The art of the self-help book title: it's all about confuzzlement

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self-help book covers
'Confuzzled' is what happens to you when you are somewhere in the middle between confused and puzzled, I learnt from Max in the lovely claymation Mary & Max (without a doubt my favourite movie of all times).

I have a friend who devours every self-help book written on this planet. Well, actually most of my friends read them. What I find most intriguing about these paper psychiatrists are their titles. They ignite my imagination beyond their actual content as I just don't get what they could possibly be about. Though somehow they always manage to leave me confuzzled: every aspect of my life seems to be utterly abnormal and in desperate need of change.

Ok, take a sip of your coffee and get ready...



* Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
This book must definitely be about... well, anything.

* The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You
I keep on looking over my shoulder everytime I read this.

* The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life
From what? Am I in danger? Who survived what? This book scares me.

* Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
The writer of this book clearly has a school trauma.

* How to Survive The End Of The World As We Know It
And again a book which scares me. When is the world ending exactly? And if it ends, why should I survive it?

* The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Who are these highly effective people? Why does seven ( and six, ten and twelve) seems to be a magic number within these books?

* If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You
Blank. Especially the part 'other things your mother never told you'. Somehow I don't think I want to know what these things are.

* The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
What was a monk doing with a Ferrari in the first place?

* Life! By Design: 6 Steps to an Extraordinary You
Tempting. Very tempting.

* What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
Doesn't that sound obvious? It's like saying 'If you want to go to Paris, don't go to New Delhi.

* Full Catastrophe Living
Yes, this book is definately talking about me.

* What Color is Your Parachute?
Green with yellow dots? Is this book about job-hunters? You are serious?

* The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things
That's actually a great idea. I could do that: write a guide on the little things to make other people's life magical.

* Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
If only change in life and work could be about cheese being moved...

* Please, mum, it's my life
I think this book is written for everybody I know.

* The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About
It's clear: self-help books make you paranoia.

* He's Just Not That Into You
I quote from the author's bio 'Greg Behrendt is the foremost collector of small glass pig figurines'. This says it all.

* Think & Grow Rich
You should never judge a book by its cover but still...

* Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Buy me! Buy me!

* The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life's Little Imperfections
One, two... nine?

Oh, and my personal favourite:
* Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands
No, the author isn't Liz Taylor. And yes, she is talking about HUMAN husbands here. I think.

Big big smile,
MM

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