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Daily Scoldings: A Bracing Tonic of Criticism, Rebuke, and Punitive Inspiration for Better Living
Sick of the mindless pablum of “inspiration” offered by page-a-day devotionals? Tired of the relentless celebration of positive thinking? Perhaps it’s time for something with a bit more bite to it. Daily Scoldings are daily doses of bitter truth that will wake anyone out of their narcissism, delusions of grandeur, and indulgent happy thoughts. Think of it as a mental dousing of cold water, first thing in the morning. It’s the perfect gift for the crank, cynic, or curmudgeon in one’s life.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 29, 2010
This little book is easy to underestimate because it's unassumingly funny and surprisingly wise. I have to confess that I know the author personally, and she herself is unassumingly funny, so it figures that she'd write a book like Daily Scoldings.
What impresses me is that she has written 365 different entries -- one for each day of the year. Sometimes it's a fable, such as the story of a beaver who neglects to fix his roof. Sometimes it's a parable, such as a "fractured" version of The Skilled Physician, an ancient parable that appears in the Buddhist Lotus Sutra. Sometimes she gives you a nugget of good advice in a memorable way, such as why you should conceal your dislike of others. And sometimes she makes you laugh (or think twice!) with a pointed critique of contemporary attitudes and social behavior.
I tell people to pick it up and look up the scolding for their birthday. They always laugh or at least smile and want to read another entry. This book hooks you like that. You can start anywhere and jump around. It's a great gift book because just about everyone can relate to it. It's a parody of self-help affirmations, but it's not insulting -- it's not a bitchy book of complaint. It's lighthearted and helpful, although it touches on serious themes such as war, loneliness, flossing (!) and death -- and, yes, it even made me laugh about death "planning a surprise party" for me.
I could rave and gush forever about Daily Scoldings, but I'm just some person on the Internet that you might know but probably don't know. Please see for yourself what this book is all about. On Amazon, there's a "look inside this book" feature that allows you to see several pages of scoldings. Check it out.
What impresses me is that she has written 365 different entries -- one for each day of the year. Sometimes it's a fable, such as the story of a beaver who neglects to fix his roof. Sometimes it's a parable, such as a "fractured" version of The Skilled Physician, an ancient parable that appears in the Buddhist Lotus Sutra. Sometimes she gives you a nugget of good advice in a memorable way, such as why you should conceal your dislike of others. And sometimes she makes you laugh (or think twice!) with a pointed critique of contemporary attitudes and social behavior.
I tell people to pick it up and look up the scolding for their birthday. They always laugh or at least smile and want to read another entry. This book hooks you like that. You can start anywhere and jump around. It's a great gift book because just about everyone can relate to it. It's a parody of self-help affirmations, but it's not insulting -- it's not a bitchy book of complaint. It's lighthearted and helpful, although it touches on serious themes such as war, loneliness, flossing (!) and death -- and, yes, it even made me laugh about death "planning a surprise party" for me.
I could rave and gush forever about Daily Scoldings, but I'm just some person on the Internet that you might know but probably don't know. Please see for yourself what this book is all about. On Amazon, there's a "look inside this book" feature that allows you to see several pages of scoldings. Check it out.
December 31, 2010
Hilarious. A funny book but not all joke advice. A lot is helpful, which is why it was stuffed in my stocking. The cover of my book is different than the cover shown here. Why is that?
January 15, 2014
A great book for a good laugh and a good slap on your face.
Some advices are amazingly helpful while some are not, depending on your principles of life.
Some advices are amazingly helpful while some are not, depending on your principles of life.
October 19, 2010
It was a little book and quick reading if you like a one-a-day quote. Some were quite insightful, others just a bang on the head for someone close to the author. A few LOL ones.
October 29, 2011
Funny book that sometimes giveaway me the exact kick I need at the time to get off my "woe is me" horse. Liked it a lot.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews