Last week, Publishers Weekly rolled out a laundry-list of new and upcoming titles in the “self-help” genre. And, since GC’s a fan of help of any kind (…hullo, agents! ) and believes PW‘s list didn’t give its books their proper due, she’s decided to cheer along the self-help genre by awarding special (verbal) honors to this season’s most notable titles. We call it the HELP WANTED Honor Roll, and encourage publishers to contact us for publicity or blurbing purposes.
| Title | HELP WANTED Honor |
|---|---|
| How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life (Dutton, Sept., $17.95)
| Book Most Likely to Anorexi-Size Teen Girls |
| The Pleasure Revolution: Free Yourself to Live the Life of Your Dreams — A Mother and Daughter Journey Toward Self-Discovery (Free Press, May, $25) | Worst Decline in Quality of Title, Post-Colon |
| Fat, Stupid, Ugly: One Woman’s Courage to Survive (HCI, Sept., $12.95 paper)
| Worst Gift Book Idea |
| Dante’s Path: A Practical Approach to Achieving Inner Wisdom (Gotham, Sept., $14 paper) | Book Reference Most Likely to Lower Your Term Paper (>) a Full Grade |
| Cracking the Coconut Code: 7 Insights to Transform Your Life (Hay House/Princess Books, Jan., $14.95) | Most Life-Irrelevent Dilemna |
| The Last Self-Help Book You’ll Ever Need: The Bliss and Benefits of Embracing Your Guilt, Repressing Your Anger, and Throttling Your Inner Child (Basic Books, June, $24) | Most Likely to Have a Disappointing Sequel |
| Shining Through: Switch on Your Life and Ground Yourself in Happiness (RED WHEEL/WEISER CONARI Oct., $12.95 paper)
| Most Pointlessly Extended Metaphor |
| Cleaning and the Meaning of Life: Finding Happiness Through Simplicity, Cleanliness and Comfort (HCI, Apr., $12.95 paper) | Most Threatening Lifestyle Title |
| Open to Desire: Embracing a Lust for Life — Insights from Buddhism and Psychotherapy (Gotham, Jan., $25)
| Best Misreading of an Eastern Religion |
| Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out (HCI, Jan., $12.95 paper) | Worst New Lingo |