5 comments about How to Be Sexy.

1. The design of this book is girly cute, only thats why I gave it one star. This book carring no more information that I already know. Some of the tips were so old, that I remember them since I was a little girl. In the beggining I believed it was Carmen talking, but after few pages, the style of writing totally changed. So Carmen, puh-leeze!
   I waisted my time reading it, thats it!



2. I thought this was really good. I am a married 30something who wants to look good for hubby, and yet not forget that I am still a woman who wants to feel sexy around other people (men) too.. I especially liked the make up ideas (I have actually already purchased the fake eyelashes, we'll see if I ever have the chance to wear them!) - day and night stuff, etc.. I also liked the pep talk of being confident in yourself, no matter size/shape/age.. Kudos!



3. Ok, so I love Carmen Electra and I was really looking forward to getting this book. I was only mildly satisfied. Don't get me wrong, she was very cute in it but this book I feel was geared towards 13 year olds who need help learning how to do their makeup. There was a really good section on body language but I wanted more meat and substance. It wasn't horrible but I am really glad I got a good deal because I would not have wanted to pay cover price for this.



4. I got this book mainly for the makeup tips, but found that it had some good girly advice. How to dress, flirt and have to confidence to carry it off.



5. Carmen lays out some of the basics when it comes to being sexy. Perhaps there are some things that we have picked up on or barely noticed. Carmen puts it into simple and direct terms. If you are pretty confident that you have the basics down than I would probably look for something of a more advanced level. I am a big fan of her striptease aerobics, I bought the whole set but I carry the basic striptease DVD with me on long trips.

5 comments about Quickie Stickies: 100 Pick-Me-Ups for When You're Feeling Unglued.

1. Her self-help style is just right for today: smaller gems for a fast-paced day with the right balance of humor and words that make you think for a few moments about yourself. They're not tired aphorisms in this book--they're new twists on the demons I find myself confronting all the time. I especially like the artist she teamed up with for this book. Her illustrations are bright and take the words a step further, and because of that, out of 100 "pick me ups" I have my favorites already. There's a sense of humor in the illustrations that I like a lot.



2. I found this book first in a store and wound up reading it page by page without wanting to stop. It's filled with funny but ever so true wisdom that makes great inspiration and motivation. It's very cool how the pages pull out and then you can stick them up places to remind you of its affirmational messages. I wound up buying one for me...and one to give a friend as a gift...who also LOVED it! I now just ordered another to give as a gift. I absolutely recommend it...A favorite quickie stickie was the one that said THE GOOD NEWS: ONLY YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR DESTINY. the bad news:ONLY YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR DESTINY....and the graphic was two newspapers with these two different headlines. Which reminds me to mention...the art in this book was really well done...graphic and attention getting and fun.



3. After reading Ms Salmansohn's HOW TO BE HAPPY DAMMIT I saw this book of hers in a store and bought. Its lots of fun and motivating. You stick up the post its on your computer or refrigerator. It has ones like LIVE NOW. PROCRASTINATE LATER. with colorful graphics. I also love her site www.notsalmon.com. Kudos to Ms. Salmansohn for helping to make this world a happier place!



4. This is the best little resource - filled with pick-me up post-it notes! I sent this to someone who was having a bad day and when I saw it I wish I had ordered one for myself! The sayings and pictures are fun and the post-it style is great for surprising others by slipping one on someone's desk, in a lunch box, stuck to the coffee pot, to the steering wheel, etc. Yes, you could right little messages yourself- but you would miss out on the wit and images that these stickies provide!



5. I've received this as a gift and bought at a gift. The stickies are so much fun! The quotations and bits of advice are often tongue-in-cheek and at times sarcastic. They are true to their word, though, and give a great pick me up. It's fun to keep in the office, to brighten up a co-worker's day or make someone laugh.

5 comments about Roger Love's Vocal Power: Speaking with Authority, Clarity and Conviction (Your Coach in a Box).

1. I have been doing the daily exercises for slightly more then a month and they help tremendously! All the information Roger Love gives you in all of the CDs is all you need to understand how Vocal Power really works. The only thing thats missing is personal coaching, but thats only if you want further advancement or feel like you need it.
   
   Recommend it to anyone who wants to develop charisma, clarity, and confidence in their voice.



2. This so called coaching is a complete waste of time, and money. The first CD is FILLED with him telling you how great this is, rather than just showing it through the work. Then, it winds up being a lot of pranayama -- yogic breathing, and not well done at that.
   I returned it the day after I received it.



3. Yes, a lot of his material is either culled from his other works or from any of your basic Dale Carnegie 'how to win friends and influence people' self-help genre. But let's face it: that last genre hasn't come out with an original concept in about 10 years, so maybe we shouldn't blame a voice-coach for not offering any terrific new insights?
   
   I bought this because every semester when I start teaching, I go from talking almost not at all to talking 5-7 hours a day, and my throat was *raw* and I had no voice left. It was, then, a desperation purchase. I figured if it could help at *all*, it would be worth the money in future semesters without the ouchie. While his other stuff mostly concentrated on singers and their interests, this is totally focussed on public speaking, which was spiffy. I've a decent singing voice but it had no crossover to the endurance or quality of my speaking voice, until now.
   
   Honestly, he makes some good points, and though he seems to pad and is perhaps a little puffy in the ego department, he knows his stuff. Since I started using it (yeah, I got irked by the lack of utility of CD 1 but I pressed on ahead), I've been more aware of how I breathe when I speak (which is different from pranayama, as another reviewer tries to relate it to), and that there *is* a way to take the brassiness out of my voice. FINALLY!! So if you endure, and be patient with him in the first CD, I promise you, it'll pay off. My voice doesn't hurt at the end of the day any more, and I'm paying more attention in how I say things (melodically, etc). I don't have much use for his 'fear of public speaking'--I've never had that. But just because it's not something *I* find useful, that doesn't mean that someone else would find that part of the program useful.
   
   Bottom line, I feel like I got my money's worth: my voice doesn't hurt any more, I can get rid of some of the less attractive qualities when I speak, and I feel generally better about how I present myself when I talk. Maybe it's not the best thing since sliced bread, but that's good enough for me.



4. Roger Love demonstrates magnificent vocal coaching skills and how-to techniques in this "must have" resource for anybody who speaks publicly (including teachers, sales professionals, speakers, broadcasters, voiceover pros, managers and others).
   
   Anybody who's good enough to be Tony Robbins' voice coach is certainly worth learning from, was my thinking when I first decided to get this program. And Roger overdelivers with a great variety of techniques (and inspiration and insights to learn from) in this "vocal coaching masterpiece".
   
   In addition, he's got a very interesting voice, so he's easy to listen to; no dry monotonous academic training here - in addition to the superb exercises he does out loud for you w/piano, his vocal style and range is exceptional, and interesting to listen to - which makes learning that much better and more effective.
   
   I've had voice coaches, been a public speaker for 20 years, and this is certainly something I wish I'd had earlier in my career - and it's helping me to this very day. Roger is inspirational, he's helpful, and his techniques *work* with stunning results. I'd easily have paid $200 for the content in these cds, it's a remarkable value from one of the world's very top vocal coaches. Superb job - thanks Roger!
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   -Ken
   
   p.s. other public speaking resources I recommend are Lily Waters and Brian Tracy; they've got superb books/cds/videos on the topic of public speaking as well; one thing I really appreciate about Roger's course is that it also gives you vocal exercises to strengthen your voice, eliminate problems with your delivery, and expand your vocal range. A++



5. I really liked this set of CD's. It gives you practical hands on advice and helps you understand what it takes to improve your speaking and singing voice. I recently took a course on voice development and I have to say the imformation in this set was superior. The first CD is a little too much PR but once past that it is invaluable. If you are just starting out then this is an inexpensive way to gain really good info....buy it!!

5 comments about End the Struggle and Dance with Life: How to Build Yourself Up When the World Gets You Down.

1. Susan Jeffers is an incredibly gifted and creative writer. This book has, to spout the usual cliche, changed my life. Coupled with Embracing Uncertainty it has the power to bring clarity to the most confused and troubled psyche but more importantly to spur you on to greater efforts at achieving peace and wonder in a tough world. This is a spiritual text and her message is a consistent spiritual one.
   A very beautiful and loving and sustaining book. I highly recommend it.



2. I have read and highly appreciated two of Jeffers previous books: "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway", and "Dare to Connect". I would give both of those books 5 stars. Unfortunately, as good as Dare to Connect is, it remains out of print and, I believe, this was the motivating force behind writing End the Struggle. It is basically a merging of the two books, yet it does not seem to have the energy and intensity, often coming off a bit naive or pollyannaish.

   For me, it was just a review of what I'd read in the previous two books and therefore of little value. It's not fair for me to rate it lower on that alone, however. No, it's lower energy combined with the publisher's trick of reintroducing "Dare to Connect" principles (which is available online used) is what bothered me. We see this a lot. An author writes another book that is basically a rehash of another, or tries to present the same views a little differently just so the public will think it's a "new" book.




3. I am going to give this 2 stars instead of only one and only because, not being a New Age believer, I may be being unduly harsh with my criticism. I just have a hard time with this whole Self Help genre.
   
   Truthfully, I only read half the book. Pfff! It never caught my interest. It starts out with an explanation of your Lower Self and your Higher Self as if the evidence of the existence of either is indisputable. Then we move into the obligatory "positive affirmations", physically cleaning out our closets, joining 12 step programs, choosing not to be a victim, meditating, praying, tai chi and on and on.
   
   If you feel that any of this may help you Dance with Life, then I admire your faith. Me, I'll just continue to refill my prescription for Prozac.
   
   
   



4. When my local public library had its annual summer book sale, I came across this treasure for a fraction of its list price. I love listening to audiobooks, especially self-help/personal growth audiobooks. Self-help books can range from farcical to truly transformational. I found Susan Jeffers' guidance to be on the transformational side of the self-help spectrum. Ms. Jeffers distinguishes between our lower-selves and our higher-selves (I likewise had come up with my own terms to describe this phenomenon of where we are in our personal development--our regressed/imbalanced selves, our potential/balanced selves, and our in-between selves). Our lower-selves are competitive and ego-driven, seeking validation in the wrong things and in the wrong ways. Our higher-selves are " good enough," to quote Ms. Jeffers verbatim. Susan discusses at length our preoccupation with goals and urges us to reconsider our values and how we seek self-worth.
   
   Marianne Williamson, who endorses this book, also gives good guidance that works synergistically with Ms. Jeffers' advice. I was listening to a self-help audiobook by Ms. Williamson a few months ago when a profound truth really registered with me for the first time. Marianne quoted A Course in Miracles (which I've never read) when she said enlightenment doesn't come from having people no longer say unjust, unkind, or untrue things about you. Enlightenment comes from no longer caring (about these negative words). I remember saying out loud, "Yes! Yes!," excited about this epiphany. I had heard words to the same effect before...consider the source, sticks and stones may break my bones, etc., but something about the way A Course in Miracles emphasized no longer caring really struck a chord with me. Since you can't control what other people do or say to you or about you, this is profoundly helpful advice. Susan also points out that what other people do or say is their way of handling hurt...another incentive to not take things personally, but instead feel compassion (or at the very least, refrain from feeling antipathy) towards people who are attacking us.
   
   Susan Jeffers talks extensively about our lack of control and how we have to accept that we don't have control over many things in the world and in our own lives. We can control our reaction, and that is a powerful thing to be able to control. Most of us have heard that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% our reaction and attitude towards what happens to us. Susan definitely believes our reactions and attitudes are where we live most of the time; therefore, we really need to reevaluate our reactions and attitudes.
   
   Susan says that even though we may not like many of the terrible things going on in the world, we have to consider that we have only a limited understanding of "The Grand Design." In the grand scheme of things, there may be reasons we aren't capable of understanding at this point of time (or ever) why things are the way they are. Susan doesn't advocate passivity, i.e., throwing in the towel since we lack control. But she knows that worrying endlessly about things over which we have no control will help no one and only hurt us. I really needed to hear this...or as some 12-step programs say, "Let Go, Let God."



5. I first read this book in 1997 - my life was in a turmoil and this book helped me put things in perspective again. I must have given at least 20 copies of it away since then. And even this copy was givien to a dear friend needing a little support. I have it on my bedside and pick it up once in a while and just read a random chapter and it helps me and lifts me. I love Susan Jeffers work - she is a blessing:)

No comments about Piensa lo bueno y se te dará.

3 comments about The Little Pink Book of Elegance: The Modern Girl's Guide to Living With Style (Little Pink Books) (Little Pink Books).

1. This has helpful information in a nice small, concise form. Would be a great gift to a recent college graduate. However, I didn't care for the many references to the show "Sex and the City". I don't find the characters on that show to be good examples of elegance.



2. "A truly elegant taste is generally accompanied by excellence of heart." ~ Henry Fielding
   
   Looking at life from a different perspective is always sure to bring on new challenges and surprises. So what if you've been ignoring this side of yourself for the last 20 years? There is always time to reorganize your day so you can sip tea in bed in the morning instead of rushing about feeling frazzled. This book shows you how to enhance your life instead of letting life lead you wherever it may. Want to take time for long baths? Organize them into your life. As the author notes:
   
   "Living elegantly must be achieved through experience."
   
   It seems a worthy goal, but where to start? The chapters include:
   
   What is Elegance?
   Wardrobe Rules
   Accessorize!
   All that Glitters
   Bare Elegance
   Scentsations
   Organizing Principles
   Home, Elegant Home
   Elegant Entertaining
   Shabby Chic
   The Write Stuff
   Beauty from the Inside Out
   Elegant Findings
   
   Within these intriguing little chapters you can find out about the top ten items every woman should have in her closet. The section on lingerie is fun and statistics and secrets throughout add fun to various topics. How should you take care of pearls? Should you use hairspray and perfume "before" or "after" you put on pearls. These are of course things a girl must know, because at any point in time the man of your dreams may buy you some. Who would want to be clueless and ruin them?
   
   Spa Girl types will love the "Bare Elegance" chapter, although you probably will know most of this by the time you are 25. This section serves as a refresher course in caring for yourself, no matter what. "Scentsations" is an introduction to perfumes and then it leads into a discussion about candles, room sprays, incense, scented papers and essential oils.
   
   I can think of about four people right this very minute who would love to read the "Purging your Purse" chapter. Just yesterday I had to sort through my purse to find my keys. Now the "If Your Walls Could Talk" section says your home reveals your self-portrait. Feng Shui is briefly introduced, but the focus is more on clearing out the clutter room by room. After your home is all organized, you may want to throw a party. An especially brief section could be explored in more detail.
   
   Ideas about how to live a more elegant life becomes even more practical when you read through the 30 days of elegant ideas.
   
   Day 4: Write a note instead of sending an e-mail.
   Day 11: Read a Poem
   Day 21: Buy someone else a gift, for no reason
   
   The last chapter on saying goodbye has a lot of wisdom, although at times I think that people who keep saying they are really busy or tired should just be more honest and say what they really mean. It would save us all a lot of annoyance and confusion. This book says to end a friendship, allow it to run its course. That might be a good idea if you have the time to put up with someone's abuse. If not, I say moving to say New Zealand might be a good option.
   
   The Little Pink Books are a fun way to spend an hour and the Little Black Books look ever more fun. A fun series of books to keep you entertained and they don't take up much room in your purse. You may even want to keep one in your coat pocket so you always have something fun to read.
   
   ~ The Rebecca Review



3. This book is really a darling read. The book itself is so cute - the size of it is as the title states, "Little". It is the perfect size for the purse if you want to take the book with you wherever you go as a constant reminder of how to incorporate elegance into your life. You will be able to read the entire book in just a few hours. I really learned some great ways of how to look at life and to not only achieve elegance but happiness as well. Finding inspiration from people (Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O, Coco Chanel, etc) or things (like pearls, the little black dress, architecture, art, etc) we find elegant and the beauty of the world around us truly helps us to find happiness and elegance in our lives. I really loved the focus on inspiration. The book also had some great tips on building a classy, elegant wardrobe. Simplicity is a key theme to incorporating elegance into your wardrobe and your home. If you want a nice shorter read on elegance that has a little to say on a broad range of topics or if you enjoy reading books of this sort, I think you will enjoy this book as I have.

4 comments about Turn It Up!: How to Perform at Your Highest Level for a Lifetime.

1. Finally Dr. Spencer details his secrets for all to learn from! I've followed Dr. Spencer's career for the last ten years. He is the master coach. I have seen the athletes he works with become champions. This book details what he does that moves the ordinary to extraordinary. I learned that this is a process, not an accident. Dr Spencer took great care to make it practicle and appliable and I could immediately get his concept and then apply it to my life. I know that anyone with dreams and a good work ethic can apply these steps and improve their life. I did!
   I recommend this highly.
   D.M.



2. I like Mr. Spencer's book, but wish it was organized a bit differently. The information is unique in places, and not so unique in others, but is not organized in such a way as to allow the reader to really stop and use it. In places there are instructions on steps to take, but not throughout. If you haven't read sports-performance books in the past, or self-help books, this one may help you. Otherwise - Physician, Know Thyself!



3. Top of the line performance isn't something restricted solely to Olympic athletes. "Turn It Up!: How to Perform At Your Highest Level For a Lifetime" is a guide to being the best one can be. Although written by a former Olympian and athlete, the principles outlined in the book are not strictly for athletes; the advice and motivation can be applied to many avenues of life. For business, creativity, any avenue, "Turn it Up!" is an inspirational must for any reader.



4. How do you succeed at your highest possible level? Dr. Jeffrey Spencer is a former Olympian, a team member for eight Tours de France, chiropractor and Life Coach. This book is easy to read and loaded with information that anyone can apply to their life.
   
   I love what he writes in the introduction, "We all have the raw human resources to become successful. The secret to a passionate, productive, purposeful, and prosperous life is to identify and refine our talents into highly productive assets enabling us to conceive of and parlay our efforts into goals accomplished. Successful people know that talent and will aren't enough, so they focus their time and effort on honing their skills sufficiently to manifest their aspirations and then place them within well-constructed plans." (vii)
   
   I appreciated the contents of this title, the organization and practical nature of it. Throughout my reading, I used my highlighter often. I highly recommend it.

3 comments about 10 Simple Solutions to Shyness: How to Overcome Shyness, Social Anxiety & Fear of Public Speaking (10 Simple Solutions).

1. I've suffered from social anxiety for years, and have found many ways to avoid it.
   
   My therapist recommended this book, and I have found it to be insightful, direct, and immediately helpful.
   
   As with most books that deal with social anxiety, your progress towards alleviating that anxiety is really dependent upon the work that you are willing to do to complete the exercises that are outlined in the book.
   
   I'm just getting started myself, but already I have a more hopeful outlook on being able to just be myself and accept what happens as I put myself "out there" in engaging in social situations.
   
   I hope you find this book just as motivational.



2. I found this book and thought it would be the perfect reader to help me out without needing to wade through lots of information. I was wrong. Covering things such as cognitive distortions and medication, this book didn't tell me how to overcome shyness. If you're looking for some help in those agonizing social situations, I wouldn't let the simplistic appearance of this book fool you. True, it offers some very helpful information, but not anything you can't read elsewhere.



3. I found the condition of both books excellent. The second was particularly relevant to what I was doing, although I did get some ideas from the first.
   
   I needed the books urgently and they were out of print in Australia, so I cheerfully bore the cost of the exchange rate and shipping. The books arived in good time.
   
   Patricia Bryan
   Dip. Oral Communication & Public Speaking
   Certificate in Advanced Communication Skills
   Train the Trainer Cerificate
   Member of International Training In Communication.

3 comments about The Collected Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn.

1. This is a very compact version of some wondeful, nearly timeless wisdom. If you like to make notes in the margins, you may wish to find another version of the text.



2. This must be where Louise Hay & THE SECRET authors discovered the power of positive thought & word. Beautiful affirmations! Simply written. It's staying on my nightstand for handy reference.



3. One of the most amazing books i've ever read. Florence gives very practical information on how to apply her knowlwge of spiritual law.

5 comments about The Right Words at the Right Time.

1. To the few reviewers of this book who gave it a negative rating:

   what's wrong with you?! You CLEARLY missed this point of this gem of a publication.

   I was browsing around the bookstore at the local mall just passing time while my eye glasses were being repaired. I was standing near the bestsellers section, when for no particular reason, this book's cover caught my eye. I picked up a copy, glanced at it, flipped the pages, then discarded it back on the shelf and thought, uhgg, one of those chicken-soup, pseudo-inspirational, publications; you know, a book version of a "chick flick"...ah, no thanks. Then, and maybe it was the fact that I noticed the NY Times bestseller band at the top, or maybe the sincerity of Marlo's expression -- I don't know -- but I picked it up, again flipped through the selections until I found a contributor I recognized: Matt Groening. I read his, the another, then got to Mel Brooks..BAM..I was hooked. I've got to admit, the old widsom you can't judge a book by it's cover took on a literal truth in this case. When I glanced at the back cover and saw that all of the royalties of the book go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I was instantly sold and proceeded to register to buy it.

   The idea for this book and it's ultimate objective are both obvious and genious. Bravo Marlo and Friends!

   This isn't literature, no, it's light reading with most entires being 3 or 4 pages; the contributions are from a diverse collection of musicians, actors, activists, entertainers, doctors, CEOs, journalists, politicians, direcors, writers, politicians, artists, and other people who are well known because of the success they've attained.

   But the entries from the likes of Sidney Portier, Jay Leno,
   and Itzhak Perlman are golden nuggets; personal experiences
   of pivitol points in these contributors lives and given up in the name of charity -- awesome!

   There are lessons and wisdoms in this book you can bank on. To say this book is replete with inspiration and would be an understatement. Best of all, you can read an entry in like 2 minutes!

   If you don't buy this book, it's your loss.




2. Ms. Thomas has collected an inspiring, entertaining, and informative selection of stories representing pivotal moments in the lives of famous people. The reader can learn just what triggered these people to pursue their goals...and hopefully understand that it can be the smallest of things that propels a person forward.
   This book reminds us that you can never tell when or from where inspiration may come. It also reminds the reader of the old expression, "Never take away someone's hope. It might be all that they have." James Green, author of "If There's One Thing I've Learned."



3. I really enjoyed reading this book. For someone who does not enjoy long chapters but enjoys listening other people's experiences and wise thought, I was thoroughly impressed. After my first purchase, I ended up buying 2 more copies of this books in hopes of giving them to close friends as a nice birthday present. Afterall, it's what's inside a book that counts.



4. Marlo Thomas has written a wonderfully inspiring piece of art!! If you're looking to be inspired by people, both great and small, to get a glimpse into the hearts, lives and even pain of those you've admired throughout the years, this is a MUST-read. As I read the personal stories of changed lives through the power of simply spoken words, it made me aware of how the power of words can be used as a catalyst to tear down or build up. Can't wait to buy Volume 2!



5. I heard about this book through the grapevine. I checked it out from the library to read it and was so blown away that I then purchased it. Marlo Thomas has put together a touching as well as entertaining collection of short stories from celebrities, sports figures, politicians, etc. with words that will touch and encourage you. I highly recommend this book.