General Books - Page 4

How to Be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy

John Bridges

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Book for a gentlemen. 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I think this is a good book for people that does know how to be a gentlemen but I found I knew most of the stuff already.

An excellent guide 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

At first I was afraid this book would be full of platitudes and one-liners on how to be a gentleman but as I read it I began to understand how the book all comes together. I very much enjoyed the reasoning behind some of the "do's and don'ts" listed in the book and while much of the book just seems to be common courtesy, how common ARE some of the courtesies any more?

An excellent book and one I would recommend to just about any gentleman or potential gentleman.

Editorial Review:

Should you take a business call on your cellular phone during a dinner date? How do you act at a funeral? What is the best way to accept a compliment? When do you say, "I'm sorry"? John Bridges answers these questions and more in a book for men that combines Emily Post and Miss Manners without being snobbish, boring, or intimidating. This book is an indispensable guide for men of all ages who aspire to become gentlemen.

The Engaged Groom: You're Getting Married. Read this Book.

Doug Gordon

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Collins Living Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $2.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pracitcal AND funny, a good mix 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book has a lot of good practical advice, like when to get a marriage license. For someone getting married out of state, this was very helpful. I also thought some of the money-saving tips were unique and not your standard fare. There was a part on dealing with problem guests that has been very helpful since we've had to deal with a lot of these types of people and as the groom I usually have to smoothe over a few egos and play peacemaker. To top it off, there's a great section about bachelor parties goes beyond other books and talks about how people really feel about strip clubs, both men and women.

To keep it interesting Gordon puts in a lot of funny stuff, like lists of songs that are inappropriate to play at a wedding and an answer to the question of whether or not throwing rice at a wedding is harmul to birds. (It's not, but his explanation is really amusing and well written.)

I got this as a gift and thought it was really helpful, one source for all of my questions. Four months to go before my wedding and there's still a lot I learned.

Editorial Review:

Today's groom expects and is expected to take on a large and often times equal role in the planning of the big event. The days of the husband–to–be just showing up with a nice suit on and having no idea of what went into the planning are long gone. This is not to say that the groom's interests need to be the same as the bride's. This book will help the groom to choose what interests them and works well with their talents. If it is not picking out the table cloths to match the flowers, than it could be working on the menu or the invitations or even designing the wedding website. For the groom who wishes to be actively involved and not be limited by traditional wedding elements, the book will suggest ways to create a modern wedding. For example turning the focus to the enjoyment of the guests and thinking of the day as a big party, while still respecting the wishes of the families.

How To Be A Lady A Contemporary Guide To Common Courtesy

Candace Simpson-Giles, Candace Simpson Giles

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Thomas Nelson Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $3.75

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Subjects -> Reference -> Etiquette -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

is this really a joke book? 2 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book looking for a reference for teenagers on how to make decisions about proper ladylike behavior, manners and fashion. Instead, it has become one of our favorite "make funny quotes" about books. Some of the items listed are far outdated and downright silly, such as "A lady wears clean and fresh underwear"......give me a break!! Stick with Emily Posts Etiquette book. She addresses the real life issues associated with everyday life.

Editorial Review:

Whether a woman is a contractor, a stay-at-home mother, or a high-powered attorney, the suggestions in How to Be a Lady will cause others to think "Wow! She's got it all together!" If a lady is on a diet, she does not speak of it at the table; A lady never eats a meal while behind the wheel of a car; A lady makes it a point to know the names of the teams playing in the Super Bowl; The roles women play in society today are drastically different than they were 25 years ago, and some of the rules are different as well. Patterned after the successful How to Be a Gentleman, How to Be a Lady is a practical book of etiquette that is not snobbish, boring or intimidating. It is designed for a new century by discussing such issues as how to dress for the workplace, the importance of knowing self defense, and how to tactfully ask for the sexual history of a person with whom a lady is considering an intimate relationship

Weddings for Dummies

Marcy Blum, Laura Fisher Kaiser

List Price: $21.99 By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 139 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A wedding, whether it's a quiet civil ceremony in a judge's chamber or a pull-out-the-stops spectacle, requires equal parts planning, diplomacy, and nerve. After all, of the three most profound rites of passage – being born, getting married, and dying – getting married is the only one a person might have any say in or be able to remember once it's over. The whole thing can seem overwhelming at times, but do not freak out.

This is not another book filled with strict rules of "weddiquette" or ways of having the perfect wedding. Its mission is to demystify the scary stuff and provide an antidote for befuddled brides, anxious grooms, and frenzied parents and family. Weddings For Dummies is also for those who are planning:

• Engagement parties
• Bridal showers
• A wedding involving children
• An interfaith ceremony
• Renewing your vows

This book can be picked up at any stage of your wedding plans. Rather than laying out a strict chronology, the authors have organized this book according to what makes sense. A wedding can be two years or two months in the making. Either way, success depends on thinking through every detail before slapping down one red penny. This easy-to-understand guide covers the following topics and more:

• Getting organized with timelines and to-do lists
• Choosing your locations
• Choosing the members of your wedding party
• Planning a meaningful ceremony
• Selecting music and entertainment
• Interviewing caterers
• Decorating with flowers, lights, candles, and more
• Finding a photographer
• The marriage license and other technicalities
• Wedding traditions from around the world
• Saving money (and your sanity)

There is, generally speaking, no single right way to plan a wedding. What makes you and your intended happy is the right way for you, and this book is designed to help you create your dream wedding to fit your budget and timeframe. Congratulations!

A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions

Genevieve Antoine Dariaux

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: William Morrow Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $7.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Archival appreciation, but not practical for 2009 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was salivating to read this little book of which I thought I would pluck many tried and true style gems. What a disapointment it was. The advice is extremely outdated, tho I love and adore the 40s, 50s, 60s. There are tons of ridgid, unapplicable fashion dos and don'ts in this book, but you won't get from it what you are hoping - and that's ways to look chic and smart. Buy it to read yesterday's quaint point of view on fashion, not a timeless view--and almost no practical applications for today. Matching your shoes to your bag is no longer one of fashion's ten commandments that must be religiously observed, and hardly helpful as a notion of what "must" be done. Telling women over 40 to dress in navy, brown, cream and to skip color and avoid black isn't acceptable concepts of aging stylishly any longer. Looking like the queen of England is no longer to what we aspire or hold up as respectable or fashionable. Style has opened up a whole new universe of choices and ideals since this came out decades ago. Following it for the most part will make you look dated -if not dowdy. The jargon used is that of a couture dressmaker and it's difficult to comprehend at times (tho I did learn a few things!) It's not a feel-good book, either, more of a 'slap your knuckles', 'put you in an old woolworth's box', book of fear experience. This book made me feel really bad, frankly. It's very represenative of the mindset and time in which it was composed. Fashion and style should an adventure. Not a life sentence on a drab death-row runway.

Far better is the great big, beautiful book, "Before You Put That On", by Lloyd Boston - that book will inspire, delight, and make you the artist of your own style without talking down to you at any age. You'll become excited in discovering who you are in Lloyd's book.

Skip "Guide to Elegance"'s slim volume - because dispite it's fetching, tiffany-inspired cover, it's been a whole new world and then some since this guide had any athority in the then-small, now-global world of personal style and expression for women--which I regret to say because no one wanted to love this book more than I did.

Editorial Review:

The original
What Not to Wear
from one of fashion's
most enduringly
stylish women ...

Written by French style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, Elegance is a classic style bible for timeless chic, grace, and poise -- every tidbit of advice today's woman could possibly need, all at the tips of her (perfectly manicured) fingers. From Accessories to Zippers, Madame Dariaux imparts her pearls of wisdom on all things fashion-related -- and also offers advice on other crucial areas in life from shopping with girlfriends (don't) to marriage and sex.

How to Be a Gentleman: A Timely Guide to Timeless Manners

John Bridges

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Editorial Review:

How to Be a Gentleman: A Timely Guide to Timeless Manners is the revised and updated edition of the smash-hit How to Be a Gentleman and offers practical advice on being a gentleman in the twenty-first century.

Should you take your BlackBerry on vacation? What is the best way to accept a compliment? Is an e-mail an acceptable means of writing a Thank-You note? While the tenets of gracious behavior never change, the situations a gentleman faces do and have changed significantly in the last ten years. In this revised, updated, and expanded version of the bestselling How to Be a Gentleman, Bridges addresses new issues such as airport security, Bluetooth and BlackBerry usage, and appropriate internet and instant message communication. Still featured are topics ranging from how to receive a compliment to how to act at funerals. Certain to be the must-have guide for the modern gentleman, this revised edition will echo the success of its predecessor.

How Rude!: The Teenagers' Guide to Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out

Alex J. Packer

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Free Spirit Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 88 new & used starting at $0.52

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> Social Skills

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

How Rude!: The Teenagers" Guide to Good Manners 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is a perfect gift for your new teenager. It is written in such an entertaining way that the teenager will want to read it just for the fun of it and yet he/she will be getting valuable advice on how to handle himself/herself in new,unfamiliar social situations. There are many practical guides on handling relationships, which are so important to the teenager.

Self-Helpless? 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Hmm...

I have read this thing years ago, and while comedy is tossed around in this thing, it's probably not going to be as fantastic as most of the stuff that you typically enjoy... I can't know for sure how you view comedy, but this thing is kind of stale even with it in there.

The thing is written from a kind of simplistic perspective, with such one-d ideas as being positive and simply turning your mind around and thinking the opposite thing... just like when you get upset for example... seem shallow and not a way to truly understand and cope with a psychological problem.

The section on sex is okay... I don't know about other people, but this wasn't too bad, and seemed fairly solid too, although I have seen better.

Finally, this book doesn't just function supposedly as a guide to manners, it's also meant, somewhat, to be a guide to life... I don't know, if
anything like "Turn negativity to positivity" is supposed to be advice on living your life, than I don't think that this will actually be very informative, considering that with the problems in your life, all relying
on positivity will do will be to just become a "feel good" action that won't actually help much with the particular problem, you can't just make these things better just by turning your mind around like that.

So, I don't know. This book has some good parts in it, the sex chapter, which other people were concerned about, isn't terribly bad and is fairly informative, and all in all, this is probably an okay choice, just don't expect it to work as anything other than a way of explaining manners fairly adequately.

Editorial Review:

A humorous but practical guide to good manners and social skills, discussing such areas as family life, behavior in public, manners in school, eating, and clothes.

Southern Lady: Gracious Tables: The Perfect Setting for Any Occasion

Phyllis Hoffman

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Collins Living Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $7.49

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Tablesetting

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Entertaining doyenne Phyllis Hoffman shows how to prepare a stunning table for any occasion.

So many of the events of our lives, from the formal to the informal, are celebrated by gathering around a table. Whatever the occasion—whether it's a holiday dinner, Sunday brunch, or a casual lunch with friends—the table is the place where we relax and enjoy each other's company while savoring a great meal.

No one knows how to dress a table with elegance and flair better than Phyllis Hoffman, publisher of Southern Lady magazine, the quintessential resource for entertaining the gracious Southern way. Now, Hoffman draws upon her years of expertise to create Southern Lady Gracious Tables, the definitive guide to creating gorgeous "tablescapes" for every occasion.

Starting with the basics, Hoffman presents a series of breathtaking spreads for a whole range of occasions, from formal settings to casual get-togethers, and describes how to achieve each look, right down to the recipes—55 in total—for her mouthwatering specialties. Enjoy a lovely outdoor lunch of tasty Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab and Green Chile Cream Sauce, or finish off a dinner party with delectable Praline Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce.

Hoffman then builds a "wardrobe for the table," navigating through the complex world of dinnerware, fine linens, and serving pieces. Each and every element of the table—from fruit saucer to lemon fork to water goblet—is covered in a friendly, helpful way.

Finally, there's advice on adding that all-important personal touch, with instructions on how to craft flowers, family heirlooms, collectibles, and other unexpected treasures into the perfect centerpiece, place marker, or accent. All along, her advice includes refreshingly simple techniques for presentation and encourages the reader's own creativity in playing with colors, patterns, and styles.

Complemented by lush photography and told in Hoffman's accessible, encouraging, and deliciously Southern voice, Southern Lady Gracious Tables is a must-have for every aspiring hostess, south or north of the Mason Dixon. The perfect gift for any woman who loves to entertain, it has all the tools, tips, and inspiration you need to elevate the ordinary to the unforgettable.

Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work

Jacqueline Whitmore

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $3.47

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Have you forgotten a person’s name two minutes after being introduced? Have you wondered which fork to use or how to discreetly pay the check while attending an important business dinner? Have you insulted an international client by mistake and didn’t realize it until it was too late? Making these types of errors can get in the way of getting ahead. However, these faux pas can be avoided by exercising a little bit of business etiquette.
Business etiquette is a powerful, practical, and profitable skill you can use when it most counts to get a job, keep a job, or succeed on the job. It is a set of rules and guidelines that makes your professional relationships more harmonious, productive, manageable, and meaningful.
International etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore provides tips, tactics, and cautionary tales—gleaned from the experience of a multitude of successful CEOs and top managers—as well as information on how to:
· Be more polished and professional in the boardroom or at the dining table
· Master the art of mingling, networking, and remembering names
· Communicate effectively via technology
· Keep in touch, nurture professional relationships, and turn contacts into contracts
· Write effective thank-you notes and send the perfect business gift every time
· Be more “global-minded” and enhance international relationships
Business Class will teach you the nuances of treating colleagues, clients, and customers with courtesy and respect, which in turn will increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.

The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World

Margaret C. Sullivan

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Quirk Books Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $6.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

What would Elizabeth Bennet do? 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

What a charming little volume! The cover illustration says it all. This is for the modern woman who retains a Regency era aesthetic and sensibility, who ofttimes wonders: Where have all the manners gone? From email correspondence that starts bluntly with one's name and no "dear" to shop cashiers who expect the customer to be person that says "thank you," the 21st Century is devoid of what used to be called common courtesy, and Jane Austen reminds us of a more genteel era. True, there were class and gender inequalities, but that's not what we modern readers yearn for, nor are we just indulging in highbrow bodice rippers or retrogressive fantasies of subordination.

Some reviewers have snobbishly complained that The Jane Austen Handbook is just for those who came to appreciate Jane Austen after seeing "Colin Firth in a wet shirt" in the BBC production of Pride & Prejudice, but to that I say, the accusation is, one, off base and two, out of line. I, for one, studied Austen in grad school before that movie ever came out and I love it and this book. Secondly, even if it is true for some readers, so what? What sort of superiority are these detractors trying to claim -- "I read Jane first so I'm better than you"? That's an indication of a coarse and simpering immaturity that Miss Austen herself would not countenance and would indeed be inclined to masterfully caricature.

The Jane Austen Handbook is a combination handbook or primer and compact compendium of Regency life. It is for those of us who live and work and love and dress in the modern world, but who nonetheless like to display civility, sometimes laced with irony, in our speech and actions, to fold our letters property and to drink our tea from china cups, even as we work for our own "10,000 pounds a year" (Mr. Darcy's income, worth between one-half and six million in today's currency, as the section on Modern Money Equivalents on page 27 explains).

Indeed, as the detractors point out, the information in this book can be obtained from numerous other sources, but why should anyone have to apologize for wanting it all in one attractive and amusing place?

Margaret C. Sullivan's writing style reminds me of that of Judith Martin, a/k/a Miss Manners, whose works I also recommend to the modern Jane Austen acolyte, particularly her wonderful first novel, Gilbert.

Editorial Review:

Jane Austen published her first novel in 1811, but today she's more popular than ever. Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. And a new biopic of Austen herself Becoming Jane arrives in theaters this spring.

For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:
How to Become an Accomplished Lady
How to Run a Great House
How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward
How to Throw a Dinner Party
How to Choose and Buy Clothing

Full of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living.