A Good Talk by Daniel Menaker Review & Giveaway (5 Winners)

A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities-- conversation.

Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and "how to" advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of "the most excusively human of all activities."

In a time when conversation remains deeply important-- for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are-- and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.

Visit TitlePage.tv where Daniel Menaker hosts episodes of The Title Page and posts blogs about literary works, authors, and issues.
Daniel Menaker is also a contributor on the BarnesandNobleReview.com

My Review:

I was interested in figuring out how to make better conversations and I did get some good tips from this book, but it also had a lot of things that are more common sense or things I already knew such as things you shouldn't do. There were some parts I found kind of boring and I had a hard time staying focused, such as when he talked about Socrates, I really didn't care.

There are a lot of great tips in this book that I think all people should read. One of which was about handshakes. He talks about how you should not do a death grip, but you also shouldn't be a limp fish...it should be firm and confident and just the right amount of time, not too long. I completely agree with this and have always been a big believer that handshakes can say a lot about a person. I have had quite a few people compliment me on my handshakes and I can't stand it when someone has a wimpy handshake, to me it means they have no confidence. I also hate it when their handshake makes me wince, to me that means they are over compensating for something.

Overall, this was an interesting book and if you (or someone you know) needs some tips on how to be a better conversationalist (or just need to know what not to say and do), then this is the book for you!

GIVEAWAY: Thanks to my membership at The Product Review Place and Hatchette, I have 5 books to give to 5 LUCKY readers!

MANDATORY: To enter, just leave me a comment!

**Open to US/Canada, No P.O. Boxes**

EXTRA ENTRIES:
**Please remember to leave one comment per each entry. So, if you get 5 entries, leave 5 comments. If you only leave one comment, then you only get one entry!**

-Follow my blog publicly (2 Entries)
-Subscribe to my blog by RSS (2 Entries)
-Subscribe to my blog by e-mail (2 Entries)
-Add me to your blogroll (2 Entries)
-Vote for my blog, button located on top left of blog (just takes a few quick clicks) (2 Entries)
-Post my Button on your blog (3 Entries)
-Enter any of my other giveaways and tell me which ones (1 Entry for each giveaway entered)
-Tweet this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet: (1 Entry, Once Daily)

@tobinsmommy08 A Good Talk book Giveaway *5 Winners* http://secondtimearound09.blogspot.com/2010/01/good-talk-by-daniel-menaker-review.html

-Blog about this giveaway, leave me the link to your post (3 Entries)
-Comment on a non-giveaway post and tell me which ones (1 Entry per post, limit 5)

This giveaway will end on January31st at 10pm (MST). The winners will be drawn by random.org and will be notified by e-mail as well as announced on this blog. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner(s) will be chosen. Good Luck to all of you!

**I received the product I reviewed free of charge so that I could do an honest review. No monetary compensation was received. My reviews are 100% my own and others may have different opinions. A BIG thanks to Hatchette and my membership at The Product Review Place for allowing me to do this review and giveaway.**