Have you ever left behind one of your shopping lists at the grocery store? Well, author Hillary Carlip might have picked it up. Ms. Carlip has been collecting these discarded lists for years and she's turned them into a book called A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Shoppers. Ms. Carlip says you can tell al lot about a person by his or her shopping list, so she imagined each character based on her observations.
The Wall Street Journal's Bob Hughes goes shopping with the author in this interesting video.
A Florida plastic surgeon has written a book that explains mommy's plastic surgery to a young child and it's immediately become a sensation. My Beautiful Mommy by Michael Salzhauer, M.D. explains why mommy will be out of commission for awhile before she emerges from her cocoon of bandages, a newer, prettier mommy. Some think the idea is great while others think it's heralding the end of society as we know it.
Dr. Michael Salzhauer said so many moms brought kids to their appointments that he was motivated to stock up on lollipops in his Bal Harbour, Florida office. In My Beautiful Mommy, he explains mommy's recuperation, changing look and desire for plastic surgery.
"Many parents don't explain to their kids what's going on," said the father of four, with his fifth child on the way. "Children are very perceptive. You can't hide a major surgery from them. When mom goes down for two weeks after a tummy tuck it affects them."
Illustrations show a crook-nosed mom with loose tummy skin under her half shirt picking up her young daughter early from school one day and taking her to a strapping and handsome "Dr. Michael."
Mom explains she is going to have operations on her nose and tummy and may have to take it easy for a week or so. The girl asks if the operations will hurt, and mom replies, "Maybe a little," warning she will look different after the bandages come off.
The girl asks: "Why are you going to look different?"
Mom responds: "Not just different, my dear — prettier!"
Here's our take: mommies are getting lost of plastic surgery and they have to explain it to their kids somehow: and this book certainly does that. The only problem is that your child will then blab everything in the book to your entire social group. But, hey, people aren't hiding plastic surgery like they used to, so perhaps you should just embrace it.
Or you can always lie to your child and invent some other reason why you look like a mummy wrapped in bandages, then you look terrible and then you look fabulous. It's your call. You can buy the book only through the publisher, here. It ships in time for Mother's Day.
We love Meg Cabot. She writes like a zillion books that are all just too much fun. When she's not writing or blogging or shopping, she sometimes does video blogs. In this one she re-enacts a dramatic scene from the classic 1980s John Hughes film, Pretty in Pink starring Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy.
Meg's latest trade paperback release is She Went All the Way, which is worth buying for the title alone.
Tim Gunn of Project Runway appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart last night and discussed why New York Fashion Week is so important. Surprisingly, Jon is a fan -- he gives his best Heidi Klum impersonation and even knew who Sweet P. is. Here's the clip:
Here is a fun new tradition you can start in your home.
Elf on the Shelf is a little elf doll that reports directly to Santa Claus.
Kids can tell the elf their Christmas wishes. They may also want to
be on their very best behavior as the Elf on the Shelf has Santa's ear.
Some children also like to name their elf.
Place the little elf around your home during the weeks before Christmas.
During the holidays the elf watches children carefully during the day.
At night when the kids are sleeping the elf magically returns to the North Pole
to report to Santa Claus. In the morning the elf appears in a new place which
offers a daily hide-and-seek ritual for kids. Kids will love trying to locate the
elf's new location each morning.
Elf on the Shelf comes with a 28-page hardcover illustrated book that explains the story
and an 8-inch elf doll. The story is based on on the tradition author Carol
Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s.
Jennifer Garner was recently photographed carrying the Elf on the Shelf book so
little Violet must have an Elf watching him and reporting back to Santa. Be good Violet!
Elf on the Shelf can be purchased from the elfontheshelf.com website for $29.95. There's little time left for the elf to report back to Santa Claus this year but he could be a gift this year and then begin his reporting in December 2008.
Books are such a great holiday gift -- if you take the time to figure out the taste of the recipient of course. We've selected some of 2007's hottest books in a number of different genres that are sure to please any book lover. Amazon.com will get these books to your recipients before Christmas and offers great discounts on hardcovers.
For the Adventuress:
If she likes her heroines to kick ass, have a wardrobe to match and
prefers her romance on the steamy side, then she'll love the latest Eve Dallas futuristic cop thriller, Creation in Death by J. D. Robb (Putnam). Eve and her hot billionaire husband
Roarke go after a serial killer that has his eye on Eve as next victim. This noir-edged futuristic series gets better with each books. For a paranormal twist, the latest Meredith Gentry novel, A Lick of Frost, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine) will fill the bill nicely. Private eye Meredith Gentry is half Fae and a princess. Only one problem -- her Aunt Andais may kill her before she ascends to the throne. Neither of these books is meant for children -- or any aged relatives. Both authors revel in sexy love scenes and gritty plotlines.
For the Business Executive:
The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan. (Penguin Press) The memoir by the longtime chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan is a must-read for anyone in business or finance. Greenspan dishes the dirt on what really happened during his tenure as fed chairman and gives his opinions on everyone from Bill Clinton to George Bush.
For the Fashionista:
That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between by Victoria Beckham. Our beloved Posh tells her story of
style in this funny, down to earth style guide. She has some great pointers for looking taller, slimmer and for standing out in a crowd.
Another must-have is A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn (Abrams). The former head of the fashion department at Parsons School of Design and mentor to the aspiring designers on the Bravo hit Project Runway lays out his rules for looking fabulous in this must-have book. The ten pieces of clothing to build a wardrobe around, how to choose a handbag, how to dress for your figure -- it's all here in a handy little book. Even seasoned fashionistas will want to consult this primer, which is a must-have
for any woman just out of college and heading into the work world.
For the Harry Potter Fan:
Now that the series has ended, Arthur Levine books has bundled together a Complete Box Set of all seven books in the series, which arrives in a cardboard trunk to keep them in. It's a great value at under $120 -- purchased separately the books retail for $195. It's a must for any Harry Potter collector.
For the Horror Buff:
If his shelf is filled with Stephen King and he's seen all the Saw movies, he or she will love Clive Barker's new book Mister B. Gone (Harper). It's Clive Barker and it's scary. Enough said.
And for those that prefer their holiday stories out of the ordinary:
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket (McSweeney's). Lemony Snicket, who wrote A Series of Unfortunate Events, explains why Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas using a poor, misunderstood latke as his hero. Hilarious social commentary will amuse the grownups and the fun adventures will delight children.
When she's not writing bestselling books for adults and teens, the always hilarious Meg Cabot finds time to share her thoughst about important issues of the day with her readers. Here, Meg discusses the horrors of neck creping and what can be done about it. Meg's latest mystery novel (for adults) is Big Boned.
On the Top Chef Emmy nomination: "[It] was a big f***ing deal."
On life after her divorce from husband Salman Rushdie: "I'm really f***ing sad."
On writing her new cookbook: "Finishing the f***ing book was like being in labor for two years!"
On hosting dinner party: "I pulled this out of my ass."
Talking to Harvey Weinstein about her charity event: "I'm an ambassador now for Keep a Child Alive and we're doing a campaign and an event and you should buy a f***ing table." Weinstein's smiling response: "I will buy a f***ing table."
Responding to Russell Simmons who asked if she had a boyfriend:
"No, I don't," Padma said, laughing, "and if I did, I couldn't tell you. My husband would call f***ing Reuters."
On tabloid coverage of her romance with Salman Rushdie and her bra size: "[A gossip column] ran an item saying we were together and they ran my bra size," said Padma, laughing. "Except they got it wrong-they said it was 36C. I said, 34C, motherf***er!"
On her current living situation: "Now I'm staying in a hotel with all my shit in storage."
Yikes. Why do we have the feeling that the editors had to work overtime on Top Chef to delete all of her colorful comments? Actually, we'd love to see her uncensored comments on Top Chef when Anthony Bourdain was a judge. No doubt they terrified the contestants.
The new book giveaways sponsored by our sister sites, ReadersRead.com and WritersWrite.com, include:
Autographed copy of How to Get Somewhere in the Music Business:
From Nowhere to Nothing by Mary Dawson (CQK), the must-have
guidebook for every aspiring songwriter.
Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Warner Books), the
exciting and moving story of three women and their unexpected
and shocking adventure.
Widdershins by Charles deLint (Tor), the captivating bestselling
urban fantasy set in and around the mysterious town of Newford.
Science Fiction: The Best of the Year 2007, Edited by Rich
Horton (Cosmos), the collection of short stories that will
thrill sf fans. A Locus Recommended Reading Selection.
There's no entry fee of any kind and all email addresses are kept strictly confidential. Winners are selected monthly from a random draw. The entry form for the Book Giveaways can be found here.
VegetableGate is really heating up. First, Dierdre Donahue of USA Today wrote an article
in which we find out that 15 of the recipes published in April, 2007 in The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine the former publisher of Eating Well magazine, appeared word for word in Jessica Seinfeld's just published book, Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. Yet Jessica swears she never saw the other book. So far Missy Chase Lapine has been quite gracious about it, saying she wasn't going to directly accuse anyone of plagiarism. But then Jessica's husband Jerry Seinfeld got into the act. He went on the David Letterman show and did a whole monologue about how Ms.
Lapine is some kind of wacko and celebrity stalker. He even jokes that she's probably an assassin because she has three names.
It's pretty vicious, and ignores the fact that Ms. Lapine's book was not published "at the same time" as his wife's -- it was published six months earlier. And Ms. Lapine's full manuscript was submitted to HarperCollins (also Ms. Seinfeld's publisher) twice before, in February, 2006 and in April, 2006. They turned it down and Ms. Lapine signed with another publisher. There are 150,000 copies of her book in print.
"I'm surprised that on the Oprah show this was being touted as an entirely new technique pioneered by Ms. Seinfeld," Lapine said Saturday.
The idea of stealth nutrition is not new, Lapine says. "My grandmother used to do it," she says, but her book is the product of five years of research. "My book is not just a concept. My book is a how-to manual."
Moreover, she adds, "I'm concerned and troubled that Oprah credited and applauded someone else for a technique that was out there six months earlier."
Winfrey was not available for comment.
Lapine says she and her publicists pitched the Oprah show five times without success. She also points out she submitted her 139-page book proposal with 31 recipes and 11 purees twice to HarperCollins (Seinfeld's publisher), once in February 2006 without an agent and again with an agent in May 2006.
"The one big fact is that they had access to my manuscript early on," Lapine says. Seinfeld's book was signed up in June 2006.
"There are at least 15 of my recipes that ended up in her book," Lapine says. However, she says, recipes are hard to protect: "If you change one ingredient, you're safe." She says that after her publisher contacted HarperCollins, Deceptively's cover was modified from the one featured on a promotional brochure. The word "simple" was inserted in place of "sneaky."
"Seinfeld is a big name, and it garners more attention than someone who doesn't have a big name," Lapine says. She and her publisher have no comment on possible legal action.
We think Jerry may have crossed the line into slander with his little tirade against Ms. Lapine. After all, this is a woman who was a magazine editor. She's no celebrity stalker or "wacko." Her only weakness is that she doesn't have a billionaire husband to defend her on major talk shows. You can see the video here.
The Washington Post has examined the all-important issue of what kind of Halloween candy you give out to trick-or-treaters says about you. Steve Almond, the author of Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America), provided the in-depth psychological personality type treat analysis, based on....well, we're not exactly sure what he based it on. But we totally agree with his statement in his book:
"There's something incredibly liberating about a holiday that encourages children to take candy from strangers," Almond writes of Halloween in his book. Indeed. For some reason, Almond asked that we make clear that he is a "professional candyfreak, not a therapist."
Read on to find out what message you're sending to your neighbors:
Three Musketeers: Does well in groups but is somewhat pompous. Prone to fancy costumes and arcane weapons. Wears hats in public that are ill-advised.
Almond Joy: I'm going to put aside my aversion to coconut in praising these folks as happy-go-lucky.
Bit-O-Honey: They have contradictory personalities, hoping to express generosity but also having the passive-aggressive desire to damage the fillings of trick-or-treaters.
Butterfinger: Evasive, slippery, not necessarily to be trusted.
Candy Corn: Purely deluded people. They don't get that candy shouldn't attempt to imitate other food groups, particularly corn.
Good & Plenty: Optimistic, perhaps overly so. A little bit of Weimar energy. Strong advocate of gay rights; acquainted with the bitterness at the center of most lives.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Generous souls. Those who understand the salty in life, as well as the sweet.
Snickers: Just going with the crowd, the safe candy choice, guaranteed to please the masses. Not ambitious, but dependable.
You can see the full chart with more analysis of your inner psyche, completely horrifying calorie counts and then vote on your favorite treat to hand out here.
A word of advice, though: whatever you do, don't give out Twizzlers. They'll peg you as one of the "Sickos. Truly demented. Plastic people living plastic lives."
Jessica Seinfeld, the comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wife, has a hot best seller with Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook for parents of picky eaters. Ms. Seinfeld's celebrity and an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show have helped propel the book to the No. 1 spot on the hardcover Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous list in The New York Times, where it will make its debut a week from Sunday.
But a number of readers posting on Amazon.com and Oprah.com and other Web sites have pointed out some similarities between Ms. Seinfeld's book, which was published this month by Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins, and another cookbook published by Running Press, an imprint of the Perseus Books Group, in April.
That book, The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine, who is not a celebrity, also suggests that parents puree healthy foods like spinach and sweet potatoes and hide them in childhood favorites like macaroni and cheese or brownies. A week from Sunday it will be No. 9 on the paperback Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous list.
It turns out that Ms. Lapine, a former publisher of Eating Well magazine, had submitted her 139-page proposal for The Sneaky Chef," complete with 42 recipes, to HarperCollins twice -- once in February 2006 without an agent and again in May last year, the second time represented by an agent. Both times she was rejected. She landed a deal with Running Press in June 2006, the same month that Collins won an auction to publish Ms. Seinfeld's book.
"Honestly I can't speculate, and I'm not going to accuse anyone of anything," Ms. Lapine said. "I suppose it's possible it's a coincidence."
In a telephone interview, Ms. Seinfeld said she had come up with the idea more than two years ago in her kitchen while pureeing butternut squash for her youngest son and cooking macaroni and cheese for her husband and two oldest children. "I've been obsessed with this for the past two years," said Ms. Seinfeld, who worked with a chef and a nutritionist on the book. "I don't need to copy someone's idea. I've got enough going on in my life."
Apparently, people who had read both books noticed that the recipes were the same -- spinach in macaroni and cheese (blech) -- and the like, which is suspicious because the food combinations are so odd. (Not to mention revolting, but that's another issue entirely.)
Jerry Seinfeld says he "doesn't think we have another Watergate here" and so far Missy Chase Lapine hasn't sued anyone. But VegetableGate may just be beginning to simmer, as the media picks up on the story.
Writers Write, Inc. has added a new blog to its blog network called FantasySFBlog.com. Fantasy/SF Blog is a daily blog covering what's new and interesting in the worlds of fantasy, SF, and horror, including books, movies, TV and gaming.
It looks like Victoria Beckham is the new Oprah -- for diet books, anyway. You know you are truly an icon when you can spike a book's sales just by being photographed reading the book. That's what happened when Victoria Beckham was photographed reading the Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. The book has been flying off the shelves and online sales are booming.
A-LISTERS are renowned for their bizarre eating fads but a new diet book to hit celebsville claims to cut out the "crap" and tell it how it is.
Sales of Skinny Bitch soared by 674 per cent on Amazon after Victoria Beckham was spotted with a copy in Los Angeles at the weekend.
While it sounds like a guide on how to become a size zero lollipop with the bitching skills of Cheryl Cole, it's actually a vegan diet with a bit of attitude thrown in.
Written by ex-model agent Rory Freedman and former model Kim Barnouin - both self-confessed skinny bitches - it is billed as a guide for "girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous."
*****
But first, TV nutritionist and Sun diet expert Amanda Ursell gives her views.
The Skinny Bitch eating plan is basically a vegan diet, according to Amanda.
She says: "The authors want us to give up milk and dairy foods like cheese and yogurts as well as eggs, meat and fish. In a nutshell, it is a vegan diet.
As with any diet, if you follow it to the letter then you will lose weight but for your average woman it's not particularly easy to follow and you would have to be incredibly dedicated.
While much of the no-nonsense advice is good, the diet is quite extreme."
*****
So what can you actually eat?
Unrefined carbohydrates: This means wholegrain foods like oats, brown rice, brown pasta, brown pita bread, couscous, barley, granary and wholemeal bread because they are great for slow-release energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Fruits: Unlike the Atkins diet, the Skinny Bitch diet encourages us to eat fruit because it is so rich in vitamins, minerals and supernutrients. Preferably organic to avoid pesticides.
Vegetables: Again, preferably organic, to give us vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Pulses: Filling pulse vegetables like soya beans, red kidney, butter and cannelloni beans. Great for vegetable protein and fibre.
Soya: Around two servings a day of soya food, including soya milk, for protein.
One complaint by some readers is the crude and vulgar tone of the book. But some women loved the abusive style and just can't stop raving about it. The authors also have another book coming out in December, 2007, called Skinny Bitch In the Kitch, which is available for pre-order at
Amazon.com.
The new book giveaways sponsored by our sister sites, ReadersRead.com and WritersWrite.com, include:
Autographed copy of The Silver Moon Elm by MaryJanice Davidson
and Anthony Alongi (Berkley Jam), the exciting new adventure
in the New York Times bestselling Jennifer Scales urban
fantasy adventure series. Jennifer is a normal teen with abnormal
problems: she's half-weredragon, half-beaststalker.
Inspired Creative Writing: Pokes and Prods for Scribblers of
All Stripes by Alexander Gordon Smith (Perigee), the offbeat and
accessible guide to help aspiring authors get their imaginations
flowing.
Unaccompanied Women: Late-Life Adventures in Love,
Sex and Real Estate by Jane Juska (Villard), the funny, sexy and
frank story of a woman who refuses to give up dating, fun and
adventures just because she's passed the big 60.
Dead Ex by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday), the fabulously fun
mystery set in the fascinating world of soap operas.
There's no entry fee of any kind and all email addresses are kept strictly confidential. Winners are selected monthly from a random draw. The entry form for the Book Giveaways can be found here.
The new book giveaways sponsored by our sister sites, ReadersRead.com and WritersWrite.com, include:
Insufficient Mating Material (LoveSpell), the racy,
wildly entertaining futuristic romance by bestselling author
Rowena Cherry.
Autographed set of Murder on Nob Hill, The Russian Hill Murders
and an ARC of The Cliff House Strangler (all from St. Martin's Press),
the three books in the delightful and bestselling mystery
series by Shirley Tallman. Set in 1880's San Francisco, the
series stars a feisty female attorney who solves mysteries:
it's Legally Blond for the 19th century!
Autographed copy of Jeff Herman's 2007 Guide to Book Publishers,
Editors, & Literary Agents (Three Dog Press). It's the must-have
guide for all aspiring authors.
Floor Sample by Julia Cameron (Tarcher Penguin), the inspring
new memoir from the bestselling author of The Artist's Way.
Nothing is off limits in her life story: from her career writing
for Rolling Stone, her marriage to Martin Scorcese to life
in Hollywood, Julia tells it like it is, with her trademark humor
and wisdom.
There's no entry fee of any kind and all email addresses are kept strictly confidential. Winners are selected monthly from a random draw. The entry form for the Book Giveaways can be found here.
The new book giveaways sponsored by our sister sites, ReadersRead.com and WritersWrite.com, include:
Strange Son by Portia Iversen (Riverhead Books), the moving story
of two mothers' quest to unlock the hidden world of autism.
Set of two books by Gail Godwin: Queen of the Underworld
(Ballantine), the New York Times bestselling novel that explores the
growth of a young woman beginning her career as a journalist in Miami
and The Making of a Writer (Random House), Godwin's fascinating journals from 1961-1963, edited by Rob Neufeld.
Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Buide From the Neiman
Foundation at Harvard University, Edited by Mark Kramer and
Wendy Call (Plume), with contributions by Nora Ephron, Gay Talese,
David Halberstam, Tom Wolfe and many more distinguished authors.
The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer by Sandra Scofeld (Penguin), the fundamental guide for crafting more effective scenes in
fiction.
There's no entry fee of any kind and all email addresses are kept strictly confidential. Winners are selected monthly from a random draw. The entry form for the Book Giveaways can be found here.
The Times Online is reporting that J.K. Rowling, the author of the popular Harry Potter novels, has sued eBay for hosting auctions of unauthorised versions of her books.
Ebay, which is also fighting similar complaints by Tiffany in New York and Christian Dior Couture in Paris, denies that it is responsible for the auctions its users conduct on its website, and claims that it is impractical for it to vet every sale.
The injunction presents difficulties for eBay, whether it succeeds or fails in policing its users' sales. If the company is able to remove all sales of electronic copies of Harry Potter books then other brands will demand similar treatment when their rights are infringed by sellers. If it fails, it will be in contempt of court.
Akash Chittranshi, who is representing Rowling at the High Court in Delhi, told The Timesthat the injunction could set a precedent. "If they can do it in this case then they can do it a lot more," he said. "This is the first time eBay has been compelled to take measures to prevent e-books being sold."
Ebay did not respond when contacted for comment, but in previous cases it has argued that its website is a platform or marketplace and not an auction site.
The article says no electronic versions of the Harry Potter novels have been authorized so it is pretty obvious when they appear somewhere for sale that it is an illegal sale. The final novel in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is due out this summer.
At last, the official relase date for the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series has been set. Scholastic announced that
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will go on sale on July 21, 2007. The retail price is a shocking $34.99. Amazon.com is currently offering a pre-order guaranteed price of $18.89, but we don't know how long that will last. You can order the book from Amazon at the cheaper price here.
Will Severus Snape turn out to be good or evil? Is he really a committed Death Eater -- or not? And who is going to die? If Harry dies, we are going to be so angry that we won't be able to see straight. Surely Jo Rowling wouldn't do that to us? Or would she???
The title for the seventh book in the popular Harry Potter series is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book is destined to be a bestseller when it is released. Over 300 million Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide to date. Technically, it will probably be a bestseller even before it is released thanks to online pre-orders. Amazon.com has already set up a page for the new book.
J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, also posted a diary entry on her website that said she has dreamed about being in Harry Potter's world for the first time. She also wrote about what is like to be completing such an amazingly popular series.
"I don't think anyone who has not been in a similar situation can possibly know how this feels: I am alternately elated and overwrought. I both want, and don't want, to finish this book (don't worry, I will.)"
Scholastic, the publisher of the Harry Potter, books said that, "Rowling is currently busy putting the finishing touches on the book" but they still don't know what the publication date will be. We don't know how long it will be until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is published but we do know that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is coming out in theatres in July, 2007 -- that should help impatient fans with the wait. You can find more Harry Potter resources on the The IWJ's Harry Potter Links Page.