Tag Archives: books

Q&A: Author Michelle Maisto Proves A Vegetarian And A Meat Lover Can Live Happily Ever After

Catherine StrawnSeptember 11, 2009 //

Food is an essential for life, of course, but it’s also a vital component of relationships. Without food, what would we do on dates? There would be no candlelit dinners, and no romantic champagne and strawberries or other supposedly aphrodisiac combos. In her new book The Gastronomy of Marriage, Michelle Maisto explores what happens in the food department after the dating stage is over, recounting the year before she and her fiancé, Rich, got married, and what they ate.

Both Michelle and Rich love a delicious meal, and they initially shared cooking duties when they moved in together; neither wanted to live according to dated rules dictating gender roles. But as Rich worked more to earn money for the wedding, Michelle volunteered to do his share, creating a more traditional division of work at home. So, did they go back to co-chefs after they got married? And how can a vegetarian and a meat-eater dine in harmony? We spoke with Michelle via email about food and marriage. Keep reading »

Why Do You Have Sex?

Ami AngelowiczSeptember 10, 2009 //

I just don’t know what to make of this new book, Why Women Have Sex, which claims to reveal the “real” reasons we ladyfolk do the horizontal polka. Authors Cindy Meston and David Buss interviewed 1,000 women and found some pretty shocking things. They say that 84 percent of the women surveyed claim to have sex just to “keep the peace.” Some other gems of reasons from the book include: “So he’ll take the trash out”; “To cure a headache”; “To relieve boredom”; “For presents”; and “Out of pity.” Even worse? (Cover your eyes, guys.) The book says, “Research has shown most men find most women at least somewhat sexually attractive, whereas most women do not find most men sexually attractive at all.”

What the #%&$? Excuse me. Hold on, please! Who were the 1,000 women interviewed for this book? These findings are total malarkey. Men of the world, I find you sexually attractive … I swear. And rest assured that I am not sleeping with you so you will take out my trash! Yes, there are many types of sex. But call me old-fashioned—I have sex (the majority of the time) because it feels f**king amazing and I want to connect with my partner. I am not at all satisfied with these findings, so I’m conducting a little research of my own. After the jump, some other better reasons why women have sex. Ladies out there in Friskyland, please add to the list so I have enough data to write a better book than this one! [News.com] Keep reading »

Amish Romance Novels Put A Boner In Your Bonnet

Jessica WakemanSeptember 10, 2009 //

In “bonnet books,” as Amish romances are called, the author’s idea of a sexual climax is typically a few (sinful!) kisses spread throughout 300 pages. Sounds hawt, huh? But Amish romances, such as ones by Beverly Lewis, Wanda Brunstetter, and Cindy Woodsmall, are selling by the millions. Says Barnes & Nobel book buyer, Jane Love, “It’s almost like you put a person with a bonnet or an Amish field in the background and it automatically starts to sell well!” [WSJ]

Yet “bonnet books” surely have more readers than just God-fearing folks who churn their own butter. (I’ve seen the books on the Borders’ shelves shopped by my fellow Connecticut suburbanites and, trust me, those people are pretty depraved.) I guess temptation, forbidden love and scandal—whether with vampires, NASCAR drivers, or the Amish—appeal to everybody!

After the jump, a few sexy, saucy bits from Amish romance novels that’ll have your bonnet all tied up. Keep reading »

A New Book Looks At Hair As Art

Susannah BreslinSeptember 10, 2009 //

A new book on hair, Hair’em Scare’em, showcases the hair on your head as a medium for artistic expression. While you may still be struggling with that updo, some artists are taking locks to a whole new creative level in photography, design, and illustration. It’s avant-garde art in which hair happens to be the material, from sculpture to jewelry to mustaches. For those fascinated by all things hirsute, a few sample pages after the jump. [Notcouture] Keep reading »

Love This Book: Life’s Too F***ing Short by Janet Street-Porter

Jessica WakemanSeptember 8, 2009 //

Do books with titles like How To Be Like Audrey Hepburn! or Live Like Marilyn Monroe! make you wanna ralph? Yeah, me, too. I’m never going to be like Audrey Hepburn, either. Janet Street-Porter is the advice guru for me and you. She’s a sixty-something, unmarried, world-traveled, and self-made British journalist who has penned an anti-advice advice book full of wisdom like “Life’s too f***ing short to spend $200 on face cream” or “Life’s too f***ing short to try to be a size zero.” Street-Porter says quick fixes like fad diets, wrinkle cream and spa vacations never deliver what they promise. Instead she encourages something akin to radical self-acceptance. Full of cussing and unconventional wisdom, Life’s Too F***ing Short is a less gentle advice book than the norm, to be sure. But I’ll take an older, wiser aunt with a dirty mouth over an unoriginal, Audrey Hepburn wannabe any day. [$10.85, Amazon.com] Keep reading »

Style Buzz: Outfit Inspiration, Plus Models To Watch This Fashion Week

Catherine StrawnSeptember 6, 2009 //
  • Filled with photos of trendsetters from Jackie O to Chloe Sevigny, we can’t wait for the book I Love Your Style to hit shelves Sept. 15. [Fashionista] — After all, we need a little inspiration for our own outfits.
  • Dancers at an Australian fashion lunch performed in what are practically exact replicas of a black see-through ensemble worn by Right Said Fred. [Stylist] — We know the ’90s are having a moment right now, but this?!
  • AnOther Magazine is doing an aughts fashion retrospective. Check out the sneak preview… [Style.com] — Um, wonder when all those crazy T-shirts from ’01 will come back? What a year.
  • Model/it girl Daisy Lowe is doing a line of jewelry for Swarovski, to be released in January, that relates to the stars, moon, and planetary movements. [W Editors' Blog] — Will there be waxing gibbous earrings?

Keep reading »

Your Celebrity-Approved Summer Reading List

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comAugust 28, 2009 //

Paulina Porizkova wants you to know that, yes, she can read. In fact, she’s written a whole essay on the subject for Modelinia.com.

“I feel the need to constantly prove I’m not some dumb model. And yes, I know that having to prove it undermines my efforts. But bear with me. I quit school at 15 to live off of my looks,” she says. “Fortunately, I have been a bookworm ever since I learned how to read.” [Modelinia]

So what does Paulina think you should read this summer? Vikram Seth’s 1,488-page tome about India, A Suitable Boy. And A Soldier of the Great War, which Paulina describes as “880 pages of love, humor, and war.” She also says, “Once read, [these books] can be used to tone biceps or in step class.”

Oh, but there are other options. Here’s what our favorite celebs are reading this summer. Keep reading »

How Fierce: Christian Siriano Writes A Book

Zandile BlayAugust 25, 2009 //

We saw this one coming a mile – or at least a catwalk – away. Since his stint on Project Runway, Christian Siriano has consistently stormed the fashion world with project after project. After debuting his own collection, maternity clothes, and Payless shoes, now Siriano is coming out with a book. As one might expect it is called “Fierce Style: How To Be Your Most Fabulous Self.” Keep reading »

The Story Of The One-Boobed Stripper

Susannah BreslinAugust 25, 2009 //

Viva Las Vegas is a popular stripper based in Portland, Oregon. A preacher’s daughter, she was raised in the Midwest before she moved to the West, where she worked as a nude dancer for over a dozen years. Eventually, she wondered if it was time to retire. Last year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After chemo made her hair fall out and a mastectomy left her with one breast, she wasn’t sure what to do. So, she wrote a book about her experiences: Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas. After the lump was removed, extra skin from a cadaver was used to cover the area, but she resisted having her breast rebuilt with an implant. And then, she went back to stripping … [The Daily Beast] Keep reading »

Spencer Pratt Wants To Tell Us “How to Be Famous”

Nikki DowlingAugust 21, 2009 //

Hated reality TV star Spencer Pratt has decided to enlighten us all by writing a book called “How to Be Famous.” I think he should retitle it “How To Make Yourself Into A Complete Jackass.” In the book, Spencer tries to make himself out to be a Public Relations bad ass. He brags about leaking the deets of Lauren Conrad’s sex tape because she was mean to Heidi Montag and seems to think that now that she’s gone from “The Hills” he’s going to rule. One thing we agree with? “If I weren’t me, I’d hate me,” he writes. Yeah dude, that’s pretty much how it is. [NY Daily News] Keep reading »

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