If you loved "The Rules for Being Human" attributed to "Anonymous" in the bestseller Chicken Soup for the Soul, you're in luck. The author--corporate trainer Chérie Carter-Scott, Ph.D.--has stepped forward and written a follow-up book: If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules. This book, "a basic spiritual primer for what it means to be a human," discusses each of the 10 rules (e.g., "There are no mistakes, only lessons," and "Lessons are repeated until learned,") and discusses them with kindness, eloquence, and wisdom. For example, rule 1 is, "You will receive a body. You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth." Carter-Scott discusses the challenge of making peace with the body we've been given, and the lessons of acceptance (appreciating it as it is), self-esteem (viewing yourself as worthy, despite how your body looks or performs), respect (treating it like a "valuable and irreplaceable object"), and pleasure (indulging in the five senses to "unlock the joy stored within you"). Similarly, each of the rules has four "lessons." You'll read this inspirational book more than once, and mark quotes to tell friends.

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Do you sometimes focus on all time times you blew it and things didn't work out? Do you often find yourself expecting the worst so as not to be disappointed? When friends compliment you, do you brush it off, dismiss it, or look for an ulterior motive? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you could be a Negaholic -- and ready to find help and hope in this book.

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The definition of success (at least in America) is outward accomplishment, whether it's amassing a fortune or leaving a legacy of influence. But a personal sense of well-being or fulfillment--finding love and time with family--is often the inward measurement of success. The two need not be mutually exclusive, says Chérie Carter-Scott, an internationally recognized motivational speaker and management consultant who's written several other "rule" books, such as If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules. She says that success is achieved only "when your own sense of well being and the extended symbols of accomplishment converge," a feat she says can be met by following her 10 basic guidelines about self-acceptance and self-motivation.

Fortunately, her rules are easy to follow--no misty metaphors or perplexing parables. Each chapter is neatly devoted to a specific rule, such as "your actions affect your outcomes," or "success is a process that never ends." Real-life stories illustrate each rule, making the advice feel personal and applicable. When addressing rule 2, "wanting success is the first step in attaining it," Carter-Scott helps readers handle sabotaging loved ones who may feel threatened or jealous by your success, such as the mother who didn't want her son to apply to medical school because he might not be able to handle the rejection, or the so-called "best friend" who always insulted her friend's new clothing business.

In the chapter on rule 3, "self-trust is essential," we meet Paul, the miserable banker who yearned to be an art dealer but wore the "golden handcuffs" of his big salary. A few years after analyzing his life and deciding to make a change, "Paul has become a successful art dealer, making close to the same salary he was making before," writes Carter-Scott. "Only now it brings him joy rather than binding him to his life." Although some of the examples may feel predictable, Carter-Scott's warm, folksy style should appeal to many readers, helping them to identify goals and follow through on them.

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The popular author of If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules (1999) now takes on motherhood. Carter-Scott departs from the these-are-the-rules format that has served her well in several other follow-up books and delivers, instead, a tender tribute to mothers that borders on corny. There is just enough practical advice, though, to keep it useful, although all 10 of her "truths" should be obvious to anyone; for instance, is it really a revelation that "having a child changes your life" or that "a mother has many roles"? Still, for new mothers especially, these truisms might serve to keep them grounded, because so many other books paint too rosy a picture. With stories from the front lines, though wanting for irony, this little handbook is sure to be a hit with patrons who are after a quick, comfy homage to motherhood.

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