The Giftionary: An A-Z Reference Guide for Solving Your Gift-Giving Dilemmas . . . Forever! (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Get and use Robyn Spizman’s Giftionary! It is filled with gifts of your heart’s desire. Robyn Spizman is undoubtedly the world’s `Queen of Gift Giving’ and I love listening to and putting her advice to work!”—Mark Victor Hansen, New York Times bestselling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul Series
-- Review

Review

“Get and use Robyn Spizman’s Giftionary! It is filled with gifts of your heart’s desire. Robyn Spizman is undoubtedly the world’s `Queen of Gift Giving’ and I love listening to and putting her advice to work!”—Mark Victor Hansen, New York Times bestselling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul Series

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (May 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312311907
• ISBN-13: 978-0312311902
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #350,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A few good ideas buried among a lot of schlock, December 8, 2004

By	Dianne Cowan (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said the gift ideas were "tacky." "Corny" is the word I would've used. Virtually every idea in this book involves including a note with a bad pun with your gift. That would be OK, if the note were optional. The problem is, most of the gifts don't make sense without the note. If you leave out the silly note that says, "Sorry I've been driving you nuts," just imagine the confused look on the face of the person to whom you just gave a bag of mixed nuts.

There are a few genuinely good ideas here, but not enough to make the book worth the price, or to justify having it take up valuable bookshelf space. I'd advise checking it out of the library, sneaking a peek at the local bookstore, or as a last resort, buying it used.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tacky and disappointing, November 26, 2003

By A Customer

A great many of the gift ideas in this book are tacky and tiresome to wade through in order to find the really thoughtful ideas. I'd prefer a much smaller book without the corniness, in which case I'd give it a five-star rating. If you look at the "look inside" pages on Amazon you will see what I mean about tacky ideas, and yes, the whole book is that way. Please judge for yourself if that style suits you.

For me, tacky gifts may be appropriate in some situations, but if I really want to warm someone's heart with my gift then tacky is not it. Giving your special lover some mints with a note that says "we were mint to be together" shows the person how clever you are with puns, but so what?

Reading the book was a little like watching a sitcom with a laugh-track. Kind of entertaining and clever, but a little tiresome. The reason I shelled out money for this book in the first place is that I wanted to learn how to embarrass myself with kindness when I give gifts, not merely to give people a few chuckles and some junk for them to throw out after the joke wears off.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The solution to all my gift giving dilemmas!, May 1, 2003

By A Customer

This is the ultimate reference guide for gifts for every occassion. Not only does the author provide the right gift, she gives you the right words to go along and make each gift extra special. Ideas such as sending someone 100 new pennies to apologize for something and tell them you promise you'll make more cents next time or sending bubble gum to say that your're sorry you blew it -- the very reason I am not sharing that chapter with my husband so I can start apologizing in style! This is a must-have book for every gift giver. I am taking one big piece of the author's advice on keeping a stocked gift closet with favorite CDs, knick-knacks and books and keeping copies of The Giftionary to give to all my friends.