Enter Phaedra Parks and her new book, 'Secrets of a Southern Belle'.
I had my doubts. Self help/how-to books usually irritate me but this flowed nicely and was very pleasant to read. Phaedra has clearly put time and effort into this--a Belle never rushes, after all!--and it really shows.
She teaches everything from how to compliment someone (even if she doesn't mean it), to style tips, decorating, how to use fancy utensils (outside in), how not to be shy and how to do it all on a modern woman's schedule. It seems like a steep task but Phaedra makes it sound easy. She's an attorney, filmed for tv, a wife, a mum, a friend, an author...she works it all out.
I think you'll enjoy this book, it's not just a plain, "This is how you do it." sort of book. On the contrary, it reads smoothly and has humorous anecdotes too. I think you could tell that this was a labor of love for Phaedra and it has nifty tips that even if you don't want to be a Southern Belle, you may want to employ. Being nice in this hustle and bustle world is a rarity lately, so I feel that this book is encouraging you to be the one sunflower In a field of daisies.
An enjoyable read for certain! One of my favourite tips was about thank you notes. I may not be a Belle but I love to write thank you notes out.
So bless your hearts, go on and get yourself reading this book now, you hear?
;-)
*This was provided to me from NetGalley. This did not colour my view in any way. I did enjoy this book immensely.