Women's Stuff

by Kaz Cooke

Whether you're starting or ending a relationship, a friend has found a lump in her breast, you're in debt, your partner's lost interest in sex or you don't know whether to believe the moisturiser label, Women's Stuff is your must-have guide, from leaving school to menopause and beyond.

It's also the ultimate fib detector - Kaz has sifted the facts and tested the claims, exposing the lies women are told about cosmetics, other products and their health, and explaining which info you can trust and how to find the truth about everything. It covers the practical side of life, including work, money and homemaking, as well as getting to know and make friends with your body, family, mental and physical health, and sex and relationships.

Three years in preparation, this guide book to making the most of yourself and your life includes the quotes and comments of more than 7000 women from all over the world, sharing their innermost thoughts on everything from sex to housework, drinking problems and hopes for the future. Providing info at your fingertips, if and when you need it, whichever stage your life is at, Women's Stuff will save you money and make you happier.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Health

784 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2011

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful reference book written in Kaz Cooke's typical relatable and informative style. Covers many topics, with links to websites for further reading.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't say this book isn't comprehensive. Most areas of life that a woman between 9 and 109 might go through are touched on. Kaz Cooke has done her research and comes out with sensible advice and further information sources. However I'm glad I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it. I would hate to say at 29 that I know everything about life! but a lot of it was nothing knew to me. I only read the sections that applied / were interesting to me, so I guess that meant they were things I'd already done my own research on anyway. I think I would have got a lot more out of this book a decade ago, so I suspect it would make a great gift say for mothers/aunties/grandmothers to give to teenage girls who might be leaving home, starting uni, or generally beginning important new stages in life. I guess also for women who lack female friends/relatives who can share their wisdom and experience. I'm fortunate enough to have many women in my life (friends, sisters, mother, aunties, work colleagues) from whom I learn the most about life and love and all those things.

Just another minor thing - I also found there to be just too many comments and anecdotes from other women. I know Kaz was trying to cover a range of different viewpoints but maybe this could have been done through charts and graphs of responses to yes/no or multichoice questions. In the end I just didn't read the comments because there were too many and I just wanted to get to the actual information.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book. It had lots of interesting things, but I felt quite a bit was missing and there wasn't enough on everything. I felt some sections were too 'jokey' and she could've made them a bit more serious even though she is a comedic author. I would've like to have seen sections on different sorts of addictions other the 'standard' ones and also on other sorts of mental illnesses and phobias and also sections of over-sleeping, internet bullying and some other things like healing from traumatic events from childhood and anything traumatic you've experienced. Even though the book was a lot in it, there's quite a bit missing and not much on some things. What about petty things like envy and being more creative and also not being liked for being yourself by anyone? Or perhaps a section on social phobia?

I felt like so much of it could've been covered more seriously. I liked the book, but I wouldn't use it much as a reference. Still recommend to others though, as it's interesting for what it does have.

[Amanda Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

An extremely biased book! Kaz is definitely not an advocate of natural therapies and her chapters on women's health are hardly informative. I like the idea of a book filled with informative knowledge for women but I feel that the advice given should not be so adamantly biased. Make people aware of the choices and let them make up their own minds. I am glad I borrowed it from the library because I would be embarrassed to have this one on my bookshelf.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this quite worthy in tone so I was glad I'd borrowed it from the library not paid for it. I stopped reading it when the author claimed talc was carcinogenic because Cancer Research UK and Ovacome disagree with her (http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about...) and I'll believe them over a journalist any day. I decided if she wasn't right about that how could I trust anything else in the book.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, full of wonderful and fantastic advise that is realistic and well researched. Kaz Cooke is a wonderful female author in the sense that when she writes a factual book, I always feel she is trust worthy,
Recommend every woman have a copy, and every teen girl be presented with one when she begins puberty.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this book. It's one of those books you can just pick up now and again when you're having a fat day or just need a good laugh. Kaz Cooke tells it like it is and that's what makes this book so hilarious. I think that all women should read, or even just have a flick thorough Women's Stuff.

[Toria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'll buy this for my teenage niece. Wouldn't hurt for her brother to read it either. I loved the opionions she has collected on such a wide variety of topics and her attitude towards cosmetics and marketing is so straight up. Made me rethink my own spending attitudes.

[Jodi · Rating 1 out of 5]

The health information in this book is just of an appalling quality. If you think the food pyramid is cutting edge health and weight loss information, this book might be for you!

[Olwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very directive. Heavily biased against natural therapies.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book heaps of different topics. Not worth the huge price tag though.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't think much of this, and didn't end up reading much of it either. Found it a bit unwieldy and not overly interesting.

[Leah McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. And funny enough to keep me going ^_^

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! This book has so much in depth information and is a great reference point for everyday life. Definitely one of my favorite books.

[Codie O’Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for every woman!

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

great book