There are Better Books  on Obsession
926338
He works at a bookshop and sizes people up based on what they read. She's an MFA candidate and graduate of Brown. You are just the reader going along with an obsessive, manipulative ride that leaves a strangely contaigious curiousity in your mouth.

I had higher hopes for YOU, having been on my 'to-read' list since before publication, when it was just a 'new deal' on Publisher's Lunch. Maybe it was the second person writing style that got to me (but, again--genius in the sense it's told by a stalker). I often felt--here goes--bored with some of the action and maybe even a little offended with foul language and sex talk.

It's a fast, absorbing read, but I'll admit to skipping a few sections...and then skimming. Definitely some twists, and a high creep factor, especially in light of social media. I guess it all depends on what you're going for...if you want a more in-depth psychological thriller, YOU may not be it. If a snappy beach read is more your thing with dark humor, have at it.

To see all my reviews/author interviews, head over to www.leslielindsay.com
2321342
The paradox of why a class that seems to be doing better than ever in terms of wealth yet is so anxious, stressed-out, and insecure is a topic explored in many recent books. This particular one devotes too much space to relating the problem and not enough to what can be done about it. Frankly, it smacked of navel-gazing.

A book that does a much better job at proposing a solution to the dilemma of the "Blackberry Mom" is&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Cultural-Creatives-How-50-Million-People-Are-Changing-the-World/dp/0609808451/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World</a>. It talks about forgetting all the keeping up with the Joneses (what Dr. Conley calls "relational positioning") and instead trying to create a new and better way of life that's less about stuff and more about relationships.
4487202
I have multiple Lonely Planet books and absolutely adore them, so I was really excited to get this one in particular since we're planning a NE road trip for our honeymoon. However, this ended up being my least favorite to date, it seemed like they tried to cover way too much information, so this ended up being more of an index with a little bit of information on EVERYTHING but not quite enough to feel comfortable making a plan without sourcing other books and articles. If that's what you're looking for, this is the book for you. If you want more detailed information on each location and it's histories and photos, I'd maybe look elsewhere..
2948893
I had higher expectations after reading some other reviews of this book. But I felt disappointed in it. The author comes across as incredibly annoying and seems to have OCD. This book is all common sense. Clean your stuff up. Throw stuff out or donate it to make space in your home. Etc, etc
2999259
This book is largely not about decluttering, but about spending more time cleaning and organizing.  The author recommends vacuuming daily (or "just" a few times per week for low-traffic areas), and is full of anxiety-inducing advice about tiny areas one might have neglected to fully clean.  I already spend more time cleaning than anyone I know, and was looking to simplify.  The uninteresting, supposedly inspirational, statements scattered throughout the book are yet another example of the author's disregard for busy people. The only people who can use this book are those who neither have jobs nor stay home to care for young children.  Still, I recommend the book to such people only if they would like to make simply owning a house into one or two full time jobs.  I recommend choosing a different book and having time to take a class or do a little volunteering.
3801566
I actually own the book "What to expect the first year" and thought it was fairly helpful. However, the more I get into this book, the more I think the ideas are antiquated and are in conflict with information now available on breastfeeding, sleeping, bottles, etc. I think the Dr. Sears book series is more helpful and identifies better with scientific and psychological evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding both babies and toddlers, attachment parenting, co-sleeping and avoiding the "cry it out" method. I also preferred the series of books "Baby Hearts" and "The science of parenting".
1084077
Sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing. This is meticulously researched and often fascinating (the person who woke up the neighborhood because he was the only one who could invest in a watch) but it is withering in its detail. Not only is no stone unturned, but the stones are usually turned over three or four times. It's as if she were writing a text book for a course on which we'll be tested. The author's obsession with actually wearing the styles and using the soaps and not washing her hair is at first interesting but then a bit over-zealous, and finally obsessional. It may have been quicker to live through the Victorian Era than to read about it in this book.
3668299
Agree with the reviewer below regarding Matilda's obsession with her rival.  It took away from the real story of her transition from empress to heir to fighting for her title.  I've read other books about her and she is a very interesting figure in history, but when she is reduced to constantly obsessing over her rival who doesn't return her feelings, it becomes a much less interesting story.
2663930
***First of all, a warning: as many other reviewers have mentioned, this book can tend to glorify anorexia for those who are susceptible, including lots of numbers, weight, calories, exact descriptions of disordered behaviors, etc.  It also has extremely vivid and gruesome descriptions of self-harm.  I would NOT recommend this for someone actually in the throes of an eating disorder, or someone who struggles with self-harm of any kind.***

This book is very dramatic in some ways, but also very predictable- anorexic almost dies, has epiphany at last minute, is saved and recovers in record time. Like many other readers, I felt the recovery chapter was much too trite and much too short.  Lia experiences very serious medical complications, and ends up only in the hospital for ten days, with no mention of lasting problems that one would expect in someone so close to death from their eating disorder (in renal failure, respiratory failure, and heart failure according to the book).  Patients usually must stay in the medical hospital for several weeks for refeeding purposes just for being at a low weight, never mind all of the complications that Lia would have had.

Then she goes to an inpatient eating disorder treatment center (that she has been to twice before) and magically recovers this time with no lasting effects mentally or physically.  Completely unrealistic, but par for the course in any young adult novels I have read that deal with eating disorders.  No one wants to talk about the years and years of hard work and introspection and learning to deal with life beyond the eating disorder- that is messy and uncomfortable, and who wants to think about that.

I also think that it would have been a much more interesting and more daring book if it focused on a main character with the much-less-glamorized eating disorder bulimia.  There are so many memoirs and young adult novels out there about the experience of anorexia, and very few about bulimia. Yes, Cassie appears in the novel, but you never really get to "know" her beyond Lia's flawed perspective.

In addition, one part of the last chapter really, really irked me.  It was talking about adult sufferers of eating disorders, and said casually (I suppose it was supposed to be poetic, also)- "One day they will blow away.  No one will notice."  As if the only people with eating disorders who matter are adolescents/teens.  As if adults with eating disorders don't have people who love and care about them, and they also have no chance at recovery, and don't even work at recovery, apparently.  I realize this is a young-adult novel, not an adult novel, so the focus is young adults.  But to dismiss adult sufferers so completely casually was unrealistic and made me sad and frustrated.

I did give it two stars because of the characterizations of the characters besides Lia, especially Emma.  Lia comes across as very troubled, but also very one-dimensional.
2344152
I bought this book because I am a Lawrence Durrell fan and he recommended it.  In fact, he writes a lengthy, erudite introduction to this edition.  I was hoping to learn more about psychosomatic illness, as Groddeck has been described as the progenitor of that approach to sickness. I was disappointed.  The author, a student of Freud, sees every thing in life as a symbol of either male or female genitalia, and constantly makes references to masturbatory practices.  The It stands for the unconscious which, to Groddeck, rules everything.  For him, there are the two big Os:  onanism and the Oedipus complex.  Essentially, this book gave me an insight into the great writer Durrell, but hardly anything realistic with which to formulate any reasonable conclusions about psychosomatic illness.
4246810
Actual Rating: 2.5

Since reading Quenby Olson's The Half Killed a while back, I've been interested in learning more about Spiritualism and the sance culture that took England and the United States by storm. This book takes place in the 1920s, several decades after the initial rising of this flavor of Western Occultism.

My low star rating has nothing to do with the information Mr. Jaher provides here. I was actually quite fascinated by his accounts of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, both of whom I knew only little of before I began reading this book. There is also a wealth of information here about Spiritualism and Occultism that enriches my understanding of the early 20th century.

There are several reasons why I stopped reading earnestly at 80% and skimmed my way toward the end. First, the organization here is very poor. The book is entitled The Witch of Lime Street, but the reader doesn't even find out who bears that title until nearly halfway through the book. There is no clear direction or introduction informing us that the focus of the book will be the Scientific American contest or the subsequent rivalry between Mina Crandon and Harry Houdini. There is no central point, no guiding reason, no thesis. This book, while well-written and informative, is more a report and collection of information than synthesizing research. Additionally, the inclusion of so many similar accounts of sances and seemingly unrelated tangents makes the reading process tedious. It was very strange to be both attracted and put off by the subject matter and the writing.

I'm glad that I read what I did of this book, because as I said before it gave me more insight into Spiritualism and its impact on early 20th century American culture, but I'm not sure that I can heartily recommend it. If you have the opportunity to pick it up, definitely flip through and glean what you can. The information is definitely there. It's just difficult to process.

Recommended for: those interested in historical accounts of occultism, paranormality, etc.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
2116692
As a software professional, I thought it would be interesting to understand more about the design approach.  I had no idea who any of the people interviewed were - certainly not celebrities in my book.

I didn't make it very far.  I stopped at the description of OCD weekend-long laundry sessions. I don't see a reason to celebrate neurosis and self obsession.  Maybe it got better after that, but maybe not.
3027367
This is a subject that is fascinating to me so I was excited to listen to this. I quickly changed my mind - the author seems to have a personal bias which he presents as fact.  The idea that people with anxious attachment styles are fine in a relationship with a securely attached person, and that if they feel anxious it's because their needs aren't being met, is inherently incorrect.  As an anxious-attachment style myself, I can say that it's totally possible to feel anxious in a secure relationship.  It also seems the author is making the argument that their feelings of anxiety are someone else's fault and the solution is to find a different person to be in a relationship with (like the example of the girl who turns online stalker with her avoidant dbag-boyfriend).  To me that idea is dangerous - we are responsible for our own actions and putting that responsibility on someone else removes the anxious person's ability to improve their attachment style.
I'll be honest, I didn't finish this book.  It's a good intro to attachment styles, but I would strongly suggest supplementing with a more balanced look at them, or better yet, find a different book.
1803043
Someone had suggested this book to me in 2006 when my OCD was clearly taking over my life. So my boyfriend sat down with me for an hour everyday and we read the book together.

It explains OCD and steps you to "control" it... but this book just didn't work for me.
3416706
One review I read about this book said something about if you like music (opera) you will love this book.  At least the reviewer was honest.  I did not really like this book.  As a scientist I much preferred another of Ann's books, State of Wonder.  In Bel Canto there was too much obsessive behavior, especially over the female opera singer.
246403
If you're struggling with a shopping addiction, you will face yourself on these pages. For everyone else, this book isn't particularly special or a must read. The author's self destructiveness and lack of control is maddening, but those are the qualities that define her addiction. If you do not have a particular interest in the author, shopping addiction, or "an addict recovers" literature, you should read something else.
3427104
For every paragraph of research and advice there are pages and pages about Gretchin herself. It got too tedious and annoying to read. I'm sure there is some good advice in here but I couldn't stand the "Look at me! Look at me!" stuff about Gretchen in between. Who writes about themselves this much in a self help book?