Book Review: The Everygirl's Guide to Life

   One of the books on my summer reading list was, The EveryGirl's Guide to Life, by Maria Menounos.  I ended up borrowing it from my library because I tend to like non-fiction books to be real books as opposed to ebooks.

       I've never really watched a whole lot of Maria Menounos on tv, but I like her personality and I'm really a sucker for any girly self-helpy type of book.  This book was a fun read and actually was full of great tips and tricks.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits from the book:

*Maria stresses the importance of having a regular cleaning schedule.  This way when guests are coming over you won't have to do a deep cleaning, things will already be spic and span.

*She recommends setting up a "black book" otherwise known as a home management binder.  As I begin condo shopping I think this will be very helpful, and I'll be setting it up more or less like this.

*Every New Year's Eve she writes out her resolutions and the steps to get them.  She then posts the goals and steps to obtain them in a very visible place.  I know we all have resolutions, but seeing the steps to get them everyday may act as a gentle reminder.

*This is a great tip for when dressing for a night out or when you know you are going to have your picture taken: take a flash photo of your outfit to make sure nothing shows up sheer or see through on camera!

*Maria emphasizes the importance of meditation in her life.  I have never once given thought to meditation, but as a frequent sufferer of anxiety and migraines, I will be looking into this.  I didn't know meditation has been proven to lessen severity of migraines.

*A tip I've never heard to help with a minor panic/anxiety attack is to use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel placed on your chest.  The weight and the warmth of the bottle is supposed to be soothing.

*In a world where the economy still sucks, making connections is super important.  Maria recommends keeping a little notebook to collect business cards.  Glue the business card in and jot down a few notes as to how you know the person and what you may have chatted about.  It's a great resource to have.



All in all, I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  It had quite a few makeup and hair tips that were new to me, great advice on how to design your dream home on a budget, some lazy girl workouts and great recipes.  This is a book that I wouldn't mind having on my bookshelf to take out every now and then for inspiration or to use as a reference.

Are you a Maria Menounous fan?  Would you read this book?