Review: Most Talkative by Andy Cohen

Synopsis:  If you watch Bravo Television at all, you have to know Andy Cohen.  As the man behind the reality shows on Bravo and the host of Watch What Happens Live, Andy is that hilarious, reality super fan that we all somehow relate to.  Before becoming the man behind the Real Housewives franchise, Andy Cohen was a young pop culture fan from St. Louis, Missouri, who began to realize that he was something different from those around him.  Eventually, Andy came to terms with what made him different, which was that he was gay, and gained the strength to let it be known. 

After college, he came out to his friends and family, and proceeded to follow his dreams in television.  This led to his current, lucrative and exciting career with Bravo.  The stories he goes on to tell in this book are both poignantly personal and pop-culture, both memoir and tell-all. 

Review:  I have been a Bravo fan for a very long time.  In fact, I started watching the Real Housewive's franchise from day one of the Orange County ladies.  Andy Cohen was kind of a known extra cast member of sorts, to those of us who have followed these shows.  I think everyone who knows him, loves him!  Honestly, Andy Cohen has a great sense of humor, and a way of saying what he thinks about these women's crazy antics without really saying it and showing his bias.  In short, most fans of the network love Andy.

The thing I loved about his book was the candid way he talked about his own life and his own experience growing up and coming out as a gay man.  I did find it interesting that Andy seems to write of his coming out as part of his life, but not the defining feature of his life.  In coming out, his family seemed to embrace him and move on with life, so the person he speaks of with greatest fear was his good friend and college roommate.  I was so moved by his expression of fear and concern over telling his friend and really could start to appreciate how that must have felt for him.  In the end, his roommate embraced his coming out and the two are still good friends today.

There seems to be an integral connection between Andy's pop-culture obsession and his current job, all fueled by healthy doses of all that is uniquely Andy.  His memoir talks about his early days on national, morning television--including stories about Oprah Winfrey, various CBS news anchors, and other celebrities that made this a real page turner.  Just the stories behind the Housewives franchise (which really is a pretty small portion of the book), make it a must read for fans. 

I really enjoyed Andy's story.  There is such a nice mix of happy and serious, to really echo what we see with the real Andy Cohen on his show.  His anecdotes and memories are funny, fast-paced, and engaging.  Now I will just hope that he writes another book, with more great "behind the scenes" stories for us in a few years down the road!

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a personal copy of the book.

The W's of Reading: What About When You're Sick?

This last weekend I got that familiar achy feeling that I only prayed wasn't the flu.  By Tuesday morning, I knew I was sick, so by Tuesday night and all day Wednesday I was in a pair of warm pajamas with fuzzy socks and a heavy blanket, settled on to the couch!  Generally, I only woke up long enough over the past couple of days to pile on more blankets, grab something to drink, or to turn the channel on the TV.  Did I want to read?  Nope.  Not at all.  I just wanted to lie there, watching copious amounts of television and nothing else.

I suppose that it depends on what kind of "sick" you are at the time, but I'm quickly finding out that I'd much rather be watching "trash TV" than anything else.  Give me a good daytime talk show, some reality show reruns like the Mob Wives, and I'm a happy camper.  Maybe it's because you spend your entire day falling in and out of sleep that makes TV so appealing, since it's just not the same with a book.  You don't feel like you miss much if you fall asleep during a TV show.  When I read, I hate having to look back to figure out where I was reading before my quasi-delirious frame of mind and crazy nodding off took over.

There's also that element of holding the book, which just takes too much darn energy.  Let's not even start with the cold that shivers down your arm and hands when you have to hold up a book or e-reader!  Besides, a remote will sometimes shoot right through certain blankets.  What could be more perfect than that?

Well, I suppose there's also the achy head, eyes, and joints that make reading a bit of a strain.  I've had migraines enough to know you have to blow off reading until the headache has blown over, so I suppose that a sick day really is a sick day, and not a lie around and read day.

Yes, I went back to work today--because I really had to--and I lived.  I was achy, I lost my voice, I was grouchy, and I resented it a little, but I got through the day all right.  In fact, I'm feeling much better than even 24 hours ago.  Maybe I'll read a bit tonight before I finally nod off--or I might just switch it to Bravo and let the Real Housewives' arguing lull me off to sleep one last time?  Oh wait.  It's Jersey Shore night!

What about you?  Are you a reader or a watcher when you're sick, and what are your favorites for those moments?

If You Liked Downton Abbey...

If you find yourself wanting more Edwardian fare since Downton Abbey concluded last Sunday (2nd season is still to come), then you might try out the PBS reality series Manor House.  I know I've mentioned these PBS House series before, but really can't begin to say how much I enjoy them!  While they are not scripted dramas, but rather follow a group of modern day folks who agree to live the culture of the day, they are extremely engaging and full of historical information.

In Manor House we follow the people who play staff and aristocrats at Manderston, a grand Edwardian house located near the Scottish-English border.  While the "downstairs" help slave away seven days a week for upwards of 16 to 18 hours a day, their "upstairs" nouveau-rich aristocratic family learn to deal with the subtleties of standings and titles (not to mention doing absolutely nothing, including putting on their own socks and underwear).

The docu-drama series is highly entertaining and engaging.  There are maids who think they see ghosts, a rotating door of scullery maids who quit after a couple of days, footmen who get drunk and can't wake for work the next morning, a crazy-mad French chef who insists on authenticity, and a little bit of fancy loving going on behind the scenes.  Honestly, this is a highly entertaining series and a great follow-up to Downton Abbey if you are feeling a bit down now that its over!

If you think you might enjoy Manor House, you might check out the following PBS series that are also set in England:

Regency House Party (which also appeared on PBS) for an interesting romp into Regency romance.

The 1900s House for its look at the average urban lifestyle at the turn of the century in London during the Victorian Era.

The 1940s House set in London around the time of WWII with its food rations, bomb raids, and blackout curtains.

Check them out!  They are fantastic and do a great job of mixing the drama of reality television with the history of a great period drama or documentary.   (There are also three set in the United States, if you are interested:  Frontier House, Texas Ranch House, and Colonial House.)

Review: Sliding Into Home by Kendra Wilkinson

Can I be honest and say that I'm not 100% sure what compelled me to read this autobiography?  I like interesting stories about people's lives, and I have watched some of the reality shows Kendra has played in, but I really can't say what urged me to push all the other books aside to read this one.  Curiosity?  Yes, I guess that would be it?

Synopsis:  In this honest autobiography, Kendra Wilkinson shares her life from her single-parent upbringing after her father walked out on the family to her time at the Playboy mansion.  Throughout her young life, Kendra has experienced running away, learning disabilities, acting out, sexual activity, and drugs & alcohol all within her teens.  Having gotten into drugs at an early age, Kendra found herself more interested in partying than in going to school or even playing her favorite sport, soccer.  Eventually, Kendra found herself in a relationship, stripping for its easy money, when she was asked to go to the Playboy Mansion to serve drinks at a party for Hef's birthday.  That one event led to her invitation into Hef's life as a girlfriend and "The Girls Next Door," which showed a seemingly staged version of her reality that launched her into the limelight of today.  From her new stardom, Kendra met and married her now husband, Hank Baskett who plays with the NFL.

Review:  This was a pretty fast-paced read as far as autobiographies go.  Once you start reading, it's pretty easy to speed right through to the end.  The style and voice are reminiscent of Kendra, and a pretty easy read.  Kendra's life was really out of control with all of the acting out and drug use.  I couldn't help but feel for her family, who really kept hoping for her to change over and over and over again.  Strangely, it does seem that Playboy slowed her down and helped give her a new focus in her life.

For me, I think that this book grabbed me because I saw the life of a close friend of mine mirrored in the young Kendra.  One of my closest best friends growing up went down very similar paths, choosing to shoplift, drink, and party on a really grand scale.  Eventually, we grew apart, especially after she put me in a really awkward position one afternoon when she stole an expensive bottle of perfume at a department store where we were shopping.  She ended up getting held by mall security and I had to call for a ride home.  Strangely, I don't remember what happened to her in that case, but I do know that we went our separate ways and have not stayed in touch. 

Whether it was the direct correlation I could make between the young Kendra in the pages and my own best friend, or the ways that Kendra has identified as helping her change that grabbed me, the book is easy to get sucked into.  Despite her wild and crazy background, Kendra feels like a genuine person that is easy to like.  It's strange that I felt that way from what little I have read or seen of her!  Having said that, with her new loving marriage and young son, you can't help but sincerely hope for her success in the future.  Regardless, her life has been one crazy ride, and one that I would honestly never want for myself! 

*FTC Disclosure:  This review is based on a library copy of the book.

Review: I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

Pardon my reminiscing this morning, but this post has a lot of meaning for me, and needs a little explaining.  Twelve years ago today my dad passed away from breast cancer.  I'm shocked it has been that long, yet still feel like it was just yesterday. 

When my father passed away, I was still in college, and life was moving at Mach 20.  After I graduated, I moved home to be with my mother, and although that was three years after his death, we had both hit a strange depression.  I was home though, and hoped that we could both pull out of this funk we found ourselves.  That fall the Osbournes reality series "The Osbournes" aired on MTV and my mother and I found a hearty laugh and a safe haven in their show. 

Who would think that a foul-mouthed, crazy Rock & Roll first family would help pull us out of a serious funk, but they did.  Now, if you know my mother at all, you know she is seriously straight-laced.  Yet somehow, this crazy family's heart, love, and humor was enough to reach out through the screen to my mother and I.  I know it sounds strange, but I have a real soft spot for the Osbournes and how their crazy antics could bring a smile back to our faces.  They had this "I will stick by you because I love you, no matter what" kind of attitude that reminded us how powerful love is in a family.  That regardless of our imperfections, our families can be our safety net.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Has there ever been a more extraordinary rock-star story than Ozzy Osbourne's? Born into a life so poor that the whole family slept in one room, Ozzy endured a tough upbringing. Music was his salvation and his band Black Sabbath went on to change the music scene forever. But along with the rock and roll came the inevitable sex and drugs and Ozzy fell into a long relationship with addictive substances. The stories of Ozzy's days on the road are legendary - biting the head off a live bat, losing his best friend and writing partner Randy Rhoades in a tragic plane crash - but few know of the real heartbreak he suffered during those days of excess. In the end it was love that saved him: the love of his wife Sharon and kids Kelly, Jack and Aimee. In his highly anticipated autobiography, Ozzy comes clean: in all senses."

Review:  The show, "The Osbournes" was one of the shows that I credit for pulling me out of a serious depression after my father passed away from cancer.  The thing that really struck me about that show was how much they genuinely loved each other.  Yes, their lives were crazy, but the love they had for one another came pouring out of them.  It made me smile.

Ozzy Osbourne's life was filled with crazy ups and downs; some he created and some came from left field.  Ozzy worked in slaughterhouses, sang for Black Sabbath, and starred in his own reality show.  Regardless of what he was doing, it was easy to see from his autobiography that Ozzy was always honest about where he came from and who he was.  

I think the thing that struck me the most about Ozzy Osbourne's life was that although he admits to and acknowledges his many weaknesses, that his drug and alcohol abuse also helped to serve as a cover for his weaknesses.  I realize that addiction is a disease, but no matter how honest one claims to be, addiction overrides that honesty and allows one to hide behind its gruesome coat tails.  From all the drugs and alcohol that Ozzy took in his lifetime, it's hard to say why he's still alive.  Beyond that, his escapades with other women and larger than life rocker lifestyle should have driven any semblance of family far from the picture, but he has managed to hold on to his family.  This success at home has to be due to his wife Sharon, who put up with her fair share of abuse over the years.

As a fan of Ozzy's, I am hard pressed to really fault his own life story too much.  The one thing I do wish he would have included more was his relationships with his children.  Very little is mentioned about his kids, and I found myself curious about how he has maintained a strong, loving relationship with his children, regardless of his drug and alcohol abuse. 

 Right or wrong, the Osbournes are a family with heart.  They want to be honest about their actions and feelings, which is strangely why they seem endearing.  Ozzy's autobiography was interesting, and I enjoyed reading more about his life.  I do have to give a huge disclaimer that there is a lot of profanity throughout the book, reminiscent of Ozzy's way of speaking.  Honestly though, the book was trying to show this larger than life character for who he was, madness and all.  

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based off of a library copy of the book.

Review & REVOLUTION: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I've had Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook sitting in my kitchen for several weeks, cooking from it, and waiting for my own copy to arrive on my doorstep. The recipes are simple, easy to cook, and full of flavor and basic, healthy properties to fill our tummies with home cooked...REAL food. After watching his show last week, and having my own thoughts on cooking and health, I had to post a review of his cookbook and plan to help change the way we all eat.

Jamie's newest cookbook is really great. I had to say that I was sold when I saw the expansive, simple recipes for a variety of curries. He had pasta dishes, salads, vegetables, meat dishes, and just good, basic food. These foods aren't new to many of us, but they are brought back into our attention, and the varieties of ways you might tweak these recipes into new, fun dishes for every day of the week is a nice addition.

Let me give a bit of background on Jamie Oliver, and his appeal to me, personally. One of the first years the Food Network started on TV, we also started watching. Jamie Oliver was a regular on the network, sometimes not on during regular hours, but you could always catch him, or record him as I did. There was something about his passion about food and cooking that really drew me in, and I was hooked. To date, I've cooked more recipes inspired by or introduced to me by Jamie Oliver than any other chef (and I actually really like his nemesis Gordon Ramsay as well...ha, ha). His approach to food is natural, multi-cultural, and exciting. I have his TV show DVDs and cookbooks, and though I don't always like everything he cooks (some of those fish dishes I still can't sell myself on), I do love his passion.

Let's segway to the documentary Food, Inc. that came out on DVD last year. Appropriately so, I was scared of what I saw, and deep down knew that the message of that DVD was true and very real. The basic premise of the film is that too many of are relying on processed, prepackaged foods that are full of chemicals and additives. Also, our meat and dairy have chemicals and antibiotics in them, as a result of producing these products as quickly and efficiently as possible. In essence, we've gotten away from our ownership of our own food.

Why does this all matter to me? Well, in 1998, my father passed away from breast cancer, and thanks to a pancreatic tumor of my own, I was put on a cancer study that revealed I carried a number of cancer genes. Here's what I've learned. Weight isn't 100% of the issue. Health is. I've always tried, as desperately as I can, to eat healthy meals. I'm not a fanatic, but know that I have to try. After seeing Food, Inc., however, I did change the types of foods I put into my shopping cart. I already knew that harmful chemicals could set off the cancer producing portion of my genes, but hadn't thought about the foods and materials I came in contact with that are doing just that. I now eat a lot of organic foods, whole grains as much as possible, and have included much more fruits and vegetables in my meals and cooking. More importantly, I have changed my thinking about food and health. I'm definitely not perfect, but a shift in the way I look at food has taken place. Weight is my next big hurtle to tackle, but food seems to be top of the list for good health in the present.

*Soap box removed from the room, and back to ground level.*

All right. I'll stop waxing long in my testimony to good foods, cooked in our own homes. Even if you don't enjoy cooking, there are amazing cookbooks that can help break you in with easy recipes and beautiful pictures to see what you're cooking. Jamie Oliver's most recent cookbook is one, but as also highlighted here previously, are: Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, and So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.


I also have to say that Anticancer, A New Way of Life, changed the way I think about health and food forever. It's no longer about my waist size, and more about extending my life with greater vitality. If you're interested in a more scientific background on how food turns off and on those cancer genes, I think this book is a must.

My final plea. As a huge Jamie Oliver fan, and lover of his cause, I would ask that you visit his web site to sign the pledge for healthier foods in our schools. I don't have children, but if I did, I would want the school fixing my child more than chicken nuggets and pizza. Join his food revolution to impact the health and vitality of all our children!

Watch Jamie's show every Friday night on ABC, and don't forget to sign his petition.

Real Housewives of NYC Meet Judge Judy

This is so hilarious! If you watch this show (and yes, I'm an avid watcher and fan of the show...just can't help watching the insanity sometimes), then you'll love this clip with Judge Judy, told in graphic novel form!

Real Housewives meet Judge Judy

November Book Club Choice

Before I post, let there be a moment of silence for Bachelorette couple Deanna and Jesse... Yea, I actually got really into the show again with these guys, so I got suckered into thinking they might actually pull through. Hmm...guess I shouldn't be so optimistic (although I thought I was pretty much a pessimist as it was). I'm just a little sad. :( Make fun of me if you will, but I hoped she'd put aside her diva ways to keep this nice guy!

So, on to our book choice for this month. We're going to be reading a book by an author that Doc really loves. It's called Papa Married a Mormon by John Dennis Fitzgerald.


I guess Fitzgerald is the author of the Great Brain series, which Doc owns multiple copies of (so that her future children can enjoy), but she picked our current pick as a good overview of Fitzgerald's style. If anyone chooses to join us, let us know and post a comment if you have anything to add! Thanks, and let's hope poor Jesse (hey, that's my dad's name...so I have to feel for the guy!) finds a great, down to earth girl!


Oh, and don't forget to VOTE tomorrow! :) I stood in line last Thursday for an hour and a half to place my vote (with a book in my hands, since it's pretty hard to write all over essays when you're standing), but I did it and saved my sticker to wear on the 4th. Until then, all my best!!!