Getting the Pretty Back is Molly’s unforgettably personal, refreshingly outspoken take on life, love, and, of course, finding that perfect red lipstick. Whether she’s discussing sex and beauty, personal style, travel and entertaining, motherhood, or friendship, Molly embodies the spirit of being fabulous at every age—and she encourages every woman to become “the sexiest, funniest, smartest, best-dressed, and most confident woman that you can be.”

Liked:

• I listened to the audiobook version, which was read by Molly herself. She delivered an excellent performance, and really made the book sound as though she was talking directly to me as a girlfriend. It was quite pleasant, actually.
• This is a very short, quick read (or listen). It mostly breezes right by, with just a few boring parts scattered along the way.
• I thought Molly’s advice was mostly sound. Granted, there wasn’t anything earth-shattering in the pages and most of this stuff could probably be found in other self-help books, but still. I particularly enjoyed her fashion tips and wardrobe advice. I so need to get rid of my sloganed t-shirts, don’t I?
• The chapter about parenthood was interesting, too. It sounds like Molly and I are the same kind of parents. We don’t completely ban our children from fun things like TV and video games, but we don’t buy them every last DVD or xbox wireless adapter that they beg for. It’s called balance, people!
• Maybe it’s just because I listened to Molly read this instead of seeing stark print in an impersonal page, but the advice really sounded sincere without being preachy. I’m more willing to listen to stuff like that than the usual dictatorial commands issued by similar books.
• I loved Molly’s anecdotes about friendship, especially the one about her friend Jenny. The two were inseparable in elementary school, but then drifted apart. After years and years of no contact at all, Molly called her friend (now an OB/GYN) after a heart-wrenching miscarriage. Jenny listened and gave advice as if nothing ever happened. What a lovely woman!

Disliked:

• The chapters on food and cooking weren’t really my thing, as I’m not interested in either of those two activities.
• Molly frequently said to buy the “best you can afford,” whether talking about food from the supermarket, fashion accessories, shoes, or dermatology treatment. I’m not sure I agree with that approach, though. For example, I can afford a $385 Hermes scarf (which she recommends by name), but does that mean I really need to get it? Wouldn’t a $50 silk scarf from a no-name manufacturer accomplish the same thing?

Rating:

I thought Getting the Pretty Back was a delightful book that helps show those of us in our late thirties or early forties how to be the sexiest, most confident woman possible. While I won’t be following all of Molly’s advice, there are definitely some useful tidbits that will help me make minor improvements here and there. If you want a light, fun self-help type read this is a good choice. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

So now we’re thinking about buying a book or two about life insurance. This one called Questions and Answers on Life Insurance by Tony Steuer is highly rated, so that’s one possibility. There are plenty of others out there as well.

Or, we could always just look at websites such as www.trustedquote.com for the info we need. The benefit of using a website is that we can get instant quotes and easily compare rates between companies, too.

This is all so confusing! But life insurance is a big issue because we have a young child and want to make sure that he’s well taken care of should anything ever happen to us.

I’m getting a bit antsy even though I still have lots of time — and even briefly considered buying the book pictured above. But then I came to my senses and realized how sad it would be if I actually had to consult a book to figure out what to get my own mother for her birthday. Shouldn’t I know what she would like better than some random writer?

So I’ll just keep looking and keep jotting down ideas when they come to me. I usually find something good each year, as long as I keep plugging away at it!

I love passing on old books, and I hope someone else gets as much use out of these titles as I do. That’s one thing I miss about reading ebooks. There’s no one to pass them on to.

I really don’t have any need for this book right now, but I sure do wish I’d found it back when I was having trouble. At least if my acne ever returns (I’m hoping and praying it doesn’t), I’ll have a good idea of where to turn for advice.

Anyway, I’m going over to this friend’s house soon, and was wondering if it would be appropriate to bring a small gift, like this book from Seventeen called 500 Beauty Tips for Teens. As you can imagine, it’s geared towards the younger set, so there aren’t any recommendations for what to do about wrinkles or dark circles under eyes. Instead, there are tips for what kind of makeup style to use when going to casual parties, formal dances, or even just to school on a regular day.

I personally would have loved having something like this to thumb through when I was a teen, but today’s kids have the Internet at their fingertips. Would the girl be embarrassed about me bringing something like this? Would she rather just get her information in private by searching online?

Yeah… maybe I better just butt out!

But at this point, I think I need a book that goes beyond the basics. For instance, I want an expert to tell me about the best weight loss pills instead of automatically writing off every supplement as something evil. I also want a book that’s realistic about the menu plans, and doesn’t expect you to subsist on only fruits and vegetables for the rest of your life.

When I find that kind of diet book, I’ll buy it!

I used this book when I was pregnant, and think that it’s such a success because it contains real information that is actually useful. You’d be surprised at how many books there are that tell you to make sure you get some exercise and take prenatal vitamins while you’re pregnant, and pass that off as legitimate advice. Give me a break! Murkoff and Mazel do a great job of anticipating the most common questions pregnant women might have, and answering them clearly and thoroughly.

This is a book that I definitely recommend, and have actually given several copies as gifts. It’s well worth it, for sure!