Gossip Books

Although a bit better than his "Hollywood and Whine.....," this book is rather unfunny for the most part. There were some quips that made me smile, but, as a whole I was just slightly pleased with this book. It is full of quotes by celebrities about each other. It is good to read at least once.

If you thought that gossip shows and columnists are nasty to celebrities, wait until you read what the stars say about other stars. See who had the sharpest wit and tongue in Hollywood.

A wonderful collection of mostly bitchy quotes from stars on stars, stars on directors, directors on stars, etc. Most of it was taken with a grain of salt by this reader though, since I tend to doubt the veracity of much that is quoted by reporters - especially entertainment reporters. A few more quotes of a friendly, more supportive nature would've been nice to find (I'm just as fascinated by Hollywood freindships as I am with thier fueds) -but I guess "that's showbiz, kids"! This book is an excellent way to spend half an hour.

One of the most delicious reads you could have from the biggest blabbermouth on the planet, "Babble On" is delightful. I was fortunate to get an out-of-print hardback copy. The book is in excellent condition and the packaging couldn't have been safer. I had been looking for this book for years and it was always sold out everywhere until it finally went out of print. I wasn't looking for truth and wisdom when I sought this book out. I was looking for a good old salacious read and that's what I got. "Babble On" is consistently interesting and often hilarious. Just how factual the quotes are I couldn't say, but I couldn't put it down. Let's face it, pretentiousness can be very funny and Hadleigh delivers the goods here.

I liked this book but it wasnt as good as some of the other "Love Stories" I've read. When Lucas' car is hit by the new girl, Julia, he imedialty has something against her. And when Austin and Julia fall in love it's the last straw. Lucas begins to start some nasty rumors about Julia, partly because he feels he's losing his best friend. read the book if u want to find out want happens to Julia and Austin.

Julia doesn't even fit in with the crowd in Sullivan High School. In fact, she doesn't even care what they think. Until, she falls for Austin and Austin's best friend, Lucas started spreading rumors about her past- which is of course is not true. Austin don't know who to believe or trust. In the end, he supported Lucas, and sort-of betrayed Julia. She felt so hurt and so betrayed that she doesn't even want to see him anymore until she learn to feel how he felt. A definite sweet ending and romantic too. I like it!

Julia and Austin care about each other, but his friends treat her like garbage. Why does he still stand up for them and pretend that they aren't together? A story about love, complications, frustrations, and mixed feelings.

This is about a girl named Julia Marin,who just moved into the preppy town of Sulivan from the Big Apple,New York. She met Austin Worth when Julia and his friend got into an accident. She fell head over heels in love with him and they start going out. Then she met his best friends. They are so awful,and they dont like her at all.Then Lucas(Austins best bud)and his gang wants them broken up! and Now! so he starts spreading rumors about her stealing stuff. Now Austin is so confused! He is not sure if he should listen to his friends???? Or to the girl he loves???? This is a great book that you should read!!!!

A classic plot of love, money, and treachery. Full of clever humor and memorable one-liners. "Can you get me a drink?" "I think I have a bottle of red wine." "I love red wine! it matches my hair." Nicely suited for a small production company, well worth it all around.

Soap opera indeed! Bob's efforts to keep his two women from knowing about each other, while we all know how futile are his attempts, makes us, the readers, know that we're being set up. Sure enough, comes along hints of his well deserved comeuppance. The plot is so obviously soap opera-like that the reader knows there's some complicated turn of events in store in Volume 2. The dry humour titillates and delights. This young writer is surely going somewhere! (And it's not to Hell!)

Chris Lindsay writes with energy, wit and honesty. A wonderful and enjoyable read.

This was an awsome read. One of those books you don't want to put down, and can't wait to read again. I had my husband read it while I drove so that I wouldn't have to wait till I was home to continue reading it. If you like gossip, you will love this...it has everything. Don't miss the train on this one and I hear there is a 2nd as well...I can't wait!!!

Written by longtime showbiz columnist Eddie Sherman, Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me: Adventures in Paradise with the Celebrity Set is a unique memoir of hobnobbing in Hawaii with the celebrity scene - from the day Frank Sinatra almost drowned in the surf, to a fake brawl that Burgess Meredith staged in a Waikiki nightclub, to good times shared with Elvis, Lenny Bruce, Bette Midler, Muhammad Ali, and many more. Amusing "fast facts" about famous celebrities pepper this collection of good times and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of Hollywood elites. A treasury of amusing anecdotes for celebrity-philes everywhere.

This is a collection of charming stories of Honolulu, most from the early days of statehood when the post war entertainment industry was exploding. Many of its biggest stars enjoyed R & R or low-pressure venues in Honolulu and became instrumental in promoting Hawaii as a vacation paradise. Through his newspaper work, Eddie Sherman met many of these celebrities. He shares his experiences with them in this book.

He revives the memory of Arthur Godfrey, who may have been the first one to spread Aloha though entertainment. Many of the younger celebrities he profiles are gone too, and so is the era. Now the press and celebrities seem to be adversaries or strange bedfellows... not friends. And good friends with celebrities, Sherman was. Brando takes a room in his building and visits his mother. Sherman visits Richard Boone for coffee. Henry Kaiser rescues his pet. Sherman drives around with Sammy Davis and mentors Bette Midler and Tommy Sands.

One interesting contrast is that of Elvis and Bob Hope. It's a little known fact that Elvis and "The Colonel" raised a giant share of the funds for the Arizona Memorial. At this time when some fundamentalist ministers are burning his records, Elvis is building an enduring monument for the nation. It's worth noting that his entertainment legacy has lasted considerably longer than Hope's.

Sherman shares some of his personal life and travel. His straightforward style conveys his love for Hawaii and the life of the island of Oahu.

Reviewed by Terry South for Reader Views (2/07)

"Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me: Adventures in Paradise with the Celebrity Set" is emotional, uplifting and a good read.

This book, in my opinion, had no faults. I think the concept and the writing as a whole can have no blemish thrown its way. The book delivers Eddie Sherman's tell-all, behind the scene about schmoozing with some of Hollywood's biggest stars in Hawaii, which he calls their playground. The book is intended for the general audience; there are some uses of language which may not be appropriate for young readers.

The story is written through the eyes of the author, beginning at age 6. The first couple of chapters pulls at your heartstrings and will bring a tear to your eye. It all begins when Eddie's mother Bessie is struggling to raise her son alone. She had divorced Eddie's father and became a single mother all before any of this was acceptable. Eddie was placed into an orphanage in 1929. This was a difficult decision, however, Eddie would be provided with a place to sleep and food to eat. The orphanage closed when he was 13 and he was then placed into foster care. This takes place during the depression and foster parents took children in for monetary reasons. Eddie is placed with a family "The Green's" and their children take priority over Eddie, where he is forced to wait for bathroom privileges, then he is faced with the decision of eating breakfast or using the bathroom. After a while he develops a weak bladder and begins to wet the bed. The foster mom is furious and punishes Eddie by using a dog strap and/or an iron poker. He recalls his teacher at that time, Marjorie Ellis, and describes her as the most beautiful person in the world, as she came to Eddie's aid and saved him. Eddie would then go on to be placed into a total of four foster homes. Eddie never forgot Marjorie and once he became a successful columnist in Hawaii he arranged for her to visit. He provided her airfare and a two-week stay at the Kahala Hilton. Marjorie's favorite actor was Richard Boone with whom Eddie was good friends, so he arranged an evening filled with a dinner and a show with her surprise date being none other than Richard Boone.

The story progresses through the years; Eddie describes his trouble with his shoulder from fighting. He had been fighting since being introduced to it in the early days of being in the orphanage. The shoulder was repaired surgically and Eddie joined the Coast Guard. While in boot camp, he re-injured his shoulder and received a medical discharged. He returned to Boston and had no job so he applied to the Boston Navy Yard as a sheet metal helper and was accepted, but not to work in Boston but Pearl Harbor. While in Hawaii, he tells of his experiences, including applying as a radio announcer where he was rejected due to his Boston accent. He then went onto study radio and speech and would eventually reapply and retain the position. Then years later he goes onto become a premier columnist and then the big adventure begins.

This is where the story takes off and progress throughout the years and is filled with interesting and eccentric entertainment figures that are so ideally suited to the unfolding of the memoirs. The author tells all in this behind-the-scenes look. There are approximately 45 celebrities that Eddie covers, along with rare, never before seen photos of celebrities including Red Skelton, Marlon Brando, and Sammy Davis, Jr. all from his private collection. The author's memoirs are what he calls the greatest moments in his life and he attributes this book not to the celebrities but to Hawaii.

Eddie Sherman is donating all of his royalties to the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. So you are getting a fascinating memoir as well as supporting a good cause.

"Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me: Adventures in Paradise with the Celebrity Set" is a highly enjoyable and greatly recommended read.

They won't post the review/info without a star value so I said 3 but I suspect it will be a 5 after I've read it. I read the other reviews and then went to order, YEOW! $150 for a paperback! I like Jeff Cooper but this wasnt his personal copy autographed to me. No way I will pay that.

Sooo, I investigate and find it available in the August 2007 Blue Press catalog for $29.95. And Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip 2 for $39.95 try www.bluepress.com and these are new, not used copies.

UPDATE-October 2007, just learned bluepress no longer carries these, they suggest ordering directly from Gunsite. As usual, a good deal never lasts.

This book is a compilation of Jeff Cooper's various magazine articles, consisting mainly of short anecdotes (rarely more than 3-4 paragraphs) and commentary on current events, history, religion, and politics.

His humor is biting, his knowledge is vast, and his commentary is pointed and, in many cases, biting. Liberals, and those who want something for nothing will hate this book, since it exposes their ignorance. On the other hand, realists and conservatives (not necessarily the same thing) will love it.

I bought this book about fifteen years ago, read it, loaned it to my father to read, took it with me on a trip to loan it to a friend. It was stolen from my car which I had parked in a public lot overnight. I'm looking for a replacement copy, but I'm reluctant to spend $100 to $200 for another copy.

If you have bought this book, tell yourself "Dumb book, I gotta get rid of this literary millstone".

Then contact me personally. Sell it to me for about $25, and I'll pay the shipping.

I'm telling you, you won't like it. I only want it because of its . . . um . . . value as a curio. Yeah, that's it. No reason for you to hoard it when I have an empty place on my bookshelf.

Nancy Krulik once again helps calm the nerves of new middle schoolers by combining a fun story with helpful bits of advice on how to survive the many trials of life.

Jenny McAfee swears by the help she gets from middleschoolsurvival.com, and again she uses it to get her friends back on track. First it's Chloe who is acting strange. She is sort of keeping to herself and turning down any and all invitations to do cool stuff after school. When asked about the upcoming dance, she is vague and lacks enthusiasm. What's up?

According to the quiz Jenny finds on her favorite website, Chloe is hiding a romantic relationship from her friends. When that information suddenly appears in the school newspaper in Madame X's gossip column, Jenny and her friends are shocked.

Chloe confronts everyone with the truth - her father lost his job so the family finances are not prepared to handle the fun stuff like dances. She insists that she feels badly that she won't be able to join her friends, but she assures them she is not hiding anything from them anymore.

Jenny decides to consult her website for a solution to Chloe's problem. The solution seems to be to earn the money needed to buy a new dress for the dance. That begins a series of bungled attempts to start a business to help Chloe. The idea may be a good one, but the girls' skills -- or lack of skills -- say otherwise. They may not earn much money, but their attempts provide great comic effect.

Aimed at younger readers, Krulik's HOW I SURVIVED MIDDLE SCHOOL series will most definitely have a following. Her situations are realistic enough to seem plausible, and her use of the website and its helpful quizzes are sure to attract many tween readers.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

My 11 year-old daughter had stopped reading, which bothered me greatly, until she found one of the books in this series. She loved it! She read the book cover to cover and asked for more. I was happy to oblige and ordered three more books. Now we take turns reading these every night at bedtime, plus she reads them on her own. Thank you, Nancy Krulik, for writing this series of entertaining and pertinent books for this age group. I wish these books had been around when I was facing middle school. Please keep them coming!

Middle school was long ago for me, however, I have told every middler schooler I know about this series. It's awesome. The characters are very realistic and the problems genuine.

Jenny McAfee is simply trying to survive middle school. She is up against a best friend who has turned enemy (sometimes) and a group of kids known as the Pops. The Pops don't know how to have fun, but they know how to put on makeup and gossip. However, when the gossip turns out to be about them, they turn on each other.

This book is fun and loaded with some great tips. The website is up and running as well!

My fiancée is a huge Vegas fan. He tries to go there once a year with the guys. He gave me this book as a joke, hoping that I might consider Vegas for our nuptials. Well, guess what? I'm thinking about it. Like most people, I think, I have always considered Las Vegas weddings a bit cheesy, but that's all in the past. As the author points out, Vegas stands for fun with glitz and glamour thrown in. Well, I probably won't get married in Vegas (although I now know where to turn for chapel-shopping), but I can certainly see why so many people visit Las
Vegas again and again.

This book gave me some good information about places to get married. It had a little bit more "fluff" that I had to sift through to get the information, but it was useful.

Last March my wife and I had a renewal of vows ceremony at a Las Vegas wedding chapel with an Elvis impersonator. This book perfectly captures the fun and excitement of our experience. This book makes a perfect souvenir of the occasion. We are giving copies to all our guests who had joined us. For all pop culture buffs this is a perfect book for their personal libraries.

We have all heard, or seen, the crazy world of adults dating. From blind dates to speed dating, it may all seem too desperate. But speed dating for teenagers? Mads, Lina, and Holly are back in this fifth installment of THE DATING GAME series. After the unfair events of parents wanting to shut down the website, the girls are ready to take it to the next level. Instead of having to pair couples up by using information about each person submitted to the website, they decide to let their classmates do the talking by creating speed dating. So they set up their plans at the widely popular Vineland Café, and invite kids from their school to meet and greet the opposite sex. Each person writes comments about whoever they meet so that Mads, Lina, and Holly are able to pair them up perfectly.

But the new addition to the website isn't the only thing that the girls have to worry about. Mads is definitely trying to learn to kiss her boyfriend, Stephen, the right way, without him having to pull away. Lina has to deal with the consequences when she starts to write about the very familiar couple Tess and Peter in her new blog. And the newly single Holly has to decide if the guy she accidentally met at the speed dating event is real or not. The girls are definitely back with much bigger problems than before.

SPEED DATING was a great addition to this page-turning series. Although some of the important characters from previous novels do not make their way into this story as much as before, Mads, Lina, and Holly still keep your attention. After reading this novel, SPEED DATING sounds better than ever.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Holly can't believe that her fantasy relationship with Rob is officially over, and without a good reason. All he told her was that he didn't have time for a relationship right now, and poof...it was over. Now Holly is on the rebound, and her two best friends, Madison "Mads" and Lina, are on a quest to set her up with Mr. Right. So they organize a Speed Dating Party - a time when fifteen girls meet fifteen guys for six minutes each, and get the chance to see if they'll meet the guy - or girl - of their dreams. Holly does, when she lays eyes on Eli. But his romantic recitation of cheesy lines leave her wondering if Eli is who he says he is, or if he's wearing a mask to conceal his true personality. Lina, on the other hand, is competing for an internship of a lifetime with the local newspaper, and spending every waking moment working on her blog about a made-up couple named Peter and Tess - who are truly Lina and her boyfriend, Walker. By writing about the romantic moments the two have shared, Lina gives Walker the reputation of a "whipped boyfriend," and ends up having her ideas stolen by the snobby witch, Autumn - her competition in the "win an internship" - esque contest. Now, she must try and put Autumn in her place, and win the internship fair and square if she truly wants to make it in the investigative journalism department. As if all that weren't enough, Mads is struggling with a very difficult situation. Every time she gets close to her boyfriend - kissing-wise, that is - he pulls away. Now Mads must try and figure out whether she's doing something wrong, or if her guy is just a little bit wonky.

Dating, kissing, boyfriends, and the like are basically the most confusing things a girl has to deal with in today's day and age. But now, thanks to the A DATING GAME series by Natalie Standiford, girls will have the opportunity to see how well things can turn out in the end, and discover some of the secrets lying inside the dating world. Mads, Holly, and Lina are exciting characters, all with their own flair for fashion, and individual personalities, which will make it easy for readers to identify with one, and truly "feel" what she's going through. With situations that will make grown women laugh out loud, and various scenarios that are bound to happen to all girls at some point during their time in "the dating game," SPEED DATING is sure to win points with all - young and old. Mix in the fact that there are some super fun quizzes sprinkled throughout the pages, and you're in for a scream. One that involves boys, kissing, and the wonderful - yet confusing - world of dating. All's fair in the game of love and war. And when these girls are involved, along with a handful of guys, the war is on.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Who knew we learned to speak so we could flirt with one another and foil each others romantic schemes!? A fascinating read for non-scientists and genuine evolutionary psycologists alike.Robin Dunbar supports the idea with thoroughness that prompts other sciences to site the work.

Professor Dunbar's thesis is that language evolved as a substitute for physical intimacy (grooming, not sex) as the basis for bonding a social group. As human communities grew too large for each member to personally groom each other member, we developed language as a means of "grooming" verbally, if not physically, a greater number of companions. The structure of language, including the words that we use, is designed for the purpose of advancing the social and sociological goals of the communities and individuals who use them. Very thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Chicago lawyer Nick McAllister arrives in nearby Maplefield to destroy the reputation of a do-gooder, the Protestant Reverend Annie Lane. He detests the woman on two accounts though he never met her before. She destroyed his half-brother Jason Vonkall who tried to commit suicide due to her when he drove his car into Lake Michigan and her hypocrisy reminds him of his father.

At first sight the pair are attracted to one another, but he is stunned by how virginally different she seems than what he expected; he assumes like his father she is a great performer. Nick "blackmails' Annie to visit Jason, who admits he never met her before. Jason explains to her about meeting her sister, Tanya, the spoiled actress known as the "world's sexiest viper" and insists he was not trying to kill himself. As her flock begin to whisper about her indiscretion with Nick, she falls in love with him; he reciprocates but remains at best an agnostic skeptic when it comes to God's existence and an atheist when it comes to organized religions like she preaches even as Tanya's Hollywood actions involving her druggy spouse and a protective cop will soon come to roost in the Midwest.

LANE TO HEAVEN is an entertaining contemporary romance with some suspense (with a support character named Hardball what would one expect) that comes late in the story line. The lead couple is an interesting pairing of a skeptic (hopefully my brother-in-law Stephen does not read this, but he is a lawyer) and a believer whose lives intertwine due to the antics of siblings. Fans will enjoy this fine tale in which Nick learns that love is the LANE TO HEAVEN on earth.

Harriet Klausner

Annie Lane does her best to maintain a spotless reputation as a small-town preacher. She makes it her business to be a good example of clean living, especially to a troubled teen. When Nick McAllister arrives to exact revenge for something Annie didn't even do, everything she has worked for is jeopardized.

Nick thinks he sees Annie for who she really is: the woman who drove his brother to attempt suicide. The son of a hypocritical preacher, he aims to show everyone what lies beneath her Godly demeanor.

What begins as a case of mistaken identity quickly turns into something more, as the pressures of community, obligations, relatives, and emerging love push Annie and Nick into new territory.

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always engaging, LANE TO HEAVEN is not your typical love story. At first blush, readers might expect something of the inspirational variety, but this is a contemporary romance--one that will appeal to a broad readership.

Daniel beautifully illustrates small-town life and the people that come with it. Besides Annie and Nick, there is a fair number of supporting cast. While many authors struggle with balancing so many personalities, Daniel succeeds in making each one unique and memorable.

Pick up LANE TO HEAVEN for fresh writing from a debut novelist.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
01/03/2007

4.5-Books on WUAT = 5-Stars on Amazon