Book Description

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is the ultimate American fashion icon.Jay Mulvaney, author of Kennedy Weddings, celebrates her unique style in this lavishly illustrated book.

JACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a richly illustrated history of those magical years when the Kennedys captivated a nation and the world.Her glamour was electric, her style imaginative, and the effect was brilliant. Jacqueline Kennedy's fashions from the White House years, over two hundred outfits, are illustrated with three hundred photographs, in both black and white and color, many previously unpublished or rarely seen. Also included are photographs of jewelry and accessories as well as memorabilia, all exploring the continuing impact of Jackie's fashion sensibility on our culture.

The range of illustrations and text is broad, including:

Early Fashion Influences
The Inauguration Ensembles
Gowns for State Events
The Wardrobe for State Visits Abroad
Private Living and Casual Wear
French Designers: Haute Couture in the White House
November 1963
Mrs. Onassis and the Post-Camelot Years

JACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a striking portrait of an unforgettable fashion legend.
... Read more

Reviews (22)

A GLORIOUS look at the fashion life of a legend...
JACKIE THE CLOTHES OF CAMELOT is a work of perfection from the very first page (when you open the book there are some gorgeous "extra" photos of Jackie to the very last page where there's a very touching picture of Jackie taken a few days before her death...looking peaceful, serene and beautiful.

I've read all three of the books that have recently come out on this subject and, while they all are good, this one is the BEST BY FAR. Jacqueline Kennedy the White House Years, the official catalogue, is just that, a catalogue, and not a book and it doesn't include MOST of the clothes that Jackie wore during her time in the White House. What's even more confusing is that the book doesn't include all of the interesting documentation about her work in the White House that is included in the exhibit at the Met. Why is that I wonder? And Jackie Style is a stylish book, but a little to flip for my taste and it barely skims the surface of Jackie's extraordinary life and has a sparse set of photographs, although some of them are rarely seen, it's because they frankly aren't that good...

But this book is wonderful...dozens and dozens of wonderful photographs, with vivid color and including her entire White House years, a look at her early years and the fashion influences that helped shape her style. It also includes a section on her post-Camelot years where we can see Jackie age so gracefully...

Then there are the stories of her life, and her remarkable contributions to American culture and history. These stories are so interesting, written with wit, insight and a lot of inside information.

This book is a WINNER!

A LAVISH TRIBUTE, AS ELEGANT AS THE LADY HERSELF
Jay Mulvaney has worked magic in his tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. This book, with a huge number of never before seen photos, is like an illustrated history of the Camelot era...and the book brings the romance, hope and promise of those times back to life, in black and white and vivid color.

More than the pictures though, are the words...choice little stories that recount the history behind Jackie's wonderful work in the White House...each "photo caption" (it seems unfair to call them that, they're so much more) is a little vignette that illustrates in words what the photographs show us.

Jackie did so much in such a short period of time, and this book captures her magical essence...

Truly a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in Jackie, in fashion, in history, in style and beauty.

Excellent record of 60's style as seen thru the eyes of JO
I am not a die-hard Jackie O fan, but I love fashion in general. I have always thought of Jackie O as a fashion icon, and wanted to learn more about her. Until now, I have never seen a book that pictorally does her sense of style justice. However, in this book there are enough photographs both in black and white and in color to satisfy any fashion junkie or Jackie O fan. No matter what the situation, Jackie O was always appropriately and fashionably attired. This book does an excellent job of showing this by portraying her clothing choices through the years and in a variety of categories. This book does not go into great detail about Jackie O as a person or historical figure, I don't think it was written with those objectives in mind, but it should satisfy the fashion cravings of most people. I highly recommend it.

Chic at its best!
Who else, in all the other First Ladies, could have worn all those beautiful clothes with the chic and style Jackie had! Not many I guess. In this beautiful book, there are some never seen before pictures, that demonstrates what elegance in fashion is all about. It will take a long time before we can see that again in the White House. I treasure that book that makes me relive that unique period of refinement and class that once was in the White House, thanks to Jackie!

Not worthy
I reckon this book doesn't worthy the money if you already have "A Thousand Days of Magic: Dressing Jackie Kennedy for the White House" by Oleg Cassini, or if you don't have "A Thousand Days of Magic", I strongly recommend it instead of this one. 90% of the pictures and sketches of Jackie's clothes are also included in "A thousand Days of Magic", which provides a much larger collection of her wardrobes/pictures and more detailed illustration of the design and her style. The outline and paper quality of "A Thousand Days of Magic" are also much better than this one, which is poorly presented by surrounding the pictures with lots of words. I very much regret that I bought this book :( ... Read more

Book Description

On the hugely successful hit reality TV show The Apprentice, Donald Trump tells his contenders that location and pricing are supremely significant. But in his own life, there have been other maxims: Do whatever it takes to win. Don't spare the chutzpah. Always use the superlative. Make everything into an advertisement for yourself. Whatever happens, always claim victory. Following these personal commandments, he has turned bragging, self-inflation, and showing off into competitive advantages that have brought him national and international renown.

In Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, best-selling author Gwenda Blair recounts a true-life history with more twists and turns than any television producer could possibly imagine. Towering skyscrapers and glittering casinos, a luxury airline and a football-field-size yacht, steamy affairs and bitter lawsuits, near bankruptcy and stormy feuds -- all this and more are part of the life of Trump.

An adaptation and update of her definitive biography, The Trumps, this new book provides fresh material on Donald Trump's brushes with bankruptcy, mammoth construction projects, and ever-expanding place in American life. Drawing on recent interviews with the celebrated real estate magnate, his associates, his rivals, and contestants from his television show, Blair offers new insight into the man who seems to have it all. For the first time, we also get a glimpse of the person who will ultimately decide the fate of the Trump brand: Donald Trump, Jr., the real-life apprentice who hopes to put his own imprint on his father's empire. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Re-packaged and updated, in order to ride the wave
Everybody and his brother wants to ride along on Donald Trump's current wave of popularity. During the past year, we've seen books appear by Apprentice-candidate Amy Henry, first Apprentice winner Bill Rancic, board-room colleagues Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross, and naturally, several business / autobios by Trump himself.Now in early 2005, we have two new Trump biographies:this title, and "No Such Things as Over-Exposure," by Robert Slater.But this one isn't entirely new.It's based on a longer book that Gwenda Blair released in 2000.

"The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire" was a much thicker volume, divided into three equal sections: the first for grandpa Friedrich Trump's immigrant story, the second for father Fred Trump's rise in New York real estate, and the last for son Donald's takeover.Several glossy pages of photos were included so that we could see the family grow and change along the way. In "Master Apprentice," Blair used her previous work as a foundation.She stripped the Friedrich and Fred sections away, condensing more than 200 pages into an interwoven 6-page introductory backstory.She eliminated the photos.She kept the same chapter titles and structures for Donald's section and added a final 16-page chapter that covers the last five years, chronicling the Atlantic City bankruptcy and the tremendous fame surrounding "The Apprentice" TV show.The last four pages turn the reader's attention to Don Jr. and predict his own beginning success.While much of the original text remains the same, Blair should be given credit for retooling and refining some of the initial writing and adding new details where they are pertinent.The final outcome doesn't look or read like a slapdash piece, and it's not a carbon copy of "The Trumps."

Blair's work stands apart from the other books mentioned because of the substantive detail she's gleaned about every Trump deal ever made.(It's appropriate that many negotiations hinge on the Atlantic City properties, because the facts read like a never-ending Monopoly game gone tremendously awry.)Her research is exhaustive and her bibliography, extensive.She spoke to hundreds of individuals, though seemingly, not to Donald Trump himself.The result isn't a glowing account of its main subject but is about as neutral as it can be. The reader is left to decide whether Donald will ultimately ride off into the sunset with a white hat or a black one covering that signature coiffure.Given his drive to be the best and to have only the best, we know at least that the horse would be the fastest, the Stetson would be the largest, and they would both cost more than the average American's annual salary.

Read this book (or its predecessor) first.It will provide perspective for the rest of the titles in the Trump / Apprentice canon. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

the very best
David's work is amazing and I really enjoy it and could not
beleive what a wonderful item this really is

(...)

Security and cameras see everything!
Oh! This book is a keepsake.
Whether you are a big Disneyland fan or just not a swooner for Disneyland, you will find something in this book you'll enjoy reading.You see although many wonderful, magical things have happened inside Disneyland, several naughty things have happened too.This book will expose the employee that liked to take his pants off and run around the elevator in the Haunted Mansion (page 87).The submarine worker who stripped down to his underwear to save a mermaid.The worker that used to hide under the Haunted Mansion track to put his hand under women's skirts.The overweight man stuck in Injun's Joe's cave.The rats that used to jump around Tom Sawyer island.The kitty cats that hide in the forestry waiting for Disneyland to close.The obese woman stuck in the railcar.Her husband had too push her out with his feet to get her out (page 121).
The lovers did what on the Inner Space ride?Security was waiting for them at the end of the ride.
Did you know that New orleans Square had a jail .It was not an attraction, but the real thing.That was where security took the unruly guests the park.
Security used to be in every dark corner and entrance/exit.Now they have cameras in trees, in the walls and on the rides.You can see one on the Splash Mountain ride hidden in a little house with a roof.Security can even be dressed like a guest waiting in line in front or back of you.
Also you will learn how the creator of Mickey Mouse's voice and cartoonist, Walt Disney had this idea of creating a new modern amusement park that almost was built in Burbank.You will see just what was on those acres of land before the bulldozers took over. With only one year to build the castle and Disneyland, Opening Day, July 17, 1955 had many embarassing bloppers especially on live television as Art Linkletter recalls.Even Walt Disney got caught in an embarassing moment.
Every story is accurate and true as told by former cast memebers.Author, David Koenig painstakingly contacted over 200 employees, went through libraries, examining 650 Superior Court cases against Disneyland and still even more eye-blurring research just to get the facts ma'am for what turns out to be a very entertaining and funny coffee table book.It sits nicely on your bed table too.
Second book: "More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage AtDisneyland.
Third Book: "Mouse Under Glass: Secrets Of Disney Animation And Theme Parks"
Special 50th Anniversary Edition: "Mouse Tales: A Behind-The Ears Look At Disneyland: Golden Anniversary Special Edition" with Audio CD. (Hardcover).

Excellent, Fun, Informative Read
I first read Mouse Tales as a boy when it was first released. At the time I was obsessed with Disneyland and this book was a great outlet for practicing such obsession. Now I still love it, even as my enthusiasm has given way to more grownup admiration.

The clever narrative is not pessimistic but honest, and events and mishaps are handled with an overall humorous air. Interviews with former cast members are carefully interspersed, making Mouse Tales an enjoyable piece of non-fiction. I loved this book and now when I go to Disneyland I can look up and see the skull where the boy got bitten by a spider, or the bird that used to be over the entrance to Adventureland, or truly appreciate how ornery the swans can be,

I hate Disney, but I love this book!
It's really a breath of fresh air for me to see that somebody else out there sees through the spectacle, debacle, and pretense that is Walt Disney Corp. Please do not misunderstand me. When I say "I hate Disney," I don't mean Walt Disney the man. The kind, gentle, visionary who wanted nothing more than to enlighten the world's families to a fresh and new kind of theme park and entertainment. No, I mean Disney TODAY. Disney the business. Disney the corporate beast, and monster that lives on swallowing up everything in it's path, yet still kisses the ass of special interest groups left and right. This, in my humble opinion, is the height of hypocrisy. Actually, More Mouse Tales goes into much deeper focus with this side of the Disney Resort, and the administration, but this first volume is still a must read for anyone who wishes a sneak peak "behind-the-ears" as the title says. Whether you love Disney, or you hate it, you should find this book massively enlightening, and mesmerizing, not to mention funny.Buy "Mouse Tales," and chase it with "More Mouse Tales."

Entertaining and educational
I got this book yesterday, and I must say, I'm impressed. It's amazing how many dumb things people sue Disney over! It has a bunch of entertaining information, like pranks that cast members pull. Definitely worth it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Waste of trees
I pre-ordered this book. Read it. What can I say about it, it lacks the basics of law. Mr. Chandler seems not to understand if child pornography is found in someone's house, they have to get charge with a crime. Even if you love or hate Mr. Jackson, this book is not accurate, in terms of the law. If you were to believe Mr. Chandler, then you would have to believe the FBI covered up the crime. Because child pornography is a deferal crime, not a local crime, but federal. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

hot stuff!!!!!!!!!
this'll get you hotter than georgia asphalt!!!!!!!!! only problem is its kind of big and hard to hold with one hand.

For Chanel-cluless to Chanel-expert
(nermin8@yahoo.com) How to recall sectet life of the most influencal fashion Mademmoiselle of all times? For the first Chanel-biographyst it was a nightmare...So we should give a huge respect to evry new Chanel biography, and not just for this reason... Also this biography deserves great respect. Though, some questions aren't yet answered (they may never be), this colourful book, introduces us to some new detailes about the "Chanel cut" as well as Coco herself. Must read to any haute couture lover or dreamer... ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (7)

Good writing...
But, the story is so tawdry & Jimmy Donahue so scurvy, it's a hard read. The author presents information about his upbringing that tries to make you feel a little sympathy for Donahue but it's hard to feel sympathy for such a loser. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor were wastes of human beings, too. The more you read about them the more discouraged you get. What wasted opportunities! They could have done so much good but were such selfish, self-centered & STUPID people. No wonder the Royal Family can't stand to hear their names mentioned. The book reads kind of like a prolonged Dominick Dunne article in Vanity Fair.

Take it to the beach...
OK, so the author isn't going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book. But why should he? It's a book about an affair. A tawdry affair at that.

Initially, I payed attention to the other reviewers and didn't buy the book. But I have a fascination with Wallis and Edward (as vapid as they might have been...)and wanted to know more about Wallis' relationship with Jimmy Donohue. I must have read at least 10 to 15 books about the couple, and despite what the one of the reviewers said, I've only come across a few rare references to him. This book fills in the gaps.

So is it great literature? No. Is it an interesting book? Yes, if you like the subject matter, and know something about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to begin with. I enjoyed the book.

I'd had hopes, but...
This book doesn't do much more than re-hash rumor, gossip and innuendo--and some facts--that I've already read in better-written, more thorough and scholarly biographies of the Windsors. I didn't notice any glaring inaccuracies; on the other hand, I didn't notice that the author broke any new ground. He seems to have relied heavily on previously published biographies of the Duke, the Duchess, and the British Royal Family in general, all of which a serious Windsorite will have already read. Also--let's face it--we read books like this one to be titillated, and the author fails utterly to titillate us. Save your money.

Juicy subject, Pedestrian treatment
You'd think an author couldn't go wrong with this cast of characters, ultra chic jet set locations, and deliciously lewd sex play. But Christopher Wilson took all this potential and and threw it away with the writing style of a schoolboy whose book report was carelessly dashed off before class. Repetitive adjectives, lackluster prose, and unintelligible chapter beginnings and ends - I was hollering for the editor the entire read. I kept saying aloud "OK, that's a start, but now let's unearth some real dish, and show me the proof!" Gossip CAN be transformed into history with proper scholarship. This promising biography of three fascinatingly spoiled and twisted people disappointed me.

Wonderful!
3Dancing With the Devil : The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue2 is a sweeping adventure of scandal and euphoria among glitzy cafe society, adeptly brought to life by biographer Christopher Wilson.

In this case, the name 3Donahue,2 is directly related to a very famous name: Woolworth. When 35 & 102 chainstore mogul Frank Winfield Woolworth died in 1919, he left as part of his substantial legacy great hopes for his cherubic grandchildren. He visualized his heirs evolving into hardworking, benefic, God-fearing, and rational adults. But alas, if he did happen to look down from the heavens years later, I know that several of his descendants would have provoked a disgruntled sigh; including the spendthrift, serial divorcee Barbara Hutton...

But the mischievous, downright extraordinary exploits of his grandson Jimmy Donahue would have sent Woolworth longing for Divine intervention. The fact is that, the only thing Frank Woolworth and his grandson Jimmy shared (other than a notable gene pool) was a compulsion for the spotlight.

That compulsion, along with a host of others (some advantageous, most unsavory) are unveiled in this wonderful, fast-paced book. In Dancing With the Devil, we meet dashing Jimmy Donahue, a man who had entirely too much free time on his hands, and entirely too much money at his disposal. We learn that Jimmy1s access to money, along with his excessive adoration for luxury, his psychological baggage (he even witnessed the suicide of his manic depressive and bisexual father) and the questionable role model Jimmy found in his jetsetting mother --all combined to create an intriguing, complex and colorful personality. Wilson depicts an international playboy who defied reigning sexual taboos and balked at authority, yet was sometimes ridden by deep guilt. Donahue exhibited such random amounts of innocent rakishness and sensual greed; of hearfelt generosity and rash wastefulness-- that even his closest contemporaries were not sure what to think of him.

Wilson expertly peppers his historical accounts with authentic detail, smoothly leading us into post WWII Paris, then sweeping us back to the United States to the playgrounds of Palm Beach and Long Island. Clearly, Wilson did a great deal of research on this book, conducting scores of interviews and tracking down hard to find information.

Of course, Wilson1s readers are also treated to little known details about the odd triangle between Jimmy Donahue and the Windsors, thus providing an interesting account of the last untold episode in their lives.

As in Jimmy Donahue1s life, there is nary a dull moment in Dancing With the Devil. (Do check out the 3Acknowledgments2 which reads like a Who1s Who in and of itself). Definitely recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A family affair
Fortune's Children was a good read for anyone interested in how the rich lived in the late 1800's. The author detailed the main characters very well as well as the over the top, outlandish homes that these characters resided in. It is truly a nice look into that era and what it all meant to be a Vanderbilt. Reading this book has piqued my interest in other books about the first rich family of America. Once I began reading this book I had trouble putting it down.

A good 50,000 Foot Overview
If you have toured a Vanderbilt house in Newport RI, Hyde Park NY, Northport NY, Florham NJ, or in New York City (Yes, one of the original Vanderbilt homes is a store on 5th Avenue and 52rd Street) and have had your interested piqued, then this is a excellent book for an overview of the family and there beginnings. The book never goes very deep but gives you a very good understanding of how the Commodore made his first $95 million and how his son, William, turned it into almost $200 million. But the best part of the book helps you understand how the next generation of William II and Cornelius III and wives spent almost all of the incredible fortune. The author, Arthur Vandy, is kinder to Alva than most books, but hey, they are related.

Subject Matter Not So Exciting for an Actual Vanderbilt
I am a great-grandson of William K Vanderbilt Jr. and I must say I don't find all of these books about my relatives particularly fascinating. It is interesting though that the fortune was largely gone within a century and that my more well-to-do relatives are such because of my other family side's prudent investing (my grandmother's family), rather than inheriting great Vanderbilt wealth, they inherited decent sums (certainly fortunes but nothing like the Vanderbilt ones) and have played wisely over the years, rather than spending their wealth like fiends.

Excellent read
I loved this book.
True history that surpasses fiction, written in an entertaining way. If you have ever visited the mansions in Newport, you will especially appreciate this story.

Vanderbilt Voyeurism
"Fortune's Children" is an enormously fun read. Arthur Vanderbilt relates how his ancestors accumulated and then depleted an almost unimaginable fortune. In the process they created a lot of majestic homes and even more miserable people.

It all starts with the Commodore, a poorly-educated miser with a mean-streak and a wild side. It ends with the battle over baby Gloria, whose genes prepared her for the jeans that brought the family a fresh infusion of cash. In between, a variety of Vanderbilt spendthrifts and misanthropes. There's George, who built the largest private home ever constructed in the US -- Biltmore Estate. By the time he was done, he was out of money, and his heirs couldn't afford to live there. There's Consuelo, bullied into marrying a Duke by a mother with royal-mania. And there's Reggie, a gin-soaked playboy whose greatest accomplishment was looking good in a tux. Oh, the humanity.

The author spends a little too much time on the supporting cast, including Ward McAllister and Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish. They're interesting but take the focus away from the main characters. He also fails to flesh-out a number of family members, including Alfred, who inherited the bulk of the fortune but had the misfortune of booking passage on the Lusitania.

Photos and a family-tree help you keep straight who's who, and all in all, this portrait of the people who personified the best and worst of "The Gilded Age" is most worthwhile. And, more proof that money can buy comfort, but not happiness. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

I enjoyed this ghost story ...
This was exactly what I was looking for: a nicely written, page-turning ghost story. The perfect summer beach vacation book --- or anytime, for that matter. Just don't read this before going to bed.

A Must Read for Anyone Interested in the Gold Coast
Add a star if you are from Glen Cove or the local area. This book is not what I expected. I purchased thinking it would be an historical account of the mansion and its occupants but it turned out to a compelling ghost story. It was enjoyable and informative.

Interesting Account of the Gold Coast
This book is interesting in its account of the Woolworths and their haunted mansion. However, I was not impressed with the historical details in this book. This books seems more like a fictionalized account of a woman's experience in a haunted mansion than a non-fictional account. The fact that I learned very little of the life of the Woolworth and his life left me at a loss at the end of the book.

Ghost Story Memoir
This book is a memoir, yet chronicles a haunted house. Its very interesting and the author does a great job describing the "Gold Coast" of Long Island. The history of the area, however, does not overwhelm the story, which according to the author is true. Read this book if you are interested in the history of Long Island or ghosts. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

A Book For Cemetery Connoisseurs
Visiting cemeteries is not only a lot of fun, but it is cheap entertainment when visiting a large city. Autor Patricia Brooks has divided the book into regions of the country and provided both pictures and interesting tidbits of the famous and infamous who are buried around the country. More photos in the book would have been desirable, but then the amount of text would have had to have been reduced. Following the information as to who is buried in each of the visited cemeteries, the address, visiting hours, and telephone number is provided for those who plan on a closer look of their own. Many interesting individuals had to be omitted due to the number of people buried in places such as New York and California. However, the book may be on an off-beat subject, but it is, nevertheless, an interesting book on an interesting subject. If you enjoy prowling through cemeteries looking for the graves of notables this book will not disappoint you.

A Cross Country Grave Hunting Extravaganza
I read this book from cover to cover last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will also add that I am already familiar with most of the information covered in this book and I still enjoyed it. I gravehunt for a hobby which is basically as good as saying I've never seen a cemetery I didn't like. Heck, I even waste entire vacations hopping from one cemetery to another. That having been said, here is the scoop on this book.
This is not a guide for gravehunters per se. It does not provide precise instructions as to where all identified personalities are buried. It also does not contain comprehensive listings of all permanent residents of interest buried in the cemeteries included.
What this book does do is highlight the best cemeteries in the continental United States. It provides the addresses for these cemeteries, their hours of operation, good information regarding the safety of the areas being visited, and a thumbnail history of each cemetery selected for inclusion. It also may contain a general list of celebrities interred within, as well as mini-biographies of some of the more prominent subjects as well as generalized instructions as to where specific graves are located.
This information included is about 99+% correct. I did find a couple of errors which I believe were obtained from other sources which have been proven false but continue to be perpetuated in other books and/or publications.
As for the overall appearance of the book, the publisher did a fantastic job of presenting an appealing package. The photos are very clear and the general layout of the book is not only user friendly but very attractive. Amazingly, this book is very clean in the sense that it was well-written and well-edited. I've seen a lot of really badly done books in the past 5 years or so. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT ONE OF THEM.
Now for the big question......why buy this book? It is a lot of fun. There have been a lot of books published in recent years covering this subject (i.e., cemeteries). Some are very specific in terms of geographic location, the type of person buried within (movie stars, politicians, historical figures, etc). This book takes those elements and basically is a compilation of the very best of the best. It cuts through a lot of garbage and gives you the ones that tourists will like the best. Whether you want to visit a large number of the cemeteries included or visit a couple of them, this book will provide you with enough information to base your decision on. It is also a neat read.

Where the Bodies Are
Patricia Brooks brings to her role as food critic for "The New York Times" a sure palate, fluid style and voice of decorous authority. But she often garnishes her reviews with a wry and piquant humor and -- when some meal or dish fails to meet expectation -- can readily throw the pepper and spice.
It hardly surprises then that the author brings the same sure style, wry humor and zestful approach to what some might regard as a ghoulish undertaking -- cemetery reviews. Making us first aware that -- much more than mere resting places -- they additionally serve as tourist attractions,parks,places to picnic,sit,read,meditate and even in my case,jog -- she guides us not only through final resting places but through American history, culture and sociology.
It fascinated me to find that pugilistic hero of my Irish youth,Gene Tunney went down for the 'eternal count'in Greenwich -- not far from my own CT 'corner';that the full 40 inches of Tom Thumb lie beneath a "40-foot-high white marble tribute" in Bridgeport;that John Ford -- director of classic westerns like 'Stagecoach' that even in rainy Dublin caused me try to swagger like John Wayne on some cactus-dotted plain -- lies beneath the "grassy land and rolling hills" of a cemetery in Culver City and finally, that the headstone of James Dean, whose appeal -- since all the girls had already fallen for him -- made me feel so inadequate as a teen,is still covered with lipstick kisses, though he would be over 70 were he still alive.
Pat Brooks has presented us with a thoroughly researched, beautifully written, rich-textured and fully-flavored book that everyone should savor. ... Read more

Book Description

Warning: No celeb was spared during the writing of this tongue-in-cheek stroll down the red carpet of fashion, fame, ego, and blinding glitter. Written by the man who isn’t afraid to tell Christina Aguilers her hairdo is a disaster, Red Carpet Diaries could make you feel you know more about Hollywood shtick than Nicole Kidman’s stylist. If you begin to get too much pleasure from Cojocaru’s lizard-skin-jumpsuited journey from ridiculed misfit to #2 on Cynthia Rowley’s speed dial, put the book down and turn on an episode of Antiques Roadshow to calm your heart rate. Also: do not try to operate heavy machinery while reading this book.

Indications: For relief of boredom, wistfulness, insecurity, and bad hair days.

Directions: Read the incredible story of Cojocaru’s rise from schoolyard joke to one-man celebrity status meter. Laugh, cry, lather, rinse, and repeat.

Active ingredient: Unadulterated fashion, style, and wit.

Imbued with style that is pure Steven, and packed with insider gossip from a man who spends his days chatting with Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, or Sarah Jessica Parker, this irresistible memoir is a peek behind the glamorous façade to the real deal—the dirt beneath the red carpet. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Waiting for his next book
I love celebrities and their clothes and their makeup and reading about them, so I enjoyed this book. My only complaint was that I wanted more backstage dish. Steven's section in People magazine is second only to the celebrity clothes pictures. I loved Melissa Rivers comment on Elizabeth Taylor. More pictures and dish in your next book, Steven!

2 Thumbs Up!!
Finally!! I've been anxiously awaiting for someone to put what all of us (non-celebrities) have been suspecting for years! Steven truly is the Howard Stern of fashion. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. Each page is filled with humor, heart and intelligence. I truly felt as though I was with Steven during all of his journeys, including the "Red Carpet." Never before has there been such a well written fun book by someone who has the guts, brains and experience to back it all up!! Kudos to Cojo for a job well done!! My only question is when is the next book being released?

As Hollywood Inside Info Goes ...
I love Hollywood gossip books. This was the biggest waste of paper ever (and mind you, without the added highlighted quotes taking up most of the page ...) Really no inside scoop on anyone or anything, much less the author himself. A series of "aren't I cute" quotes that made me feel quite empty at the end. One of the most shallow people I have ever read about, used to like his appearances, now he makes my skin crawl.

Perfect dish.
I love Cojo's sassy commentary on tv and in People. This book lives up to his honesty on the red carpet. He always tells it like it is and this book is no exception. It's not brain science, but it's fun and fluffy, and he never claims to be doing much more than having a good time. I spent a very satisfying afternoon immersed in the glam world of celebrities and Cojo.

It's just a book
I have been reading the other reviews and every one who disliked the book needs to relax. If you didn't like it, you didn't like... that's what makes horse racing. I however, was entertained and found the book quite funny, perfectly matching COJO's television personality. It's an easy read that I really enjoyed. It's cute and funny and does not deserve the harsh response it has received on amazon.com. Great beach reading...nice job Cojo. ... Read more

Book Description

1995 was, for Julia Sweeney, a truly horrible year. She got a divorce (amicable), bought a small bungalow in Hollywood, and looked forward to a life that said, "Here dwells a happily single young woman!" But then the ax fell. Her younger brother Mike was diagnosed with terminal cancer and moved in with her. Her parents came to be with Mike--and moved in with her. Suddenly her tiny bungalow for one was filled to the rafters with Sweeneys.

Here she was sleeping on her pull-out sofa bed while her father walked around, his Walkman on all day and her mother marveled at Julia's lack of such staples as stroganoff mixes. Every day was spent bringing Mike to and from chemotherapy, every evening watching "Chicago Hope" or "E.R." Julia was now on seriously intimate terms with the people she had spent half a lifetime growing up away from.

Just weeks before Mike died, Julia was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer--what Mike called her "sympathy cancer"--and within days of burying her brother, she underwent a radical hysterectomy, beginning her own journey through "the International House of Cancer."

From these Job-like travails, Julia has written a remarkably funny and touching memoir about a family in extremis that manages to persevere with humor, grace, and love. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Sweet Monologue
Julia Sweeney's one-woman show about the time in her life when both she and her brother were dealing with cancer has been filmed and is now on DVD. GOD SAID, HA! does not hide the fact that Julia Sweeney is performing a one-woman show. She stands on a stage and delivers the monologue as the audience watches and laughs.

Julia Sweeney is best known as the asexual character "Pat" from Saturday Night Live. In monologue-mode here, Sweeney is much softer and sweeter than I imagined her to be after watching SNL. She's basically a nice Catholic girl and the stories she tells about her family are engaging and charming. Her manner of delivery is very matter-of-fact and a bit "stagey". But don't be turned off by that. The story she's telling has a payoff, and her message is honest and true.

GOD SAID, HA! will not rock your world. But it is a slice of Julia Sweeney's life - both comedic and sad.

A Funny, Touching, Poignant Book
Julia Sweeney's God Said Ha! is a marvel of a book. The book is about Sweeney's life, and her struggles. One minte it's funny, the next is heartbreaking and touching. The real beauty of the book, and Sweeney's wonderful writing, is that the book can be heartbreaking AND funny at the same time. The book deals with her brother Michael's bout of cancer. He moved in and she took care of him, while maintaining her sucessful career. Then, in a horrib;e twist of fate, Julia learns that she has cervical cancer. The same kind of cancer that claimed the life of Sweeney's SNL peer Gilda Radner. Luckily, Julia survived. The book also touches on her parents, who are told about in a truly hysterical way. How many parents are like this?. The book is a swift read. It's very easy to get into and read in almost one sitting. I actually got to meet Ms. Sweeney on a few ocassions. My family babysat her niece and nephew. She came to my house as well. We were also lucky enough to be invited to the premiere of her 'Pat' movie, as well as a reading from the book by Sweeney herself. She is a sweet, lovely person. This book is sweet as well. A good read. Trust me.

the joke's on God
God said HA and then he gave her cancer. Julia got a great oncologist and said HA HA. Yeah, sounds hilarious to me.

Loved the stage show, had to get the book
Since I've had cancer, lots of people give me books on the topic. It's not often I actually read one all the way through, and the only one I really LOVED was "Bald in the Land of Big Hair" by Joni Rodgers, because it's really hilarious and not about cancer so much as it's about the rollercoaster of life. This book is a close second to "Bald" -- funny and able to be really cool about life and death issues. I couldn't stand that Pat skit on SNL, but Julia is a wonderful writer!

And Julia Said, "Ha ha ha...."
I filled out the rating thingie above because it was a required field. It should be considered "unrated" by me because I seldom feel comfortable assigning numbers to people's memoirs.

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In a country possessed by the demon of efficiency, it's easy to forget that in the aftermath of tragedy, it's normal to alternate between mourning and cheer. Instead, we tend to derail both by stuffing the need to mourn; the tears denied then turn into anxiety, heavy-heartedness, or even depression, one reason Prozac is so popular in a country that will not let mourning work itself out naturally. ("Break down"; "losing it": what mechanistic metaphors for what in other cultures is so natural an opportunity to grow through initiation!)

Some books do a good job of helping us greet our mourning--Romanyshyn's THE SOUL IN GRIEF, C. S. Lewis's A GRIEF OBSERVED, etc. But they aren't so great at reacquainting us with the crazy, funny, absurd side of the tragic--and that's where this conversationally written book comes in.

In it you will meet various characters. The first is the author, whom you might already know through her Saturday Night Live persona and her various performances. You will meet her parents, who bestow upon her the fabulous unasked-for blessing of moving in for a while. You will meet Rita, who needs a wig, and Gus, who eats out a lot. And you will meet Mike, diagnosed with lymphatic cancer around the time that the author is diagnosed with a rarer kind.

Incidentally, you will also meet the Pope, the author's favorite person in all the world. Well, not the Pope himself, but one of his books, to which the author had a strong reaction when she picked it up at the bookstore. (Funny thing: I picked up one of his books once and had the same reaction. There must be something about his aura of benevolence that brings that out in people.)

At a time when more and more public figures bash parents and ex-lovers in the name of "speaking my truth" ("venting my spleen" would be more accurate), the author has a nice way of writing personably about loved ones and their foibles without demonizing anyone.

To those stern folks who don't think that even death can be laughed at, I can only commend the words of Robin Williams: "Joke 'em if they can't take a f---." ... Read more

Book Description

The influence of the salons of Paris on the thought and culture of the eighteenth century would be difficult to overstate. These meeting places for the vanguard of society were presided over by a succession of clever women, and the most brilliant of all of them was Madame de Stäel. Born Germaine Necker in Paris on April 22, 1766, her father was a powerful banker and her mother a Swiss pastor's daughter who never got over her good fortune in marrying a rich man. In 1786 Germaine was married to a secretary in the Swedish embassy called de Stäel. Although she thought him "a perfect gentleman," she also found him dull and clumsy. She began to take lovers-the Vicomte de Narbonne and possibly Talleyrand-and then Benjamin Constant, in whom she at last met her intellectual equal. In 1806 her novel Delphine was published. It was an instant success and praised by Goethe and Byron, among others. Her salon thronged with glittering visitors, among them the tsar, Talleyrand, Madame Recalmier, Chateaubriand, Lafayette, and Wellington. Maria Fairweather gives an entrancing, illustrated account of this vanished world, so merciless to outsiders, but for those of the inner circle incomparably glamorous and exciting. ... Read more

Book Description

At some point in the odyssey of our lives, most of us have been affected by caring adults who made a difference: their advice, their guidance, their example led us to encounter the world. The Person Who Changed My Life is a collection of essays in which individuals who have distinguished themselves in their fields write about the men and women who served as their mentors. Among the contributors are Walter Cronkite, Larry King, Dr. Arthur Caliandro, Elie Wiesel, Marian Wright Edelman, Julia Child, Gloria Estefan, and Dina Merrill.

All seventy-five contributors paint moving portraits of the people who had a lasting influence on their personal or professional lives. In so doing, they tell us something very personal about themselves. In this varied collection of essays, the word mentor takes on many different meanings--we read about favorite teachers, personal friends, older co-workers, and even fictional characters.

In the foreword, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton writes about her own experiences with mentoring and emphasizes the importance of getting involved in programs to help children in the early grades by giving them positive adult role models. And in the introduction, Matilda Cuomo describes how mentoring works and how you can become a mentor and start a mentoring organization in your community.

These informative and heartfelt essays by people who have excelled in their professions by hard work and perseverence, and with the helpful assistance of others, will inspire the reader to become a mentor and influence the lives of children in his or her own community. In his essay, Pete Hamill writes about how several mentors played a role in his life and discusses the importance of developing an internal mentor who is "a composite of a number of people, those we know and those we have never met." In the introduction Matilda Raffa Cuomo demonstrates how it is vital that children receive one-to-one attention from caring adults who can serve as inspirational examples to the children, teaching the children the value of hard work in school and beyond. She describes the many benefits children receive, her own memorable mentors, and the great sense of satisfaction a mentor experiences.

The Person Who Changed My Life paints a moving picture of human service, community involvement, and simple compassion. And its stories of success are testimony to the long-lasting impact a mentor can have on a person both as a child and as an adult. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good Book!
A lot of interesting information about alot of our favorite public people. It makes us realize how important it is to take the time to input into the life of the young person that may cross our path in this life. You just never know who or what may come of it!

Read Marlo Thomas' "The Right Words at the Right Time"
I have read both this book and that authored by Marlo Thomas. Compared to Thomas' offering, this one is shallow and poorly edited. Some of the contributors offered up not one, but multiple people who changed their lives. The net result is a rambling of thank-you's and very little depth...very much like an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Love him or hate him, no matter how you feel about Bill Gates, you've got to respect him. As the richest man in the world and leader of the most successful company of our day, Gates has achieved a level of success that even the Almighty might be jealous of. In Bill Gates Speaks, Janet Lowe captures much of the Gates legend by weaving together stories and quotes attributed to Gates in speeches, newspapers, and interviews in a short and easy-to-read volume. The book covers everything from Gates's time at Harvard to the construction of his "home" on the shores of Lake Washington near Seattle. The result is a well-rounded look at the man who has helped to shape our present more than any other individual alive today. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (17)

No Meat To This BooK!
I like to be told a story. Although the book starts with a good story on how Bill Gates got started, it quickly digresses. This book is an accumulation of facts and boring accounts about Bill Gates and Microsoft. It never gets into the meat of things. I would have liked to have read more about the litigations against Microsoft. Maybe some more about Nescape's lawsuit. It mentions very little about the Antitrust lawsuit that I was looking forward to learning about. Instead we get quotes from Bill Gates that do not enhance the book, but instead interrupt it. The author references websites about Microsoft's and the government's claims about the lawsuit. It's like the author got lazy. Don't waste your money on this book. A very big dissapointment!

I WANT TO BE BILL GATES
I read this book in three hours.It captured my imagination and I came to the conclusion that I want to be Bill Gates. This book gave me motivation in life. I am sure it will do the same for you.

Nothing "Original" But Still A Good Book for Young Teens
This is one of a series of books that covers highly successful, highly visible individuals and how they got that way. These books are targeted at school age teens to inspire them to follow their paths for success. The author seems to cover the life stories of Bill Gates and adds quotes where appropriate to boost the storyline. There are occasional segments on subjects related to Gates as shown in the Amazon's "Look in" review. It's an easy read with only 230 pages. If you read any of the other books such as "Gates" or "Hard Drive" you'll get the feeling of reading this book before. Since the work isn't original and seems to heavily reference other books I give it 3 stars. The only question I have is whether the author actual sat down with Bill Gates and talked to him or did she really just go to the library, the Internet, etc. to get info on the book. As a first book on Bill Gates life, it's still a good read for young adults looking to be inspired.

It's just a sumary of other books
It's an easy to read story of Gates, but there's nothing new here. In fact, the whole book is made up of quotes from other books and articles. You can't really tell if they are taken out of context or not. There's just not much original stuff here.

Not what I thought
While this book was well written, I was dissapointed with what I learned about Bill Gates. There was not enough detail and the book was pieced together from a number of different quotes, which is ok for many biographies but the extent of the number of quotes compared to the varied sources did not complete the picture.

The books cover claimed 'Insight From The Worlds Greatest Entrepreneur' but I did not feel an insight.

Despite the above, if you like Bill Gates and want to learn a little more about him, I recommend this book. There are some fun stories and some things to be learned about the man. It is put together nicely, it makes a high claim but does not completely deliver on this claim. ... Read more

Book Description

Since 1940 Slim Aarons has been hard at work, first as a war photographer, then with unprecedented access as a photographer to the rich and famous. In this gorgeous sequel to Slim Aarons-Once Upon a Time, he develops the environmental portrait to the level of art, always showing his subjects in their natural setting, in a circumstance synonymous with their station in life. He documented a particular world that is vanished. A Place in the Sun is that special glimpse of privilege under a bright and beaming sky, whether on sandy shore, snowy slope, or elegant home where cares are few. Through 250 stunning color pictures, Aarons provides a veritable who's who of high society: Aristotle Onassis with his first wife, Tina, and their children, Christina and Alexander; C.Z. Guest at her villa in Palm Beach; the Aga Khan at his Sardinian resort; and Truman Capote in Palm Springs. From Mustique to Monaco, from Aspen to Gstaad, only Slim Aarons can take us on a journey to the most exclusive playgrounds of the rich, inspiring even the most jaded armchair traveler. ... Read more

Book Description

The Titled Americans is a family saga spanning three generations, chronicling the glamorous lives of Leonard Jerome, his daughters, and their children. Raven-haired Jennie ("the beautiful') married Randolph Churchill, younger son of the Duke of Marlborough and was Winston's mother.Dreamy, blonde Clara ("the good") was romanced by the dashing Moreton Frewen, a penniless younger son who unsuccessfully but relentlessly tried to parlay his immense charm into a fortune even though, one after the other, all his speculations failed, while quiet Leonie ("the witty") married into the Leslies, a distinguished Irish family who were disappointed by their son's bride.Although full of princely lovers, balls, and diamond broaches, the story's heart is the intensely supportive and laughter-filled relationship between the sisters. Waves of grave financial hardship afflicted them all, but they always rallied to rescue one another. Beginning in 1840s America and ending in the middle of World War II when Britain was under the leadership of Jennie's son, Winston Churchill, The Titled Americans is an epic story of family and fortune encompassing both the apogee and the twilight of the British Empire. ... Read more

Book Description

"Americas top gossip columnist spills the beans as she traces five decades of battling press agents and editors and landing celebrity scoops." (Variety)

From Tallulah Bankhead to Joan Crawford to the Kennedys and Madonna, the ultimate insider, Liz Smith has hobnobbed, air-kissed, and lunched with just about everybody who's been anybody over the last half century and then rushed to tell the world all about it. Now, in this candid, down-to-earth autobiography, she tells all about herself, and does it with the kind of style and warmth that has made her one of the most widely read columnists in history. But she wasn't always famous, and in Natural Blonde she reveals how a young woman from rural Texas came to New York hell-bent on making something of her life. From her salad days as a small-time reporter, typist, and proofreader to her triumphs at the Daily News, Newsday, New York Post and her 1995 Emmy for reporting, Liz tells what it's really like to be seen and heard by millions of people every day. One of the most quoted people of our time, she offers a rare, private peek into the real person behind the witty quips and media coverage. Certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated autobiographies in years, Natural Blonde will give Liz Smith readers the item they've been waiting for the ultimate inside scoop from the "Grande Dame of Dish." ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Shadow Lady
As a person who believes a fine way to keep up on national affairs is to read "People" magazine, I naturally couldn't resist the autobiography of uber gossip columnist Liz Smith. If I had to use one word to describe this book, it would be "cautious." Ms. Smith is ever-mindful of what goes around can indeed come around and therefore, the book has an "I Will Not Be Offensive" air, particularly to mega stars, publishers, and the like.

Ms. Smith must be a lady who lives in the "now." There is no past, no future, just today. She entertainingly writes of her childhood in Texas, but once she has left home, Texas and the family disappear. She had two marriages, both unsuccessful, and she writes as if she doesn't remember them very well. She doesn't complain, she doesn't reflect, just moves on. She never tackles the power/respect problems, i.e., how many of these glittery people are really her friends, and how many merely fear the power of her column? How does she feel about her entire literary reputation is based upon a gossip column? I think it would be a lonely and uncertain life; however, I don't even know if Ms. Smith has considered such things. In her excellent last chapter, she discusses frankly what goals she had had and whether she had met or exceeded them. Perhaps she did not reach high enough.

The writing is snappy, and moderately interesting. Grade: C

Great fun
If you learn anything about Liz Smith from her book, it would be that she is extremely well liked by the people she writes about. What a career! - invitations for great weekend getaways with the rich and famous, staying at luxiourious hotels and riding on private jets, dinners during the week with her close friends Barbara Walters and Joel Schumaker. When you get to the chapter where she reveals that she has been Katharine Hepburn's guest at Fenwick on several ocassions, the average reader may feel that their own life is pretty drab. Liz Smith does not reveal that much about herself but her engaging personality comes through in her writing. It is apparent that she is fair, honest, and extremely likable. When she does dish the dirt on a few famous names (and this happens only a few times), it is because they actually deserve it. Lee Radziwell and theater critic John Simon, for example, have been exposed by others in the press as mean spirited individuals, and Smith's quoting of their comments really comes as no surprise. What is surprising are the people that I didn't really expect to like (like Ivana Trump) and Smith allows you to see them in a different light. Smith sometimes make you wonder if she herself is somewhat snobbish toward the common people - she is irritated to find that Roy Cohn has invited a lowly tv repairman to dine with them and Barbara Walters. And one of the things that she dislikes about ballooning is the fact that you sometimes have to share a brandy with the farmer in who's field you have landed. Well, I suppose she can't be perfect. Her book is a very entertaining read and recommended for those who are curious about the private lives of the rich and famous.

A list, a series of events, not a story
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.

A fun and funny read...
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.

good for summer
I've always enjoyed reading Liz Smith - and I did enjoy this book too. I actually enjoyed reading about her youth more than I did about the stars she writes about - it was an inside look at the woman who knows everyone.

Once she got her career on track - it is still interesting - but you've read it all before. In some parts she is very vague - and in others - you get a little too much. But, a good summer read. ... Read more