This book is perfect - for anyone who was born in 1984, that is. It's full of interesting tidbits of information. It's neat finding out what wild and strange things happened on the day you were born, or the day your friends were born, etc.

I really enjoyed this book. There is at least one event that occured on everyday of 1984.

I was born in the year 1985 and I find this book very informative.

In the front of the book there's a "U.S. Almanac 1985" that lists the years of's (like Halley's Comet Year), the U.S. populations, size of U.S., number of births and deaths, houses with tv sets, top crop, top movie, top spectator sport, etc. Then the book goes threw the year, day by day, and tells you at least one thing that happed on that day. Tucked on some pages there ar Fun Facts '85, Happy Birthday products, Inauguration Trivia, Inventions of 1985, Year of the Ox information, Top 10 Singles, '85 Awards Board, Hurricanes of 1985, Endangered Species of '85, and much more. This book would be great for anyone born in this year. I am 15 years old and I still look at it! I am sure the other books are just as good. (I know the '88 book is, since my brother was born in '88 and I have looked at it!)

I picked this book thinking i'd stumbled onto a tongue-in-cheek review / bio of the band "The Kiss Offs". Of course it's nothing of the sort, but it *is* a pleasant surprise. A witty, light read in the tradition of "Bela, Bela" (which admittedly is the only other title of this sort i've read)I would recommend it to anyone who generally enjoys the genre.

Thank you Ms. Martinet for providing something I didn't even know I needed. This was an excellent book that was intelligently funny. I love a larf more than anyone and this came through for me.

I tried to read through the comics themselves and figure out the original plot (provided by Ms. Martinet) but couldn't figure them out. Good thing she did something even better. Reminds me of an old television show "Mad Movies" that I loved.

Can't gush more. Thank you!

This hilarious book made me laugh out loud with glee - The author captures the stresses of romance in the 50s - 70s and adds her own ascerbic wit and modern sensibility, incorporating our culture's penchant for psycho-over-analysis, consumerism and easy-fixes. The end result is a wonderfully refreshing "take" on the past and the future of romance. A must-read for Boomer gals!

This was a delightful book, especially, if like me, you grew up on Love Comics. I read those probably from around 1958 - 1962. And, like the author said, that's why I'm screwed up about relationships today! Anyway, this book just made me laugh out loud through the whole thing. I especially enjoyed the one where the girl was in secretarial school, but it's been switched to a writing school, and she falls for the teacher. I loved the line of the main female character, "Doesn't she know we're all going to die"? That's what these characters needed to hear 40 years ago! Give up the scholop and get real! LOL I also liked that the author summarized the original plot, to put it into perspective for us. Very, very much fun, and the comics are beautifully copied, especially the men's blue hair, with their floating heads above the women's beds!

A great guide line for life.

This helpful cassette is chock full of ideas and hints to help the shy overcome their fears and participate more fully in social occasions and getting more out of life in general. Armpit farts, for example, are an unorthodox but effective conversational ice-breaker.

This book was a great resource for doing scrapbook pages for my daughter. It has lots of important dates as well as a lot of fun dates. Would recommend this series of books for the scrapbooker. Would have given 5 stars if they had 1993.

Lying is NOT an acceptable means for getting out of your responsibilities. This type of book adds to the free-fall of society by endorsing the notion that it's just fine to break a commitment to someone and not suffer any consequences. This is all done under the idea that as long as you're not rude about it, then it's fine. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let's face it, every once in a while there are situations and people in the world that we just want to avoid. Thankfully, Jeanne Martinet has recognized this and provided us with "Artful Dodging", a quick and humourous guide to gracefully disentangling yourself from unpleasant situations.

Other reviews give this book low marks for encouraging lying, which I suppose it does. But then again, if you always tell the truth about everything to everyone, why on earth would you need anything this book has to say? For those of us who lack the ability to regularly dish out potentially painful truths ('To be honest, I don't want to go out to dinner with you because I find you incredibly irritating and your table manners are Cro-Magnon'), this book can be a lifesaver.

Martinet provides a wide range of strategies for extricating yourself from awkward situations that require no theatre training to pull off. She also gives you ways to prevent the need to dodge, such as the preemptive strike. Her anecdotes of these strategies in action, both working and backfiring, provide great humor and make this a quick read. I heartily recommend this book for anyone who's looking for a gentle way to avoid dreadful dinner parties and overwhelming acquaintances.

As someone who travels often and is naturally prone to the sorts of predicaments that require dodging -- artful or otherwise -- I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jeanne Martinet dispenses advice with such wit and intelligence that I read the book in one sitting, a feat I was able to pull off thanks to her clever suggestions for ducking the usual interruptions and intrusions. Martinet's blend of stylish writing and brittle social commentary has made me a fan ever since "Art of Mingling." Can't wait for the next one from Jeanne Martinet!

My thoughts after reading through this book was "It has to be a joke". At first it seems as though the author is only trying to use humor to break the ice and get the "minglephobic" out of their old ways of thinking. Unfortunately, as the chapters progress it becomes readily apparent that the author is not merely joking, and that the silly hints and lines suggested are the author's actual advice!

For example, the ADVANCED mingling techniques in the book suggest physically bumping into people, purposely mistaking them for someone else, using foreign accents, and wearing conversation pieces (such as a feather hat). The author also instructs one for offensive escape maneuvers to preform the following: spill something on that person; step on the person's foot, or otherwise hurt him. Unless these techniques sound realistic to you (and are really possible in your world of mingling), you would be better served looking elsewhere for a more serious effort on the topic.

In a perhaps strange twist, the text blatantly provokes the reader to lie in most situations. If I may quote directly from the book: "Being willing and able to tell a fib is the cornerstone of the art of mingling, the basis from which all techniques in this book are taught." Finally, the book is badly dated, with a whole chapter dedicated solely to mingling in the nineties.

Sadly, the author's joke here is entirely on the reader.

The Art of Mingling, by Jeanne Martinet, is an interesting and enjoyable read. Published by St. Martin's Press of New York in 1992, this book is certainly worth the asking price. Whether you're a wallflower or a master mingler, everyone can learn something from this book.

The book opens aptly enough with "Overcoming Minglephobia". Ms. Martinet offers several solutions to help overcome the initial fright of walking in to a bustling room of partygoers. Most everyone has heard of the "Naked Room" synopsis, but over half a dozen more ideas are offered to help ease yourself into the room with a smile on your face.

So, now you're in, what's next? Tools and rules for continuing conversation is the section everyone can relate to. From a list of the Do's and Don'ts of conversation, to an A-Z index of sample opening lines, the information provided in this chapter pays for the book itself.

As the book progresses, the art of escape and fancy footwork are explained. Haven't we all forgotten someone's name, or worse yet called them by someone else's? Dealing with faux pas is covered in-depth, which makes it a must read for anyone who has gotten tongue tied, or is a klutz, those who get caught gossiping, and those that often find their foot in their mouth.

The consistant theme throughout this book is having fun. If you try to "fake it till you make it", you may find yourself having a good time without trying to do so.

Although some of the suggestions by the author seem off the cuff, and perhaps offensive (like trying out your conversation skills on a NERD first), the overall nature of this book is meant to be witty and useful. Accomplishing this task, the book rates 4 out of 5 stars.

The Art of Mingling Written by Jeanne Martinet, 150 pages, 7 chapters Reviewed by Olivia R. Hendricks

The Art of Mingling by Jeanne Martinet is a very beneficial book if read by an individual who had "minglephobia". In the book the author discusses many techniques to get a person started in a room full of strangers. She teaches and describes several scenarios to appeal to different people. She also gives some very helpful hints and examples for anyone on how to enter a room full of strangers and still feel comfortable. However some of the suggestions she made were a little strange, such as the idea of entering a room full of strangers and pretending to have your best friend by your side, imaginary of course. You would really get a good start there if people saw you talking to your imaginary friend. Many other points she made in the book were very good, such as whether or not to shake and how soon. She also gave a few example lines you could use for one liners to get the conversation started. " But where do you go from there?" you might ask. Ms. Martinet follows up with a chapter on how to continue the conversation once started. The reading of this chapter should be a must for everyone. She discusses about career talk whether or not to do it. Not! Career talk should never be discuss unless in situations like she discussed where you know about the career the person may be in or unless you are very interested in it, because if neither, you're on a dead end street for conversation. So save the career talk for work. Another thing the book has that is quite interesting is the use of the alphabet to strike up a conversation by choosing a letter of the alphabet and then a topic that starts with that letter. Great idea! As you move further into the book she tells you how to get out of a bad conversation smoothly without appearing to be a bad guy. This also is a must! Everyone has been in a situation where the conversation started off good, and then the next thing you know the person your talking to is telling you about their prostate. Yuck! Somebody throw a life preserver! The authors gives some terrific points on knowing the signs of a good conversation going bad and how to get out quick. She further goes on in the book to describe the advanced stages of mingling once you've got the basics down, such as "the art of piggybacking". This is very insulting to the average person. If you can't make your way around the room alone mingling, then you need to start back at the first chapter. Hanging on someone's shirt tale can often earn you the reputation as being a follower at a party, (someone everyone is annoyed by at the party). Towards the end of the book she talks about mingling in the nineties. She also gave some nineties topics to choose from when starting a conversation. She also gave some nineties buzzwords that everyone should be aware of. After you have read this book, you should be able to walk into any room with the confidence that you are going to make it and that everyone is there to see you. You should also feel as though you can talk to anyone and no longer have to mingle with the wallpaper. This book is not only entertaining but very informative. The reading of this book should be a must for anyone wishing for tips on good social skills.

this book is utterly worthless. It isn't even amusing, which such a book could easily be.

Filled with such mind-shattering advice as: 1. You can either call, write, or apologize immediatley (duh, what did she want, via telepathy?) 2. You should watch out around whom you're speaking,

and lots of other things that the typical 4 year old knows better than to do.

I loved the hysterically funny stories and "recovery" advice in this little book. The writer is a lot cleverer than the book jacket suggests.

Can you imagine going up to a group of strangers at a party and saying "Do you mind if I join your group, you are the only ones here that seem at all interesting?" Well the author says she thought that line was a good idea - until she used it and found to her horror that the people reacted negatively. Even if she didn't realize how rude the statement was, she must be amazingly stupid to have overlooked the possibility that other people in the room were their friends. She also gives psychotic advice like saying that she is avoiding someone at the gathering (no don't look around), as in opening thus getting a guest to talk to her so that imaginary person won't bother her. I don't often give ratings, especially one stars, but I felt it was my duty to try to steer others away from this poor offering.

The smarmy voice of this author (on tape) perfectly matches the unsocial advice she gives. I wouldn't want to talk to someone at a party who came at me with Ms. Martinet's intentions. Gee, be yourself. Be friendly. Ask questions. Pay attention to the other person. Please don't lie and fake it. Smile. I'll talk to you.

I have just finished reading "The Art of Mingling" by Jeanne Martinet. The author takes a tongue and cheek approach to her informational style but also gives the impression that she carries this attitude at all the social gatherings she attends. I can't help thinking that she never really gets to know anyone when she attends parties because she is to busy playing a game.

I thought that attending social functions and parties is to get to know and let people know who "you" are. Some of the advice that she offers, that I can not heed, is to pretend that you are someone else when entering a social gathering. If you go to the party as someone else, then "you" never really attended the party. She also suggests using a different accent when you go to a party. This is a disaster waiting to happen. What if you decide to have, say, an Austrailian accent and there happens to be an Austrailian in attendance at the party? If you haven't done your reserch, your busted, not to mention that you just slapped another culture in the face for your own amusement. She also says that you should first try out your mingling tatics on a group of "nerds"or "dweebs" (I'd hate to be the first group she visits)when you first enter a party. Need I say more on how shallow and self centered this tatic is? The "so called" nerds and dweebs are probably mingling together because they have common interests and are having a good time. They don't need anyone jumping in to try out their new material on them.

Having shared my opinon on the bad points of this book, Ms. Martinet does offer some good advice and a different perspective for people who like to mingle and are looking for different ways to join in a conversation. Like most self help books, we need to take the information that fits our personality and formulate our own strategies to enhance our own "mingling prowess". If you are intersted in building your mingling skills and can filter out the useful information from what I would consider the chunks of social "don'ts" in this book, then I can give it my recomandation.