Healthy, Wealthy and Wise: 52 Life-Changing Lessons for the Twenty-First Century, Inspired by Ben Franklin

Waggener bases this self-help title on Benjamin Franklin's plan to develop his virtues by practicing one per week. Whereas Franklin had 13 virtues which he cycled through four times a year, Waggener has overstuffed her book with 52, one for each week of the year, and thrown out all other connection to the American forefather. Laudable traits-including the ability to be Accepting, Committed, Open-Minded, Purposeful and Unique-receive space, and very narrow distinctions are made between virtues like Intentional (which is ""an arrow aimed right at the bull's-eye. It knows where it's going to land before it ever starts moving"") and Purposeful (which ""hears only encouraging words, calming music, and the shout of success""). Each week follows the same basic format: On day one, readers should ""ask to be fun-loving""; on day two, ""affirm their desire to be fun-loving""; and on day three, ""act as if they're fun-loving."" Equally simple instructions follow for the rest of the week, and then it's on to another week and another virtue. For those seriously struggling with issues having to do with any of these qualities, such as forgiveness, Waggener's advice (""pick the person you need to forgive the most and write 'I forgive name of person ten times"") may not prove helpful. And while Waggener's silly, lighthearted anecdotes about her husband and dog may amuse some, others will be exasperated by their frequency and by this book's lack of actionable advice.