Little Indulgences: More Than 400 Ways to Be Good to Yourself [Paperback]

Cynthia MacGregor (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573248738
• ISBN-13: 978-1573248730
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,279,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in the suburbs of New York, I moved to the city itself as soon as I was old enough to go out on my own, eventually transplanting myself to South Florida. A part of me had always felt I belonged where the warm tropical breezes shake the palm fronds into beckoning motions. They beckoned, and in 1984 I answered, leaving my beloved NY behind. I've since put down roots a mile long.

I have been writing for as long as I can remember - from back when I first learned to spell t-h-e c-a-t. By age 9, I had written a play (admittedly short and childish, but a play nonetheless), which was put on at summer camp, and there were stories and poems too, some of which were printed in such places as the newsletter of the arts program I took part in, and the local weekly paper in the community where I grew up.

My earliest serious aspiration was to be an actress, and I'm still a ham who loves the limelight, but I traded in my theatrical dreams for the writing life decades ago and have no regrets whatsoever.

I am definitely a glass-half-full person, and there is no one in the world I'd want to trade lives with. My life hasn't always been easy - I'm a cancer survivor and have had additional health issues too, as well as other adversities - but it's been a marvelous ride so far, and I hope it just keeps going and going and going. I jump out of bed each morning (normally at 5 AM), eager to start a new day.

My past includes stints as a theatre reviewer and specialty-newspaper publisher, a lot of freelance editing, and a bit of agenting. My first book wasn't published till 1993, but I've made up for the late start and have had over 50 conventional books and another over-50 ebooks published in the time since then, and I'm still going strong. I have NO plan to EVER retire. I absolutely LOVE what I do. Why would I ever want to stop?

My wish for each of you who reads this is that you find your life as fun and as fulfilling as I do.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You deserve this, March 31, 2004

By 

Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Indulgences: More Than 400 Ways to Be Good to Yourself (Paperback)

Little Indulgences is a book of 400+ little things you can do to treat yourself. It's very much like Wear by Cashmere by Gin Sander but I think this is the better buy. It has more ideas, it's less expensive and will actually fit into your purse.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Your Special Day! (If You Want It To Be), August 26, 2005

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Indulgences: More Than 400 Ways to Be Good to Yourself (Paperback)

"This book is filled with indulgences-treats and activities for every taste and budget. Open it up at random when you're feeling down. Use it as a planning tool. That's right, you should actually *plan* to be good to yourself. Keep it handy for that inevitable day when you want to treat yourself but you're feeling so blue or bored or tired that you're fresh out of inspiration." - Cynthia MacGregor

Today is a special day.

At least, it *can* be, if you want it to be. All you need is a little inspiration, a dash of whimsy, and a desire to be good to yourself.

Author Cynthia MacGregor has written a delightful book offering over 400 ways to give yourself a special day. Some cost money and some are completely cost-free. Whether you desire extravagance or simplicity, Little Indulgences brims with great ideas that you can do with alone or with a friend, at home or away, quietly or exuberantly.

Whimsical navy-blue fonts grace this 200-page soft cover book, and offers great ideas like:

Visit a playground. Just watch and listen to the kids. Swing on the swings.

Hold a yard sale, clearing out all the stuff that you really don't need and that is taking up space, and make a profit on your clean-up.

Have chocolate for breakfast.

Throw a tea party and ask each person to bring two of their favorite herbs or spices. Then have everyone create exotic, new tea blends from all the different ingredients offered.

Have your car washed, waxed, and detailed.

Send flowers to the local nursing home-it will make you feel fabulous.

Read some young adult fiction, such as Nancy Drew or Harry Potter.

Give yourself permission to procrastinate.

Buy a big floppy men's shirt to wear yourself.

Read the employment ads-not just the ones pertaining to your current career, but *every* ad. Imagine yourself changing careers midstream. What else would you *like* to do? Now, are any of these temptations actually feasible?

Buy a deck of tarot cards and do readings for yourself.

Little Indulgences is bubbling over with ways to comfort, pamper, uplift, edify and entertain yourself. These indulgences come in four categories:

* Instant Indulgences - Spur of the moment pick-me-ups
* All Day Indulgences - Mark your calendar to devote an entire day to yourself
* Rewards Over Time - Indulgences that keep on giving, such as an exercise program or taking a night class
* Generous Indulgences - For those times when the best thing you can do for yourself is to do something for someone else

I found this book a delight to read, but it's even *more* fun to actually do the suggestions! If you're looking for a good gift for that special lady-a mother, sister, wife, girlfriend, daughter, teacher, minister, or neighbor, for example-Little Indulgences - More Than 400 Ways to Be Good to Yourself would be a fabulous choice.

More importantly, it would be a great gift for *you*! Don't forget to take time to give yourself a special day!