The Magic by Rhonda Byrne is a self-help book that aims to guide readers on how to live a happier and more fulfilling life through the practice of gratitude. The book is inspired by the law of attraction, which states that positive thoughts and emotions attract positive experiences and outcomes. The Magic is divided into 28 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of gratitude. The author suggests that gratitude is a powerful force that can transform every aspect of one's life, including health, relationships, finances, and overall well-being. Throughout the book, Rhonda Byrne provides practical exercises and techniques to help readers develop a gratitude practice. These exercises range from keeping a gratitude journal to practicing gratitude for different areas of life, such as money, health, relationships, and work.
HALLOWEEN BASH: 13 Ugly Men present their annual Halloween Bash from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Oct. 31 at the Rusty Pelican, 2425 Rocky Point Drive. No costume _ no candy! Costume contest with cash prizes, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment and a cash bar. Tickets cost $20, available online or at the door. 21 and older only. Proceeds will benefit Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay. Call 281-1943 or visit www.13uglymen.com.
The rest of Bulls Roast is free and includes mechanical bull riding, a live band and a Get Your Game On tent with pompoms, tattoos and face painting. The rest of Bulls Roast is free and includes mechanical bull riding, a live band and a Get Your Game On tent with pompoms, tattoos and face painting.
These exercises range from keeping a gratitude journal to practicing gratitude for different areas of life, such as money, health, relationships, and work. The author emphasizes the importance of feeling grateful in order to fully harness the power of gratitude. By incorporating gratitude into everyday life, the author claims that readers can experience profound positive changes.
In the witching hours
From parties to performances to trick-or-treating, Tampa and north Hillsborough County offer lots and lots of Halloween activities from tonight through next weekend. Here are more than 20 of them:
GUAVAWEEN: Guavaween hits Ybor City on Saturday. Family Fun Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centennial Park, Eighth Avenue between 18th and 19th streets. Tickets cost $3. A Night of Costumed Revelry starts at 3 p.m., with the Mama Guava Stumble parade down Seventh Avenue at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12. The Masquerade Ball is 7 to midnight tonight at 1320 E Ninth Ave. Tickets cost $30 per person or $50 per couple. For more information, go to www.cc-events.org.
HARVEST FESTIVAL IN NEW TAMPA: Parents who want to shield their children from Halloween's scarier haunts may want to keep Cypress Point Community Church in mind. Tonight and Saturday, the church at 15820 Morris Bridge Road will host the Great Pumpkin Patch, for kids between 4 and 12, starting at 7 p.m. "It's a walk on the mild side as opposed to Busch Gardens," said Pastor Dean Reule. The event, more a harvest festival than a spooky Halloween party, will feature hayrides, storytelling and a puppet show. Admission is $5 for families, $3 for individuals. Call Reule at 973-0314 for more information.
MONSTER MASH ON MONTAGUE: West Park Village will host the area's biggest Boy Scout carnival, in conjunction with the Monster Mash Halloween Festival today through Sunday in Westchase. Rides will fill the Village Green on Montague Street. Trick-or-treat through the West Park Village shops on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Spooky tunes provided by Radio Disney's Fun Squad. The Boy Scouts run a pumpkin patch for last minute jack-o-lantern purchases. Event hours are today, 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 792-5330.
KID CITY: Kid City, 7550 N Boulevard, hosts Sort-a-Spooky Days and Nights . . . a Visit to Sleepy Hollow, from 5 to 8 tonight and Oct. 31 with a costume parade at 7 p.m. The party featuring Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel and other residents of Sleepy Hollow continues from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, with costume parades at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Games, crafts and refreshments will be available. Watch out for a surprise visit from the Headless Horseman. Cost is $2 for members, $6.75 for nonmembers. Call 935-8441.
BUSCH GARDENS: Experience a Howl-O-Scream Sleepover for seventh- through 10th-graders tonight and Oct. 31. Cost is $75, or $65 for passport members. The chaperoned sleepover includes front-of-the-line access to Howl-O-Scream's haunted houses, accommodations in Mzinga Lodge, a sunrise Serengeti Safari Tour and meals. Arrive at 6 p.m. and depart at 8 a.m. For reservations, call toll-free at 1-877-248-2267.
Howl-O-Scream is open Thursdays through Saturdays through Nov. 1 with a new haunted house, Darkheart's Fear Fair. Hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is $49.95 plus tax.
LAKE PARK EVENT FOR TEENS: Teen Halloween Xtreme, presented by the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department and Friends of the County Parks, is from 6:30-9:30 p.m. tonight at Lake Park, 17302 N Dale Mabry Highway. The event is geared toward teenagers and middle school students and will feature a DJ, rock climbing wall, jousting, bungee run, boxing, face painting, a costume contest and food. Admission is $3. Call 903-2247.
LOWRY PARK ZOO: Halloween Fun Fest is 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the zoo, 1101 W Sligh Ave. Activities include entertainment at the band shell, pumpkin patch and the Wizard's Tent, ghoulish games, magicians, jugglers, puppet shows and scary storytelling. A costume contest with prizes begins at 4 p.m. Call 274-8615.
Zoo Boo runs until Nov. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. with three haunted houses. This year's Zoo Boo features two new attractions, Curse of the Mine and Spooky Trails: Ruins of Spooky Hollow. More than 1,600 zoo animals will be on view each night. Admission is $10.50 for adults, $8.50 for ages 3 to 11. Children under 2 admitted free. Call 935-8552.
FAMILY FEST IN TOWN 'N COUNTRY: Incarnation Catholic School at 5111 Webb Road in Town 'N Country will host a Halloween-themed fundraiser Saturday for an outdoor pavilion for the school. The October Family Fest, featuring midway rides, arcade games, food, cash jackpots and hayrides, will run from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday. There will also be a costume parade for children at 6:30 p.m.
Entertainment will be provided by several local dance studios, and a silent auction will offer weekends at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel, family photography from Cason Photographers, and $500 worth of orthodontics from Dr. Michael Geric. A "Costume Bootique" of gently used costumes for adults, children and babies will be available. Call 884-4502.
SAMHAIN CIRCLE: The Spirit of Life Unitarian Universalists Church, 18412 Burrell Road, is presenting a Samhain Circle (Celtic name for Halloween) starting at 7 p.m. Saturday. The celebration will be in the holy oak grove. A witch's brew and cookies will be served afterward. Call 792-1622.
SCARYTALES IN NEW TAMPA: Children ages 5 to 12 and their families are invited to hear "Scarytales" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. Come dressed in your Halloween costume and listen to scary stories, play gruesome games and hear petrifying poetry. Call 903-2280.
ROCKY HORROR LIVE: Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N Hubert Ave., presents a live stage version of Rocky Horror Picture Show at 8 tonight and Oct. 31; midnight on Saturday and Nov. 1; 3 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 2; and 7 p.m. Thursday and Nov. 6.
Two young lovers find themselves in perverse peril at the hands of a rockin' band of sexy extraterrestrials. For mature audiences only. Outside items are not allowed, but props will be sold at the theater. Tickets cost $20-$25. Reservations are required. Call 879-2914.
IMAX THEATER: Haunted Castle, a 40-minute film featuring horror, comedy and rock 'n' roll mythology, airs through Oct. 31 at Channelside IMAX Theater, 615 Channelside Drive. Young musician Jasper "Johnny" Steverlinck inherits a dark, scary house after the death of his mother, whom he did not know. She appears to him to deliver a warning. And Satan wants Johnny to sign a contract to sell his soul. Sparks, skeletons and singing monkeys enliven this 3-D trip. Show times are at 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. Tickets cost $9.75 for adults, $7.25 for seniors, students and members of the military, and $6.75 for children. Call 221-0700.
TAMPA THEATRE: The Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., will have two screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at 8 p.m. on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The Larger Than Life Cast will perform on stage with the movie. There will be a costume contest, so come dressed as your favorite character. No outside items will be allowed. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, students and members of the military. Call 287-8844 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
WESTSHORE PLAZA: Join Radio Disney for trick-or-treating, games and giveaways from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 at WestShore Plaza. Meet at Center Court to go trick-or-treating through the mall. Free. Call 286-0790.
USF HALLOWEEN HOMECOMING: The University of South Florida will have several events as part of its homecoming celebration, SuperBull VII.
Bulls Roast, the largest Alumni Association event of the year, will take place Oct. 31 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. across from Raymond James Stadium in Lot 5. The barbecue meal will cost $12 for Alumni Association members, $15 for nonmembers and $10 for USF students and children 12 and under. You can sign up for tickets online at www.alumni.usf.edu or by calling (813) 974-4280 or 1-800-299-BULL.
The rest of Bulls Roast is free and includes mechanical bull riding, a live band and a "Get Your Game On" tent with pompoms, tattoos and face painting.
Next to the Bulls Roast will be a Halloween Village, a safe trick-or-treat zone for children 12 and under. There will be a jack-o-lantern contest, trick or treating, face painting and a costume parade.
VAMPYRE'S BALL: Tampa Theatre hosts Vampyre's Ball at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive. The event features an open bar, entertainment by Blue Dice and Paul Wilborn, makeup demonstrations and a silent auction. Cost is $75 or $60 for theater members. Proceeds benefit the Tampa Theatre. Call 831-5390.
HALLOWEEN BASH: 13 Ugly Men present their annual Halloween Bash from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Oct. 31 at the Rusty Pelican, 2425 Rocky Point Drive. No costume _ no candy! Costume contest with cash prizes, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment and a cash bar. Tickets cost $20, available online or at the door. 21 and older only. Proceeds will benefit Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay. Call 281-1943 or visit www.13uglymen.com.
_ Compiled by Connie Drew and Olivia Gifford
Replenishing the Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church pumpkin patch on Fletcher Avenue Monday, volunteer Matt Hutek, 16, receives some airborne produce. Pumpkins range in price from $6 to $24, and the patch sells about 60,000 of them each season, with proceeds going to the church's youth ministry.
_ Compiled by Connie Drew and Olivia Gifford
She argues that gratitude not only has the power to attract more of what one is grateful for but also transforms the way one perceives and interacts with the world. The Magic by Rhonda Byrne has garnered both praise and criticism. Supporters of the book argue that it has the potential to improve one's mindset and overall well-being. They believe that by practicing gratitude, individuals can shift their focus away from negativity and cultivate a more positive outlook on life. Critics, on the other hand, argue that the book oversimplifies complex issues and promotes a naïve approach to happiness and success. They claim that simply being grateful is not enough to overcome challenges and achieve goals. Despite the controversy surrounding The Magic, it remains a popular self-help book that has inspired many individuals to incorporate gratitude into their lives. Whether or not one agrees with the principles presented in the book, it is clear that gratitude has the potential to positively impact one's mental and emotional well-being..
Reviews for "Finding Happiness and Joy through the Magic Rhonda Byrne"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne. I had such high expectations after reading "The Secret," but this book just didn't deliver. The author repeats the same ideas and concepts over and over again, making it feel like a never-ending loop. It lacks depth and originality, and I found myself getting bored after the first few chapters. The exercises and techniques suggested in the book also felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to fully embrace the teachings. Overall, I found "The Magic" to be a repetitive and uninspiring read.
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I cannot express how much I disliked "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne. It felt like a regurgitation of the same ideas presented in "The Secret," but with less clarity and substance. The author's attempts to inspire gratitude and positivity felt contrived and repetitive, making it hard to connect with the material. The repetitive nature of the book was exhausting, and I found myself skipping through chapters just to get to something new. It was a major disappointment, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for meaningful personal growth.
3. Michael - 2/5 stars - As someone who loved "The Secret," I was extremely let down by "The Magic." It seemed like a poorly executed attempt to cash in on the success of the previous book. The author fails to offer any new or original ideas, instead recycling the same concepts and suggestions. The writing style was also a major downfall. It felt disjointed and lacking in clarity, making it hard to follow the train of thought. Overall, "The Magic" was a lackluster and repetitive read that failed to live up to its predecessor.
4. Emily - 2/5 stars - "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne left me feeling unsatisfied and unimpressed. The book is filled with repetitive affirmations and exercises that quickly become tiresome and predictable. The author seems to rely on quantity rather than quality when it comes to providing advice and guidance. The lack of depth and substance left me wanting more, especially after the profound impact "The Secret" had on me. I expected "The Magic" to take me to the next level of personal growth, but instead, it fell flat and left me feeling underwhelmed.