"How to Remodel a Man" by W. Bruce Cameron

I thought this sounded interesting and hopeful, so I got it from work. I didn't dare take it home, so I read it here while on lunch breaks. The subtitle is "Tips and Techniques on Accomplishing Something You Know Is Impossible but Want to Try Anyway" - something I totally agreed with. Not that the Hubster isn't wonderful just the way he is, but if you can improve on perfection, why not? (that noise you hear is those that know the Hubster trying to snort back their laughter, myself included!)

Anyway, I'm disappointed. This book didn't teach me anything useful! No great hints, not one fabulous tip! Sigh.

However, I'll still give it a high recommendation, because it's hilarious. And if I'd read the author's blurb before delving into the book, I would have known that it was meant to be comical - Cameron is a nationally syndicated columnist whose works were the basis for the TV show "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter". Again, that should've been a sure sign to me that his book would be tongue-in-cheek tips, not real tips.

And he does a great job at explaining how he's come to be a "Remodeled" man. See, he was having trouble getting second dates, so he thought he'd ask some of the women in his life what he was doing wrong, get a little bit of advice to give him the advantage. Well, he certainly got more than he bargained for - his sister, his daughters, his mother, and even his co-workers got in on the act, coming up with over 178 things that he could "fix". Which would be fine, except that he only came up with four. Obviously, someone isn't being entirely honest with himself about his faults. Or maybe the women are just being overly picky - which is doubtful!

Cameron tries to cover all the bases, from why men won't do housework to communication. There's a particularly funny chapter called "The Kids Want a Cool Dad: A Project That Was Doomed from the Start" - I laughed so much reading it that I was continuously in coughing fits. (yes, I am still trying to get over the plague that my own Hubster ever so lovingly brought home last week). Cameron also explains how to get your man to change a roll of toilet paper, how to get him to update his wardrobe, and how to learn to live with sports as a metaphor for life.

This is a very funny book, and if you have a man in your life, or have had one, or think you might want one, I would highly recommend you pick this up. It won't be any help in getting him to do what you want him to do, but it will certainly provide you with comic relief, something you'll need when you're ready to rip his head off for the millionth time.