A Virgin's Guide to Everything: From Sushi to Sample Sales--A Novice's Handbook to Doing It Right

Though properly eating a lobster might be tougher than pulling off down-dog in yoga class, these situations, and dozens of other non-milestones, get equal shrift in this breezy compilation of been-there-done-that advice. Focusing on women's little firsts, this big-sister-in-a-book feels nearly conspiratorial as it explains the ins and outs of lining up a shrink visit, asking for a raise, throwing a cocktail party, buying art or going to the opera. McCutcheon, who says she has a habit of telling people things they'd rather not hear, enlists the help of ""Go-to Girls"" in each section who explicate on the finer or more obscure points of each mini how-to. Though the advice here is helpful, it's far from comprehensive (buying a car, for instance, is neglected), and some readers may feel the writing is geared more toward teenagers than twenty-somethings. Nevertheless, it's a well-intentioned book that'll find its way into many a care package.