Columnists Books

I picked up a copy of FSP from a used bookstore and I couldnt put it down! Id love to see more of her fictional work.

I felt it had a great mix of humor, suspense and mystery just a great all around who done it story.

This is a ridiculously funny book. I laughed at least a zillion times. Anyone who actually takes this advice seriously needs to check into the nearest mental hospital. Just too funny

Michael Kurland is one of the best writers in the genre -- I highly recommend his work!

I've read several advice books for women, but having been a big fan of Irma Kurtz's column in Cosmopolitan (which is by far the best part of the magazine) I immediately grabbed it when I saw who the author was. And I wasn't disappointed - it is by far the best advice book around. She has a rare combination of wit, perspective, and sometimes tough but always fair advice tempered with compassion. When I have a problem, I find myself wondering "What would Irma say if I asked her?" Ms. Kurtz, if you ever see this, you're great!

Ms. Wendy Ward is a very upbeat person. She has the rare quality to be able to love and appreciate herself, while being critical of the things she sometimes does. Gifted by the insights that her daughter provides her, Ms. Ward is able to climb to a higher plane of living and share that perspective with you so that you can join her. This book has 52 essays built around the chronological year, which you can use to improve your life in many important and satisfying ways.

The essays in the book are brief, are easy to read, and benefit from large type. In fact, they look so appealing that 6 people sitting near me on the airplane asked me to share the information about this book with them. They thought the cover was beautiful, asked me to tell them about the book, and noticed that the type was large and surrounded by white space. I have never had a book in my possession attract such a crowd.

My favorite essay in the book is called Romance 101, and gives wonderful ideas for creating the most romantic Valentine's Day ever on less than ten bucks. Any guy can be a hero with this kind of advice!

Ms. Ward is a devotee of Mr. Anthony Robbins and Dr. Stephen Covey. If you are not familiar with their work, you will find it distilled and applied in Ms. Ward's life in helpful ways. If you are familiar with these authors, her examples will add depth to your understanding.

Ms. Ward has had her share of problems, and hearing about her experiences as a single parent will make any parent more sensitive to the challenging task that all parents share. But she takes away an energy and enthusiasm for the exhausting work that is very heartening to me.

Ms. Ward has a very nice sense of humor, but she generally laughs at herself rather than at others. Her experience with visiting her sister for Thanksgiving is a good example. Have you ever had Vegan cooking for Thanksgiving?

Ms Ward also enjoys a deeply spiritual side, and thinks about angels the way most of us think about our neighbors. Although angels are not something I am an expert on, I enjoyed what she had to say about her experiences in this regard. I think you will, too.

After you finish reading this book, I suspect that you will appreciate that writing is therapy, in part, for Ms. Ward. So, too, it can be for you. I suggest that you start a journal where you write 3 or 4 pages once a week. Try this format. Write down something you liked about the week, then add an idea for how the week could have been improved. Next, note what you learned during the week and how you intend to apply that learning in the next week. Finally, write down some new appreciation you have for your spiritual life, your friends and family, and yourself.

The silver lining is always there in any situation, but you do need to take a moment to find it!

The product arrived on time and in the condition advertised.

i had heard of miss cabot through her books the princess diaries....this one was interesting because she tells the whole story through emails.....i had read one other writer who had done this ( rocki st. claire ) and she had done a good job with the format....

miss cabot does equally well with it too....the story is about mel, who is a gossip columnist at the new york journal, who meets the man of her dreams, name max, only max is really john, who happens to be a man with money, who longs for a woman who will love him for him instead of his money, who even resorts to taking a job as a reporter at the new york chronicle, turning his back on his family's millions....john ( max ) becomes involved with mel after max aunt is injured in a robbery and agrees to house sit for mel and watch his aunt's pets....after the real max who is chasing models, convinces john to do this....max ( john ) goes through with the charade, even after he starts fallng for mel, and things get crazier from there...

i'm not above reading fluff as long as it's intereing and done well....miss cabot's characters are interesting enough to make you want to keep reading about them and you want to be be sympathetic towards them...cabot has done her research with newspapers; so the lives of reporters are very believable...she is equally adept about writing about the rich and famous and making them seem sympathetic to average people...i had read a novel told in emails before so it wasn't hard to follow.....i am impressed that miss cabot was able to consistently sustain the story through emails....i really loved this....

I love the format of Meg Cabot's "Boy" books. I started with Boy Meets Girl and then read Every Boy's Got One (I could not find this one in the book store). I finally got a copy of this one from the library. It was like the others, just fun and easy to read. I like how the characters in all of the books are tied to one another through the NY Journal (as well as the Trent & Hertzog families). I know she's not doing anymore of these books and I will really miss the employees of the NY Journal!

I had been looking at this book for mnths before i actually read it. i was skeptical because of teh email format, thinking i wasnt going to like it. I was so mistaken. I loved it after the first few emails i was totally hooked.
I shouldnt e surprised seeing as i ma a Meg Cabot fan but still couldnt help it.
You will love the characters and hate some of them. but ultimately a great story.
Another great book by her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, written entirely as a series of emails. Fast, funny and completely entertaining, but I expect nothing less from Meg Cabot.

This was a great book. The story is not only interesting and captivating, but the way it is written also keeps you reading. The whole story is narrated by e-mails and messages between the different characters. Most of the e-mails are just short messages, exactly how e-mails are in real life. And this makes a very interesting reading experience! It is amazing how the author can capture the reader with a series of short massages. But don't let this misguide you; the story and the characters are very well developed. There is lots of humor and romance.
I cannot recommend this book enough...

I really enjoyed this book. It's about Jenny Greenley who is the anonymous advice columnist (Ask Annie) at her Indiana high school. Since shes so good at keeping secrets she is trusted with keeping Hollywood star Luke Striker's real identity a secret when he comes to her school to research a role. But then Luke's secret gets out and things get crazy and Jenny is caught right in the middle of it.
Here's the reasons I liked this book:
- its funny
- it has a lot of meat to it, its not just the Luke thing there's more to the story so it doesn't get boring
- part of the ending was surprising, the other wasn't but it was still a great ending because of the one surprising part
- there's not alot of books out there that have a storyline like this, its different
- I guess its a romance but also just a going through high school book
- I personally got caught up in all the chaos myself and didn't want to put it down!

So if any of the above appeal to you then you should read this book!!

For sure, one of the best of Meg Cabot. I fell in love with Luke Striker litteraly. I told all my friends I was in love and there like with who. so I say Luke Striker. I tell them he's a fictional character and they think I'm crazy. Maybe I am but this book is amazing and every girl will fall in love with this story.

I was very pleased with this novel. At first I put it off, thinking that it wasn't something I would really be interested in, but as soon as I started reading it, I was hooked. Jenny Greenley has a high school so typical that I started wondering if she went to school with me. Cabot paints pictures of the newspaper staff, cafeteria divisions, senior pranks, and school dances that seem real. Then, in the midst of it all, she throws a movie star into the mix and gives Jenny the task of babysitting him. And keeping him anonymous. Not something you would see in your everyday high school, but amazingly the movie star helps keep things real. He is able to see things from a perspective that none of these kids have ever had before. On his advice, Jenny goes from being the nice girl that everyone goes to for advice to the nice girl who acts preemptively to solve problems in the school. This change in her makes people wonder, but it also makes them shape up. Almost subtly, Cabot weaves a theme of teen power. Jenny turns her school around just by doing things she's always known to be right, she just didn't think she was the person to do it.
I can't go without mentioning how many times I laughed aloud while reading this. Jenny's experiences in choir with uniforms and dance routines were hilarious and incredibly close to real life. Her apathy towards school fundraisers and dances were familiar, as were the awkward exchanges she has with her crush. Overall, I found this novel to be uplifting, funny, and light. I would definitely recommend it.

Jenny Greenly, her school's anonymous advice columnist's life is complicated, while helping Cara, (an outcast.) Her best friend Trina's boyfriend, and being the anonymous advice columnist it's a lot to handle!

Since Jenny is the anonymous advice columnist she's good at keeping secrets, so when one of Hollywood's biggest teen stars, Luke Striker come to Jenny's school she's in charge of keeping his identity a secret and being his official tour guide.

At first Jenny doesn't think to much about Luke but later they become friends. Suddenly one day at a car wash Luke's identity is reveled because of a famous tattoo he has on his bicep. Girls at school go crazy and pretty much all the teen girls at school are in love with him and want to go to the Spring Fling with him.

Later, Luke takes Jenny to his condo and has a very deep talk with Jenny basically saying, "You're to nice, stop being everyone's best friend, go get some attitude and make a difference." And later asks Jenny to go to the spring fling with him. Jenny takes his advice about getting an attitude and confronts her best friend about mistreating her boyfriend. Her best friend is shocked and angry with Jenny and refuses to talk to her. And that's just the beginning of Jenny's new attitude.

The next day Jenny tells Cara the outcast that she's coming over to her house and helps her to be herself. She throws out the clothes that the popular people wear and keeps the clothes that's Cara's style. She also gives Cara a new look.

After teaching Cara to be herself she quits choir because she hated it from the beginning and her best friend is also in choir and is giving her an attitude. So she quits in the middle of class and throws her $180 dollar choir dress in the trash.

In Jenny's social life she knows that she doesn't love Luke even though tabloids say "Luke falls for small town Girl!" "Luke and teen girl, in love!" She knows that she loves, Scott who've she known since 5th grade and has been good friends with him. She tries to ignore the fact that yes, she's in love with Scott.

Just before the spring fling Jenny and Trina make up. Luke takes Jenny to the spring fling and basiclly says "I don't love you, I love her!" And points to the teen girl who works with Jenny making the school paper.

Later Jenny tells Scott she loves him and everything falls into place. Her life isn't Complicated anymore!












I gave this book 4 stars because the beginning isn't that great. It takes about 100 pages for you to get intreasted.

I actually liked this book a lot. I read it in about 3 hours. The main character, Jen, was developed really well by the author, and I grew to like her a lot, as if she was my friend or something. But the other characters, like basically everyone else, although I knew stuff ABOUT them, I never really got to know them. For instance, Gherr (or whatever her name is) I didn't like at all, she was superficial and always mad at her boyfriend for no reason. I don't understand how a person in this book who was really nice and smart (avoiding spoiler) could possibly have fallen in love with her, especially in like 2 1/2 weeks! All in all, I really loved the writer's style and voice (Jen, 1st person) but I feel like I didn't really care about any of the other characters besides Jen. Like, they could have all died (including Luke and what's his face) and I wouldn't have cared less. So that is why I only gave this book three stars, the author needs to work on developing her supporting characters more, I am thinking. Has a great message though.

The item I ordered arrived right away and in the condition that the description said it was in. It was well packaged. I would definitely order from this seller again without hesitation.

Two short novels by `30's screen-writer Nathanael West are paired in this volume. Miss Lonelyhearts is an otherwise unnamed man who writes the advice column for a New York newspaper. Struggling under the weight of the endless tales of crushing misery that cross his desk every day, harried by the cynicism of his morally bankrupt boss, Mr. Shrike, and living an utterly bleak personal life in Depression-era New York City, the protagonist fumbles his way through a series of drunken misadventures until reaching his final destiny.

The somewhat longer "Day of the Locust" exposes the lives of Hollywood hopefuls Tod Hackett, who works as a commercial artist, and Faye Greener, who dreams of being a movie star. Like so many others, Tod is consumed with desire for the stunning and seductive Faye, but she is only interested in people who can further her career. After losing the protection of her father, she makes an arrangement with a curious nonentity named Homer Simpson (no relation to the cartoon character) whom she mistreats mercilessly, leading to a brutal denouement.

There is a subtle albeit powerful religious message that permeates both of these novels and one wonders if West (himself a lapsed Jew) fully recognized it, but all the time that the protagonists spend resisting and decrying Christianity, the storylines plainly demonstrate how empty and pointless their lives are without it. Gritty, sordid and hopeless, but still worth reading. A few passages may be too disturbing for some, and though these novels are surely not as shocking as they must have been when first published, they certainly should not be recommended for young people.

Disturbingly violent and dark. Not the sharp cynical fun I had remembered from reading it years ago. I guess Mr. West does accomplish what he sets out to do, painting as dim a view of Hollywood as has ever been done. But it just doesn't make for very pleasant reading.

...that is, unless someone (say, an English Lit professor, one of that nefarious cabal whose mission is to take young minds, and suck out of them all enthusiasm for, and pleasure in, reading) is making you do it.

These two stories can stand on their own, without anyone's help. They're that good.

I sincerely wish everyone knew West's name. That man could write. It's been almost 35 years since I read these stories in college, but I still remember them and how they affected me.

Wow. Much like Paul Bowles, this author takes no prisoners. May I suggest that you be in a stable frame of mind before reading this novel, lest it prove to be one unsettling factor too many for you. I found myself to be none too comfortable to be counted as a member of the human race at the end of this book. Written at about the same time as Raymond Chandler's early novels and set in the same real estate, The Day of the Locust is about five times as sordid. It is totally original and totally unpredictable, except for the scent of doom that pervades it from the opening page. You know that the author was writing about what he saw. Los Angeles and Hollywood were rotten seventy years ago. What must they be like now? West covers so much ground, with such economy, and it's all so readable. This devastating work is a remarkable achievement. What a staggering loss that Nathanael West died so young. And what a surprise to find Homer Simpson hiding out in such a fine novel. Highly recommended.

This book embraced important issues about life-decisions very well. Marrage is business - ask an attorney or anyone in or near divorce.

Single or married, HAPPY PEOPLE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE UNHAPPY. Most miserable people are so mixed up that they tend to follow nature's law of "like attracts like". Many insist that you join "their ranks", no matter what your personal feelings or costs will be. Truely happy and healthy people want you happy and making the best life-decisions for YOU.

I'm a medical clinician and have taken many very private personal histories over the years. Candidly, MANY married friends or aquaintences (a wife or husband - without their spouses present)have stepped up to the plate and have told me point blank in private HOW LUCKY I AM TO BE SINGLE. These stories happen over and over, year after year. I hear them from all levels - all the way up to professionally degreed ladies and gentlemen. They couldn't believe what they traded and gave up, wishing more than anything that they could get out of their marrages.

I was married once briefly and very happy then, too. Unfortunatley, she abandoned our plans of dual professioanl incomes, saving and investing. We were retiring early together to travel to follow a "lets have fun together following our instincts and interests" lifestyle. She wanted to retire THEN. I was loaded with all financial responsibilities with my new, irresponsible, yet loving (in her ways) wife. Six months after we married, a short gentleman's discussion cleared any misunderstandings that I may have had about our plans. We thoroughly discussed our marrage GOALS. I NEEDED to be sure she changed. Three days later, my divorce was on the way and I felt a tremendous sense of relief. One of my most happiest and most productive days was the day the judge signed my divorce. It felt I, MY ONE CHANCE IN LIFE, was born anew with a fresh start every morning.

As a happy single, I have to make up my own mind based on my true feelings. "Marrage pushers" grasp at holding "spouse power cards" - typically, the non-worker party (yes, they're having a party). The longer someone stays in a clear misadventure with wrong parties, the potential of great emotional and financial losses skyrocket.

Today, many younger first generation immigrants entering the U.S. refuse to get a U.S. marrage. They feelit's too risky for hard workers trying to embrace dreams of a new life. Their solution? They adopt or parent their children overseas and raise them in the U.S. independently. I've read through U.S. BLOG sites where ladies have "Divorce Showers" BEFORE saying vows. These groups plot and plan to take their husbands for everything, BEFORE the wedding day. The typical execution takes 1 to 3 years plus the pleasant divorce.

Need to valadate a potential spouse? Look at their Real World ADULT Report Cards: Family history, read their credit ratings, lifetime social security earning statements, financial records, and validate REAL Monthly Cash Flow. Are they "true" or are they taking monthly cash advances (your future debt, so get ready) to snow-job everyone concerned with your well-being and appear more attractive as a valuable mate?

Gravitating towards a variety of happy people who stay busy with socially healthy, personally challanging activities is probably the best choice. Validate their Adult Report Cards. Someone who loves you and looking out for your best interests, too, will discuss everything with you willingly and openly.

Of course, you can smile, date, go out, and just stay happily single. Spend that dough on you and protect your future!

XXXXX

"I do wish married people would understand that a lot of singles actually WANT to be single. Why does that bother you?...It is like the story my (happily married) friend...likes to tell about meeting the late Ann Landers, who said, `You tell that Richard Roeper to figure out what's keeping him from getting married and to fix it!'""

The above is found in this meticulously well-researched book by social psychologist Dr. Bella DePaulo (who is unmarried herself). (Specifically, the above quotation comes from an essay written by movie critic (of TV's "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper") and columnist Richard Roeper's reaction to two married friends who wanted Roeper to get married.)

I think it's important for people to know what social psychology is: it is that branch of psychology that concentrates on any and all aspects of human behaviour that involve persons and their relationships to other persons, groups, social institutions, and to society as a whole. Social psychology exchanges freely ideas, models, and methods with other social sciences, particularly sociology.

This is why I chose this book. It's based on an objective social science (or, at least, it tries to be) and not on subjective opinions. This book is not a "diatribe" or a rant.

The best chapter in this book, in my opinion, has the title, "Science and the Single Person." Here, DePaulo looks at data and their numbers with regard to different kinds of people (single, married, divorced, etc.). She then interprets the data. The final conclusions are eye-opening and completely unexpected.

Then we proceed to examine the myths of being single that form the core of this book. Here are the myths that each form an independent chapter for analysis:

Myth #1: Marrieds (that is, married couples) know best.
Myth #2: You are just interested in one thing--getting coupled.
Myth #3: You are miserable and lonely and your life is tragic.
Myth #4: Like a child, you are self-centered and immature and your time isn't worth anything since you have nothing to do but play.
Myth #5: (For single women). Your work won't love you back and your eggs will dry up. Also, you don't get any, and your promiscuous.
Myth #6: (For single men). You are horny, slovenly, and irresponsible, and you are the scary criminals. Or, you are sexy, fastidious. frivolous, and gay.
Myth #7: (For single parents). Your kids are doomed.
Myth #8: You don't have anyone and you don't have a life.
Myth #9: You will grow old alone and you will die in a room by yourself where no one will find you for weeks.
Myth #10: (Regarding the term "family values"). Let's give all the perks, benefits, gifts, and cash to couples and call it family values.

In all chapters, Depaulo delves into history, tells us true stories, and logically analyzes arguments.

Finally, you would expect a book like this to be overly harsh on married people or couples. Actually, it's not. The book tries to be fair and balanced.

In conclusion, this book is an intriguing cultural study that gives a complicated subject the attention and respect it deserves. I leave you with other quotations regarding marriage and the single life (the title of this review is actually a quotation uttered by Mae West):

(i) Marriage is like a besieged fortress. Everyone outside wants to get in, and everyone inside wants to get out. (Quitard)
(ii) My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met. (comedian Rodney Dangerfield)
(iii) People think I'm gay because I'm single, slim, and neat. (comedian Jerry Seinfeld in the sitcom "Seinfeld")

(First published late 2007; 15 chapters; main narrative 260 pages; notes; bibliography; acknowledgements; index)

<>

XXXXX

I wish I could put a finger on it -- but this book has probably done more to convince me that there's something wrong with my single state than anything. It seems to suggest that there's no natural desire for a mate, that if it weren't for the marriage agenda we'd all be happily single, and it just seems to fly in the face of common sense and overstretch too often. I would prefer to stay single after a bad marriage but find it difficult to accept, and was hoping this book would give me more to support that choice. Instead I find myself going, "well, maybe it's not really all that natural for a married couple to invite a single to a social function in this or that circumstance...." Being single isn't about doing things alone (humans are social animals), and I think she misses that point often. That's not to say that there isn't plenty to ponder, but I don't agree with her conclusions too often. It's an interesting read.

A very selective review of the literature on singlehood. DePaulo has a good point--alone does not equal lonely, and our society should be aware and open to that. However, she protests too much--and misinterprets a lot of other people's meaningful words in very negative ways.

I know some people are marriage-obsessed and I've certainly experienced one of the main questions at a family gathering being, "So, do you have a boyfriend?"; still, I've never realized the extent of discrimination against singles. (And yes, Bella DePaulo is very aware that singles do not face the discrimination many other groups must survive.) Sometimes she seems to be digging too deep into a frankly benign situation, but other times she uncovers surprising truths. The tone rarely contains bitterness - yes, there is some, but DePaulo approaches her subject matter with humor. Each chapter focuses on a different subject singlehood in a fairly self-contained manner. She concisely debunks most of the popular myths about singlism.

In one of the concluding chapters, DePaulo writes, "I think that most Americans - including most single Americans - want the marital mythology to be true. They passionately want to believe that if only they find their soulmate, they will live happily ever after." My friends and I talk all the time about this concept, and we do want it to be true. We grew up in an age of high divorce rates, but we still hold the Disney dream close - jaded, cynical teenagers who still believe one day we'll find the one. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Who cares? We'll be just fine on our own, whether Prince Charming arrives on the scene or not.

Don't be put off by the non-fiction aspect. SINGLED OUT is a fascinating read. It may not change your paradigm, but it will open your eyes to various injustices.

Excerpted from In Bed With Books.