Book review: Help Me!

By
By Marianne Power
Published by Picador

 Synopsis: Marianne Power was stuck in a rut. Then one day she wondered: could self-help books help her find the elusive perfect life?

 She decided to test one book a month for a year, following their advice to the letter. What would happen if she followed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? Really felt The Power of Now? Could she unearth The Secret to making her dreams come true?

 What begins as a clever experiment becomes an achingly poignant story. Because self-help can change your life – but not necessarily for the better…

 How did this book end up in my hands? I saw this book mentioned on Twitter and it sounded intriguing so when I found the audiobook version on the BorrowBox app, I jumped right in.

 Was it a page-turner? I took my time to listen to this book to make sure I absorbed whatever I could. I have never read self-help books so this was my way of letting someone else do all the work for me… hehe! I probably would have enjoyed more having a physical copy to refer back to.

 Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? I dived into the book without any specific expectations. However, because I was listening to the audiobook narrated by the author herself, I expected this would make me feel closer to her experiences. I still liked the book but I didn’t feel the connection I needed to feel more engaged.

 Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] Our quest for happiness doesn’t necessarily end so I don’t see this book has having an ending. Even when we reach what we perceive as a breakthrough, that is not the end.

 Three words to describe it. Funny. Touching. Insightful.

 Do I like the cover? Yes, I think it’s cute!

 Have I read any other books by the same author? I believe this is the author’s debut novel but – as she is a journalist too – I wonder whether I’ve come across some of her writing before, without even realising.

 Will I be recommending this book? Yes, it is definitely an interesting concept, which I think would appeal both self-help converts and sceptics. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Booknet: a new platform for authors and readers

By
Image
‘Ooooh, what is Booknet ?’ I hear you ask… Booknet is a popular literary social media network, self-publishing platform, and Bookscription eBook sales model, all of which is being introduced to the UK following rapid growth in Latin America and Eastern Europe since 2015. How does it work? Booknet is both a successful literary self-publishing platform and a social network, founded by Ukrainian entrepreneurs in 2015. Booknet has gained significant traction in countries such as Ukraine, Russia (the Russian division was sold in the spring of 2022 because of the war between Ukraine and Russia), as well as Latin America. The company is now actively investing resources into the development of its English-language version. Authors can either publish their books with free access by readers, or sell them after obtaining commercial status through the platform. Booknet provides free advertising for eBooks sold by their authors on the platform. Booknet’s distinctive features (apart from being a pop...
Read more

Book review: She’s Never Coming Back

By
Image
By Hans Koppel Translated by Kari Dickson Published by Sphere It is safe to say that my choice of reading material is not usually truculent. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided to read a novel whose front cover prominently displays a quote describing it as a ‘terrifying crime novel’. I started to read expecting the worse and - it being impossible to put the book down - a few hours later I was trying to understand what had hit me. Let’s be clear: I loved this book and I’m grateful to Sphere for publishing this Swedish novel by author Karl Petter Lidbeck who, being a children’s literature author, decided to have it published under the pen name of Hans Koppel. I can see why he doesn’t want to have the two genres mixing on the bookshelves! The plot is simple enough: one day after work, Ylva does not return home. When she hasn’t returned 24 hours later, her husband Mike starts to worry and calls the police. Ylva seems to have disappeared without a trace and, month after month, Mike...
Read more

“Italy in books” - reading challenge 2011

By
Image
Why this challenge? This year I’ve decided to host a reading challenge because I think that they are a brilliant idea. They help to make reading a more collective experience and are a great way to find out more about any particular author / genre / topic and get to know about books you might never have come across. I chose this topic because - as an Italian who has been living abroad for many years now - I feel the need to learn more about my home country and I’m curious to see the difference between the way it is portrayed by native Italians and others. The details of the challenge The challenge will run from January, 1st 2011 to December, 31st 2011 . The aim of the challenge is to read at least 12 books that are set in Italy. Whether written by Italian authors or not, it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be set exclusively in Italy but this country needs to play a significant role in the book. The challenge can include non-fiction books about Italy. You can also review Italian lea...
Read more