"Utterly useful . . . its own cultural Rorschach." –New York Times
The simplest things are the hardest to ... read full description
The simplest things are the hardest to ... read full description
reviews
Jan 09, 2008
Christine
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One of the most surprisingly enjoyable books I've run across. Has entries on "how to wash your hair" by a leading hair sylist in New York, or "how to jog" by a 10-time winner of the Boston marathon...or "how to get out a stain" by Heloise. You get the point. It's a fun read with 2-3 page chapters - good for bathroom readers or busy moms.
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Nov 06, 2007
Missy
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This is a really cute book, filled with things everyone really should know how to do!
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May 25, 2010
Brent
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Light, easy to read, entertaining book about 100 things you're supposed to know how to do like read out loud, barbecue, change a flat tire, write a thank you note, those kinds of things. I learned a couple of interesting tidbits.
Not bad over all. I skipped the parts about drinking wine and applying lipstick. Hopefully that last one won't come back to bite me in the end...just in case I get cast in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show", or a remake of "Tootsie" or a r More...
Not bad over all. I skipped the parts about drinking wine and applying lipstick. Hopefully that last one won't come back to bite me in the end...just in case I get cast in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show", or a remake of "Tootsie" or a r More...
Mar 12, 2010
Leslie
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The author interviewed some of the experts in 100 different things that she feels everyone should know how to do. I admit that the subjects of this book went from boring (how to tie a bowtie) to interesting (how to remove stains) to entertaining (how to flirt, how to get background info on someone, etc). Not all the things I could use and some I wish I had heard many years ago (the flirting one! and several others). The audio version is good though because they use different narrators for the in
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Jul 24, 2010
Charity
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This book filled some knowledge gaps that I had. I learned things that by rights I should already know how to do, but it was nice to see it all spelled out; like how to make a bed, how to shave, how to tie a tie, how to apologize, etc. I think there are many more life skills that could have been included and I would love to see an expanded edition. Dan and I are talking of writing up one for our kids.
Sep 20, 2011
Tara
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Loved this. Still working on some things from this book. Like how to tie a niecktie. I feel like as a woman,I sometimes rely too much on that others could do for me. Just because I am a woman doesn't mean I should know how to do these things. Like change a tire. I felt empowered after reading this.
Jul 31, 2011
James
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Fun idea, and some genuinely insightful advice. The quality of the advice varies from article to article, expert to expert and some you will you just skip over entirely (How to tie a bow tie). Overall though a good summer read; light and for the most part entertaining.
Oct 24, 2010
Jenn
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I read this while giving the ACT. A cute book with some useful tips, but I will admit I do not know how to do a lot of the stuff in that book (why do I need to know how to tie a bowtie?).
Mar 25, 2011
Michael
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This book is interesting, funny and engaging. It has already helped me to improve my life and I am working every day on perfecting my shave and making the bed right, and vacuuming the carpet more efficiently.....
Aug 05, 2008
Christina
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I picked this up at the library last week on impulse thinking "sure, I would like to know how to do these 100 things that are important." Well, I am pretty sure everyone I know is well versed in how to do these things without the book. Pearls of wisdom from this text include (but are certainly not limited to), the gentle cycle of the washing machine is for delicates, and add a chair to the dinner table when a guest brings an uninvited person. I did not read the book in its entirety
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Oct 24, 2011
Arie
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boring (except learned a good tip on making green tea-- cook h20 to just before boiling), let tea bag sit in tea for about 3 min
Aug 28, 2011
Faith
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I found so many things that I thought I knew how to do, but didn't, that I find this book valuable to go back to.
Jan 19, 2012
Anna
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Unless you are in desperate need to learn how to fly a flag I don't recomened this book. Every once and a while there was good advice but a lot of the time I found myself skipping the pages I didn't care about.
Feb 21, 2010
The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do by Samantha Ettus (2004)
Jul 22, 2009
Melinda
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I learned some new things and improved some other things. Each item is only a couple pages.
May 06, 2009
Michelle
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i thought this was going to be more interesting than it was. Some of the "tips" were ridiculously obvious.
Dec 04, 2008
Elizabeth
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An all around enjoyable and useful read, this book is comprised of 100 short essays on everything from kissing to breathing to making coffee. Excellent for reading on the train or the pot or just before bed - you can knock out a couple of very informative pages and feel like you've accomplished something - in no time flat!
Oct 20, 2011
Glenn
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the description on how to floss was wrong. i was taught a different way in dental school.
Mar 26, 2009
Noirin
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I already knew how to do most of the things in this book. Some of the descriptions are fun - more of them are confusing (even when you know how to do what's being described!)
Feb 01, 2009
Liz
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This book was an interesting concept, but I didn't really find most of it to be helpful.
Dec 03, 2009
Steve
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While some of these are bonehead-obvious, there are many that are quite useful. A helpful "how-to" book that covers a wide variety of practical subjects.
Sep 30, 2011
Jenny
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Quite good. Jean-Georges did the "Make Eggs" section. I liked the "Wash Your Hair", "Manage Your Time", "Give and Receive a Compliment", "Make Conversation", "Remember Names", "Tell a Story", "Deliver Bad News", "Make Tea", "Relax", "Be a Good Houseguest","Hold a Baby", and "Pack for a Trip".
I did not like "Understand Your Pet" - that was super dumb.
I did not like "Understand Your Pet" - that was super dumb.
Jan 10, 2011
"Seven of the pontificating experts are Harvardians, viz: Thuy Tranthi, M.B.A. '93, on how to tie a Windsor knot; Terry Lenzner '61, LL.B. '64, on how to conduct a background investigation; and Ronald Winston '63, on how to buy a diamond. Much wisdom here, but the expert on scrambled eggs is mistaken." - Harvard Magazine, Jan/Feb-05
Sep 08, 2008
Amber
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I saw this at the library "sure, I would like to know how to do these 100 things that are important." Well, I am pretty sure everyone I knows how to do these things without the book. My favorite was add a chair to the dinner table when a guest brings an uninvited person. No Really!!
Dec 06, 2010
Maria (Ri)
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Great idea for a book! So many of these little instructions were written by the person who I would really like to most learn that skill from as well! I learned quite a few things from this easy to read book. I'll certainly look for more books in this series.
Sep 30, 2008
Kenna
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I really enjoyed this book, very interesting and entertaining. It's got 100 short essays by experts on how to do things - how to listen by Larry King, give and receive a compliment by Ms Demeanor, wash your hair by Frederic Fekkai. An easy, fun read.
Oct 01, 2008
Linda
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This was an interesting book, but almost an information overload, while at the same time offering pretty obvious guidance. A few chapters were helpful. Probably more of a reference than a direct read.
