Customer Reviews

Book of Secrets

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is really tiny - less than 4 inches in length and a bit over hundred pages. It contains odds and ends of helpful tips, recipes, quotes,some factual information, some semi-accurate information and opinions on different topics.

For examples, in the section related to casinos, it says that "Casinos want you to lose touch with the outside world and your sense of time. There are no clocks in the casino" - which is true, but then it also says that "dealers do not wear watches", which is not true, at least not in North America.

Useful tip for people trying to lose weight may be that eating food rich in calcium may assist with weight loss, or to quote from this book:
"Eating yogurt will actually help you lose weight, as the high calcium content provides a catalyst for your body to burn fat more efficiently and will actually limit the amount of fat your body will support.

While the book doesn't reveal the secret ingredient in the Colonel's recipe that made Kentucky Fried Chicken a success, you will find a recipe for making breaded chicken.

Throughout the book you will come across variety of quotations - like "The Secret of Keeping the Secret"
"Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead." - Benjamin Franklin

Among the helpful tips you'll find tips for improving memory, remembering names, selling a house, dating, bargain hunting and assortment of culinary information.

Among the facts you'll find a variety of historical information about the Tower of London, Christian Catacombs, list of famous American Freemasons, and other odds and ends.

The first secret of this book is that it's quite small. The secrets within vary from fascinating to mundane. Since the secrets are in no particular order, I'd recommend just thumbing through the pages, stopping to read any secrets which interest you.

The 'Book of Secrets' comes in an attractive faux leather binding giving it the impression of 'something special'. The contents are nicely laid out and presented. The variation of the facts inside the book makes it a truly interesting read. Its the type of book you can pick up and put down many times and not get tired of it. The secrets (facts) are great conversation starters and eyebrow raisers. This book is a great buy and a worthwhile gift.

An interesting, silly but still a page turner. Kinda hard to put down. Great for trivia buffs into little know facts. Great if you have a fetish for closed subway stations in New York.

At first, I was put off by the small size of the book but don't be fooled. This little book is packed full of interesting and intriguing details.

When I saw this book, I thought it was The Bible. It was! The bible of little known information. Very cleverly packaged in a black cover with a cloth bookmark. Nice touch. It got my attention.

It is a very entertaining book that you will find extremely hard to put down. If there is one negative, it would be that there is an overload of "secret' information on the NY subway system. But then again, it is all fun and interesting.

My favorite secret was about Hitler's....I'm not telling. Buy the book.

This is basically a very compact book filled with "secrets" that typically fill up one-third to one-half of a page. I'll admit that there is some interesting stuff in here, and the book contains an index in the back in the event that you actually know what secret you are looking for. However, because these *are* secrets, it's not a very useful index as you're more likely to read through this book and not really refer back to it. First off, the secrets that are in the book are in there because they are no longer secrets, so don't get your hopes up that you're going to find out about something that no one else knows about. Secondly, the majority of the secrets are not what I'd call secrets, but more like tips. These are often related to cooking but the sheer randomness of things in this book really just makes it worth a single pass, if you can even make it that far. I really didn't have a need for "secret" abandoned NYC subway lines or the "secrets of using a fan" (it's all in how you twirl it).

A better bet would be to find a few good "secret" books on topics you are interested in, or pick up a copy of the reasonably-priced "Book of Lists" that receives a fresh printing every year or so. That's been a fun thing to have on our reference shelf and our kids often pick it out either as an actual reference book or as a fun thing just to read a few pages out of.

Once I picked this book up and started reading it I found myself reading from cover to cover before I could put it down... the book was so interesting I was amazed.

Nice little stocking stuffer, or good for a quick read for some interesting facts. Worth the small price. Don't expect the secret to happiness, although I think this book tries to cover that area with some famous quotes.

For the most part, I can't complain about this book. It's simplicity and fun-size packaging make it a nice small gift for friends or family who enjoy little bits of trivia. With little factoids on varying topics (spider crabs, KFC, frying pans, bread stacking, and abandoned subway stations to name just a few), this little book is an entertaining possession that one might return to again and again during life's more boring moments. There are a few secrets, however, that kind of irked me-mainly the ones dealing with love/sex. I've only skimmed through the book so far, but managed to run across these three gems:

1. How to unlock a woman's sex drive
2. The secret of attracting beautiful women
3. The secret to finding a husband

The "facts" connected to these titles aren't really secrets, but commonly circulated ideas based on heterosexist stereotypes. For example, 2 suggested that men always make the first move because women don't want to occupy the role of "predator." Because women want to feel like "prey"? The heading of this section was also slightly misleading, since it only gives advice on how to attract a beautiful woman if you happen to be a man. I felt as if I was reading Cosmo, and I NEVER want to feel like that, particularly when leafing through something I actually spent money on.