In her book Toxic Friends, Susan Shapiro Barash seeks to answer that question. She starts by identifying ten different types of female friends. In addition, she provides some detail on her website as to how she did research, why she decided to write the book, and even offers a quiz that will help women determine what kind of friend they are.

Barash has also written ten other books and teaches gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College. In other words, she knows the subject area very well.
I read this book with interest. I definitely saw myself in some of the descriptions, as well as the types of friendships she describes. I think women may be able to benefit from reading these descriptions as it will help you identify which of your friends are the strongest and which may actually be negative for you.

If I had one criticism for the book, it’s that I didn’t feel that it gave me the go-ahead to change my friendships. Sure, it helped me identify them easier, but that’s also because I have taken the time to get to know my women friends. I had already identified what type of friends I have by spending the time to get to know them. I wouldn’t simply want to label people without doing this important step. For those women who are clueless as to why her friends act the way they do, this book may well be of help.

I also think this is an issue that happens more in younger women than in those (like myself) who are a bit older and have been through the ups and downs of friendship. I know I have some women in my life in which I give more to our friendship than they do. I know not every friendship is created equal. I am always searching for mature friendships, and spend the most time on those when I find them.

But for other women who feel they need some guidance in this area, Toxic Friends may be your answer. And guess what? I’m giving a copy away to one lucky Blisstree reader. If you’d like to enter to win, just leave a comment on this post about friendship. The comment can be anything. It can be a statement, a quote, a few words… whatever. There are no right or wrong answers.

Leave your comment by Sunday, November 22nd. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky person the next day. Good luck!

Disclosure: A copy of Toxic Friends was provided to the blogger by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. The same copy is being given away in this contest.

Image: Susan Shapiro Barash

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway and Review: Toxic Friends

For those that have read “self help” books before, you’ll find more of the same motivating speech in this book. Where the book differs, however, is in a 4-step approach to conquering doubt. They take you through a series of steps (Label It, Question It, Rethink It, and Take Action.) While we sometimes know what it is we need to improve on, sometimes we cannot pinpoint it enough to change our actions. This is where Think Confident, Be Confident will help. Even people that have an idea about areas of their life they need to work on will benefit from thinking about it in a rational, calm manner and putting it down on paper.

There is nothing entirely new in these words. However, I think the way the authors have gone about presenting this information is a positive thing and I do believe this book can help improve self-esteem and doubt. I got a lot out of it and I think anyone that wants to improve their self-esteem will benefit from this book.

Here’s the best part, folks. I’ve got a brand spanking new copy of Think Confident, Be Confident to give away to one lucky reader. To enter to win, please leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, November 18th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day. U.S. and Canada entries only please.

Image: Amazon

Disclosure: An uncorrected galley proof of Think Confident, Be Confident was provided by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations for the purpose of review.

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway: Think Confident, Be Confident

Last week I ran a giveaway for the book, and today I pick the lucky winner! Entrants were asked to give a tip or advice on how they keep their dogs safe or to talk about a close-call incident they may have had in the past.

The lucky winner of “The Safe Dog Handbook,” chosen at random, is: Laurie! Priscilla!

Priscilla says: “When I leave my little Cujo alone in the house,I walk though the room and make sure it’s doggie proof.I make sure that all electric cords that is in reach is unplugged, nothing is left in his reach that might hurt him.

“I did have a close call while keeping my Mothers chihuahua while she was out of town.My teenage Son left a empty snack size chip bag on the floor. I came home and found Moms chihuahua running around with the chip bag stuck on her head. Scared me to death!”

Congratulations, Priscilla!

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Winner has been notified by email as of 7:00pm PDT October 29th and has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Post from: Blisstree

Winner of “The Safe Dog Handbook”

The spiral-bound book covers pretty much everything you can imagine when it comes to the safety of your pup, including foods and plants that are not okay for dogs, and tips on keeping your home dog-proofed and safe.

I’ve got one copy of The Safe Dog Handbook give away to one lucky winner!

To Enter:

~ To enter, leave a comment here telling me what you’ve done to keep your own dog safe — whether it’s something you’ve done to dog-proof, a safety tip you’d like to pass on, or even a close-call incident of your own.

~ Note: entries that do not follow the submission guideline above will not be qualified (for example, anything that says just “enter me” will be deleted). Please take a minute and think about it!

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~ Contest ends Monday, October 26 at 5:00pm PDT. Any entries after this cut-off will not be eligible. Winner will be randomly drawn and notified by email, and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

~ Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

~ One winner will receive the book “The Safe Dog Handbook.”

[image: amazon]

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Giveaway: The Safe Dog Handbook

Image: sxc.hu

I discovered a  school days drawing, offering some neat school (or office) supplies at Little Fun, Little Learning with Karen’s Avery School & Office Supply Giveaway.

Karen also has a great blog for parents of young children, where she researches topics of interest and gives you information about them.

This giveaway of Avery school and office supplies runs through October 11. (Don’t leave your comments here for the drawing, but go over to the Little Fun, Little Learning blog for details about entry.)

Post from: Blisstree

Get in the Swing with Giveaways

It seems a lot of entrants share favorites as far as the celebrity chefs and cooks go, with Alton Brown, Paula Deen, Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay leading the pack! There was no right or wrong answer, of course, and the winner has been chosen from random draw.

The winner of the Next Iron Chef prize pack and Alton Brown cookbook is Jaylee! Jaylee said her favorites on the Food Network are Alton Brown and Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa).

Congratulations, Jaylee!

Don’t forget, the second season of the Next Iron Chef (note: link may contain spoilers) premiered just last night, with new episodes airing every Sunday at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 Central on Food Network until the season finale on Sunday, November 22. If you missed last night’s episode, you can check out some videos on the Food Network website.

You can also pick up a copy of Alton Brown’s “Good Eats: The Early Years” at any bookstore. Alton is the Culinary Commentator on both Iron Chef America and the Next Iron Chef.

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The winner has been notified by email as of 9:00 a.m. PDT October 5th and has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

[image: amazon]

Post from: Blisstree

Winner of the Next Iron Chef Prize Pack

~ The first item of the giveaway is a The Next Iron Chef prize pack containing a The Next Iron Chef t-shirt, a poster and a postcard — any of which would be great to hang onto or give as a gift to the Food Network and/or Iron Chef fan in your life.

The Next Iron Chef season two premieres Sunday, October 4th at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 Central on Food Network with Culinary Commentator Alton Brown, and airs every Sunday until the finale on Sunday, November 22.

~ The second item is a copy of Alton Brown’s upcoming cookbook “Good Eats: The Early Years,” which won’t hit store shelves until October 1. It offers up over 140 recipes from The Next Iron Chef host, and represents episodes from the earlier years of his very popular series on the Food Network, Good Eats. To make things even better, this is only the first book in a two-part series, with the second coming out next fall.

To Enter:

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment here telling me who is your favorite celebrity chef/cook on the Food Network.

Note: entries that do not follow the submission guideline above will not be qualified (for example, anything that says just “enter me” will be deleted). Please take a minute and think about it!

…..

~ Contest ends Thursday, October 1 at 5:00pm PDT. Any entries after this cut-off will not be eligible. Winner will be randomly drawn and notified by email, and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

~ Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

~ One winner will receive a prize pack containing a Next Iron Chef gift pack and a copy of Alton Brown’s “Good Eats: The Early Years” cookbook.

[image: amazon]

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway: Next Iron Chef and Alton Brown

Entrants were asked what their dog(s) favorite treats are, and the winners (chosen at random, there was no right or wrong treat!) answered:

~ Priscilla Pursell: “My little Cujo and Poes favorite treat is beef jerky sticks.”

~ Rick R.: “My dogs favorite food is “See Food”. Whatever they see, they eat!”

~ Marie: “Our dog Lady eats pretty much anything she can hold of (unfortunately) but we try to restrain her to jerky treats and medium sized chew bones!”

~ Christine Reid: “My dogs LOVE unsalted meat patties from In-n-Out as a treat whenever we travel.”

~ Amanda: “My pup loves peanut butter! (And I love giving it to him, cause it’s the only time he’s not jumping all over me!)”

Winners have been notified via email as of 10:30 AM PDT September 25th and have 24 hours to respond. If they do not reply in time a new winner will be chosen.

[image used with permission from bamboo pets]

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Winners of the Bamboo Pet Supply Giveaway

Think about how many times in a day we need to get someone’s attention. We often start off talking about the wrong things, instead of the things that matter to this person. This would be a great book for salespeople, but I also found it of help when it came to promoting myself as an author or even talking to my husband. Communication lessons can be found just about anywhere, and So What? does a good job of showing you “how to cut to the chase.”

I’m giving away a copy of this book, so if you’d like to win, please leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, September 29th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce them the next day.

Image: FT press

Post from: Blisstree

Review & Giveaway: So What?

For any woman that has felt a little empty (regardless if its dating related or simply in everyday life), I encourage you to read this wonderful book by Lauren Mackler called Solemate. I was riveted because it is not only beautifully written but gives excellent advice as well. The subtitle of this book “Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life” may make you believe that the book encourages women to be alone all the time. But what the book really does is makes women become so comfortable in their own skin that they attractive the very best types of relationships to them.

I’m giving away a copy of this awesome book to one lucky reader. If you’d like to win, leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, September 29th. I’ll choose one lucky lady at random and announce her the next day!

Image: Lauren Mackler

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Review & Giveaway: Solemate