Baby Books

How to Talk About 'New York Times' Best-Sellers Without Actually Reading Them

Posted by Eden M. Kennedy
on Jan 12, 2012 at 2:48 PM

the helpMaybe you're trying to get through your book group night without looking like an ass who never reads anything more complicated than InStyle magazine. Or maybe you're just sitting there getting your roots done when your stylist asks you if you ever read that dragon tattoo book. Of course it's okay to say, "No, I never read anything more complicated than InStyle magazine," but sometimes we want to look like we're actually driving through life with two hands on the wheel and a full tank of gas.

So here, let me help you pretend to know what's going on at the top of this week's combined print and e-book bestseller fiction list from The New York Times.

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Kardashian Sisters Even Worked Their Charms on Their Nanny (VIDEO)

Posted by Adriana Velez
on Dec 29, 2011 at 11:59 AM

kardashian sistersKardashian tell-all is in the works! TMZ reports that the Kardashian's former nanny, Pam Behan, is shopping around a book about her days minding Kris and Bruce's brood back when they were wee ones. The Jenner boys had better watch out. Apparently Pam thought they were "extremely spoiled and disrespectful." But what about Kim and Kourtney?

Supposedly Pam will be revealing some "intimate details" about the girls -- but I predict they're going to be the kinds of details that the Kardashian girls will approve of. Expect something along the lines of favorite boy bands, maybe an awkward braces photo, Halloween costumes, you get the picture. Why no dirt? Because apparently the Kardashian girls were tight with Pam. Even at a young age, Kim and Kourtney were no doubt working their magic influence over their nanny!

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Mindy Kaling's Book Looks Supercute and Awesome, Just Like Mindy Kaling

Posted by Linda Sharps
on Nov 4, 2011 at 6:42 PM

I love everything about Mindy Kaling. I love her writing/producing talent, her sense of humor, her Office character Kelly Kapoor, her always-entertaining Twitter account, and her inhumanly perfect skin and glossy hair, so it stands to reason I'm going to be a big fan of her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).

(The hair/skin thing isn't really relevant to her talent, I just wanted to mention it because dude. WHAT BEAUTY PRODUCTS IS SHE USING I WILL SELL MY CHILDREN TO PURCHASE THEM.)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a relatable-sounding memoir—no small feat, considering Mindy's life is most assuredly nothing like my own. But there's just Something About Kaling that makes her seem like everyone's best friend. So far, it seems everyone who's picked up the book has been enjoying her company, because her witty observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood are earning rave reviews. Check out some of the high praise the book is already receiving:

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Pippa Middleton Totally Deserves a Book Deal

Posted by Amy Reiter
on Nov 3, 2011 at 1:54 PM

Pippa MiddletonThis just in: Pippa Middleton is catching hell in the British media for having the audacity to shop around a book about party planning. Not one but two U.K. papers -- of vastly different political stripes -- have seen fit to nastily speculate on what the book might include, taking a flurry of cheap shots at Pippa for her party-girl rep in satirical book proposals.

True, Kate Middleton's fun-loving little sister was once photographed wearing a toilet-paper dress: "All the naughty boys pour wine on it to see if it goes soggy, or try to tear sheets off the bottom -- it's literally hysterical!" the Daily Mail snarks. And sure, she's been known on occasion to show off a little skin: "In royal circles the second rib down is considered quite low enough," snipes The Guardian.

But if Pippa wants to write a book on party planning, really, why shouldn't she?

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Amy Winehouse’s Dad Takes a Book Deal Way Too Soon

Posted by Linda Sharps
on Oct 10, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Well, it's been all of three months since Amy Winehouse's tragic passing—surely it's time for a family member to step up and publish a memoir about her life, right? Something that covers her childhood, her singing career, and of course her struggles with substance abuse?

It seems her father, Mitch Winehouse, is up for the task. HarperCollins recently announced they had purchased rights to Amy, My Daughter, which will be published worldwide in the summer of 2012.

One thing's for sure: between setting up a charity in her name, performing his own music at an upcoming Amy Winehouse Foundation event, and now publishing a book about his daughter, Mitch Winehouse hasn't exactly stayed in the background since his daughter's death.

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Keanu Reeves Is as Sad a Writer as He Is an Actor

Posted by Linda Sharps
on Jun 22, 2011 at 12:09 PM

You've seen the meme, now read the book. If you haven't gotten your fill of sullen, mopey, emo-esque Keanu Reeves, he's taken the whole Sad Keanu concept to a new level with a book called Ode to Happiness.

The hand-stitched book, which sounds absolutely RIVETING, is essentially one poem written by Reeves. One line is printed on each page, along with inkblot drawings (designed to evoke the appearance of being—I am not making this up—blurred by tears) created by Los Angeles artist Alexandra Grant.

Apparently Reeves was inspired to create this literary masterpiece while listening to a radio station that was playing sad, nostalgic music. He says, "I just started to write on this piece of paper, because I had this image of, you know, that moment when you take that bath, you light that candle, and you're really just kind of depressed. And it was making [my friend] laugh so hard."

Must be one of those things where you had to be there. Possibly while very, very high.

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'Godfather' Prequel Slated for 2012: Why Mess With a Classic?

Posted by Linda Sharps
on May 4, 2011 at 2:46 PM

Someone must have made Grand Central Publishing an offer they can't refuse, because the company has announced a return to the story that began in Mario Puzo’s classic novel The Godfather.

The Family Corleone is an authorized prequel that will be written by Ed Falco, an award-winning author and poet. Set in New York in the 1930s, it's reportedly based on an unproduced screenplay by Puzo.

I guess the only surprising news here is that it hasn't been done before. After all, The Godfather sold 20 million copies and was the basis for a movie you may have heard of with a very similar title. But extending a series after the creator's death—doesn't it just seem wrong? Sort of like how there were about 50 more V.C. Andrews' books after she died in 1986?

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'Three Cups of Tea' Memoir: If He Lied, Does It Matter?

Posted by Linda Sharps
on Apr 18, 2011 at 3:52 PM

Move over, James Frey, it looks like there may be a new contender for Author Whose Wildly Popular Memoir Was Greatly Augmented by a Non-Trivial Amount of Bull Poop.

Best-selling author Greg Mortenson—a man nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize—is currently under fire for allegations he lied about parts of his book Three Cups of Tea. A 60 Minutes report that aired on Sunday alleges that Mortenson fabricated key events in his memoir set in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including a story about being kidnapped for eight days by the Taliban.

Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea was so well received, he became something of a folk hero, and earned millions in book royalties and speaking fees. More importantly to humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he's pulled in $60 million in donations to his nonprofit Central Asia Institute.

So if it turns out his inspiring story is actually fictional ... does it really matter?

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Gwyneth Paltrow Cookbook Almost as Annoying As Gwyneth Paltrow

Posted by Linda Sharps
on Apr 8, 2011 at 7:12 PM

Oh, Gwyneth Paltrow. Is there anything she can't do? Other than be a normal human being for five minutes without irritating the crap out of everyone?

Everyone's favorite helpful-advice-dishing working mom (she's just like Us!) has come out with a brand new way for you to feel like a second-class citizen. Oddly enough, it's a cookbook, which seems weird because whatever Gwyneth, like you eat.

Eater did a great roundup of some of the best lines from My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness, and I thought we could marvel at a few of them together:

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Startling Ashley Judd Memoir Turns Abusive Childhood Into Hope (VIDEO)

Posted by Sheri Reed
on Apr 5, 2011 at 7:44 PM

Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
In case you think those talented Judds are a bunch of gorgeous women who have always had it all, then you might want to hear about Ashley Judd's new shocking tell-all memoir All That Is Bitter & Sweet, which reveals quite the opposite.

I have heard, through interviews with the Judds over the years, that the early years for their family were tough and included divorce, poverty, and lots of moving about; however, the details being released from Ashley Judd's new book tell an even darker story -- but one that Ashley manages to mold into something beautiful and inspiring today.

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