A self-help guide explores how to find the right partner for a long-term relationship, regardless of age, persuasion, or circumstance.
This debut book by McCoy, a Massachusetts life coach, aims to assist those in search of a loving relationship who find the prospect of dating intimidating or discouraging. The book is divided into five chapters, each of which focuses on a simple premise, such as “Find Your Motivation” and “Screw The Date: Just Relate.” Deliberately avoiding an emphasis on seduction and game playing, the volume places a greater weight on self-knowledge and self-confidence. The opening sections strongly stress putting oneself in the right frame of mind to be open to and excited about dating, often a hurdle in itself. Throughout, the author highlights the importance of approaching relationships with an open mind, encouraging readers to dispense with preconceived notions of their ideal mates and instead shift their focus to character and rapport. For the introverted or gun-shy, the book is also peppered with clever alternatives to traditional dinner dates and online matchmaking services. Later sections encourage reflection on past or unsuccessful affairs as learning experiences, tools to bring one closer to a more suitable pairing. The ideas put forth in each chapter are supported by anecdotal accounts of real-life couples who successfully put these concepts into action in their own relationships. The candid work concludes with a concise summary of the ideas and advice outlined previously. The guide benefits from McCoy’s approachable, nonjudgmental writing style and in its ability to break down an unnerving process into small, manageable steps. While male/female pairings are the primary emphasis, the inclusion of LGBT and open relationships is notable and worthwhile. Throughout, the book takes a low-pressure approach, encouraging readers to take things at their own pace and enjoy the ride. Refreshingly, it makes getting back into the dating world seem like an exhilarating opportunity rather than a scary obligation.
A plainspoken, handy volume for anyone looking for love but daunted by dating.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9972294-0-0
Page Count: 206
Publisher: Merlin Coaching
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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Noted jazz and pop record producer Thiele offers a chatty autobiography. Aided by record-business colleague Golden, Thiele traces his career from his start as a ``pubescent, novice jazz record producer'' in the 1940s through the '50s, when he headed Coral, Dot, and Roulette Records, and the '60s, when he worked for ABC and ran the famous Impulse! jazz label. At Coral, Thiele championed the work of ``hillbilly'' singer Buddy Holly, although the only sessions he produced with Holly were marred by saccharine strings. The producer specialized in more mainstream popsters like the irrepressibly perky Teresa Brewer (who later became his fourth wife) and the bubble-machine muzak-meister Lawrence Welk. At Dot, Thiele was instrumental in recording Jack Kerouac's famous beat- generation ramblings to jazz accompaniment (recordings that Dot's president found ``pornographic''), while also overseeing a steady stream of pop hits. He then moved to the Mafia-controlled Roulette label, where he observed the ``silk-suited, pinky-ringed'' entourage who frequented the label's offices. Incredibly, however, Thiele remembers the famously hard-nosed Morris Levy, who ran the label and was eventually convicted of extortion, as ``one of the kindest, most warm-hearted, and classiest music men I have ever known.'' At ABC/Impulse!, Thiele oversaw the classic recordings of John Coltrane, although he is the first to admit that Coltrane essentially produced his own sessions. Like many producers of the day, Thiele participated in the ownership of publishing rights to some of the songs he recorded; he makes no apology for this practice, which he calls ``entirely appropriate and without any ethical conflicts.'' A pleasant, if not exactly riveting, memoir that will be of most interest to those with a thirst for cocktail-hour stories of the record biz. (25 halftones, not seen)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-19-508629-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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With this detailed, versatile cookbook, readers can finally make Momofuku Milk Bar’s inventive, decadent desserts at home, or see what they’ve been missing.
In this successor to the Momofuku cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar’s pastry chef hands over the keys to the restaurant group’s snack-food–based treats, which have had people lining up outside the door of the Manhattan bakery since it opened. The James Beard Award–nominated Tosi spares no detail, providing origin stories for her popular cookies, pies and ice-cream flavors. The recipes are meticulously outlined, with added tips on how to experiment with their format. After “understanding how we laid out this cookbook…you will be one of us,” writes the author. Still, it’s a bit more sophisticated than the typical Betty Crocker fare. In addition to a healthy stock of pretzels, cornflakes and, of course, milk powder, some recipes require readers to have feuilletine and citric acid handy, to perfect the art of quenelling. Acolytes should invest in a scale, thanks to Tosi’s preference of grams (“freedom measurements,” as the friendlier cups and spoons are called, are provided, but heavily frowned upon)—though it’s hard to be too pretentious when one of your main ingredients is Fruity Pebbles. A refreshing, youthful cookbook that will have readers happily indulging in a rising pastry-chef star’s widely appealing treats.
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-307-72049-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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