#6. Three of the Best: the Modern Woman's Guide to Everything – Candace Lewis and Margaret O'Sullivan

This book is more a reference guide than a straight read – and seems to be the latest brainchild of those clever people at ABC Books, probably hoping to repeat the runaway success of their Spotless and Speedcleaning books.
When they wrote in the blurb on the back, "Now there is no need to rip all those useful articles from newspapers and magazine (which you can never find when you need them)", they must have been talking about me - especially as I have folders, files, and boxes full of useful articles, most of which I never refer to. And really, one little book which covers ways to keep your relationship passionate and what to do if you get arrested has to be handy.
Although the concept seems fairly simple - three of the best things to do/buy/make/think in a whole range of categories loosely grouped under headings such as Fit, Beautiful, Peace, Fuel, Survival, Downtime, and Stand Up – I think they have been a little cheeky sometimes, adding in some extra points when obviously there were more than three 'best' options to cover.
The best way to read this is obviously to dip into the chapters depending on what you need to know, but in the spirit of this blog (and because I'm a bit odd like that), I read it from cover to cover. So here are some of my 'Three of the Best's:

Three of the Best Bits of Useful Information
1. 3 Car Tricks – including how to jump-start a car, how to recover from a skid, and what to do if your brakes fail.
2. 3 Bra Fittings – this should be a god-send for anyone else who is terrified of those ladies in the underwear department of David Jones but would still like to wear the right sized bra.
3. Nail Fix-Its – as my dear husband reminded me when I was cursing a smudged nail, this section has some handy tips so you don't have to start all over again.

Three of the Best Entries Least Likely to be Read
1. 3 Ways to Make New Friends – apparently the keys are work, entertain (who? strangers?) and get involved. But would someone really look this up??
2. Most of the recipes – really, if you need to look at a book like this to work out what to cook, then the chances of you inviting your 8 closest friends over for a three-course dinner party are surely pretty slim.
3. 3 Cosmetic Tattoos. At least I hope so. Because as far as I have seen, this is rarely a good idea.

Three of the Best Bizarre Bits
1. In the section on Survival, helpful bits of info like how to stop someone from choking and emergency phone numbers sit alongside 'apostrophe survival' – how to correctly use apostrophes. While I applaud the effort to try to get people to use them correctly, hardly a matter of life or death.
2. 3 Car Colours You Wouldn't Be Seen Dead In – so next time you're trying to choose the colour of your new car, apparently white, light and bright are the safest options. Good to know.
3. 3 Undies – while I totally concur with Target and La Perla as good options for buying underwear (or I would with the latter if I was on a six-figure salary), sex shops as top of the list?