5 comments about Mrs. Perfect.

1. A Seattle native, this book was hilarious to read as it accurately depicted the stereotypes of the east side. I highly suggest reading Porter's "Odd Mom Out" before reading this because it really gives you insight to Marta's character. This was a reaffirming book for me to read as a mother of two toddlers that has chosen to stay home and give up an income. I almost wish I hadn't read the book yet because I'd be able to look forward to reading it for the first time.



2. We first meet Taylor "Mrs. Perfect" in Jane Porter's previous 5 Spot book, "Odd Mom Out". While it is not necessary to read "Odd Mom Out" first you should because it is also a good book and sets the stage for "Mrs. Perfect".
   
   On the outside looking in, Taylor seems to have the perfect life with a handsome, rich husband, three beautiful blonde daughters, a gorgeous house on the waterfront in an exclusive area of Bellevue, Washington, a fabulous wardrobe, and country club set friends.
   
   She is a super-mom doing everything to volunteer at her daughters' schools. She volunteers in all of the classrooms and chairs the auction committee for an annual fundraiser. She set her own career in PR aside when she became a wife and mother.
   
   Slowly Taylor's seemingly perfect world begins to unravel when shockingly she learns that her husband has lost his high paying, high power job and has actually been unemployed for the past several months. Everything changes for Taylor when her husband moves across country to accept a job in Omaha, Nebraska.
   
   Suddenly Taylor finds herself with none of the security or money she had before--she has a closetful of designer clothes, but nothing of substance. I was hooked from the moment Taylor sat down in her husband's den and went through all of the unpaid bills and realized just how much in debt they were and how far behind they had fallen on the payments.
   
   You will cringe when Taylor's credit card is rejected at a restaurant much to her humiliation and in front of a girlfriend. You will feel bad for her when her ATM card is not accepted at the grocery store when she is buying treats for her daughter's Halloween party. You will laugh when she turns her hair orange after being forced to color her own hair!
   
   The book is funny and sad and real and empowering all at the same time. Taylor finds her own strength as she sells her things at a garage sale, gets a job beneath her qualifications after being out of the job market for so long, sells her beloved house to a woman she can't stand, tries to save her marriage, finds out who her real friends are, etc. I don't want to give anything else away.
   
   I give this book 5 stars!! "Frog Prince" used to be my favorite Jane book...but "Mrs. Perfect" may have taken its place. Read all of Jane's books--she speaks to women and we can see pieces of ourselves in all of her characters!



3. I will admit it was a shock to eagerly dive into the sequel to the fabulous ODD MOM OUT, only to find ourselves inside perfectly-perfect Taylor Young's pretty (empty) head; but, of course, she would be MRS. PERFECT and this one is from her perspective.
   
   It does start empty, with fleeting, superficial and cringe-inducing meanderings on Taylor's perfect life (again, from her perspective): PTA, entertaining, weight issues, beauty regimen, shopping, managing a very large home, judgements and criticism of other women and, ultimately, in spite of it all, self-pity:
   
   "And the problem -- if there is a problem, and I even hesitate to call it a problem -- is that this life, my life, looks good from the outside, but it's not so fun on the inside. On the inside, it's intense. On the inside, it's endless stress." (page 96)
   [Poor Taylor, right?!]
   
   Fortunately, it gets better. Something is wrong with Taylor's husband. He's acting all weird and then he abruptly decides to move the family from upscale Bellevue, Washington to Omaha, Nebraska. He goes ahead, leaving Taylor to finish out the school year with the kids. Taylor begins to realize the extent of their trouble when her credit card is declined while she is at lunch with a friend. (Turns out, her husband was fired from his executive job and has been out of work for months.)
   
   Poor Taylor's situation goes from bad to worse, as her husband abandons her, the collection notices start rolling in and she has no money. We could almost cheer for Taylor as she begins the transformation from rich housewife to resourceful woman and mother who must figure out some way to survive and take care of her children: Taylor has a garage sale.
   
   Next, Taylor gets a job -- a job as a go-to girl/office manager in advertising, employed by her once and not-quite-former PTA nemesis, ODD MOM OUT Marta Zinsser.
   
   MRS. PERFECT turns out to be an in interesting journey, with Taylor's growth through challenge. She works to support herself and her daughters; she figures out a new lifestyle on her own; she moves from a very large, beautiful mansion to a dingy rental house and makes it a home. She triumphs and finds new depths of character as she re-settles her children, focusing on what they still have, rather than what they've lost and making the best of it.
   
   While it was more fun inside ODD MOM OUT's narrative with Marta, Jane Porter does a masterful job of portraying similar lives from two very different perspectives, making both books a must-read experience for women who can relate to the PTA lifestyle.
   
   -- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer at RebelHousewife.com
   Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!



4. I loved this book~ I've loved all of Jane Porter's books- but this (and Odd Mom Out) are my favorites!



5. This was my first book by Jane Porter. As a relative newcomer to the mom-scene (my daughter is 4.5), and having been brought up outside of the US, I am still amazed at and amused by the "professional" and highly competitive approach to parenthood, particularly motherhood in this country. While I enjoyed reading the book - it is perfect for a long summer weekend - the message at the end gets muddled somewhat. Here is this long and somewhat labored build-up to Taylor's realizing that putting oneself in a totally dependent situation is not such a good thing, that perhaps her talents and abilities can be better utilized outside of making copies at a school office and helping with lunch, or baking designer cookies... She gets a job and seems to be at least initially successful at juggling being a mom and working full time, which is what 75% women in America do, and survive. And then, as though at a wave of a magic wand, Nathan gets a fabulous job overseas, with double the earnings, and sweeps Taylor off to Sidney, where she undoubtedly will once again fall into her seemingly perfect life of being a social ringleader, a professional uber mom decked out in designer garb, and ultimately an accessory to her bread winning husband. So, where is the message? What did Jane Porter really try to say with this book?

5 comments about Journey of the Heart: The Path of Conscious Love.

1. I have read this book several times and never cease to come away with a new understanding. It has depth, compassion and useful information for moving through some of the modern relationship dilemmas that cause so many of us suffering.
   
   John Welwood is a Ph.D. psychotherapist with a deep knowledge of world religions, especially Buddhism. He also has a lot of life experience and has written many books on a variety of topics including other relationship books.
   
   One of the things I most like about this book is the author's ability to apply both modern psychological thought and Eastern philosophical wisdom to modern day problems. He does this in an easy to read fashion with a compassionate tone. He does not come across as omniscient, but rather as a fellow traveler on the relationship path of spiritual growth.
   
   I believe relationships are probably the best or at least one of the best self-growth paths anyone could ever follow. John Welwood shows us how to hold them as such in this marvelously insightful book.
   
   I also recommend his book called "Toward a Psychology of Awakening." This book is subtitled "Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation." This would make a nice accompaniment to the book above, but the content is heavier and so is the style. However, it is packed with great information and it represents some of John Welwood's best writing.
   
   I particularly like Welwood's insights on "spiritual bypassing" or escaping our psychological and emotional work by overly emphasizing the transcendent and dismissing the wisdom of embodied experience. I'm sure glad a guy who is writing relationship books holds this point of view because as anyone knows who has been in a committed relationship, there are lots of important ingredients to a good relationship beyond the spiritual considerations. The phenomenon of spiritual bypassing is explored very directly in "Toward a Psychology of Awakening."



2. Item was received with other purchased item, thus I received it in a reasonable amount of time. Book was like new!



3. This is one of the most profound books I have ever read. I first read the book some ten years ago and at the time I recall thinking "Why didn't I know this information?". Within this book you will learn how to establishing a healthy connection with another. This is a must have book. How I wish I had such insights when I was young.



4. This is an excellent book that challenges you to risk being intimate with yourself and your part. Welwood's observations are keen insightful, but delivered in a manner that is respectful to his readers. What I got most from this book was reading and reflecting on all of my relationships and the intimacy I allowed for myself as well as how open I am to others. I definitely recommend this as a book to read to help you appreciate the deeper layers of passion that a relationship can provide.



5. Journey of the Heart has been all I hoped it would be. The message in the book gives hope, not through wishful thinking, but through confronting destructive patterns. What is hopeful is that the message gives one hope in reclaiming a relationship or at least making you better at how to relate. The book is not lightweight, but it is personal and reaches to where we humans struggle and sheds light and gives guidance. If you are serious about being better at relating, this book is serious about helping.

5 comments about To Train Up A Child.

1. The Pearls, who seem to have no training or background in child rearing except for raising their own children, and no religious credentials to speak of attempt to give parents a Biblical excuse for abusing their children by quoting the old "Spare the Rod" verses from the Bible. The word "rod" is used in Proverbs, i.e. Prov 13:24: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes, but the meaning of the word rod itself as used here is in reference to the implement used to guide oxen in the field, a process that was done by gentle prodding, not beating.
   
   Having totally failed to understand the very Bible they claim to be using as a guide to child rearing, the Pearls go on to describing such disciplinary measures as whipping babies only a few months old on their bare skin. They recommend bare skin whipping throughout childhood in fact on page two, and say that the practice should be used for "every transgression."
   
   They even recommend whipping infants because they cannot sleep, or refuse to eat, or even for crying, which is basically how a baby communicates his or her needs. Are these people insane? The truth is that their child raising technique is very popular among the right wing Christian community, especially the Dominionists, who believe that a child must be beaten into submission, much as their hero, James Dobson believes a dog should be whipped.
   
   These people should be in jail or a mental institution, not peddling their hateful books on Amazon or anywhere else.



2. I began reading this shortly before our 3rd sons 1st birthday. Thank goodness I didn't read it any later & only wish I would have gotten my hands on it earlier. I had began succombing to "the worlds" or modern psychologies form of parenting. It was wreaking havoc in my little guys life, not to mention the rest of our home. He was one cantakerous lil' man. Often pitching "royal" fits & hitting us - behaviour I'd never seen w/ our other two (hadn't "spoiled" them early on, like I had this one, responding to his every whim!). I won't say that I followed "To Train Up a Child" precisely. My parents spanked me with their own bare hand because my mother always told me that she wanted to be aware of her force. It made "this hurts me as much as it does you" ring true.
   
   I could write so much more but just wanted to give this book my few positive remarks.
   
   Bottom line: "The rod" should be administered lovingly not by an out-of-control, angry parent.



3. This book is disgusting and appalling. These people have no clue how to raise children; they simply want to subjugate them. They advise parents to abuse their children and quote Bible verses to try and justify it. Discipline need not be carried out by beating your child. This book has no place in any parent's bookshelf. Do yourself a favor and check out Dr. Sears instead.



4. They mention in the book that they whipped their 4 motnh old daughter.....that is just horrible. They should be arrested for child abuse.



5. I love this book. Our three children have thrived on the application of God's training techniques as laid out by the Pearls. And the past 25 years as a school administrator have shown me first hand the results of the Secular Humanist approach that opposes the Pearls: chaos reigns in their homes. The happiness of the Pearl children---and my own---is all the testimony I need to affirm where the truth is in raising well-adjusted children. Great book!

5 comments about Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage.

1. Very interesting from a social perspective. Not alot is written about this subject for the lay person. I found it quite insightful.



2. I very much enjoyed reading 'Promises'. The depth of research is extensive. There is plenty of material here to draw your own conclusions or to append other research. My major criticism is the conflicting stories. I felt like I was reading a book written by ten different authors compiled by style in no particular order. I often felt a little sea sick. There is also a lot of redundancy. Nevertheless, there is a lot of useful original information.



3. This book examines why poor women have children prior to being married. The authors did a years-long, very intense, ethnographic study of dozens of poor women of all races in some of the worst neighbrhorhoods of Philadelphia.
   
   The book is good. It is easy to read, and it maintains a nice balance between academic depth -- the authors are well read in their area, but are low key about it -- and engagement with their subjects. The authors care about these women, and that comes across.
   
   The book has a number of conclusions, which are all, to some degree, unexpected.
   
   First, the authors do not believe that the problem is poverty. Obviously, life for these women is more difficult, because they are poor, but that is not whey they have kids before they marry. After all, we have always had poor people, and, in the not so-distant past, the vast majority married before they had kids. No, the authors conclude, the fundamental reason why the poor have children before marriage is a massive cultural shift. Quite simply, marriage has been re-defined. It used to be that one could not have sex, have kids or be accepted as an adult, without being married. Now, marriage has been disconnected from all of these things. The authors see this shift as not being limited to the poor; indeed, they believe that the poor are simply following the middle class in this regard.
   
   Second, although the authors see the poor as having the same basic values as the middle class, they believe that these values play out differently for the poor. The middle class generally gets married, prior to having children, because middle class women have alot to lose. They have careers. They have futures. Having kids, outside marriage, threatens all of this. Since the paramount goal is individual fulfillment, middle-class women do not threaten all of the good things in their lives by having children without any male support.
   
   The poor, on the other hand, say our authors, basically have nothing in their lives which having children would threaten. They do not have a career. They work at lousy low-wage jobs, to which they can return after having kids, because what difference does it make. The authors portray their women as having so little in their lives that they see no downside to having kids by themselves. On the contrary, the authors report that poor women value children, and see the children as adding a great deal to their lives. Many of the subjects report that their lives were an out of control mess -- drinking, drugging, partying -- until they had kids, which is often reported as turning them around.
   
   Third, this book reports a very bleak landscape between the sexes among the poor. Men are just no damm good, virtually all of the women in this book say. Men will not grow up, do not support their kids, chase other women, are often violently abusive and often wind up in jail. While most women report having a child as turning their lives around, and making them into responsibile adults, most of the men involved can not handle the responsibility and run away. It is deeply depressing to read how bitterly these women distrust the men in their lives. (I found that the account rang true, but, to be fair, the authors only spoke to poor women; they did not speak to poor men, who might give a different version.)
   
   In the end, the book describes this odd paralled universe, in which poor women want children and marriage, but see children as easy to get and marriage as an impossible dream.
   
   Very eye-opening book, and very depressing.



4. The quotation from William Julius Wilson on the cover sounds "over the top," but it is not: "This is the most important study ever written on motherhood and marriage among low-income urban women." Edin and Kefalas set a high standard for ethnographic research. Unlike many other research projects, they did not simply "dip their feet into a flowing river" (with apologies to Heraclitus). They conducted hundreds of interviews among a diverse population over several years. One of them (Edin) actually lived for several years with her family in one of the neighborhoods: went to church there, shopped there, swapped stories about motherhood... i.e., became part of the community (really). The final study is a testament to the authors' tenacity, integrity, and professionalism. It is not difficult to understand why this book won a major award and has been so highly praised.
   On a final note, if you are expecting extensive theoretical justification, you may be disappointed. This study is exceptionally well-written and rich in detail, but it is not, and does not pretend to be, "theoretical" -- at least not in the postmodern or critical sense. From my point of view, this is a merit, not a defect. Edin and Kefalas make a parsimonious, but significant claim regarding single urban mothers and support it with seemingly unimpeachable data. For most auditors, that counts as elegance. Elegance is enough.



5. As a social worker who deals with the population portrayed in this book day in and day out, I was very interested in reading a book that I hoped would help me understand a phenomenon that has intrigued me since the day I started my job. I was very pleased when I read this book as I thought that it did address its stated purpose in a factual but still thoughtful way. I enjoyed this book because the authors were able to keep away from giving the book a judgmental feel while still not appearing to condone the choices that these women made.
   Although the book was a fantastic read, especially for those interested in the subject...beware. That is, the book itself is good but the subject matter is all too real and therefore all too disheartening. I say that because there is nothing in the book that I didn't already have a sneaking suspicion about: the selfishness that exists when so many people in this country, be them male/female, rich/poor, black/white, see no problem with creating and bringing a new life in to this world solely to serve their own unfulfilled needs....be them relational, monetary, social, personal, to get their "act" together, and the like.

1 comments about Growing the Marriage of Your Dreams (Max on Life).

1. My husband and I started this book/CD study w/another couple and have really enjoyed it. Having the CD segment first is a nice way to get into it, and then the husbands (both mine and the other) don't have to read too much, a plus since neither of them likes to read. Great ideas; simple yet good for spurring changes and conversations later.

5 comments about The Sex Bible: The Complete Guide to Sexual Love.

1. I really enjoyed reading this selection and I found many things that I can use in my presentations as I am a Romance Enhancement Consultant. The photography was nice though there are beautiful people of all ethnic backgrounds and the author and photographer did not capture any of them. I would have enjoyed the book better and maybe recommended it to friends had there been photos of people from different backgrounds. This world is very "colorful" and I would think that a "sex bible," with all of the photography would reflect that fact.



2. I love to read books that are going to teach me how to be a better lover and this book The Sex Bible has been one of the best ones and i've read a few.I recomend that every woman should have The Sex Bible at home and all this goes for man too.



3. "The Sex Bible", I thought, was one of the best books on all things sexual I have ever run across. For the price, you can't beat it as it's comphrensive and full of great ideas for sexual adventure, as well as delving into all time favorite topics such as "oral" and others. Additionally, it was very easy to read and to understand and not at all presented tackily, as some other "sex" books are. I read it in no time and highly recommend it, along with Good Sex: A Woman's Guide to Losing Inhibition.



4. The Sex Bible was a wonderful book. Very educational. Good imagines but not porn. I would highly recommend buy it for a better sex life with your partner.



5. WHO are these authors who add the word "Bible" to their title of SEX? Are any of these authors aware of what the "true" definition of what Bible means?
   
   Definition:
   
   n.
   
   a. The sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
   b. The Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred book of Judaism.
   c. A particular copy of a Bible: the old family Bible.
   A book or collection of writings constituting the sacred text of a religion.
   
   
   These authors need to do a little more research when choosing their words a little more carefully.

3 comments about Just Girlfriends: More Than Just Chit-Chat & Chocolate.

1. I admit I am not fond of 'cute' books. But this one is nice simply because the author has chosen some wonderful quotes to accompany her photos.
   
   Like Helen Keller who notes 'So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain'. Or John Sage who notes 'Best friends can practically speak with their eyes just a knowing glance speaks a thousand words'.
   
   Would make a lovely gift for someone who needs reminding that they matter to you.



2. "Girlfriends share two ageless elixirs:
   We laugh until we cry,
   and we cry until we laugh.
   Either one heals us from the inside out."
   ~Bonnie Louise Kuchler
   
   Bonnie Louise Kuchler has created a cozy read about friendship between women. This book would make a wonderful gift for the women in your life. The pictures of puppies, deer, kittens, baby elephants, seals, raccoons, ponies and bear cubs makes this book adorable. I loved all the quotes and the artistic way they are presented with the pictures. I can recommend this book to anyone who collects quotes or wants to give a gift to a girlfriend.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



3. 
   "A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside" (A.A. Milne)
   
   
   If you've never used your superior powers of deductive reasoning to determine that the effects of a fudge brownie à la mode can be counteracted by a diet drink at the same meal, then chances are that:
   
   1. You're not of the feminine persuasion
   2. You don't meet your girlfriends for lunch on a regular basis
   3. You may not appreciate this picture book.
   
   
   This is a compact and delightful gift book expressly created for those special women who know you better than you know yourself. It contains more than forty adorable, full color photographs of animals, each with a "girlfriend-appropriate" phrase, quote or saying, ranging from PMS to Winnie the Pooh (see above).
   
   Recommended as a "just because" gift for the ladies of your posse who know when it's better to tell you the truth up front, and when to hedge their bets a little. Better yet, send it with a personal note thanking them for always watching your back.
   
   "The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away" (Barbara Kingsolver)
   
   
   
   Amanda Richards, September 6, 2008

5 comments about Position of the Day: Sex Every Day in Every Way (Naughty, Naughty).

1. No other reviews helped me with what I got when I bought this book. First off, unless your into guy on guy, woman on woman, or multiple partners, this book might have no interest to you. The positions in this book are redundant, and most of which everyone has tried. The harder ones require great flexibility, which can be fun but there's not enough of them. They have half the book as the above mentioned, guy on guy, girl on girl and more then two people. This is definately not for just couples. if you're a couple and looking for a book to get hints from, this is not the book. Also, if you don't have horizontal and veritical poles in your house, that takes away another quarter of the book. So basically you're only left with the same positions everyone has tried numorous times.



2. Those critical of this nifty little book are missing the point: it's super-fun. Fun positions. Fun names given to positions. Fun ideas that can be modified for your abilities and, ahem, preferences. It's handy size makes it easily concealable in the nightstand, and it's not too naughty to give as a gift. Enjoy!



3. I would not recommend this to anybody. About 30 percent of the postions are repeat at least once, there are some that are repeated three or four times, just under a different name. This book also doesn't have any information about the positions. I would recommend "Daily Sex: 365 Positions and Activities for a Year of Great Sex!" by Jane Seddon.



4. Well, in general I was looking for useful tips, not positions that require me to be a female He-Man, holding myself up with one arm and what not ... Maybe they're great, but I'm scrawny and weak so I'll have to hit the gym to fully put this book to good use.



5. Book would have been an exciting add. Unfortunately pics were cartoonish and positions were not described adequetly.

5 comments about Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders.

1. This book is written in a readable style that holds your interest. I bought it to help understand my elderly father who is suffering from dementia, but I found it told me a lot about myself and what I will want and need in the next 20 years. Mary Pipher's insightful and easy to understand.



2. The author of the bestseller Reviving Ophelia this times takes us on a journey through the lives of our elders. Following the lead of Bernice Neugarten at the University of Chicago, she distinguishes between the "young-old" and the "old-old". This book focuses mainly on the later, telling the stories of people who are coping with loss and illness.
   
   While individual differences are always present, Pipher see trends among those in the "old-old" group, as well as among their families and children. Being able to anticipate and appreciate these commonalities, she believes, will ultimately be our best route to communicating with and honoring our elders.
   
   She calls cultural differences between the generations time-zone problems. Some are obvious, such as differences in attitudes towards authority. Others seem obvious only when she points them out to us, such as the fact that our parents' generation was "pre-irony". Without recognizing these differences, we are bound to be frustrated with each other.
   
   In what she calls "the saddest chapter in this book", the author compares the old-old to victims of chronic post traumatic stress disorder, people overwhelmed by inevitable multiple losses and threats. It is a uninviting concept, one we would prefer to discard or at least put a positive spin on.
   
   Yet the trauma of old age can also be the catalyst for our ultimate growth and integration. Pipher tells us that "each of us will experience our ship going down...From our responses come the best and worst stories".
   
   Even in her stories of those elders who end their lives bitter and aggrieved, there is sometimes healing in those who are left. Adult children reconcile with siblings and with themselves. Teenage grandchildren come into the circle.
   
   And in many heartwarming stories of resilient, courageous elders, the author helps us come to appreciate the dignity and peace that can exist alongside the losses.
   
   The book is practical as well. Facilities which have successfully integrated the care of the young and the old are described. Programs which have paired schoolchildren with elders come to life with personal stories. Tales of foster grandparents make us realize how little we have utilized these powerful resources so far.
   
   There is much starkness here, but also much hope. Hope that we can do a much better job addressing the needs of the old-old members of our tribe. Perhaps the demandingness of our baby boomer generation will serve us well in this regard. We're all heading in the same direction.



3. I thought I'd find myself in this book, but I am neither old enough nor young enough to fit either model. Neverless I loved the book, and wwhat I remember most vividly are the poems, especially the one about the dying grandmother: "She lay back in it and let it have her." Haunting, isn't it?



4. I purchased this book as a requirement for one of my senior level college courses. Normally, I would not have enjoyed reading required text for class; however, this book grabbed me from page one -- I had absolutely no problem keeping up with deadlines for reading. It kept me in constant contact with my grandparents and brought incredible insight into why and how our generations became so gapped. This will be a book that I will keep on my bookshelf long after college has ended.



5. Fantastic Book! It changed my life about my attitude toward thinking about growing old. I would recommend it highly to anyone: I have recommended it to several friends and also 2 of my book clubs are now going to read it.

5 comments about The Art of Sensual Massage.

1. This first (and still the greatest popular massage book) belongs in your library if you are serious about massage. No other book manages to teach massage so easily and with such great results. You will get compliments from your friends when you massage them. Note: this is really a couples approach, not a strictly professional one. I love this book!



2. Whether you are looking for a professional masseur or a sex therapist you will LOVE this book. The techniques absolutely do not disappoint. Great relaxation through sensuality. This book is particularly easy to get into if you are a beginner in massage.



3. Having purchased many massage books over the years I still find this one, my first, to be a great inspiration. Inkeles' love for massage really comes through and you are able to get right into the technique--usually a few minutes after you open the book! Beware of some of the older editions of "The Art of Sensual Massage" which were printed on low quality paper. The photos suffer. The Arcata Arts edition ... is much improved throughout and has many updates to the text.

   Indeed, this truely is THE essential massage book, especially for beginners.




4. This review is written from the point of view of a licensed massage therapist who went in the business after reading this book.
   
   First I would like to share the story of how thing book got into my hands. Everyone who has been in Provincetown, MA, will tell you it's a different town. I knew nothing about its fame when I first set my foot there which was because I was offered a job there. At the end of the season I already knew that visiting Provincetown and not getting something from a sex store was like visiting Rome and not going to see the Pope. So, set on buying a modest souvenir for myself, I marched in one of the four stores in town and looked around.
   
   To cut the long story short, among the huge selection of accessories and books, my attention was attracted by a book labelled "The Art of Sensual Massage". I flipped through and decided to give it a shot. As a shy single lady unsure how to approach the subject of her affection, I thought that was a sensible choice. I had my souvenir and a couple of weeks to experiment the moves on friends before I became brave enough to suggest it to my crush.
   
   It is very important to understand that this book is entitled the art of SENSUAL, not sexual massage. If you are looking for a book to teach you techniques focused on and around the loins, look elsewhere. There are a lot of tips and hints on how to make the touch intimate, private, just for you and your partner though.
   
   A total beginner with massage, my first tries with the book on a few volunteers left me stunned. I was amazed how good it felt to them! This was also extremely satisfying to me to see the change. In a week I was hooked. In a month I was confident enough to offer it to my crush. It was a ... melting experience.
   
   Remember: all touch feels good. That is, if you desire to touch and be touched. This book can be a very powerful tool in the hands of those who want to bring happiness and content to their partners. It presents a wonderful form of physical intimacy not involving sex. The descriptions/instruction is very clear, easy to understand, with great pointers and suggestions. There photos are quite helpful as well and the models are chosen well. The models are nude but none of what is shown is in bad taste. Have in mind that the pictures were taken a while back in time which explains why they are in black and white and of course the body hair.
   
   The techniques described in the book are excellent. Even now, as a professional massage therapist I still use some of the techniques suggested in this book. It is not necessary to have in-depth knowledge of anatomy to practise at home and with a few exceptions, they are very safe. Massage is for pleasure, not for pain and the author does a great job conveying the idea. Here are a few hints how to improve your experience (some are mentioned in the book, some aren't).
   -- Warm the oil before you start. Dipping it in the sink with hot water for 5-10 min makes all the difference in the world.
   -- Work the muscles (avoid pressure on the bones).
   -- Keep your hands on your partner. Stay connected and if you need to reapply oil, do it with one hand.
   -- Use firm and confident strokes.
   -- If you start causing pain, stop immediately.
   -- Always stay off the spine, varicose veins, sprains, hurt muscle/skin.
   
   I warmly recommend this book to caring couples who want to explore each other's sensuality and learn new ways to bring harmony, content and pleasure in their relationship. Even though I do not have the DVD to this book, I suggest you to buy it as well, especially if you have no prior experience in massage. I believe the book may be of interest even for massage therapists and their partners. It definitely won't teach them anything new technique-wise but the attitude is indeed inspiring and refreshing.



5. I am so glad that I found this book.
   
   Gordon Inkeles has mastered the sensual massage and his book does an incredible job of instructing the reader. As someone who has recently dived into the world of massage, I found my technique greatly improved as a result of this book. To the reviewer who claimed that the pictures were dated - that makes no difference. The pictures are essential to helping the reader master the techniques in a way that words cannot.
   
   I used to just dabble in massage. I thought buying a bottle of oil and rubbing my partner was good enough. This book has taught me how to correctly give a massage in a way that relaxes my partner and strengthens the bond between us - and it was so easy to understand! After reading this book and applying Gordon's techniques, I now realize that sensual massage is a critical way to bond with your partner, regardless of if you are the giver or the receiver.
   
   If you are thinking about getting this book, stop thinking and buy it! I promise you won't be disappointed!