Like others, I thought this would be a how-to, self-help kind of book. That is not what it is at all. Unlike others, I did not enjoy the part-autobiography and part-memoir aspect of it. I had a hard time getting interested in Cross's bucket list approach, and I didn't find it particularly insightful. If I had better understood the concept of the book, perhaps I would not have had such a hard time relating to Cross. Her writing style is easy, very conversational and fluid. I just don't have anything in common with a stay at home mom and it was too hard to bridge that gap. ( )

A quick read, I found this book enjoyable but not particularly life-changing. I expected something that was more in the self-help genre and less memoir, but enjoyed reading about the author's experiences. ( )

Creating a list of items to complete before the next big birthday hit close to home for me. Prior to turning the BIG 40 - I had my own list that I worked on; however mine did not have as many exciting and entertaining items as the author.

I enjoyed the concept greatly and it has inspired me to create another mini-list to accomplish every few years.

I found this book to be an enlightening, laugh-aloud read filled with open, honest glimpses into Susan's world with constant doses of humor.

I have recommended this book to several family members and friends. ( )

I thought this would be a how-to, self-help kind of book, but it ended up being more part-autobiography and part-memoir of designing and completing all the goals on the author's 40 item (some wild, some simple, some meaningful) life list. Even though it wasn't exactly what I expected, I still found it to be a helpful book, since it's great to be able to watch and learn from others' experiences and get new ideas for what you might like to do with your life from them, so it definitely wasn't a total loss! Susan Cross is very candid and conversational. I couldn't really relate to a lot of her life, but I could relate to wanting to live life to the fullest.

If you're looking for more of a self-help, instructional book in this area, try Don't Miss Your Life!: An Uncommon Guide to Living with Freedom, Laughter, and Grace by Joe Robinson. ( )

I'm not huge into life-changing motivational books, but this one seemed like something I would like. I mean, Cross makes a list of things she wants to do. I live by lists. I love them. They remind me of what I need to be doing. And once I started reading the book, I realized, "hey, maybe I can actually use this book.." because even though I'm not on the brink of 40 like Cross was when she started her list, I do feel like now that I have a full time job and bills to pay that I forget about the things I used to dream about doing in my 20s. I'm sure you've all had that feeling too!

Of course, Cross is a stay at home mom when she starts her list, so it probably wasn't super hard to find the time to do a lot on her list. Yeah, she had to watch the kids, but they are in school all day anyway.

Overall I loved the concept of the book. I thought Cross did a great job with the book and I liked reading about how she got through her list. I could definitely connect with her on some points. She is a very likable narrator but at times she did grind on me a bit. Or that could have been because I read this book on a Saturday afternoon when it was in the 90s and I was miserable! All in all though, I did like the book and it did inspire me to want to check some things off of my bucket list. This was a great read for a hot summer day when you don't have the energy to get wrapped up in a fictional plot. ( )