Astrology Collectibles & Reviews

Reviews

According to author Jacqueline Leo, the number Seven is more than just a lucky number, it is "the brain's natural shepherd, herding vast amounts of information into manageable chunks." That is, "seven digits, letters, words or other elements" are the approximate short term memory limit for the human brain. Armed with this insight into the biological underpinnings of Seven's popularity, Leo traces the number Seven throughout society. Each chapter analyzes the referenced topic through the prism of Seven. Before reading Seven I had no idea of the impact of the number Seven. From holding the keys to happiness (according to Confucius there are seven ways to a good life: "love and be loved; participate in your community; work hard: have fun; respect your body: seek knowledge: and be responsible") to setting the natural limits of acquisition (for instance the average cookbook buyer only uses an average of 7 out 1,000 recipes); Seven holds the key. Seven is an interesting book that would have made a great magazine article, but is a bit tedious as a full fledged book. Then again I think if I had read Seven in snippets, as each chapter is self contained, rather than all at once I would have enjoyed it better. Still I have a new found respect for the number Seven. Publisher: Twelve (December 7, 2009), 272 pages. Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.

This is a clever and whimsical exploration of the role that the number 7 plays in our lives. As the dust jacket says, it is full of anecdotes and odd bits of information about 7 that will stand one in good stead for water cooler discussion. I found this wonderful book to be far more than a collage of information relating to 7. It is an optimistic, engrossing exploration of life, set forth in an interesting step-by-step order. The chapters denote the critical elements of happiness - simplicity, happiness, love, learning, winning, life, and wonder. 7 begins, simply, by advising that our lives are the results of the choices that we make (actually, we are "prisoners" of those choices, for better or worse). We then learn that there are 7 character traits that define positiveness: optimism, kindness, curiosity, strong work ethic, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity. If we choose to be these things, the choice will define our life, as will the choice to not be any of these things (achieving negativeness). The remaining chapters contain similar types of information, anecdotes, homilies, and a continuously happy and optimistic view of life. Indeed, the whimsy of focusing on a number and centering a book around the role that it plays in our lives is a curiously cheerful way to communicate life skill advice. 7 provides a veritable buffet of food for thought about life and happiness. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and thinking. This excellent book would make an ideal basis for discussing life in book club, church circle, or other group, male or female. The discussion would be every bit as entertaining and inspiring as is 7.

If you are a 7 fan, it might have some interesting lists of 7 things for you. I spent the afternoon reading this and am wishing I hadn't wasted my time and money. Most lists of '7' are contrived, made up lists that could be any number of things, the author just chose 7. I don't see where anything learned (or lack of) in this book brings any information about happiness, love or success. Save your money and time - trust me, you'll be happier without buying this and wasting the money!

Seven by Jacqueline Leo Rating: 3/5 Seven is an intriguing book about the phenomenon of the number seven, the appeal we feel for it, the psychology behind the appeal, and so on. Unlike some non-fiction, Seven is very readable and interesting, and is written in a way that doesn't make it funny or witty, but doesn't make it dry either. There is the perfect balance of information and interest to make it quite enjoyable. Seven is filled with interesting stories, ranging from Tiger Woods' religion to Josh Waitzkin's martial arts experience to robot's facial expressions. Seven has many lists of sevens that make a lot of sense--seven reasons why people still smoke, seven strategies for a successful start-up in a company, comparing the seven media items in 1956 to the thirty-five (at least) in 2008, and so on. Seven is a thought provoking book that will hopefully give its readers insight into the psychological attraction to numbers, and also some valuable advice for day to day life. Recommendation: Ages 12+. I would recommend reading a chapter here and there on a lonely boring rainy day (hey, it worked for me!) with a cup of hot tea at your side. Leave plenty of time for musing and meditation while you read this one, and be prepared to entertained by this read! **Thank you to Anna from Hachette for providing my review copy!**

Number seven has fascinated me for years. As a fellow author and septaphile, I am delighted about the publication of "7, the Number for Happiness, Love and Success," by Jackie Leo. I may be one of the first seven people in the world to comment publicly about Leo's seven book which is an intriguing and thought-provoking literary exploration of the wondrous world of seven. I applaud Leo and her publisher TWELVE for recognizing the cultural, mystical and scientific influence of the number 7, as I did in my book "7: The Magical, Amazing and Popular Number Seven," which Aventine Press published this past March. I ordered my copy of Leo's delightful "Seven" book more than seven weeks ago through Amazon.com and I was thrilled to read it. Here are my seven favorite things about Jackie Leo's collection of sevens: 1. "Seven Siblings" story about Kristin van Ogtrop's (editor of Real Simple) father as one of seven children 2. Striking book cover with a shiny gold image of my favorite number 3. Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated in Southern Italy 4. "Odds on Seven" piece about dice rolls 5. Walter Anderson's "Seven Steps to Self-Fulfillment" 6. Delightful "Counting on Seven" piece by Washington Post writer Sally Quinn 7. "Seven on Seinfeld"--a 7 factoid which I also enjoyed including in my book about seven which describes Seinfeld's "The Seven" episode #123. I wish Jackie Leo huge success with the launch of her book on 7 December. I regard our two books as complementary because they each document and validate the significance of the number seven throughout recorded history. If you're a septaphile--a fan of the popular number seven--no book collection about the number 7 would be complete without buying both "7" by David Eastis ( [...] ) and "Seven" by Jackie Leo ( [...] ). Seven cheers to Jackie Leo from David Eastis, author of "7"--"7:The Magical, Amazing and Popular Number Seven" published by Aventine Press in March 2009. 7: The Magical, Amazing and Popular Number Seven

Reviews

The small size and uncomplicated daily horoscope make this ideal for a "quick way to start the day." I get one every year and also put one in my daughter's stocking.