Beyond E-Bonding

Psychotherapist Kathleen Brehony is not the sort of touchy-feely, self-help author who will teach you how to become your own best friend. But if you can use more companionship in your life, Brehony is a master. Her wise new book, Living a Connected Life, offers helpful tips for people in a society in which sending an e-mail to someone down the hall is the norm. Too busy for relationships? Nonsense, says Brehony. You have as many hours in a day as everyone else. Perfect your small-talk skills, she advises. "It is the conduit through which strangers become acquaintances and acquaintances become friends." --Andrea Sachs