Gossip Books

Gossip's book is moderately pleasantly written for the average Christian looking for a warm feeling, but it falls victim to the typical cherry-picking of religious books. Gossip chooses all the scripture that supports his arguments with no mention of the terrifyingly misogynistic and bigoted passages that disagree. Gossip interprets the story of Jesus Christ in the way that makes him feel best.

Dr. Gossip writes this series of essays from the point of view of a pagan mind -- even so, the thoughtful Christian or any seeker after eternal verities would be in good company reading this book, as well.

Dedicated to his sisters and his wife, this collection of sermons is filled with wonderful explorations including "What Christ Does for a Soul" and "The Seeming Failure of Christianity".

In the 21st century, when a new wave of rabidly forceful atheists rehash their attempts to make inroads on the winsome grace of Jesus Christ, it is helpful to have a guide such as Dr. Gossip to puncture the common misconceptions of Christianity which abound in such pseudo-intellectual's thinking.

For instance, while silly people think that Christians are looking forward to an eternity of restful boredom, here is Dr. Gossip at his best:

"But in the Revelation we are told that what makes heaven to the saints is that yonder they work for God the whole twenty-four hours round, and never need to rest at all: 'they serve Him day and night in His temple.' That is religion; to forget self, and to spend one's being for God and one's fellows; and anything that does not lead to that, and ends in that, is fatuous and futile." (page 25).

The world needs more Gossips like this one!

I'm sorry, but this book just did not work for me. I sympathize with many eco-feminist notions, but this book makes poorly researched and shaky claims, seeking to link together variables that have no connection, making generalized, fluffy arguments.

The main point of this book is, of course, the linkage between patriarchial society and the nuclear age. The writer provides very strange and eclectic examples from popular culture which are vague, at best, and more often it seems that the writer sought to locate casual references to suit her claim. For example, in several places, the writer refers to titles of different articles about nuclear weapons and about the dangers of maleness (incest - which she seems to regard as a general trait of fatherhood) which happen to appear in the same issue of Time or Newsweek - not as a coincidence, but as a joint issue. She looks at the cover of a magazine, citing different article names, and we're supposed to reach a conclusion that this linkage is not coincidental, and that it is part of the alleged male-nuclear conspiracy.

The writer analyzes similar material in opposite ways when it supports her argument - first identifying the bomb with the male, then with the female. She seems to have thrown the darts before marking the target.

Another disturbing factor is the generalized and problematic, to say the least, condemnation of what the writer describes as "nuclear fatherhood". All fathers are compared, as a general group, to Reagan and Freddy Krueger. Need I say more?

I did find the spiritual contents of this book (such as the idea of the Gorgon) fascinating and useful - especially due to the (regrettable) lack of serious and intelligent discussion of Feminist spirituality as a deserving issue and not merely a bag of love spells. I wish these contents could be given to us separately, and not within a poorly researched scholarly work that does not give credit to its readers as intelligent beings who can evaluate material by themselves, without being spoonfed the conclusions which by no means stem from the material. As a woman who cares deeply about women's issues and about this planet, I believe this book does damage to the general cause by alienating 99.99% of the people who could be responsive to eco-feminism and its ideas. It's sad, really.

People use that phrase all the time til it has no meaning but when I read this book it really did blow my mind. A powerful trip through modern culture that really holds nothing back. I was in a daze after reading this book but am so very glad I did. It gave me a whole new perspective on why modern society is so messed up. It condems the social construct that allows people to hurt and even distroy one another and our home the earth with out remorse. I totally love this book and wish more people would read it.

Do Not read this book if you are attached to the cultural ideal of Men being automatically better than Women & that they only have worth if the are dominating somesome.

I just wish I could write a review as brilliently as Jane Caputi writes so more people would check out this awesome book!

Super Black Lace book that at least gives me the feelig of confidence that although the Victorians are gone, the alley cat sex that they perfected continues in the sedate English countryside today..... At least I hope so anyway ....


Suzy Whitebread, (cute name or what) decides to pack up her job at the downtwon beauty salon to work in a rural mansion as a caregiver to Clifton, a country squire bound to a wheelchair after a riding accident. And care she does give him, as she manages to 'woman handle' him slowly back into reality. As the story continues one would say there was a fly in the ointment, but in this wonderfull story there are A LOT of flies in the ointment. Clifton's wife is insatiable and finds no difficulty in getting her itches scratched, his son on the other hand is hanging with travellers, otherwise known as trailer park people or gypsies ... and ... Clifton has a twin brother name Clayton that returns from overseas to check out his brother ....


Although the book is called 'Hot Gossip' I would say that the author takes the reader into the lives and antics the family rather than looking at it from the point of view of the 'village gossip' ..... Actually the impression I get is that they could care less about any gossip as long as no one interferes with they very active 'social' life ....


Loved it ....

When I first saw the synopsis of this book, I thought it would be a rivalry between father and son for the lust of one woman. WRONG! This couldn't have been farther from the truth. The book hinted that Suzy and Clifton had a 'friendship' where in truth they barely knew each other, and the only sexual tension that existed between the two was when she had hit puberty and Clifton had caught her peeking at his crotch. Basically what happens is Suzy and her best male friend Jem do not have a sexual relationship, Suzy has a crush on Jem's father Clifton who is still married to Alice, Clifton has a secret love that Suzy wants to know about, and Clifton turns out to have an Identical Twin Clayton (identical in size and desires) who wants Suzy and Alice wants Clayton. Confused yet? What follows in the story is pretty predictable and I was severely disappointed in the erotic scenes. I would only reccommend this book if you are interested in mild dom/sub play. I will hint that there is one threesome scene in the book that's only mildly redeeming, but other then that, I want my money back!! oh and the heroine has dark curly hair while the cover of the book has a blonde woman... that tells you there what it's going to be like.

This was definitely just a fun book to read. I didn't want to put it down because I was anxious to see what happened next. The only thing I was sad about was that it ended! Bette has to go from one extreme to the other with her job to really find out a little more about who she is and what she wants to do. As a person who is in her twenties, I definitely related to this. If you want a light, fun read with a few laughs, i recommend this book.

I really liked this book. I'm working as a receptionist part-time this summer and I read this book yesterday. It was funny and light, and I could visualize everything like it was on the movie screen. It is predictable but the tone makes it enjoyable. Although it entertained, I don't like the low moral standards of just about every character in the book but that is par for the course with chick-lit. I got sick of the constant name-dropping, I understand some was necessary but come-on already. I love her style and while I agree with those saying Devil Wears Prada is bascially the exact same format as this, it is still a fun read and just don't read the two back-to-back. The relationship between Bette & Penelope was spot-on and more real than usual for this genre. I could relate to them, but Micheal seemed excess...but more than likely that was intended. Great beach read or for making work enjoyable!

It's a paperback. It is a book of a girl rediscovering herself in NYC, the world's most glamorous city. It is cheesy in spots and it is very predictable but it is fun. It is lighthearted. It is perfect for that summer getaway even if you're not going any further than your back yard. When life gets you down, this book is fun to read and a guarantee that you will escape reality for a few hours.

Ok, if I like it so much, then why did I give it a three star? The last half of the book, especially the last few chapters, set off a tone of being rushed to the end. It was going strong till then and it just petered out without answering some of the questions that I had about Elisa, Bette's (the main character) colleague and about what happened to the snarky tabloid reporter who wrote so disparagingly about Bette and her so-called relationship with the hottest guy in NYC. And there was nothing more said about the guy. There were quite a few unfinished wrap-ups in this book that made me wonder why it was even this long to begin with.

Other than that, it is a fun read and perfect for summer. If you like reading about parties and celebrities, this book is for you. It is not as lavish as her other book, "The Devil Wears Prada" but it is just as much fun and this character is a lot more likable. I definitely enjoy her repartee with her uncle and his partner (even if I deplore his political statements). All in all, it is just a delicious summer read.

6/29/08

Twenty-seven-year-old Bettina "Bette" (don't call her Betty) Robinson has never been much of a party girl. Sure, she and her best friend, Penelope, spend much of their time holed up in the Black Door, drinking away their woes, and reminiscing about old times. But, aside from that, Bette spends much of her time strapped to her desk at the slave-driving UBS, or curling up at home with her Yorkshire Terrier, Millington, who happens to be allergic to almost everything she comes in contact with. But when Bette quits her job, suddenly her life is flipped completely upside down.

UBS was a perfectly stable office place; but after years of being told what to do, clocking in 70-hour weeks, and never receiving any respect, Bette is fed up. Without thinking about what she'll do to earn money to pay the bills, Bette ups and quits her stable office position, and takes up residence on her couch. With boxes of Red Hots, a TV with countless cheesy movies on TIVO, and the company of Millington, Bette feels like she has hit the career jackpot. Sure, she's quickly burning through her savings; but not having to answer to a boss completely makes up for it. Bette's Uncle Will, however, refuses to allow her bummy behavior to continue. Calling in a few favors, Will snags Bette the job of a lifetime at Kelly & Company, one of Manhattan's premier PR firms. Even with no prior experience in the world of PR, Bette becomes Kelly & Company's darling virtually overnight, due in large part to the fact that she has been linked to the gorgeous British bachelor Philip Weston. Even though the two have hardly done more than get drunk together, Philip is pinpointed as Bette's new boyfriend, and the two are splashed in the tabloids on a daily basis. Bette has suddenly become Manhattan's new party girl, clubbing until the wee hours of the night at some of the most exclusive nightclubs in Manhattan. But when Ellie Insider, a vicious tabloid monger, begins printing nasty lies about Bette on an almost daily basis, Bette realizes that when you're in the public eye, your personal and professional lives become one; and privacy goes right out the window.

Using THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA formula, Lauren Weisberger has penned a novel that is just as much fun and scandalous as her previous writing endeavors. Bette is an interesting character whose ability to so easily slip into the role of Manhattan party girl, after being a stuffy banker for so many years was quite entertaining; while her confusing relationship with Philip Weston leaves the reader baffled at times. The presence of Bette's best friend, Penelope, is thoroughly enjoyable; yet her blindness to her philandering fiancé can truly drive the reader insane, and cause mounds of frustration. Bette's love interest, Sammy, seems to be sincere; but at times he can be downright confusing as well. All of the characters, in my opinion, are overshadowed by Bette's Uncle Will and his partner, Simon. The two are so flamboyant, debonair, and fabulous that you can't help but love them both; though their sudden disappearance from the storyline at times was quite disappointing.

Weisberger writes a great story. While the storyline, at times, feels repetitive; and the times when Bette is suffering through unemployment can get a little boring; the rest of the novel truly holds its own. Yes, the characters can induce frustration in the reader; but they also possess the qualities and capability to create laugh out loud moments, and tears of joy and sadness. The perfect guilty pleasure read!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I never read The Devil Wears Prada, though I did see the movie. And from what I can tell this is just the same story wearing different Jimmy Choos. It's the same formula retold with slightly less believable characters. It was okay, but nothing new or exciting - definitely predictable, and not in a good way. I can only hope she breaks out of this mold if she writes another book, because it's getting old fast.

This book was a dreadful read, confusing, bias and with no cited sources to back up startling allegations. I was disappointed and turned off!

If you are a Anna Nicole Smith fan this is a book for you. I read the book in one sitting. This is a book that you can't put down. You will definitely enjoy it. It's worth the money

Excellent condition, everything you say is true. I will be purchasing more. Prompt and courteous service. Thanks :) Jan

I am a firm believer that Larry Birkhead is a good Dad to this baby.
I somehow have doubts in the "sex act" that supposedly took place with Larry and Howard. The obvious disdain that the two men have/had for one another make this unbelievable.
I believe it to be true that Howard is sneaky, dangerous man who liked to control and manipulate, and not to be trusted. He very well could have been the one to take the lives of Daniel and Ana Nichole. Sad for this baby who now has no Mother to grow up with, nor Brother.
Sad Book, Too bad they could not have had the intervention that they needed to save their lives.
I think Rita did a good job writing this book. It does hold the readers interest, and moves pretty smoothly and quickly.

You know I really don't follow any of the tabloids or the television shows devoted to celebrity culture, but when I saw Rita Crosby interviewed on Fox I thought I'd give Blond Ambition a leafing. Somewhat comically, the anchor said to Crosby during the segment, "I saw the title and thought it was about you." In a way he was right because this is a most subjective account of Anna Nicole Smith and her death. I usually don't mention much about an author's style as I'm no Hemingway myself, but I found the writing here to be quite poor. It was a brief text but I kept putting it down due to how ponderous it was. I don't see Smith as having been a bad person so much as I consider her as an individual who could not control her impulses. Oh, I do think that charade with Mr. Marshall was reprehensible but I would never expect honor from a Hollywood star.

The narrator seems to have a high amount of respect for Smith which amazed me. The corresponding vilification of Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead also made no sense. Personally, I would not want to associate with either of those two guys, but they strike me as being no different in their qualities from Smith. They are scammers and societal free-riders who associate who other scammers and societal free-riders. Isn't this to be anticipated? Should this discombobulate us? Further, Crosby's take on her subject's addictions was absurd. She blamed Stern for the drugs Smith did which is fallacious. Smith was an independent, autonomous human being who was responsible for her own actions. Even if Stern obtained them for her (and whether he did or not I have no way of knowing) she still had a choice before taking them. Being addicted to a substance is both debilitating and a challenge, but even low will-power fellows like me managed to quit smoking. It was not easy but preserving your life is worth the suffering it entails. Of course, survival was a priority for me, but, as we see here, it isn't for everyone. The thing that puzzles me most is why anybody admires celebrities in the first place. I'd be no more likely to look up to them than I would a grouper or a mockingbird. I'll never comprehend the allure these rich folks have but this book will not add to anyone else's collective understanding of that phenomenon either.

"Confessions" is one of my absolute favorite books and I have read it multiple times. I get a tickle out of the people who hated the book. The complaints all seem to stem from the fact that there was not a single deep moment, or any kind of introspection, no one grew as a person and the vile main character recieved no real comeuppance.

That is the point! From the first chapter its clear we are dealing with someone who wouldn't know she'd recieved her comeuppance even if you explained it to her. She -in point of fact- was humilated by the end of the book, but she was far too self-involved and egotistical to see it as such. The books humor comes from the idea that Katya is completely devoid of introspection and empathy. This frees her from any guilt or shame she should have over her behavior. Katya is free to behave as badly and as meanly as she wants, which is great fun for this reader.

I love dark comedies where the good guys don't always win and the bad guys REVEL in their badness. If you like those kinds of stories, you will LOVE this book. If you are looking for redemption in a character the title refers to as "sociopathic", this book is not for you.

This may be one of the worst books I have read in years. I don't expect much from chick-lit -- it's a good way to pass an afternoon with no drain on the brain. This book was just insultingly stupid. Why the author (let alone the publisher) thought this drivel was worth killing trees is beyond me. If you want to read the boring diary of a self-centered egotistical whiner, this may be the book for you, everyone else take a pass!

This is one of my favorite books. It's hysterical. Katya Livingston is both the protagonist and the antagonist at once. If you like British humor you will especially enjoy it.

If you want to thrill vicariously to the wicked thoughts of a caricature shallow English career woman, this book has some good chuckles. Men are humiliated, women rivals are defeated, friends and family are exploited and cast aside, cute little animals are thoughtlessly murdered, and all business contacts are left to wallow in failure.

The trouble is the thing has no plot, none of the characters are remotely sympathetic or believable, and it's just too darned long. As a result, it's funny enough for the first few chapters, but there's a point where you realize it's just going to meander and repeat similar gags forever. Even if you like this sort of crass humor, you look to see how much longer you have to go and wonder if you should bother to finish it. Would have been great as a short story or novelette.

This is cheesy light reading and it doesn't try to pretend it's anything else. In my view that makes it even more likable. This is a comedic record of the life of a deeply flawed, fantasy-prone, sociopathic woman in the business world whose ambition and willingness to do anything, sell out any friend, rival or co-worker, flatter any boss or hatch any plot to get ahead is the darkly funny antidote to the increasingly silly misadventures of a certain diarist named Jones. Should I be ashamed to admit I read this because Kelly Ripa said it was her favorite book ever? Ha, I don't care, cause this little novel made me laugh!

Adored is a family story of three generations - all gone astray on one level or another. Well written, rich characters, true to their personalities. Some unexpected twists and turns in the story of wealth, fame, and love hard won and easily lost. Love them or hate them, you come to understand their motivation and what brings them to make their life choices. If you enjoy behind-the-scenes with the rich and famous you will enjoy this book.

In most books of this type, there is no substance, but there is --in addition to the requisite sex and shopping, a bit of style. There was no style, no flair, no charm to this book. The lack of characterization and the absurdity of famous family members constantly asking each other, "But how did you ever find me?" was like an insult to the reading audience. And protagonists are only interesting for what they actually do---the character of Siena for all her "fiery" drive, was a passive character, receiving most of the action. It made the story tedious.

Barbara Rosenblat always does an outstanding job of bringing books to life on tape. This book is so close to being great that it breaks my heart to see the fundamental rules of fiction ignored: if a gun appears in scene 3, experienced readers expect that this is foreshadowing that will come into play at a later point in the book. When Siena comes under the total influence of the controlling, brutal, exploitive movie mogul, Stein, he forces her to perform pornographic sex acts, which he records on home movies. That's the smoking gun. Any alert reader expects these pornographic movies will be used as blackmail to further control her. Well, guess what? One never hears about them again. This is poor editing. In addition there are several scenes suggestive of the imminence of a heart attack. It never happens. I found this to be an irritating flaw in a book that has enormous potential. Many of the characters are superbly drawn. The story moves quickly and keeps one's interest. I particularly enjoyed the episode of Siena's mother coming to her daughter's rescue.

Tilly Bagshawe is a very fine writer in need of a better editor. I find it a rather sad statement about the amount of explicit sex scenes Americans have come to expect. I got so sick of listening to them that i started fast-forwarding through most of them. I wouldn't be so annoyed if I didn't think this book had such great potential. I hope that Tilly Bagshawe will realize that I would never have taken so much time to critique her book if I didn't enjoy most of it so much. Good luck in the future.

Betty Jaffee

I thought this book would follow in the tradition of a Jackie Collins novel....NOT. I found that I hated most of the characters in this book so I did not care what happened to them. I forced myself to read the entire book to see if it got better but it did not.

I loved this book...the first Tilly Bagshawe novel I'd ever read. Her characters captured me and led me on a wonderful journey to the very end. It was hard to put down! After reading this novel by Bagshawe, I couldn't wait to read "Showdown" written by her as well. Boy, "Showdown" wasn't close to meeting my expectations!

I had to force myself to finish this book. I was extremely boring. I think I skipped one chapter towards the end. I always read the customer reviews before I purchase any books. I am so glad that I checked this book out at the library. It had some facts in there about a few celebrites that I didn't know about, but it wasn't nothing to write home about. I recommend that you BORROW the book.

this book was a good read, read it fairly quickly. i still think she is a big loud mouth ignorant chick on the radio.

I liked this book but I didn't like the way it was written. There were times I couldn't tell where she was in the book because she skipped from time frames too much.

I liked the little tidbits she gave about the stars at the beginging of the chapters.

I've heard some of her radio show interviews and I think sometimes she is just as mean as Wendy Williams.

I could have gone a lifetime without hearing about ol busted Busta and dried up Doug E. Fresh.

I thought the book was an overall good read, not a page turner as I hoped but I feel like I understand why she is the way she is now seeing all the things she had gone through.

I was curious about the life of Tarsha Jones since she "blew up" as a morning dj on a Philly radio station. I'd never heard of her before then and had no idea that she'd been a recording artist. The book was entertaining enough - I managed to read it in one day ( a work day at that!).

Her musings about her family laid an interesting foundation but then the immediate jump into her high school troubles and the drawn out stories of female beatdowns was truthful but odd in that it went on & on & on. I really enjoyed her brief recountings of going to a performing arts high school and her college experiences but the drama with her boyfriends revealed "TMI" that I found tedious & repetitious.

Her music industry experiences were also interesting WHEN SHE DISCUSSED THE BUSINESS aspect. Her romances left me puzzled - I mean, I know that these female "tell-alls" feel that name-dropping is the only way to pique readers' interest but her experiences left me feeling judgemental about her and wondering WHY she kept repeating the same mistakes with different (but ultimately the same) unavailable men.

I really enjoyed reading about her move into disc jockying and loved her accounts of working in Philly - she really was a breath of fresh air to morning radio for a time.

I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read & are curious about Miss Jones' early years & how she'd gotten to where she is today.

The two star rating I'm giving this book is even generous. Once again, the plot is the same as with most "tell all" books by these former groupies who love to coin themselves as anything but.

Tarsha Jones was a simple "star effer" (pardon my french) who hoped to gain a music career from her activities. Loaded with the hope that she would be a star one day, she rode the coat tails of these men and became bitter when the plan didn't pan out as planned. In fact like Karrine Stephens author of "Confessions of a Video Vixen" Jones' account of the affairs she has with these stars seem very delusional and once sided.

I'm not sure how one could have percieved love or the possibility of committment from men like Doug E. Fresh and Busta Rhymes based on their actions. Based on her side Doug E. basically swept her off her feet at one point, bought her a car, put her up in an apartment and "promised" to be with her. While he recently impregnated BOTH of his "babies mommas."

I believe there was certainly more to the story and more than likely she was being kept in return for basic sexual favors and fantasies. Doug had the means and Jones had the need.

The relationship with Busta sounds a bit sketchy in my opinion as well. I'm not quite sure how one could be surprised or hurt that a man who prefered to pretend he didn't know you in public wouldn't think enough of you to offer you more than just a bite of the sandwhich that he made for himself after sex. Both men discarded Jones as they pleased because the simple fact is that she was expendable. All groupies are. Is that surprising? Well...Newsflash! Here on earth where most of us reside, this is common knowledge Miss Jones :)

While I found most of the book to be somewhat interesting, the material was very disorganized and seemed to jump very quickly to unrelated topics at any given moment.

Her criticisms of stars such as Mary J. Blige and Monica fell on deaf ears with me. After blasting Mary for sounding "depressed" and Monica for trying to appeal to the "youngins" with her new single (Every time the beat drops).

Tarsha goes on to defend her right to dislike any song she wants toward the end of the hodge podge of pages that mimick the adult version of a real novel.

Frankly I believe the industry knew her singing ability was "average" at best. The music industry along with fans of R&B had the right to dislike her songs. Weak sales and constant drops from labels proves this.

Throughout the book she peppers paragraphs with blame, weakly defending the reasons her music career never took off. After reading these excuses throughout the book, I decided to research the song she nearly forced down the readers throat as being a "hit." The name of the song was (Where I Want To Be Boy). While listening I took into account that the song was made in the 90's so the arrangement of the song was understandably primative compared to today's studio techniques. Even with that, Tarsha was weak and average.

While I personally make no serious judgements on the life Tarsha Jones AKA "Miss Jones" has made for herself I believe she is a bitter former groupie who was lucky that someone though enough of her to open the door even a crack so she could get her foot in the door.

Very possibly the WORST book I have ever had the misfortune to come upon. It drones on and on and has absolutely no plot. The only people I recommend this book to are insomniacs. If you have trouble sleeping, just read this book and you'll fall asleep right away. Yeah. It's that bad.

Gossip times three
Written by: Amy Goldman kiss
ISBN: 0-14-240295-8



Everyone fights; everyone has a best friend, or two or three. Well that's how it is for Abby, Bess, and Christy. They are three best friends until the end, or at least the middle.
Abby is a boy crazy, Bess is obsessed with Zack, and Christy is the smart quite one that's barley talked about in the whole book. These modern girls are battling the drama of boys, fights, and learning how to deal with everyday rumors and gossip, but witch teenage girl doesn't?

I thought this book was ok, it earned about a five on my list because it skipped paragraphs and had was to many side tracked stories and flashbacks. I thought that the writing style was very confusing. The connection I made to this story was to my life because all teenage girls are into boys and into clothes, and shopping. I thought the characters in this story reminded me of my own friends because each one of them has a totally different personality and that is just how my friends are so I could picture the story a lot better.

I recommend this book to girls between the ages of ten and fifteen, because it is all about teenagers and ho they deal with the rumors and friend problems. Ten year old could read it because it isn't bad in any way and the text isn't inappropriate to that age. I also think a fifteen year old could read this because it is not too babyish at the point of being board. If you are into real life situations such as boy troubles or dealing with the "mean" girls of the school it is all in this book.

The book it's about three girls. Their names are Abby, Bess and Cristy. Abby had a crush on Zach, since 3rd grade. Because the girls were best friends, they knew Abby's crush. One day, bess said in a very cute way that Zach has a nice smile. So days later Bess it's dating Zach. At the beginning Abby was acting like she didn't care, and pretending to act like everything was alright with her. But the jealousy was wallop inside her. Her jealousy toward Bess was so big, that was hard for her to hid it. Weeks later Bess gives the news to her friends, that she broke-up with Zach. Abby was so happy, that her jealousy turned out into happiness. And that's how it ended. The plot was pretty good, the only problem that the author had with this book was that she was getting in too much details. The author also had it good parts. She wrote the book in a very interesting way. For example on page 51: 'Here is a question that you may have: When she saw Steve Crammed in a booth like a circus bear on a TRICYCLE, do you think Abby's first reaction was 1)miffed by his invasions of their sacred Saturday ritual, 2)confused in a nervous way, or 3)glad?
Well whichever you answered, you're right! Because Abby felt all those things at exactly the same time instant.'
See what I mean. That the best part of the book. Over all the book was alright.

Gossip Times Three is an awesome book. It is by Amy Goldman Koss. It is about the life and the drama of three best friends, Abby, Bess, And Cristy.
Abby has had a crush on this boy named Zack for a very long time. She always talks endlessly about him, and how he talked to her or glanced at her. She even carved his name in her drawer. But all of a sudden Bess blurts out right in the the middle of Abby's story about Zack, "Zack's cute." and Abby's immidiate reasponce is "Duh-uh." and continues her story. Later though, Bess also suddlenly comments "Zack has a goofy smile." This gives Abby a horrible feeling inside. Before you know it, Bess and Zack are boyfriend and girlfriend. This story continues with single mom troubles and of course, the Zack dilemma. It ends with a surprise.
Any teenage girl should read this. It is a perfect story for middle school friendships and hardships. Although it can be confusing at times, it is a very enjoyable book.

I enjoyed reading this book. At times it was hard to understand because it would say well Bess did this and Abby said that but no she doesn't mean that. You would sometimes have to read a paragraph over and over until you finally got understood what it meant. If you missed one part in this book, then you would have no idea to what is happening in the next part. Paying attention to what is going on is very important. But it is a really good book to me; I liked how the author made it sound like she was actually talking to the reader. It made it seem like she was at some times actually talking to me. I do recommend this book to mostly girls who are in [...] trough 8th. It was also very entertaining.

This book is a departure from Catherine Palmer's Victorian style, and it is fantastic!! The storyline deals with a reporter assigned to do a story, and how she ends up solving a mystery, saving a little girl, and falling in love. The author shows how sometimes a child knows who is trustworthy better than adults do, and the pitfalls of making assumptions without having all the facts. She also shows how trust, once lost, is not easy to regain, even between good friends. Even with all the struggles the characters face, good does triumph and the guy gets the girl. This is one of Cathy's best books!

I bought this book at Christmas and have forced myself to finish it. It took me 5 months! The first few chapters are the best part of the book. The rest is mind-numbing drivel that bores you too tears. Charles survives a near-death experience and is constantly put down by the whiny Sarah. I wanted Charles to tell her off so bad! He kind of did at the end, but either way this book is a sleeper! I hear the Bachelor's Bargain is better, I hope b/c I have already bought it as well. Are we even sure Palmer wrote this?

I enjoyed The Bachelor's Dilema by Catherine Palmer, but I found this book to be tedious and repetious. The heroine's constant fixation that only people who were destitute could enter Heaven was annoying and not entirely biblical.

The affectionate Adversary was an alright book I suppose. What I found annoying was the fact that Sarah was so misguided. She thought that she had such a horrible life that she should go give up everything and go live in some dirt hovel. Every time that Charles showed his love for her she still thought he wasn't good enough for her because he wouldn't go live in a shack with her. Sarah did not love her money over God, she was not obsessed about it either. Therefore it's strange how she came to the conclusion that she needed to live in a hut to be happy. Not very realistic. I wish she would have come to the right conclusion faster. Other than the slightly annoying heroine, it was an ok book. Miss Pickworth was hilarious. But..... don't worry. "THE BACHELORS BARGAIN" is an awesome book, about Sarah's maid Anne. I Loved it.

What happens when two people who are meant to be together meet during tragic circumstances? They fall in love. And it seems that they'd be happy together, except that one of them makes it difficult, putting unreasonable obstacles in their path. Sarah Carlyle and Charles Locke meet on a ship from India to England. The year is 1814. Charles's ship suffers from a pirate attack. The pirates steal his fortune -- the fortune that would have established his trade in the tea business. He barely survives the attack, and is taken to another ship. Sarah Carlyle looks after him. A young, rich widow, she has found that her calling is to become a missionary, and plans to give away all of her fortune to the poor. She also plans to live in poverty somewhere in India. She insists that God has this purpose for her. Back in England, Charles is smitten with the plain but caring Mrs. Carlyle. Except that she's not Mrs. Carlyle but Lady Delacroix, a rich widow of noble blood. He wants to get ahead in life, have financial security for his family. She wants him to give up his dreams and join her in a life of homelessness and poverty in India. Who's right and who's wrong?

Sarah is the most annoying heroine I have read in quite a long time! She irritated her sisters and she irritated me. She wants to give away all of her fortune and live like a homeless person in a foreign country. Who on earth would agree with such a thing? And why on earth would she think that God wants her to do this? Charles's plans to get ahead in life are sensible, but Sarah thinks that he's only after her patronage. So, for 325 pages, you will read one scene after one tiring scene centered on this "romantic obstacle." The story is redundant to the point of being coma-inducing. I almost threw the book across the room when Sarah and Charles began to argue about the same thing for the fifth (or was it the sixth?) time. Ugh. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting, including Sarah's sassy sisters. The Miss Pickworth thing (gossip column) seemed interesting, but got lost in all of the nonsense. The Jane Austen throwbacks are cute at first, but they too become boring and repetitive after a while. Whenever Palmer used some modifier of a Jane Austen quote or passage (dialogue like, "Be not alarmed madam...," and the thing about "ardent love," characters playing whist, the sisters giggling and flirting, etc.), I had to stop reading. The writing style was too close to Austen to the point that it seemed almost plagiaristic. I enjoy Christian/inspirational fiction, I love historical novels (Regency is a favorite right after Victorian) and the romantic in me wants a little lovin' thrown in the stories I read (it doesn't have to be the main plot though), but I also want them to be well written. This one was not. I have no other choice but to give The Affectionate Adversary one star. I wanted to like it, I really did. Catherine Palmer seems to be a popular author in this genre. I hope her other books are better than this.