Search this site    Circle of Friends Author: Binchy, Maeve ISBN: 0-385-30149-9 Pages: 576 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Delacorte Press Published: December 1, 1990 Condition: Price: USD $2.29 From Publishers Weekly: The charm of Binchy's novels ( Silver Wedding ; Light a Penny Candle ) lies in a seductive readability that draws one through hundreds of pages as surely as a mackerel at the end of a hooked line--contrived plot thickeners and stock characters notwithstanding. In this lengthy story of a friendship and love and loss, there are no lapses or lulls. Benny, plain daughter of a merchant, and Eve, a proud orphan raised by nuns, are close friends growing up in the Irish village of Knockglen in the 1950s. When they go to university in Dublin together, their loyalty is tested by the addition of others to their circle, most notably the beautiful, mysterious Nan, an ambitious young woman determined to rise above her working-class origins. While Nan seizes opportunities, friendships and romances are kindled and damped; ugly duckling Benny becomes a swan, and true love almost conquers all. Everybody has a colorful way with words, and if the prose is sometimes careless, this is still Irish storytelling at its contemporary best; small flaws are easily overlooked in a book that is itself so generous. BOMC featured selection. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal: Binchy transports readers to the village of Knockglen in Ireland to meet Benny, the only child of doting parents; Eve Malone, an orphan raised by nuns; and a host of local characters. The girls form a lasting friendship that continues when they go on to college in Dublin. There they meet beautiful Nan, who tries to hide her poor background and drunken father; Jack Foley, a doctor's son; and all their university friends. Provincial Knockglen and fast-paced Dublin become intertwined as the girls try to exist in both worlds. A wonderful, readable story of successes and disappointments, intrigues and loyalty, families and friendships, this novel demonstrates that testing values, maintaining relationships, and coming of age are universal struggles. - Katherine Fitch, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. A Hero Is More Than Just a Sandwich How to Give Up Junk Food Love  and Find a Naturally Sweet Man Author: Friedman, Sonya ISBN: 0-399-13204-X Pages: 249 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Published: October 1986 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 From Library Journal: In her practice as a psychotherapist, Friedman has discovered that too many women "still hold onto fairy tales" as they await fulfillment through magical solutions. Despite the cliches, the message to "stop looking for transformation in others and transform yourself" is delivered with authority and humor. This book, Friedman's third about contemporary women and their search for healthy relationships, will have as wide an audience as her pre- vious two, Men Are Just Desserts ( LJ 4/1/83) and Smart Cookies Don't Crumble ( LJ 6/1/85). Libraries with young adult and adult women patrons should purchase this book. Susan McBride, Northeast Texas Community Coll., Mt. Pleasant, Texas Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. Guerrilla Dating Tactics Strategies, Tips, and Secrets for Finding Romance Author: Wolf, Sharyn ISBN: 0-452-27130-4 Pages: 314 Format: Paperback Publisher: Plume Published: February 1, 1994 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 From Publishers Weekly: In this plucky, commonsensical guide, pyschotherapist Wolf ( 50 Ways to Find a Lover ) offers lonely singles a host of strategies for finding people to date, gettting past the first date and proceeding to romance. Lighthearted and often humorous, Wolf's advice is substantive nonetheless: her general points include how to communicate (through words and body language), how to flirt and how to cope with social events. Then there are the specifics: techniques for placing and perusing personal ads, finding support, rejecting unwanted beaus and deciding who should pay for what on dates. Her advice comes guaranteed: the publisher promises to refund the price of the book to any reader who does not get at least one date in the year after purchase. At the very least, readers will find an evening's entertainment in Wolf's encouraging company. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Book Description: This "dater's bible" from romance and relationship expert Sharyn Wolf has exposed the mysteries of dating in innovative ways and helped people of all ages find fulfilling relationships. In a detailed, step-by-step format, Guerrilla Dating Tactics--newly revised and updated--demonstrates the most effective, original ways to meet with people, connect with them, and enjoy the process. This book provides dating guidelines for: * The perfect ice-breaker for parties, chance encounters, or standing in line, or anywhere you see someone you are interested in meeting * Eye contact dos and don'ts * Foolproof strategies on using personal ads to get the "write" result * Small talk, mid talk, deep talk * The new etiquette--who calls first and who pays * The key to safe cyberflirting--how to make the right connections on-line without going over the line Relating dozens of successful real-life situations, including stories from the readers of the first ! edition of the book, Guerrilla Dating Tactics is the perfect dating manual for anyone interested in meeting that special someone. Couplehood Author: Reiser, Paul ISBN: 0-553-09683-4 Pages: 296 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Bantam Published: August 1, 1994 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 Amazon.com: A popular standup comic's gentle riffs on the non-single state. Buy two -- one for yourself, one for your significant other -- and read them in bed together. If you laugh at the same parts, give yourselves two points; when you have 10,000 points, write to Paul Reiser and tell him what a great marriage you have and how funny his book is. From Publishers Weekly: From the star of Mad About You, this look at love and romance spent 31 weeks on PW's bestseller list. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Listen to My Heart Lessons in Love, Laughter & Lunacy Authors: Gifford, Kathie Lee / Gifford, Cody / Forrest, Sandra (Illustrator) ISBN: 0-7868-6075-8 Pages: 112 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Hyperion Books Published: May 1995 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 From Publishers Weekly: Television personality Gifford (I Can't Believe I Said That) and her four-and-a-half-year-old son, Cody, here give readers a warm and fuzzy glimpse of their private conversations and how they have learned about parenting-and life-from each other. Together they talk about such things as manners; God; heaven; safety; the impending birth of Cody's sister, Cassidy; even the Power Rangers. Much of the dialogue is hopelessly cute (Cody to Mom: "Monsieur, I am Grey Poupon. I poop on this, I poop on that, I poop on everything!"), but some is surprisingly clever and even thought-provoking. When asked what is more important than love, Cody replies, "Pots and pans." Gifford is puzzled until she realizes he means that you need pots and pans to cook food, and since eating keeps you alive, it is, of course, a prerequisite to love. A short and sugary Mother's Day treat for Gifford fans. First serial to Good Housekeeping. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Straight Talking Author: Green, Jane ISBN: 0-7679-1559-3 Pages: 320 Format: Paperback Publisher: Broadway Published: September 23, 2003 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 From Publishers Weekly: Native Brit Green (Jemima J; Mr. Maybe) had a hit in England with her first novel when it was published there in 1997; it follows the lives of four women (or "ladettes") through lunch dates, new mates and heartbreaks. Career-minded Tasha, who has clawed her way up the ladder of British television to be a producer for a popular a.m. chat-fest, narrates in a brisk, snappy monologue. Although she prides herself on her stylish clothes and glamorous job ("I'm generally thought of as strikingly attractive," she notes), what she really needs is the love of a good man. The problem? She's a sucker for rakes who make her pulse race, treat her horribly and break her heart. Smitten with commitment-phobic Simon, Tasha gets to know his best friend, Adam, to whom she turns for support when Simon calls it quits. Adam and Tasha become great friends-until he announces he loves her. "These are the words I've longed to hear. For years I've dreamed, of being in this situation, of sitting on a terrace, lit by candlelight, facing a man who I love, who tells me he love me too. But this is Adam," Tasha moans. "I love Adam but I don't want his tongue in my mouth, his hand on my breast, his body in my bed." Eventually, Tasha decides to give dating Adam a try, but her desire for passion continues to haunt her until she's forced to choose between warm stability with Adam and scorching hot sex with a handsome stranger. Though this volume has some of the familiar Sex in the City/Bridget Jones's Diary spark, it's neither as charismatic nor humorous as Green's later works. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review: "Any woman who's suffered a relationship trauma, or simply lost her way in the confusion of modern life, will die for this book . . . Wickedly funny, it may not improve your love life, but it will make you squeal with laughter." - Cosmopolitan: "Irritatingly accurate, Straight Talking is a hilarious and poignant look at love and sex." -Elle: "Sharp, funny, and packed with familiar situations for all those who've ever embarked on the dating game." -Tattler Relationship Rescue A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner Author: McGraw, Phillip C., PhD. ISBN: 0-641-69207-2 Pages: 272 Format: Paperback Publisher: Hyperion Published: September 2001 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 Amazon.com: As a follow-up to his bestselling book Life Strategies, Oprah acolyte Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D., moves from aiding the aimless individual to coaching the disconnected couple. McGraw has distilled his more than two decades of counseling experience into a seven-step strategy he calls "Relationship Rescue." "I'm prepared to kick a hole in the wall of the pain-ridden, unhappy maze you've gotten yourself into, and provide you clear access to action-oriented answers and instructions on what you must do to have what you want," says Dr. Phil. His aim is to expose and eliminate the saboteurs that cause senseless damage to already-fragile marriages, and, like an emotional root canal, to replace them with values he says provide positive results. If you follow Dr. Phil's strategy, he will lead you on a precise journey to uncover your heart and then share it with your partner as part of taking the "risk of intimacy." Dr. Phil leads you to "reconnect with your core" in the first five steps of his seven-step strategy. By no means a quick fix, there are in-depth and rigorous questionnaires, surveys, tests, and profiles that require a "brutally candid" mindset, with such fill-in-the-blanks as "List five things that today would make you fall out of love with your partner." With this internal work accomplished, you'll then move on to reconnecting with your partner during a two-week, half-hour-a-day short course. As a "dyad," you and your loved one take turns giving monologues on topics such as "The most positive thing I took away from my mother and father's relationship was..." Once the "reconnection" has been established, Dr. Phil says the work shifts to a management role, as relationships are always a work in progress. Dr. Phil humorously refers to his own marriage throughout the book, sharing his mishaps and victories in learning to accept and enjoy what he sees as fundamental but complementary differences between men and women. --John Youngs From Publishers Weekly: Oprah's relationship expert and the author of the hugely popular Life Strategies, McGraw offers a challenge to readers in troubled marriages. (Though he refers to "relationships," his comments about the roles of men and women make it obvious that McGraw has mostly traditional marriages in mind.) With typical frankness, the Dallas psychologist declares that the underlying reason that "your relationship is in trouble [is] because you set it up that way." Traditional relationship counseling doesn't work, McGraw says, so he dares readers to follow his multistep plan for "reconnecting," which demands honest exploration, through exhaustive self-tests and questionnaires designed to define each partner's needs and expectations. The last step of McGraw's program is probably the most difficult and rewarding: 14 days of structured reconnection exercises in which the partners share their deepest feelings. By participating with the required level of commitment, candor and seriousness, couples would seem to guarantee enhancing their relationships. Despite the strengths of his program, McGraw's compelling television presence doesn't translate well to the page. He reminds readers so often that the "reconnecting" process will not be easy or fun that at times he seems more hectoring than persuasive--not that this is likely to matter to his viewers and fans. One-day laydown on February 8; television and radio satellite tours. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.   Relationship Rescue A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner Author: McGraw, Phillip C., PhD. ISBN: 0-7868-6631-4 Pages: 254 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Hyperion Published: February  2000 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 Amazon.com: As a follow-up to his bestselling book Life Strategies, Oprah acolyte Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D., moves from aiding the aimless individual to coaching the disconnected couple. McGraw has distilled his more than two decades of counseling experience into a seven-step strategy he calls "Relationship Rescue." "I'm prepared to kick a hole in the wall of the pain-ridden, unhappy maze you've gotten yourself into, and provide you clear access to action-oriented answers and instructions on what you must do to have what you want," says Dr. Phil. His aim is to expose and eliminate the saboteurs that cause senseless damage to already-fragile marriages, and, like an emotional root canal, to replace them with values he says provide positive results. If you follow Dr. Phil's strategy, he will lead you on a precise journey to uncover your heart and then share it with your partner as part of taking the "risk of intimacy." Dr. Phil leads you to "reconnect with your core" in the first five steps of his seven-step strategy. By no means a quick fix, there are in-depth and rigorous questionnaires, surveys, tests, and profiles that require a "brutally candid" mindset, with such fill-in-the-blanks as "List five things that today would make you fall out of love with your partner." With this internal work accomplished, you'll then move on to reconnecting with your partner during a two-week, half-hour-a-day short course. As a "dyad," you and your loved one take turns giving monologues on topics such as "The most positive thing I took away from my mother and father's relationship was..." Once the "reconnection" has been established, Dr. Phil says the work shifts to a management role, as relationships are always a work in progress. Dr. Phil humorously refers to his own marriage throughout the book, sharing his mishaps and victories in learning to accept and enjoy what he sees as fundamental but complementary differences between men and women. --John Youngs From Publishers Weekly: Oprah's relationship expert and the author of the hugely popular Life Strategies, McGraw offers a challenge to readers in troubled marriages. (Though he refers to "relationships," his comments about the roles of men and women make it obvious that McGraw has mostly traditional marriages in mind.) With typical frankness, the Dallas psychologist declares that the underlying reason that "your relationship is in trouble [is] because you set it up that way." Traditional relationship counseling doesn't work, McGraw says, so he dares readers to follow his multistep plan for "reconnecting," which demands honest exploration, through exhaustive self-tests and questionnaires designed to define each partner's needs and expectations. The last step of McGraw's program is probably the most difficult and rewarding: 14 days of structured reconnection exercises in which the partners share their deepest feelings. By participating with the required level of commitment, candor and seriousness, couples would seem to guarantee enhancing their relationships. Despite the strengths of his program, McGraw's compelling television presence doesn't translate well to the page. He reminds readers so often that the "reconnecting" process will not be easy or fun that at times he seems more hectoring than persuasive--not that this is likely to matter to his viewers and fans. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.   In the Meantime Finding Yourself and the Love You Want Author: Vanzant, Iyanla ISBN: 0-684-84806-6 Pages: 326 Format: Paperback Publisher: Fireside Published: September 28, 1999 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 Amazon.com: What is the meantime? According to author and inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant, being in the "meantime" means being in a state of limbo. "When you are not happy where you are and you are not quite sure if you want to leave or how to leave, you are in the meantime," she explains. Rather than wallow in confusion, Vanzant encourages you to use the meantime as an opportunity to prepare yourself for true love. The first order of business is to clean house, starting with the basement--the place in the psyche where you store your most destructive thoughts. Room by room, Vanzant takes you through a metaphorical cleaning of the soul. This way, when your meantime days are over and love finally comes knocking on the front door, you'll have a clean house to welcome love into. No Less Than Greatness Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect Relationships Author: Morrissey, Mary Manin ISBN: 0-553-10653-8 Pages: 288 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Bantam Published: July 31, 2001 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 From Publishers Weekly: Founding minister of the Living Enrichment Center in Wilsonville, Ore., Morrissey (Building Your Field of Dreams) focuses on teaching "spiritual principles" for "finding and living in perfect love" in her second book. She offers run-of-the-mill advice harvested from the Bible and A Course in Miracles, addressing such topics as forgiveness, prayer, generosity, listening and rituals. The chapters conclude with "Thoughts That Transform," summarizing each topic with an edict, and "Practices," such as visualizations, writing exercises and asking "What would Love do?" in sticky situations. Unfortunately, Morrissey's approach demonstrates only a superficial awareness of both psychology and crucial relationship issues. Her pronouncements that "with God, there is nothing beyond your capacity to create" and "We create whatever we focus on" encourage the simplistic expectation that people and circumstances can be changed easily by a shift in one's own perspective. Morrissey declares that "We have the power to make relationships great" with anyone, any time, yet her examples of relationship difficulties often seem trite. While her own story is compelling a homecoming princess, she got pregnant at 16, was expelled from high school, was married for 26 years, became the mother of four children, divorced, remarried and is now a stepmother in her 40s, having founded a ministry to boot she doesn't reach outside her realm of experience to address common plights like addiction, abuse, crime, poverty or disease. Nonetheless, her sensible if prosaic counsel will please many devotees of the spiritual self-help genre. Review: "Mary Morrissey is one of the wisest spiritual teachers of our times. This book is an astonishing gift." - Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of A Woman's Journey to God and Inner Peace for Busy People "Mary is one of our most powerful and enlightened teachers. Breathe in her wisdom." - Wayne W. Dyer, author of Manifest Your Destiny "The only question that ultimately matters is; How can I become better at love?' This book should be every couple's companion." - Marianne Williamson, author of Enchanted Love "Thank you, Mary, for making it simple to be loving, and profoundly exciting to be humans in relationship! I bless you for making the ‘how' of that so clear!" - Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations With God "A wise and potent book ... The luminous Mary Manin Morrissey gives us back the truth of our own divine condition."Jean Houston, author of Jump Time and A Passion for the Possible "Written with a fierce honesty, No Less Than Greatness teaches us to bring out the greatness in ourselves through the practice of love. I will keep this book by my bedside as a constant companion." - Judith Orloff, M.D., author of Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight "Mary Manin Morrissey has written a practical and inspiring book about how to partner consciously with the Universe." - Gary Zukav, author of The Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories Intimate Strangers Men and Women Together Author: Rubin, Lillian B. ISBN: 0-06-091134-4 Pages: 240 Format: Paperback Publisher: Harper Perennial Published: May 25, 1984 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Ms. "Once again, Lillian Rubin decodes human behavior better than anyone else, and she does it with a lively combination of intuitive skill, scholarship and the sound of women's and men's voices sharing their lives." Joe Cristofalo, San Francisco Chronicle "The beauty of the book is in its tone, which manages to convey that its author is speaking directly to us and is on our side...As a culmination of her many years of work and thought, Lillian Rubin has given us a book that anyone can profit from. I wish I had a stack of them to hand out to all my friends ." The Last Time They Met Author: Shreve, Anita ISBN: 0-316-71373-2 Pages: 336 Format: Paperback Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: November 1, 2003 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 Amazon.com's Best of 2001: The Last Time They Met opens with two old lovers, both poets, running into each other at a writer's conference. Well, Linda Fallon and Thomas Janes aren't old, actually--just middle-aged, with a lifetime's worth of history between them. In the first section, Anita Shreve only suggests what that history contains: there was adultery, we gather, and a car accident, plus some illicit encounters under a pitiless Kenyan sun. Presumably the rest of the book will lead back to the beginnings of this grand passion, right? We think we know where this is going--but that's the tricky part, because we don't. The novel does get off to a slow start, with an unnecessarily drawn-out description of a luxury hotel. But it picks up speed as it moves backward in time, from the lovers' vividly evoked interlude in Africa, to their adolescent years in the Massachusetts village of Hull, and finally to Linda's deepest, darkest secret. Only then does the author unveil her final revelation, which should leave most readers somewhat out of breath, and possibly even obliged to turn back to the first page and read the book over again. Shreve is a canny storyteller, and she knows her characters inside and out. (As well she might: Thomas is the husband of Jean, the photographer in The Weight of Water.) And The Last Time They Met is yet another example of the kind of book she does best--one that's as skillfully plotted as a thriller, but with writing that lingers long after the last plot twist is unfurled. No matter whether people actually have affairs like these. Reading this book only makes you wish that they did. --Mary Park From Publishers Weekly: The latest work by this versatile novelist (The Pilot's Wife; Fortune's Rocks) may be her most mature to date, as she demonstrates new subtleties in the unfolding of a complex plot. Proceeding in reverse chronological order, Shreve recounts the obsessive love between poets Linda Fallon and Thomas Janes; theirs is a highly charged affair, though they connect only three times in 35 years. The novel's three sections ("Fifty-Two," "Twenty-Six" and "Seventeen") refer to Linda's ages when she meets and later encounters Thomas first (last in the book's structure) as a troubled teen near Boston with "only indistinct memories of her mother and no real ones of her father"; then in Kenya, where Linda has joined the Peace Corps and Thomas's wife, Regina, is working with UNICEF; and finally at a literary festival in Toronto where both characters, unbeknownst to each other, are guest speakers. Though each of the novel's segments is intensely powerful, the cumulative effect is especially wrenching, as the reader knows what Linda and Thomas have yet to experience. Their Africa encounter is especially gripping, since both characters are torn between their mutual passion and their love for their spouses. (Linda has also married, and Regina's announcement of her pregnancy adds further tension.) Shreve's compassionate view of human frailties a recurring theme in much of her work is at its most affecting here, as she meticulously interweaves past and present with total credibility. Her fluid narrative perfectly mirrors her protagonists' evolving temperaments and viewpoints, while her overall restraint serves to intensify the novel's devastating conclusion. (Apr.) Water, starring Sean Penn and Elizabeth Hurley, is due in theaters later this year. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.   Love Secrets For A Lasting Relationship Author: Bloomfield, Harold Md Josefowitz, Natasha Ph.D., Nbatasha Josefowitz ISBN: 0-553-35120-6 Pages: 152 Format: Paperback Publisher: Bantam Published: January 1, 1994 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 From Publishers Weekly: The author of How to Survive the Loss of a Love offers readers a medley of self-help and poetry in 72 "love secrets" about many aspects of romantic relationships. On a single page such "secrets" as "Your happiness is up to you, not your love partner" (#37) and "Put love first to make passion last" (#64) are followed by bulleted bits of advice and a mental or written exercise. On each facing page is a poem--many are childlike, some charming--by Josefowitz, who teaches social work at San Diego State University. Bloomfield's pedestrian and formulaic, if unexceptionable, advice is much enhanced by the volume's lively format and the appealingly cozy, intimate tone contributed by the poems. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. You Just Don't Understand Women & Men in Conversation Author: Tannen, Deborah / Guarnashaelli, Maria (Editor) ISBN: 0-688-07822-2 Pages: 330 Format: Hardcover Publisher: William Morrow & Co Published: May 1990 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 From Publishers Weekly: Georgetown University linguistics professor Tannen here ponders gender-based differences that, she claims, define and distinguish male and female communication. Opening with the rationale that ignoring such differences is more dangerous than blissful, she asserts that for most women conversation is a way of connecting and negotiating. Thus, their parleys tend to center on expressions of and responses to feelings, or what the author labels "rapport-talk" (private conversation). Men, on the other hand, use conversation to achieve or maintain social status; they set out to impart knowledge (termed "report-talk," or public speaking). Calling on her research into the workings of dialogue, Tannen examines the functioning of argument and interruption, and convincingly supports her case for the existence of "genderlect," contending that the better we understand it, the better our chances of bridging the communications gap integral to the battle of the sexes. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review: San Francisco Chronicle Utterly fascinating....A classic in the field. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Feng Shui For Lovers Author: Bartlett, Sarah ISBN: 1-56836-271-4 Pages: 256 Format: Paperback Publisher: Kodansha America Published: 1999 Condition: Price: USD $1.99 From the Publisher: In much the same way astrologers compare charts, Bartlett shows how to balance the yin and yang of a relationship and the space in which it takes place to enrich and intensify the connection. Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul Authors: Canfield, Jack / Hansen, Mark Victor                  Donnelly, Mark & Chrissy ISBN: 1-55874-646-3 Pages: 372 Format: Paperback Publisher: Health Communications, Inc. Published: December 1, 1999 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 Amazon.com: What a good idea all these Chicken Soup for the Soul books are! Instead of reading one book and hunting around for the most touching or uplifting passage, the Soup brigade of editors and writers scours the published world for brief excerpts, arranges them by category, and sells them by the kabillion. The spoon-size stories in Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul hit the spot and warm the heart. Take the case of Dame Margot Fonteyn, the legendary dancer. She fell madly for Latin lover Roberto Arias at 18 in 1937, but history flung them apart. He recourted her 14 years later, after he'd become Panama's ambassador to the UN. Five assassin's bullets crippled him, but not their romance: he watched from the wings in a stretcher as she took 43 curtain calls in Romeo and Juliet. "I feel it's rather a fair division," she said of their love. "He thinks. I move. You see, I love him." Another love-triumphing-over-paralysis chapter reprints the most stunning passage of Christopher Reeve's Still Me. The cartoons aren't great, but many of the celebrity quotes in the book are, like this one from Ursula K. Le Guin: "Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new." But one correction: the line "There is only one serious question ... how to make love stay" is from Tom Robbins, not "Tim Robbins." --Tim Appelo Book Description: Whether single, separated or someone's spouse, everyone wants to find and keep this elusive thing called love. Bestselling author and foremost relationship expert Barbara De Angelis teams up as a co-author of Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul, a collection of heartwarming stories about how real people discovered true love with the person of their dreams. With chapters on finding each other, intimacy, commitment, understanding, and overcoming obstacles, readers will find inspiration whether they're beginning a new relationship, hoping to work through a difficult one, or trying to recognize extraordinary moments in their lives. A sweet spoonful of this enchanting Chicken Soup collection will warm the hearts of the romantic readers everywhere. Men, Women and Relationships Author: Gray, John ISBN: 0-06-101070-7 Pages: 310 Format: Paperback Publisher: HarperTorch Published: April 1, 1996 Condition: Price: USD $1.69 From Publishers Weekly: Men and women are alien species, writes relationship guru Gray in this 1993 forerunner to his bestselling Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus series, now in paperback. Women are emotional, subjective, relationship-oriented and like to talk about feelings, while men are rational, objective, work-oriented and like to withdraw into their "cave" and watch TV. The mutual incomprehension of the sexes leads to friction and conflicted relationships in which women feel neglected and unloved and men feel nagged and smothered. Rather than denying or suppressing their differences, Gray argues, men and women must acknowledge their masculine and feminine essences and learn to understand, tolerate and value the characteristics of the opposite sex. Men must learn to listen sympathetically ("make reassuring responses like 'hmm,' 'uh-huh,' or 'tell me more,'") while women must learn to give men space. Gray often pushes the essentialism too far ("Illness and disease are manifestations of the dark side of our female self") and treads lightly around issues of sexism. But many readers will see elements of truth in these behavioral stereotypes, and Gray has a perfect pitch for the ways in which misunderstandings can escalate into shouting matches and deep-seated marital bitterness. His is a hopeful message that troubled relationships stem from a simple failure to communicate, but it skirts the possibility that there might be deeper sources of conflict between men and women. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition. Harold Bloomfield, M.D., Author of Making Peace with Your Parents and Making Peace With Yourself: "A superb guide for understanding male-female relationships." The Practical Encyclopedia of Sex & Health From Aphrodisiacs & Hormones to Potency, Stress, Vasectomy & Yeast Infection Authors: Bechtel, Stefan / Editors of Prevention Magazine ISBN: 0-87596-163-0 Pages: 365 Format: Hardcover Publisher: Rodale Books Published: April 15, 1993 Condition: Price: USD $2.99 BookList: This encyclopedia focuses on sexual health, the prevention of problems that affect sexual functioning, and the achievement of sexual fulfillment It contains 120 alphabetically arranged entries ranging from "Aphrodisiacs" to "Yohimbine" (a drug used in the treatment of male impotence). Entries vary in length from two paragraphs to 12 pages and cover a broad spectrum of topics dealing with the physiological, psychological, and emotional aspects of sex. Included are such things as contraception, venereal disease, hysterectomy, bisexuality, sexual fantasy, performance anxiety, and aging and sexual aids (sources are provided) Articles are written by the editor, and while research sources are cited in the text, no bibliographic documentation is provided. The tone of the encyclopedia can best be described as popular. The author uses such euphemisms as "sweet feast" in referring to intercourse, orgasm is described as a "sexual Everest," and such metaphors as "a self-cleaning oven" and "long narrow lobby" are used to refer to parts of the female reproductive system The encyclopedia's style, coupled with the lack of research documentation, precludes the reference value of this title. Public libraries will want to consider purchase for circulating collections. Booknews: The verso of the title page indicates simultaneous publication by Fireside Press under the title The Sex Encyclopedia. Bechtel (whose credentials are not listed) has as his co-authors the editors of Men's Health and Prevention magazines. Alphabetically arranged entries offer practical information on subjects connected with enjoyment, safety, vitality, and love. No bibliography. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR. Annotation: Practical advice from the nation's top sex experts on preserving and maintaining sexual health while maximizing pleasure. Covers depression, fatigue, headache, diabetes, heart attack, cholesterol, and arthritis. Packed with specifics on nutritional needs, exercise, communications skills, pain relief, and sexual problems. 20 illustrations. BUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKSBUY4LESSBOOKS Buy4LessBooks Free Classified Ads