Honest and right-on - Rated 
This book has given me so many answers, and they all feel so right-on and so honest to the bone. One chapter is enough for days. I'm sure this book will follow me forever.
No doubt, the best book on the topic of living that I have ever read.
Too cold! - Rated 
I find this book to be too cold, I have much more appreciated Osho's books on zen.
What's in this book actually WORKS! - Rated
What sets Charlotte's work apart from other Zen books is that what she has to say is relevant to modern times: the reader can relate. I confess to being a self help junkie: I have read MANY books on self improvement and most are inspirational at best, but when put into practice the contents and methods fail to bring about practical results. This book is different: I tested out a few of her concepts and I saw a brief change in my life that left me gobsmacked. Of course sustaining the change is not easy, because it requires constant awareness and Charlotte is the first to say, it isn't easy.It doesn't happen overnight: after all bringing awareness to one's previously unchallenged mind is going to be challenging because one needs to question and be aware of oneself. This is something we're not familiar with, so the process requires a relearning of sorts.
What I like about her two books, is that she doesn't promise that what she has to say will be the solution to everyone's problems, and I really found that refreshing seeing as all the self help books out there all seem to make ludicrous promises.This, and her first book (just as excellent) is not the sort of book that I would recommend to just anyone, because to most it would just be boring and a whole lot of intangible concepts far beyond comprehension. You have to be at the stage of your life, when you hunger for the quietening of the mind, when you want to give up the struggle, the fears, the dramas. And then, and only then will Charlotte's Books start hitting home. I just wish she would write another book, as I have read and re-read her 2 books and would love to read some more.
The best book on Zen - Rated
Although I agree with another reviewer that the whirlpools analogy is a bit weak, this book is nevertheless the best of many, many I have read on Zen. Joko makes the principles of Zen graspable and workable in the context of a western lifestyle. I carry what is essentially the summary of this book ("Now Zen") with me everywhere, and have returned to reread Nothing Special several times.
pseudo-mystical claptrap - Rated
I'm afraid I hated it from page 1. All "You are whirlpools in the river of life" and suchlike. Meaningless discussions such as "should I search for the absolute or the relative?"... what on earth? I gave it the benefit of trying to read a few chapters before abandoning it as ultimately unprofitable.
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