GREAT READS

A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want out of Life

by Bethenny Frankel [with Eve Adamson].

Ok. So I'm not really a reality TV junkie or even a TV junkie for that matter, but I will admit to occasionally indulging in a guilty pleasure by watching one of the Real Housewives of wherever shows. This would include watching the gals from NYC, which at one time included Bethenny Frankel. Bethenny is no longer part of the show, but now has written now several books, has her own beverage company, has her own spin-off television show, is a columnist for Health Magazine, and is newly married with an infant, just to name the things I can think of off the top of my head.

While on Housewives, Bethenny went through many ups and downs and I often found her to be brash and abrasive. Let's just say she wasn't my favorite person. That said, you may be wondering why I would pick up a book (in this case, an audiobook) that is both written and read aloud by her. I guess I was just really curious about what makes her so successful and gives her the appearance of "having it all" and quite frankly, I liked the title of the book and what it implies.

In the book, Bethenny is forthright and to be perfectly blunt, well er...blunt as she talks about pivotal opportunities that she sometimes made for herself and other times just fell into her lap in the context of her life story. Her story, like herself, is full of contradictions. She is brash yet caring, gutsy yet fragile. I guess that's what makes her so compelling to watch....kind of like a train wreck where everyone gets out without a scratch. In essence, her book serves as a guide to looking at life as being filled with opportunities versus obstacles although she says she herself is not much of an optimist - yet another juxtaposition. If you want someone to kick you in the pants and help you take control of your own life and quit whining about how unfair it all is -- then Bethenny Frankel may just be the drill sergeant you've been waiting for.

Recommended by Cheryl Finnan