No comments about Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth.

5 comments about How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships.

1. I borrowed this book from a friend. I was both impressed and turned off by it on many different levels. I have no interest in navigating the shark filled waters of corporate America or the yacht club and this book seems to be geared for those seeking entrée into that world. Of the 92 tips, the majority focused on working parties like a politician, making people think you like them when you secretly find them to be bores and pandering to native human egocentricity. Basically, it's a how-to guide for people who want to learn how to be charming and fake, without seeming to be fake. All very useful for ambitious corporate folks, entrepreneurs seeking financial backing, and even musicians looking to get a record deal, no doubt, but not very useful for average people looking to improve their social skills among friends.
   
   For instance, the publisher's blurb on this site brags that the book shows you "7 ways to establish deep subliminal rapport with anyone". What they don't specify is that the author only shows you tricks to SIMULATE rapport with that person. This book is mostly about creating a complex, flexible illusion.
   
   Although the author had many useful tips (I made myself a list of the 19 excellent tips I want to remember and incorporate into my own life) and her writing was very entertaining, I found myself thinking - "I'm glad she's not my friend. She may be a cool cat and a charmer, but she's also plastic."
   
   So I'm giving the book a mixed review. Be aware of why you are buying it. If you want tips on how to network (a necessity for many people to succeed in their field), this book is probably nothing short of brilliant. She's keenly observant and gifted with the ability to analyze behavior and articulate it in an easy to understand manner. This book may very well be a life saver if you are trying to survive in a world that essentially runs by the rules of politicians and bureaucrats, where the ability to play the game is what counts. When you are surrounded by fakes, sometimes your best option is to learn how to put on your game face. The author does deliver the goods on this, in fine style.
   
   If you want to improve your relationships with family, friends and romantic partners, where the creation of a facade is of no real value, this book does have something to offer you, but it will be limited. You'll find yourself trudging through entire chapters on how to sell people widgets by handing them pictures of your dog, or how to get a dead bore to tell his favorite "I'm so cool" story to your friends at a party so you can sneak off for better company without him realizing you've ditched him.



2. If you don't know how to talk to anyone, you still won't know after read this book. There are some tips and little tricks might be helpful, but that's it.



3. This book is a wonderful collection of social tips. I would recommend it to everyone who seeks greater insight regarding interactions. This book or a similar book should be on everyone's shelf.



4. For those of you who are looking to improve the quality of your communication and relationships this is one of the books for you. However I'd recommend starting with How To Win Friends and Influence People by: Dale Carnegie. As Lowndes states in the intro of her book, her book isn't a replacement to Carnegie's classic but essentially an expansion. Carnegie goes into the concepts behind Lowndes techniques while Lowndes' book goes into the nitty-gritty specifics of how to accomplish it. Long story short, Carnegie for principles, Lowndes for tools.



5. This is a great book that will help you put your best foot forward when dealing with people.

5 comments about Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow.

1. Very simply, Elizabeth Lesser is an amazing teacher and story teller. Some day I will take one of her workshops in person.



2. This book was recommended to me by an acquaintance. While it has a decidedly Buddhist tilt to me, as a Buddhist, it is filled with bittersweet, tender stories of pain, emergence from struggle or devastation, and rebirth with wings aloft (as in the mythical story of the phoenix which is prominently featured in the book). The book reads easily and captivates you page after page, leading you onwards and upwards in the author's marvelous and insightful journey through darkness into light. Death, illness, divorce, almost every dimension of the human experience is covered with the author's deft brushstroke, generating that occasional feeling when reading a wonderful book of having read something enlightening and meaningful.



3. I'm not at all into self help books....but this is one i'm glad i tried out.
   So i do highly recommend this book to others skeptical of the self help genre.
   It's one I didn't even feel i needed to hide... :)



4. one of the few books on self improvement and growth that is readable. it is fast, insightful and useful. I read it at a time when things we going great for me and I had no idea how bad they were going to get. Some of the stuff in it came back during hard times and gave me strength and hope. I would definitly give this book a chance. personally i think books such as these, come to you. u shoud read them if u can relate to them, or else u will get bored or feel they r useless.



5. "Broken Open" is the first book I read after losing my husband. Indeed, I felt broken open, so it seemed an apt buy for me. I really appreciated the honest, open tone of Elizabeth Lesser's style of writing. "A heart made crooked through loss and change is a heart that can love the world and its less than perfect people." So true. After you lose someone, you appreciate so much more what you have. You're less willing to waste time on the petty and look for the more enriching experiences in life. Change, as difficult as it is many times, brings those experiences. Life is so much more if we're open to receiving it. Elaine Williams

5 comments about The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class.

1. i love reading this book every chance i get. you learn something new every page. very detailed and great book to share with your kids(10 and up).a great trivia book,even. well written and it makes you a better / well-rounded jeopardy contestant. get you one!



2. Great Book...It is exactly as it states, one page;one new topic. All so far are very interesting. This seems like it would be a great textbook for some class. Only thing I would tell prospective buyers...print/font is extremely small. I don't wear glasses or have eye issues and I was shocked at how small the print was. Main points of each topic are in 10 font (estimate), then each subsequent section of each topic is in smaller and smaller font. If you have any issues with reading small print you will need a magnifing glass or some similair produc to read this book. But it is very interesting.



3. I enjoy this book very much. Yes, there are some factual errors, but I haven't read a non-fiction book yet that hasn't had errors. I think that despite some of the typographical errors, and some facts that are a bit questionable, I'm better of reading it and having exposure to a vast array of subjects, than not, and it has certainly been enjoyable.



4. I am enjoying the Intellectual Devotional, though I am troubled when I come across screaming errors like "Marie Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake.'" I can't imagine any serious historian would miss this error, so how qualified were the editors? And if the information is wrong, what is the point of the book?



5. First of all this is a b-o-r i-n-g book. It's a drag to read. The superficial information provided in the book will provide you with a wealth of facts to fool people into thiking that you are extremely knowledgeabe when you are not. If you hang out at cocktail parties this will help your image with the wealthy inebriated. You might even get someone to start an affair with you. In the end though they'd find out that you know next to nothing about everything. That may not bother the "cultured" members of the social elite if you are able to be sufficiently glib and keep moving the conversation to various subjects quickly. Cultured people read and think deeply and savour the beauty of music, the natural world, art and literature. They enjoy discovering new writers or ones that may be largely forgotten. They may prefer to sit under a tree in a park or in their backyard and think and watch the world around them. They often enjoy meandering through the world of ideas and reading and thinking about new ideas or experiences, but if you're determined to impress others with shallow knowledge to score points with your friends and weazle yourself into the "cultured class," this is the book for you. Be prepared though for a boring and tedious read that won't leave you any wiser.

5 comments about When Organizing Isn't Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life.

1. Finally, the help I need to clear the clutter from my life! I feel so inspired.



2. When Organizing Isn't Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern is a about getting rid of the physical stuff and the tasks in our schedules that keep us stuck. Julie Morgenstern is an organizational and time management coach and puts her talents into this ingenious book.
   
   Morgenstern believes that organizing is what gets us unstuck. In the introduction, she promises that: "reading this book will dislodge you from your current state of paralysis and help you figure out what's next."
   
   She introduces her theory, SHED--which means letting go of attachments of old and useless stuff to allow you to gain "energy, insight and the clarity to male decisions."
   
   SHED is letting go of stuff in your past to allow you to move forward. Morgenstern believes we should study the reason we feel attached to certain objects and advises:
   
   * Separate treasures
   ^ Remove trash
   * Embrace your identity
   * Drive yourself forward
   
   She suggests we apply the same process of getting rid of stuff to removing tasks in our schedules that are simply habits and that do not support our current lifestyle.
   
   Throughout the book, Morgenstern presents case studies of her clients to illuminate her theories.
   
   I discovered the importance of letting go of stuff to allow my life to move forward in the book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet. I think Morgenstern is spot-on with her SHED system.



3. Julie Morgenstern's new book When Organizing Is Not Enough is a page turner! You do not feel like you are reeding yet just another self-help book - this book is as inspirational and moving as it is practical and philosophical. I strongly recommend - it is a great investment to help you with your every day life and chores and to give you piece of mind.



4. I read a lot of personal development books. There is more practical and useful advice in this book than in almost any book I have read. One area of advice I liked a lot is the Perfectionism Habit Breakers, a few of which are (1) Devise three approaches, minimim, moderate, & maximum, before jumping into anything, and opt for minimim or moderate whenever possible. This helps you to recognize there are more than two outcomes (disaster and perfection) (2) Rephrase the question "how much can I do?" to "how little can I do?" You are not cheating, you are preserving yourself for other tasks, likely ones which are more important and/or more enriching. (3) Stop doing other people's jobs. You can better use the time, and it develops them rather than sending the wrong signal. And, you can always provide coaching feedback later.
   
   Very, very good book



5. As a business owner overwhelmed with thousand things "to do" each day, I find the new Julie Morgenstern's book WHEN ORGANIZING IS NOT ENOUGH very helpful and very easy to read and apprehend. It really changed my life, changed my perspective, helped me to pinpoint priorities and made me more productive. It is a great read!

5 comments about Stumbling on Happiness.

1. Of the many books that I have on my shelves, this one is in heavy rotation. I have read it twice in the past 18 months and referred to it countless times in between. Dan Gilbert's writing style keeps you engaged with humor and relevant stories without skimping on too much substance. Put it this way, you'll laugh but still will respect yourself when you're done!



2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert opens a view of happiness that is not in the normal range. Anticipation, imagination and rationalization are each responsible for much of our happiness. Mr. Gilbert disects the reasons we are happy, the times we are happy, and how we visualize our happiness. Great book - makes a person think about what they really have, want to have or don't really need.
   Prudent Pam



3. I was not very impressed.
   I had to force myself to read the second part since I lost much of interest.
   Author's inclination to try to be funny and insert lame jokes everywhere became a turn-off.
   This book is overrated.



4. The book is witty, interesting, and an overall fun read. It takes a more-or-less scientific approach towards how the brain perceives its current reality, how and of what it constructs memories, and how it attempts to construct possible futures. Throughout the book, Gilbert references scientific studies that appear to support his hypotheses.
   
   The book gave many opportunities for introspection, was easy to make relevant to my own life, and gave me some useful ideas for dealing with other people. It's less prescriptive, as other reviewers note, but it does a good job of being descriptive: why is a person happy or unhappy? Just knowing the answer to that question opens a lot of good doors when dealing with a spouse, child, parent, colleague, or friend. Know why they are sad, why they are happy, with different events.
   
   You see? It's not my fault I can't remember our first dance...I just remember that I LIKED it!
   
   I'd recommend the book. Best if you can share the anecdotes with someone!



5. Dan Gilbert provides a fun, informative, and intriguing read in "Stumbling on Happiness." He uses anecdotes, research studies, visuals, charts, analysis, and humor to enlighten and entertain the reader about this common yet misunderstood phenomenon called....happiness. Most of us want it, strive to attain it, compare our current state of happiness with the past, and hope for it in the future.
   
   Happiness: so....what is it? What IS happiness? How do we define it? Achieve it? And perhaps more importantly, perceive it? We humans often fool ourselves into thinking some "thing" or set of "circumstances" will passively allow us to achieve this state, that we label as happiness. But what makes this book so worthy is that it's not a "how to find happiness" book.
   
   
   Part I: Prospection.
   
   "The act of looking forward in time or considering the future."
   
   Alas, this seems to be the foundation of this thing called "Happiness," and more significantly what we *think* will make us happy in the *future.*
   
   Which leads to ---> THE CONCEPT OF "THE LATER:"
   
   One significant thing that differentiates humans from the animal world is the concept of the future. The "Later." Part of this evolutionary concept in how it related to happiness is that we expect the next car, next house, next girlfriend/boyfriend or next promotion to make us happy, even though the last time we got these things we didn't didn't get "happy" for more than a very brief period of time. Studies conclude this. And this, according to Gilbert, is why there are "plenty of mistakes that we highly experienced folks, seem to make over and over again" (p. 217, Chapter 10).
   
   The biological aspect of the future, or the "later," is a very recent concept in human evolution. Human brains appeared on Earth 500 million years ago, but the ability to think of "later" came approximately 3 million years ago. This is when the frontal lobe of the proto-humans expanded and grew in size and the entire brain got bigger and heavier.
   
   Many things elucidated in this book are concepts we implicitly know, but Gilbert provides more details and empirical numbers for us. Wonderful things are especially wonderful at first when they happen, but their wonderfulness wanes with repetition. Psychologists call this "habituation." Economists call it "Marginal Utility" (p. 143-144).
   
   
   OUR RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PAST:
   
   Our Recollections of the Past: "The tendency to recall and rely on unusual instances is one of the reasons we so often repeat mistakes" (p. 221). It reminds me of Pavlov's dogs: We try to repeat those experiences that we remember with pleasure and pride, and we try to avoid repeating those that we remember with embarrassment and regret. The trouble is that we often don't remember these past experiences correctly. Our "feelings" about some event in the past is one of the brain's most sophisticated illusions (p. 217).
   
   Gilbert states that there are three related concepts: emotional happiness, moral happiness, and judgmental happiness. Emotional happiness is the most basic.
   
   I focused on Prospection, part one, the "future" part, but the rest of the book is also equally fun and informative.
   
   Additional parts of the book that are relevant, but won't be noted because there isn't enough space:
   
   Part II: Subjectivity
   Part III: Realism
   Part IV: Presentism
   Part V: Rationalization
   
   Dan Gilbert has a knack for entertaining and enjoyable writing. This book is not about what it takes to be "happy" but is about human concept of happiness. It's not a "how to be happy" book, thankfully. But the principles can be applied to you, individually. Enjoy the book - and your life.

5 comments about The Power of Intention.

1. This book changed my whole attitude and way of thinking. It's one I will refer back to when I find myself out of balance. A+



2. The two CD Set is very inspirational and on the Power of Intention. Dr. Dyer entertains and informs in a way that is very relaxing and uplifting.
   I recommend this set to anyone interested in self improvement.



3. If you put in a bag the words spirit, intention, field, God, source & intelligence, and then shook the bag you would recreate this book The Power of Intention which for all intents and purposes is nothing more than the workings of an undisciplined mind. The introduction and opening chapters hold promise filled as they are with profound quotations and based on the premise that mind can effect matter through intention. But the reader is quite soon struck by the realization that he is bearing witness to the rantings of a televangelist.
   
   Indeed throughout this book we are told things like "God is writing this book through me"; "Trust yourself as a piece of God"; "Practice Japa meditation or the repetition of the sound of God" and most peculiar, "Even an atheist doesn't have to believe in God to experience God".
   
   The central problem with the good doctor's thesis is taking the now extensively documented scientific evidence for the human ability to influence the physical world through conscious thought and intention and linking this to a literal "field of intention" emanating from a supreme being. He cites for example Lynne McTaggart's book The Field, one predicated on finding the science behind this human ability. Yet nowhere in this or in her later book The Intention Experiment does the word God appear in its indexes.
   
   Dr. Dyer wants us to believe that "everything in the universe has intention built into it". This omnipresence has `seven faces' the essence of which is that God loves you. This logic leads to the notion that there is an all creating universal mind of intention indeed an `original designer' for all manifestation and we can connect to it or intend to come into being any experience or thing we want for ourselves simply by choice. Willpower, drive and perseverance is replaced since our goals all pre-exist: think them and they will appear. There is no need for the concept of evolution in this world where the Flint Stone's are a documentary in which humans and dinosaurs exist simultaneously each a mere choice to experience on the world stage.
   
   As part of this religious drama the author puts forth the absurd contention that the higher octaves on a piano are better than the lower ones because higher pitches vibrate faster and are therefore more spiritually informed. This medicine of higher pitch applies to musical character as well: "Harsh pounding musical vibrations with repetitive, loud sounds lower your energy level and weaken your ability to make conscious contact with intention." Pg. 75. We must now burn all recordings of Igor Stravinsky and Bruce Springsteen.
   
   Within Dr. Dyer's `gated community' of the mind and spirit his cartoon for living includes banning commercial & cable television, alcohol in any form, choosing alkaline rather than acidic foods and also finding people who are connected to God. Yoga, massage, and visits to monasteries and geriatric centers are advised. Dyer seems to treat emotions in the very Baroque sense, a historical period when nature of all kinds was to be controlled and molded into various contrivances: Palace hedges cut in the shape of animals, each emotion distinct from another, thought and feeling, mind and body polar opposites. The ego itself so intrinsic to healthy personality development subject to mental jujitsu surgically cutting out the `bad' parts.
   
   Central to this author's misperception is the notion that phenomena like emotions or musical compositions can be reduced to distinct singular properties. On the contrary nothing is more complex than an emotion nuanced by all manner of shadings, multiple meanings and quite non-static impacts that evolve and change as we process them. It is simply preposterous to advocate music devoid of low vibrations and repetitive rhythm. Equally so to strive for a constant state of happiness in a Disneyesque world scripted by Steven Spielberg.
   
   Having produced over 30 books Dyer's chapters in this one take on a boring formulaic style concluding each and every one with a multiple step program for change and for summarizing chapter contents. My advice to prospective readers of this book is to direct every one of your own steps away from making this purchase.



4. I disagree with others' reviews that Dyer is a pseudo-evangelist or preachy, etc. He uses words like "God," "Source" and "Universe" interchangeably, not because he is diminishing their "value" as words, but because in his view they mean the same thing but a person who does not believe in "God," per se, may not feel comfortable thinking of "God" as a higher power. The bottom line is that these are words. Arbitrary definitions of concepts that are difficult at best to explain using human vocabulary and logic.
   
   The deeper, and I believe more important message from the book, is that we have more power over ourselves than we think we do. We just don't tap into it. Whether you believe that your power comes from within yourself or "God," "Source," whatever, is irrelevant, at least in my opinion. Dyer believes we are connected to God/Source because we were created in that image. Therefore, we are a "piece of God" as he says. We are not God ourselves, but if we attempt to tap into the gifts we were given, we will see that power manifest more and more.
   
   I have personally used visualization to manifest something that eventually happened in my life. After reading this book I was more convinced that I can learn to stop letting others control me. People are so worried about everything everyone else thinks about them. We spend so much time obsessing over other people or things we have no control over, that we waste valuable time and energy that could be better spent living out our passions. Dyer teaches the reader to be grateful, even for the hard times. If you've read Eckhart Tolle's books, he echoes much of what Tolle rights, except in much less complex language. If you have read about Law of Attraction and/or The Secret, then this book is an excellent supplement to that as well.
   
   Dyer's main message is that you don't have to live your life for other people, you don't have to live your life hoping and wishing that things could be better. You don't have to worry all the time about things that will probably never happen. He encourages the reader to "untrain" our brains into thinking about the good stuff. If you keep thinking about the bad stuff, then you'll just keep getting more of it. He wants you to feel good. Isn't that what we all want? Doesn't mean you are God. Doesn't mean you hurt other people to get what you want. Doesn't mean you think about something and the next day it shows up. You have to work at it. It's a process. But it can and will work. I feel SO much more calm, positive, centered, and focused after reading books like this and Tolle, and doing meditation (not Dyer's--I recommend "The Secret Mediation" by Kelly Howell). Recently my Mom even said she couldn't get over how relaxed I seemed, how different (in a good way). I told her, "I can choose to be angry and bitter or I can choose to make the best out of a difficult situation." And you know what? The more I thought that, the more I felt it. It does work--you just have to stop holding yourself back.
   
   If you're feeling overwhelmed by life, if you "what if" everything to death, etc. this is a great book to read.



5. I agree with the reviewer that had reservations about the book. Being that if what the author writes its true, that theoretically if you were to drop the book into a 3rd world country it would follow that those peoples lives would improve if they applied and accepted these truths.
   
   To address the comment made about the Tsunami victims. Dyer in the beginning of the book, talks about how he accepts the weather as it is because it is all part of the source and the world we have been blessed to live in. So what about when disasters strike? Tornadoes, hurricanes, and people are killed by them? Dyer does not tackle these questions anywhere.
   
   Nor does Dyer discuss why bad things happen to good people. I am not a Christen fundamentalist in the least, but at least in the Power of Positive thinking, the author talks about staying positive even through the worst of times. Dyre implies that there will not be bad times if you stay in touch with the source. Would this mean that everyone who was ever killed by a natrual disaster were not in touch with the source?
   
   My final problem is on page 207, Dyre states that everything that has ever happened to us "This is your past, and whatever your energy level at the time, whatever your needs, whatever your station in life, you attracted the right people and events to you..." If this statement he makes is true, and everything happened in the past exactly as it should, then why am I reading his book? In other words, I thought the point for getting in touch with the source and intention was to make my life better? If nothing was ever wrong all along, then whats the point of the power of intention.
   
   All this being said, I believe the book is outstanding, and I beg anyone to get me past my reservations above because I want to believe it...

5 comments about Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships.

1. Dr. Schnarch might be well-served to take a lesson from military briefings: Tell them what you are going to tell them; Tell them; Tell them what you have told them. Never was a big fan of that process, but this book could benefit from it. Indeed, that - combined with the good doctor's appropriation of words for meanings other than that with which they are usually ascribed (the book could use a good definition section) - makes for a confusing lurch through an important subject.
   
   There is language here that can best be described as psycho-babble: "The process of becoming can lead you to act in ways that still exceeds the limits of your self-image." Or: "At another time in another context, [her] statement was the path of differentiation. Now it was the epitome of emotional fusion."
   
   Emotional fusion is bad; "f-ing" is good; one must "differentiate"; one must "self-soothe"; you must survive "crucibles." (Now "crucible" in this context is a seriously intellectual word, but you'd think the author would want to reach a lot more people other than those who understand the word has more meaning that that of a pot used for melting.) I read the whole book - and experienced an almost physical sense of relief when I reached the last chapters where he pulls it together.
   
   The bottom line of what he is saying, in a highly intellectual manner, is that good marriages are those in which people maintain their own independent identity; partners are not responsible for the happiness of their partner; only when you come together - aware of your own needs and wants and intent on ensuring they are met (too), can two people avoid the abyss of emotional fusion. Bottom line: be yourself no matter how scary; don't allow yourself to be made a slave to the idiosyncrasies and vagaries of your partner; own your feelings.
   
   In short, two halves don't make a whole; two wholes make a complete relationship.



2. I liked the approach this writer took to bringing back the intimacy to a dead marriage. The concrete examples as manifested in therapy sessions held my interest. It's usually better to give an example than to lecture about something. There wasn't a whole lot of new information, but it was presented in an helpful manner. The parts about sex were good, but I kept thinking about the way I saved my marriage. Books such as this one helped, but the one thing that brought my husband and I back together, and created more intimacy than anything we had tried so far, was to perfect our oral sex techniques. Oral sex is perhaps the most intimate of sex acts. If you want to read the book that saved my marriage, check out Was that an earthquake? The Sensuous Couple's (Flip Over) Guide to Seismic Oral Sex. It's great!



3. This book is a bible on the subject of relationships. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Yes!



4. While the author's knowledge and ideas are on the plus side, his free use of crude and rude...and just plain filthy...language leaves me wondering why a man with a PhD and the years of experience he has must resort to "gutter talk" to make points about relationships.
   Due to this, I found myself unable to share it with my wife and just threw the book in the trash....which is, I'm afraid, where it belongs.



5. If you're not, you need to read this book! The passionate Marriage is an excellent book written in a personable manner with excellent anecdotes that demonstrate the concepts the writer is explaining. Reading this book helped me recognize where I wasn't differentiated and where I needed to do some serious internal work to help myself. It's also helped my marriage a lot, in terms of how my wife and I communicate.
   
   If you're having trouble in your marriage or just want to communicate better and have more intimacy, read this book. It will help both you and your partner(s) connect with each other.

5 comments about The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.

1. Worth doing the full read & then understanding the score that your spouse ends up with.



2. For those who are clueless, ,which includes just about everyone, this book does show that our differences need not thwart our caring for one another. It is carefully researched and presented, and it is helpful if one pays attention!!



3. I loved this book because it taught me so much about how to understand and communicate with my significant other in his own language. I would never have been able to identify it on my own, much less know how to respond even if I could identify it. I have given the book to several other couples who have put it to good use. Of course, you have to have a significant other before you can put these principles into practice. Want to know how I found my lover? I bought Baby Boomer Bachelorette: How to Have Sex at Least Once More Before You Die and went into action. Even though I am well over 50, it only took me six months to find and become engaged to my fiance. We are so happy and, if you want to feel the same way, buy both these books.



4. I could have saved myself much heart ache and pain if I had read this book 20 years ago. I could have spaired myself the pain I caused my wife by becoming withdrawn and angery by her lack of attention towards me. If you truely desire to save your marriage, you must read this book. It will work miracles if you and your spouse will take a few minutes each evening and read it together. If they are unwilling, then read it yourself. It can still save your marriage if just one of you is willing to read and understand it.



5. Talk about something running out of steam. Was this guy being paid by the word? There was some incredibly repetitive stuff, and somehow it got moreso as it went along. I also object to the frequent Bible references. Cite some other things. Sure, even people who do not share the Christian faith might agree that Jesus was a great teacher. However, he's not the only teacher. The only footnotes throughout were to offer chapter and verse.
   So, okay, there's decent ideas here. They could have been delivered more concisely. Additionally, why include a chapter about the five love languages and children? There's a whole additional book dedicated to that topic that the author is happy to sell. Not everyone is interested.
   Yes, I'll find a way to adapt a few applicable things I've learned in my reading. One wants an investment of time to be worthy. I'd have felt the read was a more rewarding experience had I the meat to read, not filler, and would have been done reading it and onward to something else enriching. Or spending the time putting some of these ideas to use.
   The questionaire at the end, useless in Kindle format. Miniscule text in low-contrast faded text. It cannot be read at all.
   Overall, a high price to have paid for something that should have merely been a Readers Digest article. The book editor did not earn the paycheck.

5 comments about PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives.

1. 
   I was not aware of the website until I got this book as a birthday gift. It was one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received. The book is amazing. The boldness of some of the messages is astonishing. You can learn here what the REAL world is all about. Some of the messages are funny, some sad, but most of them will make you stop and think about the way we interact with others, what are desires are, etc. I think the reader will often well relate with many of the messages. I definitely encourage everybody to either get the book or at least visit the website.
   Another great title i recommend is Naked Pictures of Famous People



2. Each of the Post Secret books gives you a window into the human soul. Sending in a post card is a cathartic experience. Laugh, cry and connect with insightful journeymen in the human experience. Read the books. Share them with friends. Subscribe to the blog.



3. "Some of the most beautiful postcards in this collection came from very painful feelings and memories. I believe that each of us has the ability to discover, share, and grow our own dark secrets into something meaningful and beautiful." ~ Frank Warren
   
   There are some things you wouldn't even tell your best friend. Instead, you might consider telling Frank by sending him a creative postcard. What started off as an idea for a community art project has morphed into numerous books.
   
   Some of the postcards show a sense of humor, while others show a dark side inspired by people's psychological pain. You may be shocked by some of the vindictive thoughts or even surprised by your own emotional response to the honesty in the messages. Here are a few I can actually include in a review (others are too private to post):
   
   "I put coins in other people's parking meters."
   "I am home-less and no one (not even my family) knows about it."
   "I give decaf to customers who are rude to me."
   
   One thing I know for sure is that some people have given me regular coffee instead of decaf! In this book such a dark side is now revealed.
   
   This book is a fairly quick read because most of the postcards have just a few sentences. Most of the postcards are artistic and represent the feelings and moods of the writer. That is what makes so many of them unique. While reading I had thoughts about sending in a postcard with my own secrets. This book is sure to inspire you in such a direction.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



4. I've been a fan of the PostSecret site for awhile now. It's a project started by Frank Warren back in late 2004 involving blank postcards. He spread them around and asked people to share a secret on the card, decorate it as they saw fit, and then mail it anonymously to him. In short order, the project took on a life of its own, and Warren started receiving cards and letters from around the world. The book PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives is a full-color compilation of some of these mailings, and it's fascinating.
   
   Behind the cover of anonymity, people are willing to 'fess up to numerous things that are dark secrets never before revealed. Going through the book, you see secrets such as "He's been in prison for two years because of what I did. 9 more to go.", "I wish my parents could see me for what I am, instead of what I didn't become.", and "I am contemptuous of others so it hurts less then they are indifferent to me." The words themselves can be funny, haunting, sad, or shocking, but the real impact is the artwork that adorns the cards. It's there that you get the full emotional impact of what the writer is saying. For instance... A "Hello, My name is..." tag with the space filled in as "I force new acquaintances to address me by my shortened name because it makes me forget my past.". Or there's the picture of the wrecked car with the hand-written note "I almost decided not to get out, once I knew I'd hit the river."
   
   Not all the items are as dark as what I've noted above. There's "I believe in destiny, and I think I know mine. :) :) :)", "I had a cyst on my face that ruined 7th and 8th grade. Now I love it because it makes me different.", and my favorite (written on a Starbucks cupholder)... "I give decaf to customers who are RUDE to me!"
   
   I guess part of the fascination with PostSecret is the lurid stuff that shows up. But it's also a reminder that what you see on the outside of someone is in all likelihood far different than what they see on the inside. It once again reminds me that everyone is struggling with something in their lives.
   
   There are other books in the PostSecret series, and I have them on hold at the library. This book was excellent in a thought-provoking way, and I look forward to more.



5. I found this book fantastic on a number of different levels. First, it was artistic...people sending in postcards that were original and/or altered to fit their mood. Second, it was truth...or at least something close to it. People sharing their deepest secrets, expunging their soul and saying what they really think. The collection goes from high drama to low comedy from page to page, and kept me enthralled from dust jacket to dust jacket.