emergencies, and some for creating long-term wealth. Think of personal finance like building pipes and channels to send your money into the right places instead of letting your cash be spent randomly, wondering where all your money has gone at the end of the week or month.
In this book, you’ll also explore a comprehensive menu of investment options beyond stocks, including real estate, crypto assets, and bonds. You’ll understand the real pros and cons of each option, not just the hype. You’ll have an understanding of where to put your money based on your goals instead of the hot advice some digital influencer is pushing this week.
Part II: Understand How Money and Careers Work (Chapters 4-5)
You’ve mastered the fundamentals of long-term investing in Part I, but compounding growth takes decades to build real wealth. While that future wealth is crucial, young people also need income today. And here’s the key: the more you earn now, the more you can invest for those future decades.
Before diving into Part III’s practical strategies for earning money through work, you need to understand the economic playing field you’re entering.
In Part II, you’ll discover:
How the economy actually functions—not as a zero-sum game where someone must lose for you to win, but as an infinite game where value creation makes everyone better off.
Why we work (hint: you’re part of humanity’s greatest team project) and how prices act as invisible signals that coordinate millions of people without anyone being in charge.
Why profits aren’t shameful but proof that you’ve created something people value.
How to stop asking “What job should I get?” from a limited menu and instead ask game-changing questions like “What problems will I solve?” and “What will I become an expert at?”
How to think five years into the future to spot emerging opportunities, especially with AI and robots, positioning yourself in growing fields.
This section equips you with the mental models to see opportunities others miss, understand why the economy rewards problem-solvers, and recognize that your future isn’t about taking from a fixed pie—it’s about baking new ones.
Part III: Your Path to Career Success (Chapters 6-9)
Understanding how money and the economy work is powerful, but it’s time to learn how to actually make money and thrive in the economy. In Part III, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with the five-step path that virtually everyone follows to build a successful career:
Learn Skills ? Work ? Manage ? Own ? Scale.
Whether you dream of a simple but fulfilling job or starting the next billion-dollar company, these steps help you build your personal financial roadmap.
In this section, you’ll:
Discover how to learn faster than any college could teach you—directly from the world’s best experts using AI, YouTube, and methods that cost almost nothing.
Find out when that expensive college degree is worth the time and money and when a $500 certification beats a $100,000 education.
Learn the keys to landing your first job, making the most of your promotions, and knowing when it’s time to jump to a better opportunity.
And if the entrepreneurial bug bites, you’ll get the unfiltered truth about starting your own business.
This isn’t theory: this is the real playbook for building a career that matters to you and others.
Part IV: Design Your Complete Life (Chapters 10-11)
Even if you invest wisely, build a great career, and even get rich, you could still become unhappy.
Not ideal, right?
That’s because money is just one leg of a three-legged stool. Without health and relationships, the whole thing topples over. Part IV is about building a life that’s not just financially successful but worth living.
You’ll learn why putting off friendships and fitness “until you’re successful” is a trap that leaves people wealthy but alone, sick, and depressed.
You’ll discover how wealth, health, and relationships don’t compete for your time—they multiply each other’s power.
You’ll master the BASE method (Brainstorm, Analyze, Strategize, Execute), a simple but game-changing system that turns all this knowledge into real action.
Because knowing what to do and taking action are very different, and that’s a life lesson worth learning now rather than later.
The best part?
By the end of this book, you won’t just understand money. You’ll understand how to design a complete life where work has meaning, your body has energy, and you’re surrounded by people who matter.
That’s where real wealth lies: at the intersection of success, where proven processes help you achieve your financial, career, and personal goals.
THE GIRL FROM COLOMBIA by Julian Rodriguez is a plot that is just laced with intrigue and suspense. And the information and reveals trickle in a maddening pace that should keep the reader biting their nails until the jaw dropping ending.
Amazon 5 star review: Julian Rodriguez’s The Girl from Colombia is a suspenseful and engaging read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Set in 1800s London, the story masterfully blends elements of romance and mystery, following Joseph Johnson as he unravels secrets about his father’s past and his unexpected connection with Isabel, a girl his father adopted. The plot is filled with intriguing twists that make it hard to put the book down.
The novel’s historical setting adds depth to the narrative, making the arranged marriage plotline both believable and compelling. The characters are well-developed, and their emotional struggles resonate with the reader, making the love triangle at the story’s core all the more captivating. Rodriguez does a fantastic job of creating a tense atmosphere where every chapter brings new revelations.
Overall, The Girl from Colombia is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, romance, and mystery. Its fast-paced narrative and well-crafted characters ensure that it’s a story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page.
She’s been set up in more ways than one on this champagne-fueled evening complete with a handsome detective and a crook intent on spoiling the fun. As the night closes in, and so does the danger, Mimi might be changing her mind about this man who, at first, she clashed with.
About Carmine Valentine: Carmine Valentine is an award-winning author who writes romantic intrigue with happy endings. She writes The Barefoot by Moonlight Series and each book in the series portrays one of the friends from the Barefoot by Moonlight writer’s group who has drawn the short straw to take the ‘dare to write there’; go to a location selected by the others in the group and try to write your best book. But there is no time for writing as the protagonist finds herself deep in a mystery and a growing romance. Each book can be read as a standalone or follow the series to see what happens to the next friend who draws the short straw. All Fired Up is book 1 in the series with edition 2 published in October 2025. Carmine lives in the greater Seattle area close to her two grown children. When not writing she’s on a nearby trail, exploring the location for a future book, or paddling on the water.
It might surprise you to learn that narcissists come in more flavors than a box of jelly beans (it certainly did me), and none of them are sweet. These people survive on a whole spectrum of “me, me, me,” and whether they’re loud and proud or lowkey and shady, one thing’s for sure: empathy has left the building.
