The truth is that it's a fun read
583396
Few books have been read more than once by me and "The Truth" by Neil Strauss is in that list. As with Esther Perel's books, although of an autobiographical style, Strauss deftly blends blunt language (Strauss is more crass) with the clever. "Guilt is just about your behavior. Shame is about who you are," will remain me throughout my life. I've actually been experimenting with the idea this book somehow stimulated (along with Dr. Perel's): shame often leads to perversion.

Trauma and shame are at the center of this sometimes lurid story. We laugh at and hurt with Strauss as he explores relationship configurations that he hopes will meet his idealistic expectations, and questions those expectations as he confronts the shame resulting from his trauma.

Just as Strauss at one point realizes that he doesn't feel THAT much guilt about his transgressions, I feel just a bit of hesitation as I type, "This is a fun book to read!" Props to Strauss for focusing on The Truth as we all confront a reality of an aging marital constitution associated with a 50% divorce rate according to some and possibly a similar rate of infidelity. In pursuing the truth, Strauss reveals elements about his life and thinking that are disturbing, and sometimes familiar to many of us. Where he deviates from the decisions most of us make is in his courageous and accidentally self-sacrificing action. We can learn from his mistakes and at least vicariously enjoy his successes.

A few quotes that I want to share:
* "In the pages that follow, I attempt to solve a much tougher life dilemma: What should I do after she likes me back?"
* They don't care about you. These are hurt and abused women. And you're reenacting their childhood trauma."
* "90 percent of sex addicts entering treatment are men because guys tend to act out, while roughly 90 percent of people with eating disorders are women because they tend to act in."
* Its people with compulsive behaviors who change the world."
* "[...] trauma compromises the brain area that communicates the physical, embodied feeling of being alive" (from a book The Truth inspired me to read, "The Body Keeps The Score" by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.). Strauss breaks rules so including this quote feels appropriate enough. I read in Strauss's writing, and Esther Perel's more explicitly, that people often cheat to feel more alive.

Finally, thank you Neil for including "An Incomplete Guide to Love for the Incomplete Man".
332364
It was fun to read not sure if I believe all the facts that's why it  it got the review it did.
2274872
If you like true-life "ghost stories" or are fascinated with what happens in the afterlife, this is a fun little book. It is written in a comfortable, familiar style that feels like your friend is telling you a good story. It's not Pulitzer Prize material, but it isn't intended to be. There is nothing objectionable or graphically horrific in it, so you can loan it to your Mom when you're done with it. ..even if she's 80 years old. Also, you don't need to be Catholic to read it or enjoy  (although you will "get" a few more of the Catholic references if you were raised Catholic).  While not a scholarly or scientific treatment of the topic, it is an enjoyable read for a Sunday afternoon by the fire....BOO!
1263218
So this is not a complex piece of literature, but it is fun to read. Brain candy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
4810752
This book is a compendium of essays that have originally appeared on Rick Klaw's web column "Geeks With Books" over at SF Site, as well as some other scattered sources. Klaw is something of a name in Texas science fiction and comics fandom and publishing, but his principal career is that of a bookseller, and this is where his love of books truly shines.
You wouldn't think a load of essays about the art of bookselling would be all that interesting, but they are, thanks to Klaw's ready wit and the way any bibliophile can dive right into his stories knowing they are listening to a kindred spirit. There are several amusing and incisive tales, ranging from shoplifting (where Klaw reveals that the Bible is the #1 most shoplifted book), to dealing with author signings, to the economics of used book stores and why so few of them turn anything resembling a profit. It's breezy and fun reading all the way through.
Elsewhere in the book Klaw lets his geek flag fly with everything from book and movie reviews to interviews with the likes of Michael Moorcock, to some enjoyable dirt-dishing concerning his brief run as a graphic novel editor.
Depending upon your own interests, some essays will be more interesting to you than others. They are all, however, good quick reading, with few in excess of five pages. Still, it must be said that the price tag is pretty steep here for what you get. Still, that's the economic reality of small press publishing. Klaw would be happy to explain it all to you in detail.
2732665
This is a fun and honest way to educate girls about the terrible price females pay for "beauty."  The way the expectations of society strip girls of self-worth and joy insisting that they give up their true selves in order to constantly please others and act in ways that are acceptable to the males who are the enforcers of the status quo.  Shows clearly the lies girls are told and how they are indoctrinated into the "beauty" culture, sometimes from birth.  Having said that, the book is a blast and funny from the beginning to the end.  Silly and unbelievable but then so is life...so there's that.  Read it, it's a lot of fun.
2116270
This book is full of fun and interesting facts about everything from the super serious to the wholly hilarious. Fair warning, though! Not all of the tidbits are 100% true: I've spotted urban legends, outdated data, and outright errors. Still worth the read, though!
582622
I picked this book up at the Barnes and Noble bargain book section for like 4 or 5 bucks.

It was a very pleasurable and fun read.  The other reviewers are right; the book is about Steve Parish and his life and his experiences, he just happened to be a groupie and apparently an integral part of the GD scene.  His life revolved around the Grateful Dead it seemed, so you got a fair bit of that.

People keep saying it was horribly written.  I can read and write and maybe it wasn't technically fancy, but it did the job for me.  Everything was easy to understand and there were no holes.  It didn't jump around too much.

I thought this book really paints a picture of how important drugs were to the whole scene.  It gave a decent feeling of what the 60s might be like.  Whether that portrait is true or not, it is Steve's Portrait.

I'm not a deadhead a hippy or a stoner and I really enjoyed this book, you might too.

I generally don't read much fiction I mostly read nonfiction, and I thought this book read like a novel, except most of the stuff was probably true.

I was amazed at all the raunchy details that are in this book, it is probably not for kids.
213597
This is one of those books that is a fun, fast read, not too deep and very derivative, but if you like Dan Brown novels, you would enjoy this one.  It's less well-crafted, but it moves along with interesting characters and the requisite shadowy, secretive organizations, false clues and red herrings.  The premise is delightfully absurd, the events are beyond credibility, the ending is pretty obvious, but in all, it's not a bad book, it flows and it's enjoyable.  There is one absolutely glaring error of accepted Biblical fact- I'll leave it to you to discover.
376126
Perhaps it is my interests in sci-fi/fantasy where my usual reading is done that makes this such an enjoyable read for me, but I really appreciate the work done here. There is movement through (by my count) four diverging time-lines or streams, or whatever you wish to call them, and tracking the discrepancies which indicate them is part of my fun.

The subject is fairly grim, in a light-hearted fashion, from the PoV of a self-absorbed blonde with a shoe fetish, which offers the comedic aspect (and some intense frustration ;) ).

It is an intermediary book, so there is development here. but no final resolution (awww :(  ). I can understand (and share a little) the frustrations of those who want Betsy to Grow Up!, but hey, her folly gives me a sense of superiority.

I await the conclusion (and further adventures) eagerly.
691279
And I have already recommended it to some friends, who also said that they really liked it.  It's not the most enlightening book you'll ever read, but if you just want to curl up with mystery / legal procedural, this is a fun read.
987367
Scoundrels In Law is an enjoyable read. Murphy openly admits that this is a hash of Rovere's 1947 The Magnificent Shysters plus her rewritings of contemporary newspaper reports on the always entertaining Howe and Hummel. She's breezy enough to make it all work, and her appreciation of the shameless greed and brazen effrontery (and other such phrases) of these two beacons of jurisprudential chicanery is contagious enough to make Scoundrels a fun read.

There is no end to the tales of corruption on all sides of late 19th century Gotham, and having seen Gangs Of New York the other night I enjoyed this even more. Tammany Hall and the Draft Riots etc were a pox on our history and are often swept under the rug, and it's nice to see a detailed rendering of the inner workings of the graft here. Frankly, it's reminiscent of the past decade in many ways, though we've managed to make it all seem quite proper lately. Plus there's precious little real investigative journalism these days; I'd like to see Murphy turn her happily poisoned pen on the twin disappointments of W and Obama.

Howe and Hummel come off as true shysters, but very good ones, and that's the odd charm here. It all plays out as Americana for better and worse, and one acquires an affection for these slimeballs, against better judgment. The various characters they defend add much to the proceedings, and the old saw that truth is stranger than fiction was never truer.

All in all, SIL is no masterpiece but certainly a pleasant way to while away the hours on a beach or by the pool, laughing at the insanity of olden times and wondering how it is that we still face similar corruption today. As H&H might say, we never learn.
2365582
This is a good read if you can really say that knowing the content. It is easily readable. I may not have liked all of what was said, but truth is truth. Recommend to those who are interested in true stories.
4167621
Before getting my hands on this book, I was really excited to read it as its synopsis immediately caught my attention - possibly because I could easily relate to it. Also, the idea of a journal-styled book really appealed to me. However, I have to admit that I was a little thrown off by the intended grammatical errors and it's attempt to make it look like a journal in the beginning. As I read on - it proved to be a read that gets better down the pages. A word of warning though: As I mentioned, this is an easy read, so don't expect any highly twisted and sophisticated content - it's just plain ol' simple and fun. I mean, what do you expect of a teenager's life, right?
Justin Taggart writes in his journal with a point of view that he is quite the loser, though I beg to differ. With athletic involvements and being rather intelligent himself, nothing spells loser with Justin. Following his interesting accounts of him searching for lawn mowing jobs, being sneaky and yet still having the conscience as to his responsibilities to his God, it's a rather interesting mix of events and adventures. There may be no events that get you to laugh out hysterically, but it sure packs a few of chuckles and giggles when you try to understand Justin's relationship with his friends, especially Adam. Another thing I love is the way that Justin's writing improves as time goes by - it just goes to show that his time spent in journalism classes aren't such a waste after all, and it also adds a hint of being realistic.
It's interesting to note how easily you can catch Justin's personality from the way he writes, as if you are getting to know someone in real life. However, there has been a few occasions where certain inconsistencies with Justin appear, but it can be easily forgiven as that is not the focus of the book anyway.
I enjoy how this book packs a very easy, fun and summer-like feel, even though there are many scenes set in school. That being said, the story itself paces rather slowly and also has an ending that doesn't captivate you, nor does it end in a conventional manner.
All in all, this book is like a journal you picked up on the streets belonging to someone else, except this guy intended for you to pick it up and read it. Some may find it exciting; some may find it a little artificial. Either way, it's a simple book about a simple life - and it's a simple read!
766878
For Real is a pretty fun read! It is the perfect book to take on vacation (which I did), and to indulge in when you have an hour or two to spare. Even though it could have done with a little more of everything  character development and race details, mostly  it was still quite enjoyable.

There are two reasons I felt compelled to check out For Real:
Its about sisters! Miranda and Claire are opposites in nearly every way, but they team up to join Around the World to get back at Mirandas ex-boyfriend. I have two sisters of my own, so its always a bonus draw for me personally if a book is about sisters.
It features Around the World, a reality show similar to the Amazing Race! I really enjoy The Amazing Race, and my sister and I often talk about how we should join up. Its just fun to see these teams travelling all over the world and engaging in fun tasks.

While both are definitely featured in For Real, it still felt a little lacking. Readers do see Miranda and Claire have a few sisterly moments, which felt really authentic. But they're actually not together for long periods at a time! It wasn't quite what I had been expecting, and while it wasn't a bad thing, it was a little disappointing to not get more time to explore the dynamic between these two.

The race is a little bit better in execution, as it does take place in various settings and employ various tasks to be completed. It was pretty fun to see how everyone scrambled to get things done! However, I do wish that there had been a teensy bit more detail in the descriptions, especially since most of these places sounded like they were worth a visit.

It was difficult, also, to get attached to any of these characters. (Claire is developed a teensy bit better than everyone.) Its not that they weren't great (except for that jerk Samir), but they remained pretty superficial. It felt like we barely scratched the surface in getting to know any of them. I would have loved to see past all the stereotypical personalities that popped up along the way. This also hindered my ability to really root for anyone at all!

Even though I do have reservations, For Real is still a book Id recommend to readers looking for a new vacation read! Its cute (save for that romance that I was not in favor of), and its got that touch of adventure because of the race. While not necessarily perfect, For Real is a pretty diverting read.
2380352
Fun fun read - based on a true life it is about a woman doing what up until then was considered a man's job. Well written. I am going to be recommending this to my book group. I've been doing some research into the real woman behind the book. A few of the basics are true, but quite a bit of information about her life was lost because of the Great Chicago Fire, and, of course, so much of women's history is lost in general, because men write most of the histories. I can't recommend this enough. An easy enough read for all reading levels, including young men and women. Only issue might be some sexual content, but even that is sufficiently vague and lacks details so would not be taken amiss other than by the most prudish of parents.
1367492
It's not deep literature, but it is quality fun reading!  [Hidden adult agenda alert: It got my kids interested in a variety of topics and looking for more info. Yay!]