No comments about Sam Houston.

No comments about Bombay to Bloomsbury: A Biography of the Strachey Family.

5 comments about Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl's Sentimental Jorney to Doris Day's Hollywood and Beyond.

1. I'm not sure why several readers chose to be so mean-spirited about this book. For years, ex-employees of celebrities have written reams about their particular "stars," digging up a lot of dirt, but "Day At A Time" doesn't do that. I read it as an honest portrayal of a beloved actress, by a sincere admirer, and I was expecting some insight into Doris Day's behind-the-scenes life. That's what the book delivered. This isn't a fake story about Saint Doris, and the author doesn't try to gild the lily: like all of us, Doris Day isn't perfect. Ms. Barothy set down her memories - backed by a lot of notes and documents - and her love for Doris shines through. I might have edited the book a little differently, as there are some parts that don't connect quite as well as others, but overall it was an enjoyable read and I loved the photos. And considering that I'm not a rabid Doris Day fan, I'd say Mary Anne Barothy accomplished what she set out to do - she wrote a book that appeals to readers on several different levels. Especially considering this is a first effort, I think she did a fine job.



2. The book gets two stars because of technical problems, as in poor editing, and very poor writing. The author was totally disorganized in her thought processes especially from the middle to the end.
   
   That being said, I wouldn't vilify the author for having written the book. There's a lesson to be learned here, which is, all fan clubs should be done away with. People are too prone to get obsessed with celebrities. Consequently, they bury their own self seeking to emulate what they perceive is the perfect life. This is what happened to the author. She got so enamoured of Ms Day, she completely lost her identity. She gave up a serious relationship, and dumped her family when she moved halfway across the country in search of a dream. A very unhealthy dream as it turned out.
   
   I think Ms Day finally realized the woman needed to get a life of her own, and fired her. Sort of a tough love move on her part, but it was the right thing to do in my opinion. On the other hand, I also think Ms Day took advantage of the author's kindness and infatuation with her to some degree. So, there were co-dependency issues going on there as well.
   
   Frankly, as much as I admire Ms Day, you will never find me in her house cleaning up after eleven dogs on a day to day basis. You couldn't pay me enough money to do that. And I love dogs.
   
   So if you buy this book, learn from it if you're inclined to overly obsess about a celebrity. They are no more important than you are in the grand scheme of things. And they are no less fallible in making decisions that impact their lives in a very negative way. In other words, the grass is not greener on the other side of the septic tank.
   
   At any rate, I do believe the author wrote without malice, and really wanted to convey the fact that Ms Day is at heart, a lovely, caring woman despite the adversity in her life. For me, the author succeeded in doing that.
   



3. I just finished reading Day at a Time and thoroughly enjoyed it!
   
   While I've never had the privilege of meeting the beautiful and talented Doris Day, the next best thing was reading this fascinating memoir of someone who has! I found myself completely consumed in this compelling story of this young woman's dream to meet her idol.
   
   Day at a Time is filled with both cute antics and serious issues that the author experienced with Doris Day. A remarkable and loving bond developed between them and you will feel as though you were living this dream come true yourself!
   
   You will see how an earnest young woman makes her way to Hollywood and endears herself to her idol and how Doris reciprocates with admiration and seeks her assistance and ultimately her friendship. I was amazed how accessible Doris made herself to her fans. You will love it.



4. I have loved Doris Day since I was a little girl. So when I saw that a new book came out from someone who actually lived with Miss Day, I had to read it. I found it hard to believe some of the negative comments and they made me want to read the book even more, just to see what all the complaining was about.
   
   I loved this book and have read it more than once. It gave me a sense of really knowing Doris on a personal level. I felt the author truly loved Doris and enjoyed being her right hand person. Doris Day is a very real person in this book and it makes me love her even more.



5. I am not sure why any publisher would have put this book out for anyone to read. The author is apparently a fan who once stalked Ms. Day. What I cannot understand is why Ms. Day ever hired her. It smacks of utter betrayal by a close confidante who wanted revenge on her former employer after 30 some odd years. I agree with the people who thought this book was tabloid garbage, because that is what it is, and this sure shows alot of disrespect toward a talented and beloved actress.

2 comments about Hollywood Unlisted.

1. -HOLLYWOOD UNLISTED-
   
   For all of the twenty-eight plus years that I have worked for a large telephone company as an outside "Services Technician", when we employees would regularly meet after work would always seem to gravitate to the outlandish and crazy stories that either someone has heard about, or actually had experienced on the job. Before our "bull sessions" would end, someone would always say, "Hey, someone should write a book about all these wild things that people have encountered on the job!" We all would stare blankly at one another, nod our heads in agreement, finish our drinks, and go home.
   
   A couple of years ago a number of us were going through our same predictable story sharing routine when someone said, "Hey, I heard that someone did write a book about their wild experiences in the telephone company, I heard them on a radio talk show."
   
   When pressed for the name of the author, or the book title, the person said, "I just don't remember."
   
   This whole process would repeat itself many times to me over the next two years, with someone remembering that someone had written a book about the telephone company, but could not ever remember any other information.
   Thus, I began my quest to find this elusive author with nothing more than my sense of determination, and strong urge to have a laugh at the telephone company's expense.
   
   To make a long story short. After a great deal of searching, I finally did find this book, which was titled "Hollywood Unlisted", and it's author "Kim Fahey", and all I can say is that it was more than worth the wait to find this hilarious epitome of insanity.
   
   To say that this is one of the weirdest, craziest, books that I have ever read would be a severe understatement.
   
   If anyone was better equipped to write a tell all book about his thirty years working for a large corporate telephone company it is "Kim Fahey", who, I believe, probably has never had a "normal" day in his entire life.
   
   If I could take the wildest stories that I have ever heard from everyone who has ever worked for my telephone company, and had just written them down, I couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of the anecdotes contained in "Hollywood Unlisted."
   What's really amazing is that these are not other people's stories; these are the true stories which actually happened to the book's author "Kim Fahey."
   
   I can honestly tell you that everything that I know from my personal experience about the telephone company rings true, (pun intended), and I truly believe that all of the experiences that "Mr. Fahey" has documented in his book to be 100% true.
   
   Not only would I recommend this book to anyone who has ever worked in the telecommunications business, I would highly recommend this book to anyone likes to laugh at the absurdities, and craziness of working in today's corporate environment.
   Did I hear someone mention the comic strip "Dilbert"?
   
   This book is not for the prudish, you must like reading about things which are unusual, and rarely if ever could be considered as routine.
   
   To sum up my little book review, I shall give you the "Fahey Creed" that is written on the inside cover of this book, and should that prove to be motivation enough for you to purchase this book, I can only say, "You are now in extreme danger of laughing yourself silly." YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
   
   FAHEY CREED:
   
   If you let me talk, I'm not going to work!
   
   If I'm talking, I'm not working!
   
   I do a lot of talking!



2. This book is captivating from the begining to the end. I did jump around a bit except for the last chapter. It was quite riveting. Not all the stories are fun and games so be ready for quite a thrill ride. I've never read such a book before. I've also never laughed out loud as many times as I did reading some of the lighter stories. The shocking stories are very well written. You feel as though you are there. I highly recommend this book. It is for adults, so, be forewarned. Pat

No comments about Clark Gable - The King of Hollywood (Biography).

5 comments about Elvis In Texas: The Undiscovered King 1954-1958.

1. This is a really neat book for anyone who is crazy about Elvis and wants to know his roots. Also, for anyone living in East Texas where these events took place.



2. This a very nice book. There are some great pictures in here. I own a lot of Elvis books and there are some pictures in here I haven't seen before. The text is a bit gossipy but okay. It's not an in depth study of the King but good coffee table fodder. According to this, he really did sow his wild oats in Texas - I wonder how many little Elvi are going about?

   It's interesting to see Elvis the boy at the beginning, looking full of life and looking to the future and then look at pictures of him toward the end. Was all the success worth it? Perhaps not.




3. I bought this book because I'm writing Faron Young's biography and needed information on dates Faron and Elvis worked together. Lori Torrance lost my respect in the very first paragraph of the book, with her statement, "Country music twanged on the radio, Hank Williams crying in his cornflakes again." A few pages later, she says, "At that time, easy listening and my-dog-has-fleas country music monopolized the mass music market." The research was useful but the flippant writing was a turn-off.



4. Scotty Moore, Elvis' original guitar player and manager, recently said he thought he had seen every photo from that era until he saw this book. That's why I bought it. The photos, mostly performance snapshots, are great. Unfortunately the text is not. At best the writing gets in the way, and at worst it is just plain wrong (which Scotty warned me about). Still, this rare glimpse of one of the greatest American bands merits its recommendation.



5. Scotty Moore, Elvis' original guitar player and manager, told me he thought he had already seen every photo from that era until he saw this book. That's why I bought it. The snapshots in this book are great, but the writing is so full of itself, it's frustrating to read. I find the photos helpful as a visual reference when reading other books on Elvis' early years.

5 comments about The Royal House of Monaco: Dynasty of Glamour, Tragedy and Scandal.

1. This is a very interesting book to read, what with the glitz and the glitter that the author presents.
   However, the historical accuracy is slipshod at best. There are a lot of lies published in this book that the author tries to pass off as true fact. He gets many dates and names mixed up as well.
   
   I'd like this book better if there was at least some research put into it.



2. While some "revelations" in this book should probably be taken with a grain of salt, overall, this is better than many Grimaldi biographies in that it is neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job. Glatt doesn't portray, say, Princess Grace as a saint, nor does he portray, say, Princess Stephanie as a monster. Glatt, though he clearly feels a measure of annoyance, even disgust, for some of the antics of the Grimaldi family, he also has compassion for them. For instance, when recounting one of the most salacious scandals to plague the family -- the videotape and photographs which showed Stephanie's husband making love to a Belgian stripper -- Glatt clearly feels bad for Stephanie (despite her appalling lack of judgement in latching on to the creep in the first place); she had really loved him and was genuinely hurt and humiliated by his betrayal.
   
   Glatt also thankfully clears up allegations about Grace having a drinking problem -- allegations that surrounded her toward the end of her life because of her visible weight gain, and which another biographer, James Spada, dug up in the late 80s. Grace was, in fact, a moderate drinker, because she suffered terrible hangovers if she had more than a glass or two of champagne.
   
   Though Prince Albert has managed to steer clear of the tabloid cover stories that followed his sisters around (due, no doubt, to Grace instructing him on how to be discreet about his love affairs, an education which she never gave to either of her daughters), he too has had his share of troubles. Glatt even makes a half-convincing case for one of the more outlandish assertions: that Albert fathered a love child who is a dead ringer for Princess Grace.
   
   So all in all, a good, juicy read about fascinating and flawed people.



3. John Glatt pens a more truthful version of "The Royals," with less favoritism and more fact. Admittedly this isn't the British royal family (who have provided us with entertainment for many years) but a lesser-known (and no less juicy) dynasty, the Grimaldi's of Monaco.

   Monaco first came to attention when Prince Rainier married the film star Grace Kelly, who brought glamor and modernity to the teeny little country. Grace's past -- involving multiple love affairs -- was swept out of sight as she ascended to the glamorous -- and severely stress-inducing -- position of princess, wife and mother. Rarely happy in her long and paparazzi-studded marriage, she nevertheless gave it her darndest and died tragically and suddenly when she was starting to find fulfillment again.

   The book shifts focus after Grace's death in a car accident, to her three *ahem* spirited children: Caroline, who married one playboy after another, got pregnant out of wedlock, and once burst out of her top at a club, then had to shift into the social position that her mother left vacant. Albert, a playboy himself, who played around with one woman after another but wouldn't make even a vestige of commitment--even to one ex-girlfriend who had his baby, Tamara Rotolo. Stephanie, who shocked Monaco with her wild antics, drug use, explicit singing career and wild modelling career, bodyguard live-in boyfriend, and humiliating divorce after marrying said boyfriend.

   Sound like a tabloid? Well, that's a royal family for you. Fortunately, Glatt doesn't speculate on the inner thoughts of the Grimaldi family (said to be under a curse from a witch raped by a Grimaldi) but allows their actions to speak alone. His writing style is pleasant to read, and gives us insights that other biographers apparently didn't get. I especially enjoyed the interviews with Cassini (Grace's ex-fiancee) Robyns who wrote a steamy biography but edited it at Grace's request, excerpts from members of the Grimaldi family, and from people who knew/know them.

   This is hardly flawless. He describes Grace as a devout/militant Catholic, yet chronicles love affairs (with men married and single), an abortion, astrology beliefs, etc. Sorry, these are not the actions of a "militant" Catholic, though admittedly it is possible that she confessed these to a priest (something we will never know). He does occasionally linger on stuff that is more than we want to know, but it does give us a good look at the Grimaldis.

   Stephanie, Caroline and Albert have already been in the spotlight, tabloidwise, so I suppose Glatt felt that there was no real reason to sugarcoat things. Rainier gets away the easiest, for though he was unfaithful to Grace during their marriage, very little space is given to it (as compared to Albert's girlfriends, Stephanie's partying days, etc).

   In recent years the Grimaldis seem to have calmed down, but this book is nevertheless a heckuva read. If you liked the Royals but didn't like the made-up parts, try this book on for size.




4. Make no mistake, this is a book by a journalist, not a historian, and it reads that way. If that's what you're looking for going in, this will most likely satisfy your curiosity.

   Although the subtitle mentions the Grimaldi 'dynasty,' 70 percent or so of the book is about the, um, 'complex' personal lives of Princesses Caroline and Stephanie and Prince Albert, the three children of Rainier and Grace. There's little effort to put the dynasty or the principality in more than the immediate historical context, and although Rainier is frequently described as an absolute monarch or even 'Europe's last dictator' (which isn't even true), matters of state take a distinct back seat to the 'glamour, tragedy, and scandal.'

   This is too bad. One of the most interesting assertions in the whole book was a comment from one of Glatt's sources to the effect that the Grimaldis were not becoming tawdry, but rather had always BEEN tawdry, and had hidden that fact behind a false front of elegance while Princess Grace was alive. I don't know if that's true or not: Glatt unfortunately lets the statement pass almost unanalyzed.

   Glatt is to be commended, at least, for the variety of his sources, including several who (at least according to Glatt himself) had never spoken on the record before. While the book frequently reads like an extended essay in People magazine, Glatt avoids the temptation of acting omniscient about his subjects' thoughts and motivations. When they act inexplicably (which is disturbingly often), he says so. Glatt's tone is respectful and polite, but he didn't pull his punches. As someone who only paid cursory attention to the Grimaldis, I think I have a better understanding (and a lower opinion) of them as a result of this book.

   A worthwhile read, all in all, for monarchy fans whose interests lie more in the personal than the political, the contemporary rather than the historical.




5. For those who feel the Brits have the dysfunctional royal family from hell, this book about the Grimaldis of Monaco will be an eye-opener. It covers Grace's marriage to Rainier--an unhappy sham of a marriage contrived to boost Monaco's economy, ending with Grace's tragic death due to a stroke while driving. Roughly half of the book covers the three troubled children, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie, who are, to put it politely, a handful. We follow the two daughters through their teenage rebellions, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, troubled marriages, and (in Stephanie's case) drug problem; one cannot help but sympathize with their troubled parents and the heartbreak they've experienced watching their daughters destroy their lives. The sole son, Albert, is the most responsible of the three siblings, but even he is still 'sowing wild oats' at an age when he should be thinking about creating an heir to the throne. It's a gossipy sort of book--not an academic tome--but readers with some familiarity with Princess Grace will be fascinated.

5 comments about Jackie: Her Life in Pictures.

1. Despite her need for privacy Jackie Kennedy was a major target of photographers when she retreated to private life. This is a great collage of her moments being herself in New York City and elsewhere. Whether she was just walking in Central Park or throughout Manhattan, Jackie's poise never left her. The pictures prove it.



2. The texts are good but particularity the photos, there are a lot buy it!!!The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy .
   Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent



3. This book had pictures that I have never seen before and I thought I had seen them all. Worth every penny



4. I was captivated by this book. James Spada has compiled several well-known photographs with many photos I had never seen. He does not try to analyse or to delve into the behind the scenes. He presents the photos with a paragraph or two, and lets us glimpse into Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. I was entranced by the pictures of her youth and the pure beauty and joy in several ungarded moments. A beautiful tribute.



5. I really adored this book - it is so much more than yet another reprinting of the famous pictures of Jackie. The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as her frailties that we can all relate to. While many people have seen the countless photos that have been published of Mrs. Onassis from her birth to death, Mr. Spada managed to select mostly photos that are little-seen, as well as photos that needed no text to give the reader a better sense of the people portrayed in the book. The text that does accompany the photos is well written and restrained. Purchasing "Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent.

No comments about The Cadet Life of Prince Harry.

5 comments about You Will Make Money in Your Sleep: The Story of Dana Giacchetto, Financial Adviser to the Stars.

1. Pros:
   
   * It's good to hear a story from people who fail at first and succeed big time in the end.
   
   Cons:
   
   * All you will be reading is the story of Dana.
   * I don't quite get it, how can I make money while sleeping.
   * Not worth your money. Sorry Emily.



2. This is not the sort of book I would typically read. I had never heard of Dana Giacchetto and could care less about his world of decadent wealth and "A-list" people. But I do know the author and her husband and some of the people mentioned in the story, so for that reason it interested me and I ended up reading the whole thing in a weekend. (It also resonated with my own family history; my grandfather was a charming, lovable sociopath who went to prison for fraud.)
   
   One reviewer here criticizes the book for not being objective, but the author's direct personal involvement is precisely what pulled me into the story and held me there. White's first-hand experience guides the reader into a world that most of us will never know, making both the excitement and the anxiety palpable. She was at once friend and victim of her subject, and the tension between those two poles - her efforts to reconcile her positive feelings for him against her negative experience - kept me engaged. I found her ability to tell the story with both compassion and anger remarkable, the thing that takes this beyond being just another true crime exposé or scathing portrait of a greedy jerk. There is genuine feeling behind the facts, and for me this is far more compelling than (supposedly) "objective" reportage.
   
   Another reviewer complained that the book paints a negative portrait of Medford and of Giacchetto's family. As someone outside of that community, I did not feel the town was portrayed in a particularly bad light, and in fact some of the neighborhood "fun" of suburbia in the 60s comes through. But as David Lynch has shown us, the 'burbs have their dark side and White was right to acknowledge that. She clearly cares about the family and appreciates their eccentricities without denying their problems. Some of their essentially harmless quirks - the father's grandiosity and embellishment of reality, the mother's love of gambling and deal-making, their occasional reckless spending in order to impress others - resurface in their son in a more sinister form. And I was fascinated by the good boy/bad boy contrast between the golden boy Dana and his petty criminal brother that is woven throughout the book. It's a reminder that people are far more complex and multi-layered than we realize, that outward appearances tell only a small part of their story.
   
   It's easy to look back on such scenarios or to read about them second-hand and see all the red flags, to wonder how these otherwise intelligent people were taken in by someone so obviously not trustworthy. But real life isn't that simple. There are all kinds of factors that color our perception of any given situation or person, and plenty of delusion to go around. It takes a certain amount of guts to not only admit you were taken in, but to also make all of the gory details public, and to do so with a fair amount of sympathy and humor. I admire White's courage in telling her/Giacchetto's story without demonizing her subject or spinning it as a simplistic tale of Bad Person/Poor Victims.



3. The author (who lost what was a substantial sum of money relative to her not-so-large net worth) of this book is too close to the subject for it to be considered even remotely objective. Throughout the book, there were continual reminders that this book was written with too much passion and not enough solid research. The book demonstrated only the most elementary understanding of investments, risks, and returns - and, while focusing on one player (Giacchetto) who was probably a bad apple, did not explore the supporting cast of advisors, lawyers, and banks that enabled him to be successful. Instead, the author chose an extended exploration of the flaws of Giacchetto's family - certainly somewhat relevant in explaining his actions but not deserving of the degree of focus and emotion it received.



4. This book talks about a Medford, MA that I never knew. Dana's house was not a depressing place in a depressing city. It was fun for a kid. A pool, a pond and lots of fun chasing "Ceasar" and the other geese around the back yard and fishing in the pond. Drugs were not everywhere. Dana found them because he was looking for them. He had a 3 man band that played some good music. Over 20 years later I remember two songs they played a lot...Edge of a Cliff and Right Angle. Seems like Dana was dancing on a cliff and looking for the right angle in life. Medford was/is a great place. Dana always was eccentric and it was best for him to get out of the quiet family based community that was Medford. Like many of my friends and neighbors I also graduated from Medford High School and went on to college despite how terrible a place it seemed to be from Emily's description. I know you had to sell books but much like Dana...it is pretty laughable. His parents were always kind and generous and his younger brother Russell, my friend, was a good kid with a lot of energy...I would have liked to have read more of the truth about Medford and what a welcoming place 39 Winford Way was for me and Russell's other friends...I wish the entire family well.



5. I always wondered what happened when the dudes at subpop started rolling in cash after Nirvana broke. When you are so NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, and suddenly you are wallowing in it. I had no idea that the indie execs were sucked into a larger scam by a fame-obsessed scammer to the stars. Great storytelling and great stripped down prose. Keeps you from getting too nostalgic.