It's a Breakup Not a Breakdown is written by Lisa Steadman who is known as "The Relationship Journalist"(TM ) and "a multiple-breakup survivor."  With a keen woman sense, the author offers us well-conceived plans to survive a breakup in ten charming chapters.  Ten chapters were intelligently laid out (in pink and brown text with occasional pink extracts from Boyfriend Files and Breakup Chronicles), befriended us and gave us the comforting presence of a helping hand.

Lisa covers the major parts of breaking up, such as post-breakup rules, pitfalls of post-big breakup recovery, how to move on, how to live/love your life to give single gals a good name, how to wake up, and how to find your perfect partner.  Sometimes the author offers a "Post-Breakup To-Do List" that sounds so humorous and yet is so humanly practical.

A little bit of magic, a little bit of humor... Wendy Mass' 11 Birthdays (AR 7.0, Level 4.1) starts a series of books about how birthdays can bring great changes to our lives.

Amanda is caught up in a Groundhog Day - like loop where she is reliving her eleventh birthday over and over. She can't figure out what is wrong, until she starts to team up with her ex-best friend, Leo. Experimenting each day to see what can be changed, Amanda ends up helping many people that she had initially not noticed before. Together, they consult with the mysterious Angelina to discover what is truly going on with the repetitive day.

Finally (AR 9.0, Level 4.6) is about how one person's good deeds can have life-altering effects and how wants may not be what we need.

Rory is so excited to turn twelve. Her strict parents have kept her from enjoying perks that her other friends already enjoy: cell phones, unsupervised mall visits, make-up, contact lenses, co-ed parties, etc. They tell her she needs to wait until she is twelve. Well, twelve is here and she is raring to try everything! Unfortunately, some uproarious side-effects occur in her quest to experience new things! Of course, Amanda and Leo do make an appearance in this story and provide some much needed insight to her many travails!

"Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state."

• William James (American Philosopher/Psychologist)

This Year I Will... How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True 

M.J. Ryan, life coach and author, shows that (happily!) change is possible at any age in this highly readable and practical book.  Ms. Ryan readily acknowledges that change is not easy -- whether it is in our relationships, finding or changing jobs, getting out of debt, exercising and losing weight -- or for that matter anything else! However, in concise and pithy chapters, with surprising empathy, she uses insights from psychology and neuroscience to give the reader the courage and skills to change amidst life’s many ups and downs.

M.J. Ryan’s blog

Who Moved My Cheese?

by: Spencer Johnson, M.D.

After repeatedly being encouraged by customers to read the book, I finally surrendered myself to it. From the title of the book, I thought I was reading about the different type of cheeses. As I was reading it, I was mildly surprise that it was about something else completely. The message of the book resounded with me and I could not put it down. It was my companion for the next 48 hours. It went with me during my break, lunch, and dinner. After reading it, I came to a better understanding about myself and my work environment. Even though the book was not about the cheese, I “smell the cheese” everyday!

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