Simply Irresistible

Part history, part dating manual, part pop-culture review, Simply Irresistible promises to show you how to "unleash your inner siren and mesmerize men, with help from the most famous and infamous women in history". Author Ellen T. White has collected short biographies of history's 'It' girls, from Cleopatra to Angelina Jolie. Her classic siren types include Goddess (Evita Peron), Companion (Lady Randolph Churchill), Sex Kitten (Marilyn Monroe), Competitor (Beryl Markham) and Mother (Wallis Simpson - Duchess of Windsor). She also presents examples of alluring behavior and strategies that will bedazzle men: be unforgettable, scintillating, attractive, erotic and don't take 'no' for an answer. Most of the women in the book are from the 20th century and are well-known today for their sex appeal. My favorite entries are older and less famous - women who challenged societal mores back when the rules were pretty darn strict. Anyone can flash a little thigh now, but it was more difficult at a time when men weren't even supposed to see your ankles. Let's raise a toast to Mata Hari, inventor of the striptease, and the tempestuous Lola Montez ('what Lola wants, Lola gets'). This is a fun read, if not a particularly practical self-improvement guide.