A sassy advice book that provides plenty of dating sustenance.
Corporate trainer Price (Secrets from the SOC Drawer, 2010) presents a brief guide to modern dating.
In the opening pages of this self-help book aimed at straight women, the author describes something that men often do in the early stages of a dating relationship but are “UNAWARE that they are doing it.” Price asserts that, in the first six to eight weeks of a relationship, men “throw scraps” at women—that is, they propose vague future plans that may never come to fruition. For instance, a man may say something like, “I’m thinking about going to see Pink Floyd in July. Hey, you should join me!” The author says that the man is just testing the waters of the relationship, to see how the woman reacts—but the woman assumes that the plan is set in stone. This misunderstanding results in friction, which can become worse down the line, she says. (This revelation, she says, is intended only for women, so as not to upset the “delicate ‘relationship equation.’ ”) The author also includes a fair number of personal anecdotes, mostly gathered during the heyday of dating websites, such as Match.com, in the early 2000s. Price lays out a number of “Jules’ Rules,” as well; for example, when going on a first date, a woman should never agree to a meal, as this could easily result in being stuck with Mr. Wrong for an extended period of time. Although the book initially takes some time to explicate the “Scraps Theory,” once the book gets moving, it progresses breezily, and at fewer than 150 pages, it makes for a quick read. The tone of the prose is snarky throughout (“Hell to the no!!”), but the book also offers some touching moments, which are quite memorable. Readers not only learn how Price met her husband, for example, but also how she stumbled into insights about self-confidence. In the end, the author’s “Scraps Theory” ends up being less useful than her other, more practical advice. Despite the challenges of dating, she reminds readers to “Never stop seeing the humor in life.”
A sassy advice book that provides plenty of dating sustenance.Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-578-59090-5
Page Count: 154
Publisher: Listen2Life Marketing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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