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Happy Endings, first published by Penguin Books Australia, March 2005, rrp $26.95
ISBN: 0143001590
HAPPY ENDINGS - INTRODUCTION
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' said Alice. 'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
I can't remember a life without books or movies. As a child, my Saturday nights were spent huddled around the TV watching classic old films, and Sunday mornings were spent lying in bed finishing off my latest book (rather than doing my homework). I was one of those kids who was an expert at reading a novel inside my text books, so it at least looked like I was doing some work! I grew up on a staple diet of Cary Grant (I wanted to marry him), Marilyn Monroe (I wanted to be her), Sidney Poitier, James Dean, Liz Taylor, Paul Newman, Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Enid Blyton and, oh yes, Nancy Drew.
Books still mark certain milestones in my life. At thirteen, The Diary of Anne Frank changed the way I viewed the world, at fourteen it was the salacious Flowers in the Attic, at fifteen it was Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, then at sixteen A Catcher in the Rye. Of course it didn't hurt that my habit was largely supported by my parents' Brisbane bookshop. I quickly learnt the skill of reading without marking books so that they could be put back on the shelves!
I've always been surrounded by books and had more than one video membership. I continue to escape into the safe comfort of books and films when I'm searching for answers to difficult questions or if I need a few hours away from my own sometimes imperfect life. So, I've had lots of experience to help me put this guide together and help you find the best books and movies for your every mood. Hopefully it will become your well-loved and dog-eared companion through all your ups and downs. I hope it will be a fun ride for you, and that along the way you will find true love, fulfillment and happiness. And here's the bonus - you won't even need to get off your couch!
When your best friend's on holidays, you've just broken up with your boyfriend and your credit card needs a few months' rest, you'll find this very cheap therapy to get you through the tough times, help you celebrate the good and give you a much needed laugh or two.
Are you seriously broke and having to scrape coins out from the bottom of your purse to make the rent? Are you suffering from unrequited love or have you just been dumped? Boo, hiss! Have you fallen out with your best mate or is a bitchy boss making you life a living hell? Grrrr! Well, this guide is exactly what you need to escape your living hell and find a private heaven in a great story. I guarantee that a little bit of indulgence and TLC through a fabulous book or film will carry you away to another world where your troubles will instantly disappear. You'll find that in this new and wonderful world your credit card isn't maxed out, your tax return has already been lodged and you receive a hefty refund, guys always call you after great dates, and you didn't really just eat a whole chocolate cake on your own - whoops!
All you need to do is browse through and pick out the right book or movie for your current mood, curl up on a comfy couch, grab the remote control or relax with a massive bowl of air-popped popcorn and an even bigger glass of wine. Get ready to lose yourself in another world, far, far away, where life-challenging problems are solved within a few hours and nice girls like us always get their guy. Sigh!
There are hundreds of great books and movies to discover here, for every taste and occasion. Please keep and open mind and allow some wonderful stories to inspire you and help you build a bigger, better and happier life, because that's what the really good ones are all about. There are times when you won't want to be inspired and will just want to have fun. You'll also find hundreds of fantastic stories in here that will help you do that and will have you going to sleep with a smile on your face - after all that's what Happy Endings are all about ...