Normal Is Just a Setting On the Dryer: And Other Lessons from the Real, Real World

by Adair Lara and Roxanna Bikadoroff (illustrator)

Book Overview

We could all use some advice now and then. When the self-help books just aren't helping, it's time to call in the experts: real people. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Adair Lara polled her readers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811838242
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.8" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Life is always teaching you another lesson

This book has almost only 1 sentence per page, sometimes 1 sentence per 2 pages, so it is a quick read. It is a compedium of advice about getting through life from people who have "been there, done that". Some of it is profound, some obvious and simple, but every reader can relate. If none of it makes you smile with recognition then you have been living under a rock or something. "Live, Learn and Pass It On" by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. is similar, but is more comprehensive and gives the ages of the people quoted so you have a better idea of the extent to which they speak from experience, from age 5 to 95. The Brown book is a better value.

Endearing, Flippant and Often humerous

This little book is packed with the advice we wish someone had told us about before we experienced it for ourselves. In the introduction Adair states she asked the people she knew "who live in the real real world what they wished they'd known." To say this book was an easy read is an understatement. I whizzed through the 191 pages in two sittings but it could easily have been done in one. The lines are relatable and believable. Adair Lara has five books under her belt, three of which are collections from her columns at the San Francisco Chronicle. Lara is not alone on this voyage into the real world. There are over 100 black and white illustrations by Roxanna Bikadoroff to help drive home the importance, realism and humour of each tidbit of advice. The images and quotes work well together. My absolute favourite: A woman lounging in a chair with her feet up, nursing a bag of potato chips in front of the TV. Her husband/boyfriend stands in the doorway of the kitchen dumbfounded. The attacted statement reads: Sometimes a woman wants to do nothing about dinner. A man has no concept of that-doing nothing about dinner. -- I thought I was the only one! The last page is a list of the real contributors. I would have liked to see their names with the corresponding advice. A note or two about each person would also have been a nice touch. Lara has organized a book of sage advice ranging from endearing to flippant and often humorous. In a society that is becoming increasingly solitary, Lara's book pinpoints our simple connection: experience. This would be a handy little book for travelling and discussion groups. Imagine the stories it could evoke. "It's ok," I said when `Da Boss' asked me about Adair Lara's new book, "Normal is Just a Setting on the Dryer." This little book is packed with the advice we wish someone had told us about before we experienced it for ourselves. In the introduction Adair states she asked the people she knew "who live in the real real world what they wished they'd known." To say this book was an "easy read" is an understatement. I whizzed through the 191 pages in two sittings but it could easily have been done in one. The lines are relatable and believable. Adair Lara has five books under her belt, three of which are collections from her columns at the San Francisco Chronicle. Lara is not alone on this voyage into the real world. There are over 100 black and white illustrations by Roxanna Bikadoroff to help drive home the importance, realism and humour of each tidbit of advice. The images and quotes work well together. "Forgive yourself the big mistake. It isn't the end of your life. It will not define who you are, unless you stay stuck on it," is an informative reminder but displayed with Bikadoroff's visual of a man contemplating the empty plaque on his wall labelled "The One That Got Away," adds so much more. My absolute favourite: A woman lounging in a chair with her feet up, nursing a bag of potato chips in

Funny on a higher level

You will read right away in the forward that this book was inspired by that Maria Shriver who wrote a book offering lessons on living a normal life! Ha! THis book is hilarious and I'm pretty jaded about 'cute little books', how can anyone not enjoy advice of this calibar: Never fry bacon in the nude"? Good stuff.

Unbelievable! The Best Gift book I've received!

I rcvd this as a gift and my gosh, it's been the greatest little book! I am ordering several copies to give out as gifts myself! whimsical illustrations and poignant quotes...absolutely fantastic!

Fun, Quick Read

This is a great little book to read to lift your spirits and make you smile. There is nothing profound about it, but it does make you think, makes you realize that there are things you have yet to discover about yourself and the world around you and there are things you have already discovered (to which you are thankful for having already discovered them). My favorite quip from this book was that "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." It's so simple, yet so true. It made me take a step back and realize that there is a brighter side to things, but that it does not necessarily mean that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. There are many more fun, humorous, deep, and handy 'lessons' in this compact book, and don't overlook the intro. It's a great read for a quiet afternoon or a fantastic gift for an old friend. Enjoy!!!