The Secret

Written and Read by: by Rhonda Byrne

Published by: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Price: £9.99

Admittedly, I've rolled my eyes at the amount of American self help books there are on the bookshelves these days. I see their tanned and toothy grinned authors on the cover and think; tell me something I don’t know!

Rhonda Byrne’s Australian accent was a soothing and encouraging change to what I’ve heard before, and immediately caught my ear. There was no ranting or patronizing, and I could ‘hear’ her smiling with enthusiasm for what she was sharing…I was hooked!

The Secret is a good production. Rhonda explains her key message, attributing it to everyday life. Whether its money, romance or losing weight, she’s convinced following her simple steps will get you what you want.

I’m unconvinced that knowing The Secret can make you lose weight; calorific food will always be calorific in my eyes. And, echoing the trend, Rhonda didn’t tell me anything I hadn’t heard before. What she did do was fit a couple of puzzle pieces together for me to enable me to think differently. Positively!

Get past ‘catalogues to the universe’ and saying ‘thank you’ hundreds of times and what Rhonda is telling us is that our thoughts influence our mood, and if we’re optimistic and think good thoughts, positivity will manifest itself in our lives.

Rhonda qualifies her theories with sound bites from Philosophers and (mostly American) Life Coaches. Their sound bites are mildly repetitive, but give the CD the kick it needs to enforce the positive message. I particularly like Jack Cranson’s story about asking for $100,000, and virtually receiving every dollar! Chicken Soup for the Soul is still a hugely popular book.

Since listening to this audiobook I’m checking the doormat every evening (the postie never comes before I leave the house in the morning) for my £500,000 cheque (I’m not geedy).

And, if I haven’t convinced you to have a listen, part of The Secret’s success is due to the fact that it’s been recommended by Oprah Winfrey among other celebrities.