Game Shows Books

I had to grab this book, I guess it was the first? MADicine is my new favorite, with that funny and fun and sarcastic House-like Alban Bane. Love that guy! So, naturally, I had to grab The Game. Well, it's quite different in some ways. Darker, and a little bloodier, because here Armstrong is spoofing up serial killers and Silence of the Lambs. You've got to love someone who can take on Hollywood knowing it'll probably kill a book-to-movie deal, because here Bane attacks Hollywood, reality TV. I love it. Because I read this backwards, MADicine first, I miss not having Ada Kenner and Pan the rock star around to be Bane's foil, but it was nice to see big old Arm and his two adorable but disturbed teenage daughters. So, I felt at home, and Bane's just as funny here, but it is darker. Just a warning on the ending, which gets intense. But Bane's as good as ever, House-like, funny, tough, sarcastic, charming, lovable.

Derek Armstrong's The Game is thrilling and enthralling. Witty repartee and snappy dialogue create moments of brevity in an otherwise intense roller-coaster ride of a story. This book reads like an action-suspense movie; Armstrong weaves an intense tale that manages to entertain while commenting on the fascination our country has for the genre of reality television. Armstrong skewers voyeurism and it is a pleasure to go along for the ride. I highly recommend The Game to anyone seeking a great book to fall into. You won't want to put it down-- and the book leaves the door open to the sequel, MADicine, coming soon from Kunati books.

There is simply not enough humor in this world. Since the sixties, ethnic humor is tabu, or is it taboo. Somehow we decided that the frailties of human nature shouldn't be funny, whether ethnic or otherwise, leaving us with almost no subject to dump our ridicule upon. However, there is salvation on the horizon and it seems that Derek Armstrong has found it. It is reality television.

In his novel, The Game, he has focused our attention on just how utterly ridiculous reality television really is. His story is a mystery sure enough, but basically he strips the veneer from the broadcasting genre and shown it for what it is and we discover that what it is, is just silly.

Red Evans author of On Ice

POSTED AT THE REQUEST OF ELINA McGEE: Capital punishment of a serial killer and a reality-television show with a warped twist, the setting of The Game, quickly intrigues the reader. The reality show guests, trapped in a haunted mansion, all become suspects when it becomes the scene of a copycat murder, follwed by a succession of killings. Character development of the game show participants, broadcasting crew and the pill-popping detective, Bane, with his comical sarcasm, serve to make this mystery thriller that much more captivating. When I finished the last page of The Game, I found myself wishing I could purchase the sequel immediately!

Derek Armstrong provides the best reason to turn off the TV--his exciting new novel THE GAME. It's a send-up of reality television, full of murderous action on the set of "Haunted Survivor", and a thrilling ride to the climax with detective Alban Bane. Don't wait for the movie--read the book!

OK, so it was the title that got me since i was not a "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" fan. My friend loaned it to me and i had HAD to check it out. Then i had to have one of my own.

What a clever, funny book that was clearly written from the heart. What a fresh directive. I could almost hear the author talking to me. I could almost "see" the people and nearly experience what was going on, the desciptions were so clear.

I think Im now a Millionaire Fan..

Now i tape all the shows to find J.E.'s show and watch it. -THANKS ALOT -

All i need to know now is.....what's next Millionaire Boy?

about writing a review for this book, Millionaire Boy/The Adventures of a Game Show Contestant, that I forgot to rate it with stars. 5 STARS! 5 STARS! 5 STARS!

Loads of fun!
A very entertaining read!

I wanted to read this book for several reasons. ONE because it was about one of my favorite tv programs, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and TWO because the author was from Montana.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly! It was well-written and very amusing.
The author has a very comfortable style. It is really like he is talking right to you. There are inner monolouges to let you know what he is thinking at key parts of the book.

This was a very visual book, because the author's descriptions of people, settings, and activities were superb!
I had read other reviews of "Millionaire Boy" and questioned if people were really laughing out loud as they claimed.
I can atest to the fact that this is a very funny book and, yes, I DID laugh out loud. SEVERAL times!
I have passed the book along to other fans of WWTBAM and they have enjoyed it as much as I did.
I too am looking forward to the author's next book.
I think he has a great future ahead of him.

Have a game show fan or a Regis Philbin fan on your gift list?
This is a book for them!
But like I said at the beginning, "Millionaire Boy" really is a book for everybody!

This book was a lot of fun and much like several of the others who have written reviews of Millionaire Boy:The Adventures of a Game Show Contestant, I found myself laughing outloud several times.

The perfect sitting by the pool book!
If you like Dave Barry, you'll appreciate the humor in this book.

Anybody know if the author has written anything else?

With all the wit of a Dave Barry read but better! Full of humor and trepidation about making a public appearance on national television. The true story of making your dreams a reality. A great book that is very difficult to read without pausing to go back and read parts out loud to who ever might be around to listen...friends, family, cats, pillows.

I've really been enjoying this book, ten minutes at a time. It explains the rules (I'm not sure I had realized there were any)behind the action, and includes capsule looks at number of bots I've seen locked in the box. The author talks about the costs of some bots, the time involved in designing them, and the number of upgrades they've gone through. I suggest this book for any fan of the TV show or the sport.

Fun book, lots of great pix, and a spread on my favorite robot: Dr. Inferno, Jr. What's not to love?

If you or someone you know likes BattleBots, Robotica, or Robot Wars, this is a great book. It has tons of high quality still and action photos. It also has great descriptions and pictures of famous bots and bio's of their builders. Find out how much your favorite BattleBot cost or how long it took to build! The book also has basic instructions on how to build a bot plus simple examples of different design types. It also has the Win-Loss record plus stats (like # of Knock-outs) for every bot. This book has something for everyone. It has enough "meat" to it that die-hard fans will love it and the photos and stats will keep even young kids engaged.

This glossy coffee table book is packed with photos, robot CAD drawings and a thorough history of the BattleBots competition. The abundant photos, in depth builder and robot profiles and stylized design caputres the real spirit of BattleBots. I love the chapter on "How to Build a Bot"- the step by step tutorial and comparison of materials provides solid advice to newbie builders like me. It is the best book on robotic combat I have ever seen. A must for all robot enthusiasts.

Great book! The history and the personalities behind Battlebots are really interesting. The machines are given the level of attention you always wanted to get on the show. Great looking too. Put it on you coffee table; guests will actually pick it up (and spend half an hour with it!).

Our kids love solving mystery games. They seem to be having a lot of fun with this book, but getting them started was a little slow: there is a clue-tracker sheet that one must create before moving on with the book and, for some reason, our girls (9 and 12) seemed a little put off by this task. But, now they have done that and seem very engrossed in the art scandal.

My only recommendation is to 1. Maybe plan to help your kids create this clue-tracker sheet or, 2. The publisher should include it as a tear-out item in the book (which probably adds to production cost).

I put this book out as extra reading during free time. The kids can't get enough of trying to solve the mystery. They don't realize they are learning about art at the same time.

The day after I gave this book to my 12 year old niece, she called to say, "I LOVE my birthday book...are there any more like it?" And there are, thank goodness! This is the cleverest idea I've seen yet for enticing people to really look at art...and not just kids. Upon receiving the book, I immediatly sat down to solve the puzzle and didn't get up until about two hours later. The framework for presenting the art, that the reader is a detective attempting to find the fakes, is completely self motivating and the fakes are so well done that one must really look closely to discover the differences. The Great Art Scandal, another book in the series, is quite a bit harder to solve...I am still working on the third book, Art Auction Mystery.

I bought this for Christmas for my son who is 7 yrs. old. We enjoy looking for the clues together, while learning about some of the most famous painters and their paintings!

It is a lot of fun! I suggest keeping a notebook and pencil by this book, as you will need to keep track of painting details!

Enjoy - great investment!

Wink is one of humanity's gems. A brilliant man, genius perhaps. Where would the world be without 'Gambit' I wonder? My only response to the question is a nervous shudder.

To many of us who are still in college, we may only know Wink Martindale from his gameshow "Tic Tac Dough". But there is a lot more to this very talented and gifted man.

Next to the 19 gameshows that he hosted, he had a very sucessfull career in radio, getting his very first start on his hometown's own radio station. He also went on to have a million selling single "Deck Of Cards". Then began his long and still current career as gameshow emcee.

He begins by telling of his childhood in Jackson, Tenessee. He mentions his love and fascination of radio, and his longing to one day be the one announcing the news and playing the music that was heard by everyone for miles around. He also tells of the major influence his brothers and sister had on him, as well as his parents. Also, he tells how he got his nickname of "Wink".

Without giving away too much, I can honestly say, that if you are a fan of Wink, that you will really like this book. Wink is a fantastic writer and keeps you glued to every page. When I first started reading his book, I looked at the clock a while later and didn't realize that an hour and a half had passed!

There are also A LOT of photos and a nice collection of color photos in the center of the book.

I give this book 5 stars, because of the many autobiographies that I have read lately, this one is not only informative, but also heartwarming and entertaining.

Highly Recommended

To many of us who are still in college, we may only know Wink Martindale from his gameshow "Tic Tac Dough". But there is a lot more to this very talented and gifted man.

Next to the 19 gameshows that he hosted, he had a very sucessfull career in radio, getting his very first start on his hometown's own radio station. He also went on to have a million selling single "Deck Of Cards". Then began his long and still current career as gameshow emcee.

He begins by telling of his childhood in Jackson, Tenessee. He mentions his love and fascination of radio, and his longing to one day be the one announcing the news and playing the music that was heard by everyone for miles around. He also tells of the major influence his brothers and sister had on him, as well as his parents. Also, he tells how he got his nickname of "Wink".

Without giving away too much, I can honestly say, that if you are a fan of Wink, that you will really like this book. Wink is a fantastic writer and keeps you glued to every page. When I first started reading his book, I looked at the clock a while later and didn't realize that an hour and a half had passed!

There are also A LOT of photos and a nice collection of color photos in the center of the book.

I give this book 5 stars, because of the many autobiographies that I have read lately, this one is not only informative, but also heartwarming and entertaining.

Highly Recommended

Wink Martindale is one of TV's best Game Show hosts! From the popular 70's "Gambit" (which I liked so much I used "Gambit" as my CB 'handle' back then) to the most recent "Debt", Wink has kept us playing for so many years! Hopefully we will see more of Wink as host in the future! Meanwhile, this book is a great read as it lets you get to know one of America's favorite hosts a bit better. It also gives you a great insider's look at TV game shows! (Chock full of exclusive "behind the scenes" photos!

0n the TV show, YOUNG LOVE Sweet Valley Middle School kids are on it. Yep, that right! They get to be on TV!...

This book is GGGGRRRREEEEAAAATTTT! A Super duper BOOKKKK! I say, if you're a Sweet Valley fan, e-mail me at mimipony38@hotmail.com. This is a great book! Makes you want to read, The Boyfriend Mess! Trust me, that one is even better!

This book was so funny I almost laughed my head off. I can't believe the twins really switched parts, and it was so funny the way Elizabeth acted. Especially Sophia Rizzo's boyfriend, how he mixed up those words! This book is one of the most funniest books I have ever read.

I ordered this book because I think maybe I could get on a game show and win a lot of money. It has great information about "Millionaire", "Greed", "Hollywood Squares", "Jeopardy", "Twenty One", "Wheel of Fortune", "Win Ben Stein's Money", and "The $64,000 Question". It is a pretty book with lots of pictures, and it is very well edited.

But the best thing about the book is the 37 sets of "Millionaire"-style trivia questions. My family has had a blast taking turns being in the "Hot Seat", trying to making it to $1,000,000! These questions are Great! They are right on target with the kinds of questions that you actually watch on the show. Plus, they are very funny with some of the absurd answers that are given as possible choices. I definitely give this little book a "thumbs up" and say order this fun treat for your family.

My husband, Michael Dupee, and myself co-authored this book 5 years ago, and now we really could be TV Game Show Millionaires by following our own advice -- found in this book. My husband, Michael Dupee, is participating in the Jeopardy Ultimate Tournament of Champions which has a top prize of $2,000,000. What's more, by quizzing my husband at home to help him prepare to compete on the show, I have become really good at the trivia needed to win on Jeopardy, so maybe I will audition to go on Jeopardy after Michael completes his current tournament. Who knows? Maybe I can have a 75-game winning streak and win $2.5 million like Ken Jennings did.

I picked up this book at a book fair more for the trivia practise questions than because I had any aspirations to be on a game show. On a whim, I took the book to cafeteria duty during my job as an elementary school teacher and at the end of the lunch period, began to ask the kids questions from the book. It set the tone for the days to follow - the kids would ask when I arrived if I had "The Game Show Book" - if I did, they ate quickly and focussed on me when we organized our own after-lunch game show. Because the questions are arranged from easy to hard, it was easy to quite difficult, making it easy to adjust them to the grades that were present. The more difficult questions were quite difficult; of the 37 practise games in the book, I only got all the way to the hardest questions myself once.

Not all of the Quiz shows referred to in the book are still on, but the questions and tips given - which letters are the best to pick for "Wheel of Fortune," for example - make it a very worthwhile book.

I was planning our vacation to Los Angeles when my husband suggested we attend a taping of a TV show. I didn't know where to start looking for information so I went to the main library and asked if they had any books on attending TV shows in LA. I was surprised when they showed me "Appearing on TV Shows for Fun, Fame & Fortune" by Lee Ellis. It is a terrific resource. It lists over two hundred shows to be in the audience or as a contestant. We choose to the game show "The Price is Right." The book gives the ticket info and the way contestants are choosen. We got our tickets by e-mail and we were off to LA. When we got to the studio everything went smoothly and we were interviewed to be contestants. But,our luck was not to be, we did not hear our names announced to "come on down" as contestants. Even though we didn't get to be contestants it was a great experience. If any of you want to be on a game show or any TV taping, I sugguest you get this book. It helped me alot.

Lee Ellis' Appearing On Tv Shows For Fun, Fame & Fortune: A Guide For Audiences, Contestants & Guests is a very practical guide to entering game shows such as Family Feud and The Price is Right; talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show or Politically Incorrect; PBS shows such as The Antiques Roadshow; Court TV such as Judge Judy or Reality TV Shows such as Big Brother and Survivor; or being in the audience of popular sitcoms such as Titus and King of Queens. Each of the many individual shows presented has about a two-page writeup, with ticket information, studio information, and clear instructions for becoming part of the show. Highly recommended for anyone with a serious interest in joining a television show audience, especially if the purpose is becoming a contestant!

I loved the case of the Game Show Mystery! It is really good, it is one of my favorite books in the series! Here is a summary of the book. Mary Kate and Ashley have just won a chance to play on their favorite game show Double Trouble. They are really excited, but when they get there they have yet another case to crack. Someone seems detirmened to make sure Mary Kate and Ashley lose. Mary Kate and Ashley have to figure out who is causing all the trouble before it is too late! I hope you decide to read this book! It is great!

This book wasn't like other "New Adventures" book. The Case of the Game Show Mystery actually had an interesting story line.Plus, what made it a good read was that it was both fictitious but realistic in a way. This book is about when Mary-Kate & Ashley are picked to be contestants in their favorite TV show, "Double Trouble". But there is someone who wants them to lose...BAD. Well, that's all I can say;cuz if I say more, I'll give you too many clues that when you'll be reading it, you'll have the mystery solved before the famous Trenchcoat Twins have! :-)

This guide is great!It docoments over almost every tv show,such as Series like Gilligan's Island,Game Shows like Jeopardy,Wheel of Fortune,Jep,and Wheel of Fortune 2000,variety shows like iQue Sanco Rachon,cartoons like Powerpuff Girls and Dexters Lab,Educational Programs like 3-2-1 Contact(3-2-1 Contact is the secret,is the moment,when everythin happens) C'mon,you know the lyrics,and Specials like the Peanuts and Inspector Gadget series of specials.Every TV maniac,freak and fan will wanna own this book!

This Book is All The Rage! It contains info on series like The Cyber Troopers,Mickey Mouse Club and Alvin and the Chipmunks,game shows like Wheel of Fortune 2000,Jep,and Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego,variety shows like iNadoro Diaza,cartoons like Dexters Lab and Powerpuff Girls,educational programs like 321 Contact,and tv specials like Inspector Gadget saves Christmas.If you children out there love children's tv,then this is the book for you!