If you think buying a home with Mr. Maybe is a good way to determine if he's Mr. Right, hold everything. In Judge Judy's latest round of advice, Keep it Simple, Stupid: You're Smarter Than You Look, she tells you to keep it all separate until you tie the knot legally. Touching on all of life's challenging family situations, from dating and marriage to caring for elderly parents and losing loved ones, America's favorite judge ultimately encourages us to plan ahead and avoid unnecessarily complicating our lives.

Much of what she delivers we've all heard a thousand times before, but for some readers her renowned matter-of-fact tone is the ideal voice to reaffirm these commonsense solutions. "Life is a one-shot deal," she says. "There are only so many seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years. Every second you devote to negative energy and negative emotion is a second lost forever."

Carefully excerpted conversations between feuding family members lay the groundwork for each chapter. For instance, when Jimmy, trying to help his brother's failing marriage, inadvertently invites them to tag along on his anniversary trip to Hawaii, Jimmy's wife, Joanne, hits the roof. Judge Judy's response is simply put:

Jimmy, you're clueless. While you're so busy trying to save your brother's marriage, your wife is getting ready to pack her bags. Your brother and his wife can mend their marriage at another locale. It doesn't have to be Hawaii. Besides, since when do husbands make social plans? It's not unreasonable for Joanne to want to celebrate a special anniversary alone, and that's what you should do. With the no-nonsense attitude and cut-to-the-chase style of a woman who has seen and heard everything, Judge Judy Sheindlin continues to help us solve our most complicated life problems and find ways to keep it simple. --Phyllis Monroe