Gossip Books

The first several chapters are very interesting. It gets dull and slow and picks up again at chapter 9. It seems to contradict itself in a few ways. Readers need to remember it's just one person's theory.

The only problem I had with this book was its title. I'm sure the title was chosen by someone in order to try and sell more copies. The book is really about why humans have the ability to do mathematics when there was no initial evolutionary advantage for a species to be able to do math. The hypothesis of the author is that humans evolved the ability to use language about 100,000 years ago and that a side effect of language is that we developed the ability to interact with a virtual world inside our own minds in addition to interacting with external stimuli as all animal do. By a happy chance, this means that we can interact with a self constructed world of mathematics. The book is quite solid and some people may find this boring or tedious, but a good argument is presented. I believe it might also be possible to read the book cover to cover and miss the main point.

Honestly, some people may buy this book based upon the title and not get what they expect. It is certainly fascinating to myself as a mathematician with an interest in animal cognition.

A review by Mike Christie explains what the book is saying very well.

It seems much more plausible that math developed strictly from hunger. People who couldn't plan ahead would die. Planning for carbs and protein means laying plots, seed saving, estimating yield, irrigation, predicting seasons etc. Projecting into the future is abstraction. The development of agriculture also means staying in one place and building permanent structures that fit together and last. You must estimate materials and they must be plumb and square, so tools for measurement develop. Navigation must have been another leap. Triangulation to measure everything from position to the height of a tree to be cut for a mast. Figuring time and distance traveled to know how much food and water to store and to figure if you'll arrive befor the monsoon season.

It seems that even today, primitive societies, mostly in the tropics, that are nomadic or based on hunting and gathering have only very basic mathematics. Maybe one to one correspondence, bring home enough food for each person, each day. Match the people to fingers. If more than 10 use a second person. (Base 10). This is a start that could be built on if they stopped, plotted the future and planned. That would be less likely with an abundant, year round supply of food.

I was looking for a book that explains why my family has great verbal SATS but poor math ability. (Even though we are descended from farmers and American Indians.) The gossip idea seems well, a stretch. I gave this 5 stars because the site requires a rating and I want to be generous but I won't buy the book after reading about this gossip theory. I have no math sense but I do have common sense. I mean, I think a farming family in an isolated log cabin 3 centuries ago would be using a lot more native math than local gossip.
There would be nothing to gossip about. Also most of the scientists and engineers I know, hate small talk and are very bad at gossip.

The author presents a carefully crafted theory of how language developed in humans, and links our innate mathematical abilities to this skill with language. Although his position is that everybody has some level of mathematical skill beyond number sense, he never really addresses in detail why some people have an aptitude for math and others don't, other than to mention the mathematician's ability to cope with abstraction.

This is the second book by Devlin I've read, and I'm impressed by his boldness in escorting the reader through difficult mental terrain. If you find the topic of language development interesting, and you're willing to exert some mental effort to keep up with his arguments, you'll find this book a thought-provoking read. However if you want to know why high-school algebra gave you such trouble, you'll have to look elsewhere for the answer.

The book concerns itself with (educated) speculation on how the human brain acquired the ability to do Maths.

Devlin makes a distinction between Mathematics and Arithmetic. According to him the former has more to do with study of patterns in nature and abstracting these, rather than manipulation of numbers that Arithmetic is concerned with. He says many good mathematicians are quite weak in arithmetic!

He speculates that mathematics emanated from an unlikely ability that early man acquired as he organized into cooperative groups -- the ability to indulge in, and enjoy gossip!

He talks of the complicated pattern of relationships among the characters of typical TV soaps. How any human being can so easily internalise the complex web of relationships in these serials without effort. This, according to him, is because of our innate ability to do maths.

Of course when we replace the characters with symbols like A, B, C and relationships (such as "father of", "friend of", "rival of") with suitable operators, only academic mathematicians are able to handle the resulting abstraction. He claims that "good" (or conventional) mathematicians regard symbols and operators (such as Pi and Sigma) as people and their relationships, and so are able to handle (and even enjoy) the abstraction using the ability we originally acquired for indulging in gossip.

The survival advantage of gossip is that we tend to "empathize" with others whom we "know" about. Which is why we feel terrible when bad things happen to non-existing characters in TV serials. Which is why trained terrorists often avoid "getting to know" their kidnap victims -- or else they will find it terribly difficult to kill them later if required. Thus we are more likely to cooperate with other (genetically distant) members of the group when we are able to gossip about them.

This is a very entertaining book, full of interesting anecdotes about a wide range of people. Liz Smith is known as the gossip columnist who doesn't sling mud, and what a relief that is! In this age of tell-all tabloid journalism, she has remained a cut above and is all the more fascinating because of it. This is perfect reading that delivers one from the harsh realities of everyday life, but which is not at all escapist. Liz Smith has the gift of being in the right place at the right time with the right people and writing about it with graceful humor.

Oddly dull, considering the author makes her living by writing and that her writing is on gossip.

I was surprised at how many times I thought to myself, "I guess you had to be there," in response to her narration of an allegedly wild and crazy party.

I was amused when she noted how something or another she wrote created a "sensation." Perhaps they created a sensation among certain cliques in Manhattan or the Hamptons, but they didn't hit my radar screen. Just goes to show how each of us is the center of our own universe.

Possibly the most irksome feature in the book was when she'd refer to "my friend so-and-so" [insert extremely interesting person's name here]in passing, without offering up any information about that person. Instead, she squandered many pages on the likes of the Trumps and others of that ilk.

She kept my interest most when she described her childhood and young adulthood.

Liz Smith was gossip columnist par excellence but, no, she wasn't a natural blonde. The book is full of photos (half her life, she had dark hair) with the famous and infamous. She was the ultimate party girl in the early fifties in New York.

She had a lovely mother but her two grandmothers looked like mine in Tennessee. Age was not good for women in the thirties, forties, and fifties unless they were rich and, though her father owned a farm and horses, they were not on the upper scale. She liked Tom Mix, the cowboy and never got over her desire to be a real cowgirl; kept his picture even through two marriages.

Growing up in Texas, she had a lot of LBJ's 'bigger-than-thou' bravado. Seems to me I remember her at one of his press conferences but she claims the closest she got to doing a piece on the Johnson daughters for Cosmopolitan was a clandestine meeting at the St. Regis Hotel with Homer Busby, an aide to the president. She'd known him at the University of Texas where she was a journalism student. She says she was in her 'tart' dressing at the time, min-skirt and all.

The photo display shows her with a plethora of important people always partying. She is shown with a young Barbara Walters, who describes her as "provacative without being vicious." She was not impressed with Sonny and Cher, put them down; guess they weren't "classy" enough. Sonny went on to become a Mayor.

There are photos of her with Liberace, Truman Copote, and Bill Clinton. She had an active social life and was the Joan Rivers of her time. In 1976, she wrote a column for New York Daily News.

A memoir is just that, memories we want people to know about us, and she furnishes a full plate. She sought a campy, bohemian life and had a ball fulfilling it on a large scale.

After reading this autobio, I feel I know little more about Liz than I would have from reading her resume. She chronologically recounts the passage of her life without revealing much about herself personally or emotionally. She gushes over most people. Most seem to like her too, but aside from her generous charity work, it's hard to understand why, since we don't learn much about her as a person. She conveniently elects not to reveal the names of those she wishes to protect, while having no qualms about publishing gossip about those she doesn't. The last portion of the book is marginally more interesting than the first.

Go. Go now and get this book. Lots of lovely yummy tidbits from a sweet-spirited, good writer. I'm not usually keen on memoirs, but not one page of the book bored me. A fabulous read and a great gift--for yourself.

Hamish MacBeth is the constable of a sleepy Scottish village of Lochdubh. A mixed group of people come together to learn how to fish for salmon and trout, but trouble comes up when a gossip columnist determined to wreak havoc joins the group and then turns up dead. Hamish stumbles through the clues and makes a few things right before turning up the answer. Beaton's scenic descriptions are terrific, and while she shorthands her characters, it's done adeptly. It's a good cozy mystery, not fantastic, but an enjoyable read.

This is my second time reading most of these, this time in order! Book number one, when looked at with fresh eyes, is not particularly great. I'm not entirely sure I would have read on in the series if this had been my first exposure. Hamish's character is not fully developed, and a lot of the supporting cast come across as shallow and two-dimensional. Not to mention the utterly annoying and insipid Alice! If I could reach through the pages of the book and smack her, I would. She's overly naïve, even for a fictional character. You also get the sense of being plunked into the middle of something without quite enough reference - Hamish and Priscilla are ambiguous and largely unexplained at this point. How well do they know each other, how did they meet... all questions left - as far as I can tell - completely unanswered. Later in the series, when they've had interaction with each other and you have more of a grasp of their relationship, it seems less important to know the back story, but in this first book it feels a little empty.

And even as much as I enjoy this series, the mystery in this story wasn't the best. The motive, the actual murder, and the big solution scene all lack believability. Honestly, I didn't even care who'd done it or why, it didn't seem all that pressing or important. The really interesting and fun characters from later in the series hadn't yet made an appearance, and the story lacked the sparkle and interest of later books.

While I'm giving this particular book a low rating, I add as a caveat that if you don't read at least the later books in the series, you'll be missing out on some great little mysteries.

In the 1st book in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series, we are introduced to the laid-back yet highly intelligent Constable Hamish Macbeth. Living in the Scottish village of Lochdubh, Hamish loves his small town and the villagers that live within it. Even though Hamish is kind and fair, the townspeople still consider him a bit of a moocher (always looking for free coffee and sandwiches), and he has been known to poach game to send back to his siblings. Living a bachelor's life in an idyllic setting, Hamish loves nothing more than to loaf about on the moors.

In this first installment, a new class of fly fishermen has arrived at the Lochdubh School of Casting taught by John and Heather Cartwright. Everyone is looking forward to a relaxing holiday learning more about their new hobby. The peacefulness of the outing is rudely interrupted by the brash antics of one of the pupils, Lady Jane Hamilton. Making snide comments about each of the members of the fishing school, she quickly makes enemies of them all. When a body is found murdered, no one is surprised to find that it is Lady Jane. Doing some digging into everyone's background and a little bit of lucky guess-work, Hamish lands himself the killer before all the students return back home after a wild vacation.

Having read all of the books in the series in the past, I decided to return and read them again for a second time. Listening to these books on CD is almost like visiting an old friend, or a childhood home. Hamish is a soothing character...he has such a good natured personality, and rarely gets anxious or angry. He looks at his cases in a calm, yet clever manner and always catches his killer. This series definitely grew on me as I continued to read it. In this first book, most of the beloved townspeople are absent (with the exception of Priscilla and her father). Much of the appeal of this series is in the village and its inhabitants, so if this is the first book you have read in the series, don't stop here. This is a witty, sometimes quirky look inside the brilliant mind of a constable at work in his beloved Scottish Highlands. I cannot wait to revisit Lochdubh again soon!

The next book in the series is called "Death of a Cad". Enjoy!

In the 1st book in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series, we are introduced to the laid-back yet highly intelligent Constable Hamish Macbeth. Living in the Scottish village of Lochdubh, Hamish loves his small town and the villagers that live within it. Even though Hamish is kind and fair, the townspeople still consider him a bit of a moocher (always looking for free coffee and sandwiches), and he has been known to poach game to send back to his siblings. Living a bachelor's life in an idyllic setting, Hamish loves nothing more than to loaf about on the moors.

In this first installment, a new class of fly fishermen has arrived at the Lochdubh School of Casting taught by John and Heather Cartwright. Everyone is looking forward to a relaxing holiday learning more about their new hobby. The peacefulness of the outing is rudely interrupted by the brash antics of one of the pupils, Lady Jane Hamilton. Making snide comments about each of the members of the fishing school, she quickly makes enemies of them all. When a body is found murdered, no one is surprised to find that it is Lady Jane. Doing some digging into everyone's background and a little bit of lucky guess-work, Hamish lands himself the killer before all the students return back home after a wild vacation.

Having read all of the books in the series in the past, I decided to return and read them again for a second time. Listening to these books on CD is almost like visiting an old friend, or a childhood home. Hamish is a soothing character...he has such a good natured personality, and rarely gets anxious or angry. He looks at his cases in a calm, yet clever manner and always catches his killer. This series definitely grew on me as I continued to read it. In this first book, most of the beloved townspeople are absent (with the exception of Priscilla and her father). Much of the appeal of this series is in the village and its inhabitants, so if this is the first book you have read in the series, don't stop here. This is a witty, sometimes quirky look inside the brilliant mind of a constable at work in his beloved Scottish Highlands. I cannot wait to revisit Lochdubh again soon!

The next book in the series is called "Death of a Cad". Enjoy!

Death of a Gossip is the first book in the Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton. I decided to read this book after having found many of the references to Hamish Macbeth's motives in the later books to be obscure and puzzling. I was pleased to find that Death of a Gossip does a fine job of setting up the premise for the series; outlining the characters of Hamish Macbeth and his friend, Priscilla Hallburton-Smythe; and establishing a plot structure for the future murder spree in the small village of Lochdubh in the northwestern Highlands of Scotland. If you want to understand those underpinnings, you definitely need to read this book.

However, the book is quite unlike the others in the series in important ways:

1. The premise behind the murder is much more thoughtful and better developed than in the following books.

2. The tension between the victim and the other characters is also better developed.

3. The interplay between Hamish and Priscilla is awkward and embarrassingly at the edge of prurience for burlesque purposes. In later books, this relationship is much better grounded and more interesting.

4. The detection involved is clumsy and disappointing. It's as though M.C. Beaton had missed the last class on how to write a mystery story. In the later books, the detection is a rewarding element of the stories. So this is an unusual false start.

I mention all of these things lest you fail to realize that you have better books ahead of you.

If you have read none of the Hamish Macbeth stories, I recommend you start with this one and read through them in the order that they were published. You'll enjoy the character development better that way.

Here's a thumbnail of the set-up. Hamish Macbeth is the sole police constable in a small village where there's not much to do. He's impoverished because he's the eldest son in a Scottish family with lots of wee lads and lassies who need financial support. Due to a Highland tradition, he cannot even think of getting married until another son can replace him as an extra provider for the younger children in the large family. Since Hamish is much older than the other children, that day will be long in coming. There's not much for him to do, and he uses a lot of his time to scrounge free food and drink, raise chickens . . . and to poach on occasion. His one vice is his mongrel dog, Towser, who often eats better than Hamish does. Hamish has been struck dumb by the beauty and grace of Priscilla Hallburton-Smythe, daughter of the local landed gentry. Priscilla is unaware of his feelings. Others think that Hamish is retarded because of how much Priscilla affects him. The Hallburton-Smythes see marrying off Priscilla well as their main activity.

As this story opens, it's fishing season . . . and many beginning anglers arrive for the fishing school. They expect to struggle with tying flies, getting lines untangled and overcoming midges, but they don't expect the pointed comments of Lady Jane Hamilton . . . which hint at the hidden secrets in their closets. Lady Jane is obnoxious in other ways, and soon everyone feels threatened. Someone must feel more threatened than others because Lady Jane is found dead. Who did it? Hamish will find out, even though he's ordered off the case.

I find Bram a good, if problematic writer. He comes up with inventive story lines and potentially interesting characters but somehow goes off track. (I'm also thinking of Exiles in America, which I read before this one.) I did enjoy this book, finding it "a good read," as others have said. The plot surprises kept me interested and he dealt with his themes of loyalty and betrayal, friendship, and notoriety quite convincingly. So what bothered me? Mainly the character of Ralph, who I found impetuous, hot-headed, and at times downright foolish. And there were certain plot and points and motivations that didn't really stand up to scrutiny. But I applaud Bram for writing intelligent gay fiction that deals with valid themes, an antidote to the campy fluff that characterizes so much gay writing.

Ralph Eckhart is a thirty something assistant manager in a New York bookstore, he's gay, out, left wing and aware. He leads a fairly contended, ordinary and unadventurous life until that is he encounters William O'Connor in an internet chat room. They meet up and enjoy each others company. Is it love Ralph feels for the younger, baby-faced and apparently successful Bill? Whatever it is they get on well together despite their divergent political views and the fact that Bill is still in the closet. But eventually Bill's right-wing connections get in the way, especially when Ralph sees and advance copy of Bill's soon to be published book, a reactionary and opinionated attack on prominent Washington women. But that's the least of Ralph's worries for shortly after the book's release he finds himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Throughout the story Ralph struggles to reconcile his views and outlook with his actions and the actions of his friends, and what he experiences may possible change his life completely.
Christopher Bram's prose flows with consummate ease as we follow Ralph's account of events. At first it seems a remarkably ordinary tale woven around the narrator's friends, work, ambitions (or lack of), and his private life, but then quite suddenly we are swept up in a tense mystery as Ralph's world all but caves in when he unwittingly finds himself the centre of unwanted attention. Gossip is a gripping story, which once it gets going is difficult to put down.

Christopher Bram is a consistant author and does not let the reader down with this novel. A good taut thriller well written and very plausable - Gossip makes a great holday read. People who read his books will not be disappointed and those who enjoy a good thriller will also not be let own. All I can say is I highly recommend it.

When I first picked up this book, I did not realize that it was gay fiction. Once into the book, I couldn't stop reading it though. It was suspenseful and interesting enough to keep reading, though I will admit that it left me even more confused at the end. It ends up being a book about morals and ethics ... which is really interesting.

Ralph Eckert is a young man who lives in NYC, quietly gay and content with his life as a bookseller in a bookstore. He travels to D.C. to visit a friend from college and before heading home, he met up with one of his computer friends to have a face to face meeting. That short affair led to diastrous results and a murder which Ralph was framed for. The young man who was murdered was a promising writer who was on the threshold of publishing a tell-all book about lesbians in D.C., in hopes to shatter careers. It was a bitterly written book and it was the reason why Ralph broke things off with him. Then Ralph finds himself in the center of a storm between the religious right and the gay activists who want to fight for their rights. Ralph was stuck smack in the middle of it and there doesn't seem a way out of the mess.

This book talks about choices and how choices make a mess of other people's lives ~~ how people can miscontrue other people's desires and wishes, how people can take off with a simple matter and see it explode into something out of their control and innocent people are left to pick up the pieces afterwards. It is interesting to see how all this ties in together ~~ and it was confusing in some parts. It is a book that explores human nature at its finest and at its worst and how people aren't what they seem to be. Very intriguing reading.

1-23-07

I bought this book because the back cover synopsis made it sound like a good comedy; a political satire. Although the book was not quite what I expected, it was very good. I was unfamiliar with Bram, and did not know that this book was considered gay fiction. It was a very good read and the story definitely sucked me in with a few twists and turns that I never expected. The main character, Ralph Eckart, is very likeable and I found myself amazed at his unfortunate luck and stood behind him all the way. I plan on picking up Father of Frankenstein by Bram next time I am looking for something to read. He is a great storyteller and Gossip is a good, quick read.

I purchased this item for my niece for Christmas. She was very happy with it. I was pleased with the condition and expedience of its arrival. I will purchase from this seller again.

While reading this book, I felt like the writer (which I heard is no longer Cecily von Ziegesar but a ghost writer now) had no clue about what had happened in the previous books. The characters' actions were very out-of-character. Serena is shocked to hear Nate tell Blair he loves her (which was not even the first time for that) and suddenly she has always been in love with Nate. Serena and Nate were not that into each other when they were together. To quote from Nothing Can Keep Us Together from Serena's point of view on page 216, "it had never been right, her and Nate being together. And it would be better be single this summer so she could focus on the film. At least now she wouldn't have to bother breaking with him. Not that they'd ever really been together." And now she's in love with him...yeah, right.
This book was a huge disappointment. I waited so eagerly for it, expecting it to be like the other books, only to be let down. Those who read the series will want to read the last two books but expect them to be awful in comparison to the previous ones and the characters to not act like themselves.

Would I Lie To You is the 10th book of the highly popular young adult series Gossip Girl. I remember when the first book was released in 2002, and I was finishing my sophomore year in high school. I had no where to go for the summer, went to the bookstore to buy a few books to keep me entertained for the summer, and one of these books was Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar. Once I started reading it I was sucked into it ,and since then I have been buying every single book to keep up with the storyline. Being from NYC I am very familiar with many of the locations that the author mentions, so it's like I can imagine the characters in these places. However the last 2 books have been disappointing, especially this one. From what I've heard Ziegesar has hired a ghostwriter to finish writing the Gossip Girl series because she is too busy writing her newer series "The It Girl". I actually kind of believe this because the writing has changed, and Gossip Girl is not as witty as she used to be, plus the whole mystery of who Gossip Girl really is, is not such a big fuzz anymore, although we still don't know who she is. The main characters of this particular installment are Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen, Nate Archibald, Vanessa Abrams, Dan Humphrey, and Chuck Bass has a short appearance in this book. Jenny Humphrey (Dans younger Sister) does not appear in this book, but we get to read some of the extremely short letters she sends Dan from her summer vacation trip in Europe.

Reading about Vanessa and Dan was a total bore, most of the times I felt like skipping their chapters, not even the fact that Dan had all of a sudden gone gay amused me or had me in a state of OMG! What straight guy suddenly goes gay? And the fact that Vanessa (Dan's on and off girlfriend) took it well was just plain stupid. The Blair, Serena, and Nate storyline was the part that kept me semi-interested. After Nate tells Blair he loves her, and Serena overhears him, she decides she is in love with him too, even though in the past books she never showed signs of being in love with him. So she decides to write him a letter telling him how she really feels, and puts it inside the compartment of Nate's Car. Too bad Blair finds it before Nate does, reads it, rips it into pieces, and throws it out. I honestly think Serena really doesn't care about Blair, and unlike Blair who actually seems to have emotions, feelings, interests, dislikes , and whatnot, Serena doesn't seem to have any emotional depth. We just know she is the most perfect, flawless, female specimen (Well, physically because she's a lousy friend) to walk the planet earth. *gag* Its as if she were a robot. Overall this book was mediocre, and hopefully the author makes up for it in the next book.

My daughter loves these books of gossip girl's. She's 16 and has ever one of them.

Manhattan may be the most glamorous place in the world, filled with shopping, sights, and the finest dining you'll ever experience. But when the summer rolls around, it's nothing more than a sticky, sweltering nightmare that leaves you glistening under an unattractive sheen of sweat, and wearing as little as legally possible. So it's no surprise that when you want to beat the heat, the best place to head is the Hamptons, where the beaches are filled with babes, hot bodies, and bikinis. After all, there's nothing as seductive as a little fun in the sun - rich folk style!

Blair Waldorf is finally in a state of bliss. The debacle involving Lord Marcus is nothing more than a thing of the past. She finally has her frenemy Serena van der Woodsen on her side. And she's snagged a job working as fashion designer Bailey Winter's muse for the summer - alongside Serena - which basically consists of looking fabulous, and lounging around the petite man's sprawling Georgica Pond estate. Sounds simple, but when you're pining over the green-eyed love of your life - Nate Archibald - and trying to contend with a wannabe-Blair Eastern waif named Ibiza, who just do happens to be living under the same roof as you, you can't help but feel angered 24/7. Looks like someone needs to take a chill pill, or spend a little one-on-one time with her American Express card.

Nate Archibald is having the worst summer of his life. After pilfering some of Coach Michaels' forbidden pills, N has been forced to dive headfirst into the unglamorous world of manual labor. Sure, it was fun at first, with a brief flirtation with a Long Island native named Tawny. But now things have gone straight downhill. Nate has finally come to his senses, and knows that Blair is the true love of his life, but has no idea how to win her heart - again. And attempting to escape the uncomfortable advances of Coach Michaels' wife, Babs, is becoming a full-time job of its own, leaving N in a perpetual state of agitation and discomfort. Maybe if you laid off the weed, things would look a little clearer.

Serena van der Woodsen has just wrapped filming on her big screen debut, Breakfast At Fred's, and is looking to finally start her summer. And what better way to party hardy than by tossing on a Missoni swimsuit, and grabbing your best friend - or enemy, depending on what day it is - and heading to the Hamptons. As the blonde-haired muse of Bailey Winter, Serena is confident that this will be the summer of a lifetime. But after a few obnoxious moments with her European clone, Svetlana; and a handful of longing looks in Nate's direction, Serena can't help but feel envious and depressed. I guess that's what happens when you're the birthday girl, and everyone seems to have forgotten that your big day has arrived.

While New York party girl, Jenny Humphrey, is off gallivanting around Prague, sketchbook in tow, Vanessa Abrams has made herself quite comfortable in little J's bedroom. But when her job as a nanny gives her the opportunity to flee the stuffy confines of the city - and Dan Humphrey's cheating heart - Vanessa is convinced that this is her chance to try something new. Too bad she's expected to spend her time chasing around two spoiled mongrels, as opposed to hanging out in the sun. But maybe she'll gain a little insight into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and create a documentary that will make everyone's jaws drop. Maybe not. Dan, on the other hand, is finally settling into life as a worker at the Strand. But when a new co-worker steps into the picture, as well as the creation of a literary salon, Dan's sexuality is tested, and all bets are off.

As the summer comes to a head, it's obvious that Cecily von Ziegesar is working on winding down the GOSSIP GIRL series, and begin to create a little closure into the lives of some of our favorite characters. Unfortunately, each time we think we're finally satisfied with how things are working out, a new revelation comes about and turns everything upside down. Case in point, Blair's sudden infatuation with Nate. Serena's transformation from happy-go-lucky to depressed all the time. Dan's new thoughts regarding relationships. Vanessa's determination to reconnect with Blair and Serena before each of them heads off to their respective new institutions for higher learning. And Nate's new, mature outlook on...everything. With one more book to go, it looks like we'll all be in for a surprise. Forget diamonds; Cecily von Ziegesar is a girl's best friend!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I loved this novel. It was a realistic drama and Kristen Kemp really made the readers relate to that characters and their emotions. With tons of tears, drama, friends, a couple boyfriends, and twenty packs of cigarettes later Ellen... **** ** *** ***! Haha, another secret not told. But its not even 150 pages which is still extremely short so you can read it in a hour and its extremely good so I highly recommend this for pure entertainment and fun. And you better hope this kind of bad stuff does NOT happen to you!!

I have not written these reviews. Somehow, Amazon has allowed someone to get hold of my e-mail address and my personal information and therefore into my personal account. I have contacted them about this without success. I want to delete my account before further damage is done.

The real Lynette Joseph-Brown

Though I Love kristen kemp, and most of her novels, this wasn't as could as I expected, and I was a little disapointed. I do have to agree with one of the reveiwers about this book, it was pretty sloppily written, and was extremely short- for a teen novel. The summary said that the main character did many revenge schemes, but she only did one big one, and it took till the end of the book for her to get there! It was also a little uncomfortable to read as well. I think Kristen Kemp is a great author with talents to make peaople laugh and she writes phenominaly, but this book wasn't one of her best. I recomend- "The Dating Diaries" by Kristen Kemp, it is funny, longer, not sloppy and is a real page turner- I loved it, and I think its much much much better than I will survive- wich was very sloppy- sorry Kristen Kemp!

Once I read a book that captured exactly what high school is about.The book is called "I Will Survive." This is the best book I have ever read! This book had a hold on me. I couldn't put it down. I would read one chapter and have to read another becuase I couldn't stand the suspense! This book deserves 5 stars, if not more!
The book delt with a teenager being betrayed by the people closest to her.... But I'm not going to spoil the ending.So if you thought the book sounds good in review you have to read it! It's not one of those boring books you have to drag youself to read it. You want to read it. It's not only suspense it's a thriller just to read. You will imagine youself as if you were her,dealing with the pain and the sweet revenge.

This book had major potential, but was lacking some nessecary qualities! It was sloppily written, and the point of view was really obscure. One minute it would be all about Ellen, and the next it would switch to another character with no warning! I did think it was mildly entertaining, but I finished it in a couple of hours. I was disappointed by this, I think it could have gone a lot further! If you enjoy teenage angst novels (such as this) with a little more depth, then Life is Funny, Speak or Sloppy Firsts (and its companion Second Helpings) are books that I would suggest instead of this.

I recieved this book free because I'm a Simon Says reviewer, and I'm glad I didn't buy this crap. The book was sterotypical and just like several books out there- stupid girl who's apparently all "punk" and crap, who still wants to get all popular. When will people learn that young adult readers want more than this? I'm pretty much given up on the young adult reading scene and moved on to adult books, because these books are some of the most unorginal, sterotypical trash I've ever read.

All Serena really wants at her new school is to fit in, but when you're deaf, that's not so easy. When some A-listers discover Serena's talent for reading lips, they offer her the chance to get in with them. But acceptance come with a price - the popular girls have enlisted her to spy and uncover any and every secret that's of use to them. But is getting into the in-crown really what a skater chick like Serena really wants, or is this new job of snooping showing her true colors as a conforming prep?

I had mixed reactions about Read My Lips. I'll start with main character Serena. While it was stated several times that she used to be a skater chick, I never really felt that it was rooted into her personality; it seemed to me that it was only an explanation to why Serena didn't feel completely comfortable hanging out with the popular girls. Despite that, I really liked Serena as the protagonist, because while she is insecure and sometimes dishonest, she eventually comes to her senses and does the right thing; her flaws make her more realistic. As for other characters, I really like how Serena's popular friends actually had good hearts. Miller is a different story; you never really learn much about him except for what Serena sees: that he is hot and that he loves her. I would've liked to know more about him. The plot wasn't terrible exciting at all times, and I found it odd that at Serena's new school everyone was a "cookie-cutter prep." However, there were some catfights, and I guess that small-town schools aren't as diverse as those in big cities.

I believe that the good aspects of this novel definitely outweighed the bad, and I enjoyed reading Read My Lips. It's definitely like Gossip Girl, but with much more integrity. Read My Lips is a guilty-pleasure read with meaning.

This book has a great voice and a cast of characters that are layered with dreams and doubts. No matter what antics, trials or dramas, everyone has to make adjustments. There's no right or wrong way to be a good friend or fit in at a new school. Serena's challenge is also her strength and with luck there will be more "Serena" stories to read in the future.

I'm gonna be honest here...I'm really not a huge fan of Young Adult books. I was pretty biased when I started reading this, and the story pretty much delivered all the cliches and annoyances I was expecting. However, it wasn't bad enough for me to give it one star, due to the fact that I was interested in seeing how the story played out. Although the main character had the potential to be interesting and unique, the author failed to explore her many possibilities.

The protagonist, Serena, is a deaf "skate punk", who, surprise surprise, moves to a new town and must adjust to her new high school. (This story line is seriously getting old.) She's very talented at reading lips, and her new "popular" friends exploit this by using her to get all the juicy gossip around school.
What bothered me about Serena was how much she emphasized how "punk rock" she was. Apparently, all you have to do to be punk is wear dark clothes, black nail polish, and have an eyebrow piercing. Forget ideals, forget music taste! Your appearance is what matters the most. She was also extremely judgmental. She sees everyone around her as "preps", and laments the fact that there aren't any other "skate punks" in her new school. The worst part is that the girls she saw as preps turned out to fit the stereotype completely, making them shallow and one-dimensional.
Also, there was the obnoxious love storyline that seems to run rampant throughout all YA books. Serena meets a sexy, sullen rebel with a dark and mysterious past. Serena falls for him immediately, although she really doesn't know much about him. That's not important though, cuz he's HOT!
Finally, the ending was the dumbest, unrealistic piece of crap I've ever read. I'm not gonna give it away, but I will say that EVERYTHING works out too perfectly, and the resolution between Serena and Miller is about the corniest thing in the whole book.

All in all, it's nothing special. Although I liked the overall moral of the book, and the part with the yelling secretary at the school's office made me chuckle, I probably wouldn't read this again. It's just too predictable, and plays off of dumb stereotypes way too often.

Like every other piece of teen fiction Read My Lips begins when the main character moves to a new school and surprise surprise doesn't fit in. She catches the eye of the smart and soulful outcast and the "popular crowd"- a top secret soriety that plans on using Serena's talent at lip reading for their own devious plans. GASP! But Serena is entranced by the attention of the popular crowd. She has never fit in and finds popularity to her liking. She risks her friendship with Miller (that sweet souldul school loner) as she changes from "punk skater girl" to cookie cutter prep. But not everyone is thrilled about the elevation of Serena's social status. She soon makes an enemy who makes life difficult for Seran in her ruthless and single minded pursuit to destroy her. The antagonist in the book is Sonya an it girl who doesnt approve of Serena at all. Not only did Sonya says things that were completely inappropriate and that no one would ever say for fear of being branded politically incorrect but we never got to see a motivating factor for her nastiness, there was never a softer side that made you feel sorry for her.
To be honest I'm not a huge fan of teen fiction and came into the book already biased. I can however enjoy a novel from any genere as long as it is well written with a fresh new idea. That said reading this book was excruciatingly painfulto read. Filled with overgenralization, stereotypes and cliched characters that were ridiculouslyhorny I consider finnishing the book one of my greatest accomplishments.
Serena is my new least favorite character of all time. She was judgemental and while on her parade of snarky stereo typing that she wanted exceptance. she judged every single girl in the story calling her a prep and seemed to think they weren't worth her time while at the same time stricing to be like them.
The worst part was her judgements were painfully accurate giving the characters a static, one dimmensional feel. The characters them selves illustrated the importance of show don't tell whiel parroting lines straight from every high school set film ever to hit theaters.
I was told many times how cool and unique and original Serena was but I never saw anything that would have proved that. Which brings me to my next piece of critcism- the stereotypes. The way the author depicted the high school it was filled with preppy girls and nothing else.
Overall I found the entire plot trite and recycled, the characters boring,unrelateable and one sided. Wathicng Mean Girls would be a better way to spend two hours.

This book is GREAT for identifying the trouble makers you work with and a strategy for handling them. It also helps with saving time talking to those people.

I thought this might be a good book to compliment the "Criticism Management" book by Randy Garner. Unfortunately, this was not as insightful as I had hoped. For my money, a better text would be Dr. Garner's book (mentioned above) or Weisinger's--both deal with handling criticism--the usual trigger for saying things we later regret.

The concept and potential of this book is great. However, the title seems to say it all - in other words, manage what comes out of your mouth, because it can affect your success. Beyond that, save your money. I hesitate to write negative reviews because I ask myself - why would I do that, they didn't do anything to me?! But actually, I bought this book based on the 5 star reviews and it was a let down. Again, the author should be commended for the concept and for meaning well on such an important topic. I just didn't really feel like it helped me manage my mouth better, which is the point of my review. I have books you couldn't pry out of my hands (like "Keeping your cool under pressure") but I would gladly give up Managing Your Mouth for one dollar of my money back.

A great book on managing one of our best assets! As a manager, I found the book beneficial as it addresses the ramifications of poor communication. It addresses using body language combined with speech and/or silence. Considering "words and movement are the basis of communication" between co-workers, this book is essential in reminding all of us the joys of having and working with individuals who have "a better managed mouth".

Speaking is very likely the most important interpersonal skill behind integrity, or being true to one's words in deed and action. Mr. Genua's book, Managing Your Mouth, presents diverse examples of the same idea: how thoughtless use of the spoken word can put a person between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Few of us understand, especially the young and un-initiated, that speaking is a high-risk proposition. One may wonder why that is so, and Dr. Robert Bolton, in his well researched book, People Skills, provides a simple answer: when we speak, we have no way of knowing in advance how the other side will react to what we say. That is why Dr. Bolton strongly recommends learning to listen, and many institutions (but not nearly enough) strongly emphasize clear and direct communication, preferably in the simplest terms possible and with an economy of words.

Mr. Genua advances thing a few more steps, and asserts that when we speak to others, not only do we not know how they will react, but we also do not know for certain how our words will be interpreted, and in a business setting with proprietary knowledge at risk, exactly what information we are consciously or unconsciously transmitting when we speak. Not only do our words communicate, but our posture, facial expressions and other body language can send unconscious signals, which to the trained observer can turn into important and useful information.

In seven quick and easy chapters, the author explains the importance of paying close attention to one's verbal and non-verbal communication, how to avoid certain destructive forms of verbal communication, and finally how to use verbal and non-verbal cues to maximum effect (as opposed to having them used against you to maximum effect), especially in business settings.

After using the preface and first chapter to lay out the reasons for paying close attention to what one says, the author gets to business in the second chapter by engaging the reader with an assessment of his or her current verbal management skills followed by a brief, detailed no-nonsense explanation of each assessment point. The third chapter assists the reader in identifying potential problems about himself or herself so that problematic speaking forms can be avoided, and also shows via vivid examples what can (and does) happen to those who utilize problematic speaking forms. Chapter four covers a variety of instances where unguarded verbal communication can lead to personal ruin, and devotes a considerable amount of space to successful navigating the job interview. The chapter concludes with a discourse on surviving and thriving in company meetings.

Chapter five elaborates on gossip, outlining in detail how bad it is and basically telling the reader to avoid it in all of its forms, such as the grapevine and the water cooler, like the plague. Chapter six explains the importance of not divulging secret or proprietary information, and reminds the reader to be on guard at all times and to use silence as a weapon. The last chapter (of bankruptcy fame) details the ins and outs of secrecy, and the effective use of deception.

My only criticism of this text is its failure to tell the reader to think carefully before he or she speaks. Most of us have to really train ourselves to do this, and work hard at resisting the urge to respond, either to demonstrate our intelligence or to counter a verbal attack (I have found that in many cases one demonstrates his or her intelligence by not speaking or responding to attacks). Most problems result because people fail to consider how their words will be received, and what exactly it is they wish to say. Merely reading about the pitfalls of speaking is one thing, but putting the author's advice to practice is quite another. All readers of this book should keep in mind that when we engage in verbal, we often pass through potentially stormy and treacherous waters.

I have to say, I read this in two days, and stayed up far too late finishing it. But the ending left me with an empty feeling. The writing is undeniably strong and evokes the confusion of those awful teen years quite well. But the characters are not well rounded, and the plot is thin.
I came away feeling the Author had a keen understanding of wealthy, upper class, preppy teens, but really couldn't connect with their middle class, scholarship-endowed contemporaries or the teachers who exist on the margins of the elite prep schools, always outside looking in. She seemed to identify with the characters who were just rich, (Catherine, Susannah, Drew, and their families.) as opposed to the super-rich. (Skye and the Butterfield clan.) But her treatment of honorable "poor boy" John Paul is perfunctory. I'm guessing de Gaumont is from a quite similar background to her patrician heroine, and sees her as the norm rather than as living a life most American teens can only dream about. Yes, "the rich are different from you and me" and the super rich are REALLY different, but de Gaumont seems oblivious to that fact, so her book left a sour taste in the mouth of this very middle class reader.

The best book I've read in years - de Gramont's writing is stunning, gorgeous, and she captures the struggles of being a teenager - ANY teenager - brilliantly. I may not have gone to prep school, but I know these girls, I know these feelings, the alienation, the acceptance, the dazzling friend who you love and hate at the same time. There are sentences in this book that I had to read three times in a row - and I still didn't stop reading until the whole beautiful and tragic story was done. If you want to read a book that will keep you talking, that will take you back in time and then make you pick up the phone to say YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! then get this book. Brilliant.

After reading glowing reviews from other readers regarding "Of Cats and Men," I picked up a copy and was pleasantly surprised by de Gramont's talent and prose. I'm still in awe of the author's writing skill after reading "Gossip of the Starlings," but the tale failed to strike any feeling in me other than irritation. Not that the author loses her beautiful, lyrical voice in this endeavor; she doesn't. But my sentiments echo those of a previous reviewer in that it wasn't at all entertaining to read about wealthy, spoiled, self-indulgent girls with nothing better to do than snort cocaine and, in the case of one character, actively and consciously behave in self-destructive ways while seeming righteously aggrieved by the fallacies of those around her and being coldly cynical as a result. High praise indeed for Nina de Gramont's prose, but this tale left me dissatisfied.

I was so letdown by this book......the characters were superficial and uninteresting. I can't believe that so many fine writers said nice things about it or that Algonquin Press (which I admire) published it. I couldn't even finish the novel because I found it so boring.

...but basically unlikeable characters. If you're up for a read about spoiled rich kids snorting coke at prep school while they struggle with the falsity of their overly indulgent, well-intentioned parents this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you've had enough of novels about teenagers who have accomplished nothing, but can whine about their feelings for paragraphs at a time, then go ahead and curl up with this one.

This is a fine piece of scholarship, but it is just that: a scholarly work. This is written for academics and very serious students of African diasporic religious traditions.

This book represents a significant and thought provoking review of the history and social context of Candomble. I recommend it highly to any one who is already rather versed in the subject. It is not, however, written in language that is widely accessible to the average reader. Any college professors out there should think twice or thrice before assigning it to undergraduates, unless you wish to assign a dictionary as well! It is too densely written for the average person, something I consider a real crime in a book that is otherwise very good.

One of the best books that I could find in English on Candomble.

The book is an amazing piece of scholastic work conducted by a once relectant initiate of Nago-Ketu Nation and surveys the history, practices, theology, ritualism and cosmology of Candomble and the role of the Terreiro in historical and contemporary Brazilian society.

There are many things that I had issues with.....the title of the book being one of them.....but by far, it is the most substantial piece of work that has been published in English targeted in a non-sensationalist way for the non-brazilian public.

This thought provoking piece of work has led me to look internally and externally for answers to questions raised in this forum, and has also allowed me to formulate my own questions......

In any case, the book is worth adding to any library and especially of value to those individuals interested in African Based Diasporic religion/spirituality in Brazil.