From paperbacks to a waste of paper, hardcovers to hard-to-believe-it-was-even-published, self-help for adults, children and business is a fickle world where knowledge is subjective and arrogance is king. Sometimes you just have to read between the lines.
Personal
Ten Stupid Things Men/Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives When They Listen to Men/Women Who Have Done Way More than Ten Things to Mess Up Their Lives, by Laura Schlessinger
The Power Of Positive Thinking is One Excuse To Do Nothing: There’s also Just Say No and Good Things Come to Those Who Wait, by Norman Vincent Peale
He’s Just Not That Into You Because He’s Gay, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
Make Every Man Want You: The Power of Duct Tape and a Blatant Disregard for the Law, by Marie Forleo
The Five Love Languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish, by Gary Chapman
Chicken Soup for the Soul, as if Chickens Didn’t Suffer Enough Already, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
The Art of Happiness is in the Craft of Titling a Best Seller, by Dalai Lama
How to Instantly Connect with Anyone By Violating the Tenets of Personal Space, by Leil Lowndes
The Proper Care And Feeding Of Husbands: A Book From the 1800s, by Laura Schlessinger
Emotional Intelligence Never Helped Anyone With Their SATs, by Daniel Goleman
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Unless You Have Problems with Depth Perception, by Richard Carlson
I’m OK, You’re OK, We All Scream For Ice Cream, by Thomas A. Harris
The Secret I Only Pretend to Have and Don’t Really Tell, by Rhonda Byrne
Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits While Enraging Cops, Neighbors and Everyone in Line at Starbucks, by T. D. Jakes
Chicken Soup for the Chicken’s Soul: Never Mind, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Defy Gravity and Other Laws of Physics You Can Break With Kick-Ass Health Coverage, by Caroline Myss
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: For Everyone Who Wasn’t Paying Attention Every Time They Were Told Life’s Not Fair, by Harold S. Kushner
For Children
Stick Up for Yourself With an Actual Stick, by Gershen Kaufman, Lev Raphael, and Pamela Espeland
Making the Most of Today After Your Chores are Done and Your Alcoholic Dad Has Passed Out, by Pamela Espeland and Rosemary Wallner
The Anxiety Workbook for Teens: Getting Past the Fears Your Parents Projected Onto You, by Lisa M. Schab
The Seven Best Things Smart Teens Do, A Book You Won’t Need to Open if You Read the Cover: Eat Fruits and Vegetables, Floss Teeth, Save Money, Exercise, Pay No Attention to Insults and Hit Back Hard When Hit, Practice Safe Sex, and Remember that Drugs and Alcohol Will Keep You From Effectively Doing Any of the Above, by John C. Friel Ph.D. and Linda D. Friel M.A.
Be Confident in Who You Are and Several Other Books You’ll Need Because It’s Just Not That Simple, by Annie Fox
Business
7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Manipulation, Backstabbing, Subterfuge, Extortion, Embezzlement, Blackmailing and Office Supply Theft, by Stephen R. Covey
The One-Minute Manager Who Was Paid Accordingly, by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
How to Win Friends and Influence People Without the Pesky Business of Developing a Personality, by Dale Carnegie
Who Moved My Cheese? Let Them Eat Plague!, by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard
Get the Life You Want: Identity Theft for Beginners, by Richard Bandler
See You at the Top Where it’s Less Crowded and Easier to Knock You Down, by Zig Ziglar
The Magic of Thinking Big is an Illusion, by David J. Schwartz
A Whole New Mind: Is a Brain Transplant Right for You?, by Daniel Pink
The 48 Laws of Power: A Mob Family Tree, by Robert Greene
First, Break All the Rules: How to Get a Job With a Criminal Record, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: My Life as a Pancake at a Greasy Spoon, by Thomas L. Friedman