I must admit I have always had an interest in self-help and advice books.  They are so tempting with their promises of  ”… turn your life around in 30 days” or “become a millionaire in five years.”  Even though I know that none of these things are going to happen to me – at least in the time-frame the title promises, I still figure I can glean a few worthwhile pointers.

Katie Couric's "The Best Advice I Ever Got - Lessons from Extraordinary People" is delicious and filling good food for the soul.

I found a book, however, that doesn’t make grandiose promises yet offers some advice worth remembering.

Even if she’s not your favorite TV news celebrity (actually I like her myself) Katie Couric has a written an advice book worth recommending.  ”The Best Advice I Ever Got - lessons from extraordinary lives” is chock full of juicy tidbits of advice and life lessons from celebrated people you want to hear from – people we all know that are respected in their field, from psychology to sports to chefs to show biz.

Some of the most memorable entries for me were:

Meryl Streep, Empathy Opens Doors

Chelsea Handler, Pay Attention!

Chris Evert, Get Off the Sidelines!

Matthew McConaughey, You were Just Having Trouble

Ina Garten, If You Love Doing It, You’ll Be Very Good at It

The trouble with many advice books is I’m not likely to read the whole tome.  It’s just not entertaining enough, or even interesting.  I find myself jumping around looking for the key points, then getting bored and putting the book down.  Not this one. It’s a quick and easy read that gets its points across without boring or preaching. Often the advice entries from celebrities and luminaries are dished out in one or two pages.  I give Katie Couric‘s “The Best Advice I Ever Got – lessons from extraordinary lives” TWO THUMBS up!

Gift worthy?  Yes – Christmas, birthdays, anytime

Beach read?  Definitely.