Falise Platt of
the 24/8
Book Club shares her top picks in new books. A voracious
reader with diverse interests, Falise chooses the best from
fiction and nonfiction alike, creating a selection that is both
fun and intelligent.
 The
start of the New Year often symbolizes resolutions and fresh
beginnings. These book selections will highlight ways to launch
and will inspire you in a number of ways.
 Love
Your Body, Love Your Life
By Sarah Maria
Adams Media, 2009
In a society bombarded with images of so-called perfection,
whether true or crafted, it is hard not to have feelings of
inadequacy. In this self-help primer, body image expert Sarah
Maria tackles negative body obsession (NBO). Reducing or eliminating
the NBO that touches many American women allows us to achieve
so much more and be free from this distraction.
The barriers of NBO can block us in personal life, work life
and in ways we might not have conceived. The book contains
exercises, case studies and testimonials that can assist with
turning around our thoughts and perceptions by opening a window
to our beauty. Maria believes that with the removal of these
barriers, we can lead a stronger, more spiritual and fulfilling
life.
 Twitter
Tips, Tricks and Tweets
By Paul McFedries
Wiley, 2009
Fulfill a resolution to tackle something new in the technology
sector. Twitter is a communication tool that has expanded
its functionality in 2009 beyond just answering the question
of “what are you doing now?”
In this how-to guide, you will be able to embrace this technology
and learn how to utilize it for play, finding work, getting
exclusive discounts, increasing business visibility or to
just be part of this phenomenon. Using Twitter is not hard,
but with a good guide that takes a step-by-step approach and
plenty of pictures, you can master this new form of networking.
 The
Man Who Loved Books Too Much
By Allison Hoover Bartlett
Riverhead, 2009
In this nonfiction page-turner, journalist Allison Hoover
Bartlett delves into the world of book collecting while profiling
a notorious thief. John Charles Gilkey's love of books and
lack of money spirals into a crime spree to obtain books from
booksellers that stand between him and his passion. Bartlett
creates a mystique surrounding Gilkey's true crimes while
introducing the reader to the fascinating world of book collecting—an
investment more than a hobby—that can hold or exceed
the value of real estate and other commodities over the course
of time.
 Mala
of the Heart: 108 Sacred Poems
Edited by Ravi Nathwani and Kate Vogt
New World Library, 2010
Read through this collection of 108 spiritual poems, assembled
from around the globe, for an artful look into a myriad of
cultural beliefs. The editors included 108 poems specifically
because it is the number of beads on a traditional meditation
Mala, which is used by Eastern spiritual practitioners, and
it has been representative of divine and sacred connections
since ancient times.
Pave the way to awakening in the New Year with poets from
Dante (Italy) and Rumi (Persia/Afghanistan); Lalla (India)
to William Blake (England).
 Do
One Nice Thing
By Debbie Tenzer
Crown, 2009
Debbie Tenzer shares 100 nice things you can do in this uplifting
read. Beginning with her own efforts to do at least one nice
thing a week, she went on to create a nice-aholic movement
of sorts, and compiled her own tips along with real-life accounts
from other nice-aholics.
Tidbits from this how-to guide include Pass It On: recalling
something nice said to you and sharing it with others; Best
Friends: donating pet items to local animal shelters; 9-1-1
Munchies: picking up goodies at a local café and dropping
them by local police and fire departments.
 The
First 60 Seconds
By Dan Burns
Sourcebooks, 2009
Dan Burns provides a roadmap for the prospective job seeker
to differentiate themselves and thus increase their odds to
standing out in front of other applicants. While the decision
to hire is made in the first 60 seconds of the interview,
Burns maintains the preparation taken in the 60 days before
the interview is what ensures interviewing success.
Burns offers a plan for differentiation, one of the differentiators
he suggests is sending a pre-interview letter once the interview
has been set to focus the interviewer on you and to bring
you to the top of the stack prior to your interview. Grab
a copy of this book for yourself, spouse or friend to start
the year with a fresh approach and some new tools to stand
out in the crowd.
 Finger
Lickin' Fifteen
By Janet Evanovich
St. Martin's Press, 2009
This light mystery series is playful though action-packed.
The lead character, Stephanie Plum, is a bumbling bounty hunter
that usually gets her skips but not without laugh-out loud
moments. Plum does not work alone—she is often assisted
by sidekick, a former woman of the night, Lulu; her gun-toting
grandmother; her on-again-off-again boyfriend Joe, a Trenton
cop; and Ranger, the mysteriously gorgeous head of a security
company whose good looks make the ladies weak in the knees.
In this installment, Plum faces a record number of destroyed
cars, the possibility of her sidekick losing her head and
a string of crimes. Take a stab at the serialized read in
the New Year—it's not too late to jump in and catch up.
Return to top
* The Good Reads Girl was drawn by
Denise Simon, a Chicago-based freelance illustrator.
Check out her work at deniseannsimon.com.
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