Tuesday, June 05, 2007

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and The Broker by John Grisham


I finally finished THE SECRET which has become a monster hit in the U.S. It is basically about the laws of attraction. What you put out in the universe is what you get back. If you are always negative you will be surrounded by negativity. That said the focus on materialism really bothered me. Why is making ton of money so freaking important in this culture? Also there is no room for fate. Maybe a couple years ago I would have agreed with this warped view that anything is possible if you try hard enough. So if someone is poor it's only because they don't think "richly" or they don't work hard enough? All the people who died in tsunami were thinking negative thoughts? Sometimes people are at the wrong place at the wrong time or vice versa.

I think we set people up by pushing this idea that we control evertything that happens to us. No wonder so many people in this country are on anti-depressants, stressed out, and unhappy despite all the opportunities here.



I haven't read Grisham in years. I knew this book was set in Bologna and all the other books I wanted to borrow from the library were not available.

It was a quick fun read but if you are a hardcore Grishman fan you might be disappointed. I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon. I didn't have a problem "with all the Italian" in the book. Hello, it's set in Bologna. Clearly, some of his fans did. LOL.

Speaking of Italy, I'm going to the Ocean's 13 premiere tonight. Since this one is set in Vegas there would seem to be no connection to Italy. However, there is. George Clooney is in Ocean's 13 and he has a house in Lake Como. I would be willing to house sit.

10 comments:

gibber said...

I'd be a house sitter with benefits...if i was single! of course!

let me know how it is!!!

Janet said...

Anxious to hear what you think about "Ocean's 13". I'm intrigued by what I've heard about it so far.

Janet

Anonymous said...

T.K. in Ohio here: I want FULL details on every thing about G.Clooney beginning with is he as delicious in person as he is on TV/movie screen. I already know he is - I just want to hear from someone who has actually seen him in person. Oh, and also what the movie was like. I didn't really care for Ocean's 12.

Anonymous said...

I liked 'The Broker' even though it was not like John Grisham's typical legal thrillers which I like more.
To be honest I didn't even notice that there was a lot of Italian in the book.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

gibber - good thing you added that disclaimer. :)


janet - worth the price on admission just to see men (not boys) wearing suits.


t.k. in Ohio - lol. I saw him on set once. He is.

From I heard people who didn't like number 12, have liked number 13.


j. doe - I agree

gibber said...

George Clooney touched my arm once. Actually, he rubbed it. I almost passed out.

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

One of my friends told me I HAVE to read the book The Secret... and I think maybe there is something to 'you give what you get', but it's not an absolute, like everything else... there are no absolutes...

You share very valid points... the wrong place, at the wrong time, and the like.

I think it's a blend of both, something like 'a little bit of us, and a little bit of God/Universe'... all blended together.

I will have to read the book before I form a solid opinion though, but I am glad to see yours on it!

Thank you!

Scarlett

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

gibber - stop bragging.

wanderlust - the book is a huge deal here. One of my friends said she knows women who hold "Secret" parties.

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Are you serious?! Wow. Ok...
I don't get the party thing... but oh well, when something clicks...

hey, does this fall into that 'I want it all and I want it now, and here's the latest greatest way to get it' thing?

Hope not, my friend was pretty impressed, and she's someone whose opinion I hold in high regard. hmm.

Thanks
Scarlett

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

wanderlust - I think it really appeals to that unique American idea that if you want something bad enough you will get it. There was one story in the book about a woman who was had breast cancer. She watched a lot of funny movies and voila, she was cure.

Of course your mental state impacts your physical health, but what about the women who die from cancer? Is it their fault because they weren't positive enough? I don't think so. Some people fight the good fight, stay positive and still bad things happen to them.

The book is a quick read. I'm curious to hear what you think of it.