I've been racking my brain for a really good Tuesday Top Three topic and am at a loss...so then I hit up the NY Times Best Seller list for inspiration and decided that this is my topic for today! There are several books on this list that I have read, a couple that I want to read, and lots that I don't want to read. Here are a few that standout to me.
My mom introduced me to this series of books waaaay before they became the "it" book and HBO series (high five to my mom for that!) I haven't read this book yet, but it's definitely on my list. This is a really fun series to read and definitely not for people who take reading too seriously. The hardest part of reading these books is knowing the series and watching the TV show. They take a lot of liberties with the storyline and veer off plot a fair amount...which is fine, it makes for fun TV, but it can be a little strange to see the differences.
Description: With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...
The premise of this book sounds so funny to me...these are stories told by people who have fallen for Handler's tall tales. I read My Horizontal Life a while back and thought it was super funny. I can imagine that this follows the same path. Apparently one of the stories is written by her dog...when I found that out, I was sold on this book right away.
Description: "My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate."--Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
It's no lie: Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out "dumbassness," the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense. Friends, family, co-workers--they've all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools. Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the very first time, write about them.
I really like Rob Lowe as a TV character (The West Wing and Parks and Recreation) so my interest is peaked with this book. Especially because it is supposed to be particularly juicy with gossip about other famous folk. But I'm going to be honest and say that I'm likely not going to read this book (unless someone gave it to me).
Here's one of the tidbits that makes me kinda want to read the book is: During his lothario days, Lowe used MTV as a "home-shopping network, and it's not beneath me to call up to get the contacts on the sexy dancer in the latest Sting video. I find C-SPAN to be useful in this regard as well. Seeing Oliver North's secretary, Fawn Hall, being sworn in during Iran-Contra, I make a note to track her down." When he escorted Hall to an awards dinner, Sally Field gave him a "Whaaat the fuuuck" look as she walked by his table. (FROM:http://huff.to/i99ccZ)
Description: A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood.
The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.
Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.
I'm going to hop on my soapbox real quick about these books. I read all 3 a while back and they were enjoyable. It was a neat story with a lot of suspense, whodunit, etc. But I don't understand why everyone is falling all over themselves about these books.
The series seems to be like any other suspenseful crime novel (re: John Grisham, Michael Connelly, James Patterson). Maybe it's because the main character seemed to have a form of Asperger's, or because the author died before he saw the success of the novels, or because people were offended by the way the author portrayed women. Either way, none of this seems like new territory to me.
I read "Dead Reckoning". While others have poo-pooed the book I found it to be no better or worse than her other books. One has to take these books as they are, purely for enjoyment. I enjoy the story line, the characters, especially Mr. Eric Northman and I'm really looking forward to the new True Blood season. HC
ReplyDelete