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36th out of 121 books
—
74 voters
The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives
by
Katie Couric
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In this inspiring book, Katie Couric distills the ingenious, hard-won insights of such leaders and visionaries as Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Ken Burns, who offer advice about life, success, and happiness—how to take chances, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, commit to something greater than ourselves, and...more
In this inspiring book, Katie Couric distills the ingenious, hard-won insights of such leaders and visionaries as Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Ken Burns, who offer advice about life, success, and happiness—how to take chances, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, commit to something greater than ourselves, and...more
ebook, 320 pages
Published
April 12th 2011
by Random House
(first published 2011)
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Neat to hear from so many different voices (actors, heads of state, athletes...) but some of the advice was a bit frustrating -- like the hypocritical dismissal of "I wish I'd spent more time at the office" by someone (e.g., David Axelrod) who's clearly spent an obscene amount of time at the office.
Some kindle quotes:
“Those who love deeply grieve deeply,” - location 324
So the moral, and my best advice, is that you should always let people know what you want. Without being irritating, of course....more
Some kindle quotes:
“Those who love deeply grieve deeply,” - location 324
So the moral, and my best advice, is that you should always let people know what you want. Without being irritating, of course....more
What was the tipping point for Malcolm Gladwell? What unscripted event made Meryl Streep who she is? How did Mario Batali cook up his recipe for success? In this inspiration-packed book, Katie Couric reports from the front lines of the worlds of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts, and business--distilling the ingenious, hard-won insights of leaders and visionaries, who tell us all how to take chances, follow our passions, cope with criticism, and, perhaps most important, com...more
I really like this book. It's a collection of advice from successful people. Two of my favorite messages came from Michelle Kwan and Apolo Ohno.
Michelle Kwan:
"In the end, your finest moments in life aren't necessarily those in which you finish first but, instead, the times when you know that you simply gave it your best - when you did it heart and soul, and held nothing back."
Apolo Ohno:
"It's not really about the destination, but about what it took to get you there. After I've crossed the finis...more
Michelle Kwan:
"In the end, your finest moments in life aren't necessarily those in which you finish first but, instead, the times when you know that you simply gave it your best - when you did it heart and soul, and held nothing back."
Apolo Ohno:
"It's not really about the destination, but about what it took to get you there. After I've crossed the finis...more
It's always interesting to hear the stories and anecdotes that "successful people" are willing to share. I enjoyed this book - Katie Couric has a fascinating life and thinking about her experience alone made for a good read. The only major problem I personally had with this book was that the people chosen were primarily successful journalists, editors, actors & comedians. Not being in those professions, the advice wasn't as clearly applicable to my life as it might be to others. All in all,...more
I am listening to this on audio and since I'm easily distracted while driving, these short/inspiring anecdotes work well during the commute. Also, it's a lot more difficult to direct your road rage at other drivers when you're listening to stories about success and failure, empathy (thanks, Meryl Streep), and how to otherwise be a better human being.
Katie Couric starts each section with a short story about her own life followed by short segments from entertainers, scholars, world leaders, athle...more
Katie Couric starts each section with a short story about her own life followed by short segments from entertainers, scholars, world leaders, athle...more
What I enjoyed about this book is that there are so many people in here that gave Katie Couric advice ~ and as a reader you can select the ones that you feel like reading. They are also organized by subject ~ if you don't care for looking up the person by name, you can read advice on work, passion, courage, etc..
My favorite advice came from Jay Leno, Donald Trump, Larry King, Matthew McConaughy, Joyce Carol Oates, Gloria Steinem, Nia Vardalos, Whoopi Goldberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Soledad O'Brien...more
My favorite advice came from Jay Leno, Donald Trump, Larry King, Matthew McConaughy, Joyce Carol Oates, Gloria Steinem, Nia Vardalos, Whoopi Goldberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Soledad O'Brien...more
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/...
After delivering a commencement address, Katie Couric got the idea to gather commencement addresses and other advice from various celebrities, politicians, athletes, military commanders, philanthropists, and businesspeople. She opens each section with an anecdote from her own life...about her own childhood, how she got into television, losing her husband to cancer, raising her daughters, and being criticized for her work on the CBS Evening News.
I have alwa...more
After delivering a commencement address, Katie Couric got the idea to gather commencement addresses and other advice from various celebrities, politicians, athletes, military commanders, philanthropists, and businesspeople. She opens each section with an anecdote from her own life...about her own childhood, how she got into television, losing her husband to cancer, raising her daughters, and being criticized for her work on the CBS Evening News.
I have alwa...more
In this book, Katie Couric has collected a series of short essays from a variety of people--writers, journalists, celebrities, famous corporate types and politicians, musicians, chefs, athletes,and so on. The idea came from a commencement speech she was asked to give-- what is your best advice you would give graduating college seniors. The result is a collection of somewhat pithy essays, loosely placed together by subject categories with a short introduction for each written by Ms. Couric.
The e...more
The e...more
Oct 15, 2011
jmjester
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to jmjester by:
my sister
Shelves:
non-fiction
I bought this book for my sister after I'd heard that Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help, had contributed an essay about perseverance. When both she and her daughter finished with it, she gave it to me to read. Contributors range from political figures like Madeline Albright to athletes like Drew Brees and from musicians like Alicia Keys to comedians like George Lopez.
I like how Couric grouped them together into chapters with titles like "Everyone Needs a Cheerleader: On Mentors and Encour...more
I like how Couric grouped them together into chapters with titles like "Everyone Needs a Cheerleader: On Mentors and Encour...more
Katie Couric, as well as other famous and intuitive people, provide words of insight and inspiration. If you are in need of a little inspiration or perhaps a little angel talking unbeknownst to you from your shoulder, then you will find that this book provides just that. I’m sure you will find some words of wisdom in this book that will enrich your life.
This book truly is the best advice I ever got. And as extreme as it might be, for the moment, I'm tempted to say it's the best book I've ever read. Or at least the best book I've read in as long as I can remember. If you read my rave reviews for This I Believe, take my love for the series and multiply it exponentially, and you'll come up with what this book meant to me.
I started it in tears, and ended it in tears. And in the middle, I laughed, I raised eyebrows, I contemplated, I felt hopeful, I...more
I started it in tears, and ended it in tears. And in the middle, I laughed, I raised eyebrows, I contemplated, I felt hopeful, I...more
I listened to this book on CD and got most of the way through disc 2 (there are six total) before I gave up and returned it to the library. It's not bad, per se. Certainly the authors are well-meaning, and I can't help but like Katie Couric. But this book is loaded with more cliches and triteness than I can possibly describe. I liked a handful of essays - Bill Cosby's made me laugh, and Christina Applegate's made me nod along - but mostly is was just typical Hallmark card stuff: do what you love...more
Each section of this book is introduced by Katie Couric and then continues with advice and anecdotes from the famous people of the Western world (authors, comedians, politicians, athletes, generals, newscasters, etc.) There’s much advice that’s cliche, but that doesn't mean it's not true. As with any advice book, some bits of advice I resonated with; other parts I disagreed with. The parts I liked the best were where the individuals gave advice by sharing their own stories (i.e., by incarnating...more
When Katie Couric was giving a college commencement speech, she got the idea of contacting some remarkable people for advice to offer to these students who were embarking on their new careers. She collected stories from people in a variety of fields--politics, the arts, sports, entertainment, newscasting, and philanthropy. She partnered with Scholarship America so all the proceeds from this book will fund college scholarships for those in need.
The stories came from intelligent people with their...more
The stories came from intelligent people with their...more
This is a collection of bits of advice/words of wisdom from famous people - authors, politicians, businesspeople, Hollywood types, etc. A lot of it was run-of-the-mill "follow your dreams" kind of stuff, some of which started to annoy me. For example, Ina Garten, who was like, "There was a food store in the Hamptons for sale, so I just decided to buy it!" ...as though it were the easiest thing in the world. (A food store! In the Hamptons!! Follow your dreams!!) But I digress. There were several...more
I have a few issues with katie couric. Yes she lost a husband to cancer - join the crowd. Yes she is sick of being called perky. Boo-hoo. She gets paid $10 million or so to sit in place and read the news for 22 minutes each night. Wrong!
So she decides to write a book about life lessons and it turns out the whole book includes on a couple pages of her thoughts. Everything comes straight from Vera Wang, Larry King, Drew Brees, Tavis Smiley, etc. No filter or editing - total cut and paste job.
So t...more
So she decides to write a book about life lessons and it turns out the whole book includes on a couple pages of her thoughts. Everything comes straight from Vera Wang, Larry King, Drew Brees, Tavis Smiley, etc. No filter or editing - total cut and paste job.
So t...more
Some really wonderful essays in here. Among those I liked were Ina Garten's essay, in which she says that her husband, Jeffrey told her, "If you love doing it, you'll be very good at it." What amazing advice!" She also talks about trying something new, and basically not working for a year to try it out, and basically figuring it out IN the pond, rather than preparing while in a job/business and then making a move. Interesting philosophy from someone I respect very much.
Then there's the Jonas Br...more
Then there's the Jonas Br...more
I bought this book in one of those buy-2-get-the-3rd-free deals and I'm glad I did. It is one of those advice books you keep on the shelf and refer to from time to time. I've had it for weeks, reading it in bits and pieces each week. In the intro, it's interesting to learn about Katie Couric's life and how she's dealt with the death of her husband and father, as well as the interesting and revealing tidbits about her early career.
The advice from each "extraordinary life" is sectioned off into ch...more
The advice from each "extraordinary life" is sectioned off into ch...more
lots of quotes with lots of 'famous' people, truth in truth out by a chef, people want to laugh--Bill Cosby, Be not afraid--JohnPaul II, Angels take themselves lightly--GK Chesterton, humble healthy self confidence that grows every day and learns every day through self assessment, next massive storm clears sky, knower vs a learner, interested vs interesting, average Carter who could not answer why not, having trouble vs can't, greatness found in virtues, do what is right vs easy, skeptic vs a cy...more
Katie Couric was my commencement speaker at graduation at which she referenced this book throughout her speech. Perhaps it is because of these continuous references that the book itself seemed very VERY repetitive. Mostly, though, although the vignettes were well written, and some very powerful, I attribute the repetition to the layout of the book. By grouping similar stories or similar people together the potency of each story is severely diluted. I would recommend this book as a coffee table b...more
The Best Advice I Ever Got is a series of short essays by various people touched by fame. What I did enjoy about the book was that there was strong humor, inspiration, and depth of emotion all jam packed into 200 pages (the best being by Meryl Streep, Tyra Banks, and Mitch Albom). I also liked when Katie Couric the “author” (I would say more of a compiler) would use her own life experiences to introduce a new section of the book. As a writer, I learned that personal and relatable stories teach a...more
I didn't love this book enough to give it a 4, but it probably deserves more than a 3.
Because Katie Couric has the career she has, she is able to ask famous people for their best advice. Some of it was really good. Some I could have done without. I did think reading the different essays made the "stars" much more human to me (for the most part). My favorite part of this book is that I could read an essay, put it down for a while and come back to the next one.
It would probably be most beneficia...more
Because Katie Couric has the career she has, she is able to ask famous people for their best advice. Some of it was really good. Some I could have done without. I did think reading the different essays made the "stars" much more human to me (for the most part). My favorite part of this book is that I could read an essay, put it down for a while and come back to the next one.
It would probably be most beneficia...more
So, I didn't have a strong opinion about Katie Couric one way or the other before reading this book. As I read I found myself liking her a lot. Her portions were funny, real and honest. I wish I could say the same for her celeb writers. I see her dilemma. She asks a slew of celebrities to share words of advice and some (and by "some" I mean "a lot") of the entries are awful. What can she do? Leave them out when people like Donald Trump spent all of 47 seconds writing something stale and trite?
Th...more
Th...more
Meh.
It was interesting to read the entries by people I like and people I recognized, not so much for others.
I liked Christina Applegate's entry on not having the luxury of a negative thought.
And I liked Matthew McConaughey's remembrance of his father telling him "Look son, don't ever say you can't do something, that means there's absolutely no way to do it....you say you're having trouble doing something. If you say 'I can't' that means there's no solution, you've given up, you've quit. But if y...more
It was interesting to read the entries by people I like and people I recognized, not so much for others.
I liked Christina Applegate's entry on not having the luxury of a negative thought.
And I liked Matthew McConaughey's remembrance of his father telling him "Look son, don't ever say you can't do something, that means there's absolutely no way to do it....you say you're having trouble doing something. If you say 'I can't' that means there's no solution, you've given up, you've quit. But if y...more
The preface was the best part and one or two stories she collected from her celebrity friends were worth reading. That is about it. First of all, it was essentially not a book by Ms. Couric herself, rather a compilation of contribution of various quality, I mean various. Some of them are pure embarrassment in writing let alone content. The only logical solution or consolation for me, was that the proceeds go to a charity. At least my hasty airport purchase did some good. I left the book on the p...more
I got this book from a recommendation and found it a bit overwhelming with so many people. The table of contents and the beginning of chapters breaks the adivice into a smooth sound bite for each chapter. I really liked the sections by Katy Couric and wanted to know more about her story. Her stories were engaging and advice compelling between chapters and I wondered why she took another route to this book that was meant to inspire. It's definitely not a book to just plow through from beginning t...more
Couric asks accomplished people, some famous, and some not, talk about the best advice they ever recieved. The results are mixed. Some answers seem like trite cliques, but others actually tell a story, explaining the situation around the advice and why it mattered. The best stories are not just about the advice, but how they got it a just the right moment it their lives, stressing that timing is as important as the advice itself. On a personal note, she talks about her shaky term at the CBS Even...more
Apparently Katie Couric sent out an email to all of the successful people she had interviewed over the years, asking them what advice they would pass on. Some of it is brilliant and pithy, some of it is meandering and not of much use, which is pretty much what you would expect from a shotgun e-mail.
Most of the advice boils down to:
* Be bold - wallflowers don't get what they want
* Be connected - you need people to succeed, including spending time with your family and friends
* Work hard
Probably be...more
Most of the advice boils down to:
* Be bold - wallflowers don't get what they want
* Be connected - you need people to succeed, including spending time with your family and friends
* Work hard
Probably be...more
An inspirational book with celebs dishing about the bst advice they were given during their lives. Much of the advice had to do with working hard, following your dream, never giving up, and coping with challengs and criticism. However, several stood out for me. Curtis Sittenfeld was warned by her writing mentor, "Marry someone less neurotic than you" and Jimmy Kimmel's father cautioned him, "When in doubt, order the hamburger". However, after reading the entire book, I didn't see the best advice...more
Even though there is plenty of repetition, the book is still interesting. Each contributor is successful in one way or another, and hearing his/her best advice, or rather, whatever they chose to write, is telling. And often entertaining.
Favorite entries: Nia Vardalos on being polite, Kathryn Stockett on getting rejected while finding an agent for The Help (60 rejections!), Marissa Mayer on the fallacy of life decisions having only one answer/solution, and Russell Baker's "Ten ways to avoid mucki...more
Favorite entries: Nia Vardalos on being polite, Kathryn Stockett on getting rejected while finding an agent for The Help (60 rejections!), Marissa Mayer on the fallacy of life decisions having only one answer/solution, and Russell Baker's "Ten ways to avoid mucki...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reader Questions for Katie Couric | 10 | 60 | Apr 15, 2011 06:32pm |
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is notable as an American journalist who became well-known as co-host of NBC's Today. In 2006, she made a highly publicized move from NBC to CBS, and on September 5, 2006 she became the first solo female anchor of the weekday evening news on one of the three traditional U.S. broadcast networks. She currently serves as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening...more
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“A boat is always safe in the harbor, but that's not what boats are built for.”
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7 people liked it
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Sep 21, 2012 08:21am