Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair - 277 pages
A Vintage Magic Mystery #3

Maddie has another murder to solve.  Unfortunately, this time it is the death of her close friend and Broadway star Dominique DeLong.  She was killed and millions of dollars of diamonds were stolen.  Now Maddie must figure out her killed her friend and find the diamonds before someone comes after her.

Another great entry in the series.

Girling Up: How To Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular by Mayim Bialik, Ph.D.

Girling Up: How To Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, by Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., 176 pages

You may know Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler from the hit television show Big Bang Theory.  Not only is Mayim an actress, she is also a mother, an author, and a neuroscientist. So, who better to write a book about growing up female than a real life scientist.  I would say if you are raising a girl approaching her teen years, this book is nice to have around. Not only does she include scientific facts about growing up, Mayim also includes personal anecdotes and illustrated drawings.

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham - 209 pages

This memoir by actress Lauren Graham was probably one of the most readable books I've ever picked up.  It was as if she was simply having a conversation with you.  It was interesting to read about her unusual childhood and stories of her life.  She also gave a lot of sound life advice that's applicable to everybody.  I truly enjoyed reading this book and think I will probably have to hunt out her fiction title to read as well as the two future books she mentioned writing in this book.

Suck It, Wonder Woman! by Olivia Munn

Suck It, Wonder Woman! by Olivia Munn, 288 pages

I listened to this as an audio because I could not find it in book format.  But, I am going to try and find it as a book because supposedly there are some really good pictures in the book.

Olivia Munn has most recently been in the news for breaking up with Green Bay Packer Quarterback Aaron Rodgers after dating for 3 years.  Before that she was known for being a model and actress, appearing mostly in comedies.

Born in Oklahoma City, her father was in the military where she grew up in Japan.  Her mother was of Chinese descent but was a Vietnam refuge.

Suck it, Wonder Woman! follows Olivia as she grows up and struggles to fit in as a geeky kid who moved around a lot.  As a teen, her grandmother lived with the family and died suddenly.  Olivia blamed herself for not giving her grandmother CPR.  The book continues to follow her as she grows up and finds herself moving to Los Angeles to become a model and actress.  She was hired as a host on Cable G4's Attack of the Show.  On the show, she finds herself dressing in various costumes.  Her favorite costumes are superhero ones, but she does say one has to have a certain figure to wear these costumes.  I enjoyed listening to this audio read by the author.  It was both funny and entertaining.

Marilyn Monroe: Unseen Archives by Marie Clayton

Marilyn Monroe: Unseen Archives Marie Clayton,  383 pages

This is the third Unseen Archives book I have read and the second one I have read by Marie Clayton.  I really enjoys these books.  I always enjoy a good biography, but these books are really nice because each chapter contains a summary of that particular time in their life and the pictures follow.  There were hundreds of pictures, many from her personal life, as well as many from her career. Marilyn Monroe had such a tragic life from the moment she was born, throughout her childhood and well through her adult life.  She lost many pregnancies and had a history of depression. Her life ended much to soon after her 36th birthday in 1962. The circumstances behind Marilyn's death have remained one of life's greatest mysteries.  She truly is an American icon.

The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo
by Amy Schumer
323 pages











If you like Amy Schumer's comedy, you will enjoy this book. Miss Schumer's career has really taken off in the last few years — her movie "Trainwreck" was fun, her TV show "Inside Amy Schumer" is still going strong, and she had her first comedy special for HBO.

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo is a collection of mostly funny stories, but there are also some dark ones in there. Like the time she was in an abusive relationship, but kept making excuses for the boyfriend that would beat her. Or all the sadness that comes from having a father diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Or her frustrations over getting more gun control laws in the U.S.

This book did have lighter and funny chapters, and it often made me laugh. I ended up listening to this book on audio, which I recommend. Her comic timing made this a fun and thoughtful listen.

Schumer's comedy persona is a woman who likes men and sex, and someone who drinks and swears a lot. This book is a softer side of Amy, but there's still a lot of swearing.

Born with Teeth: a memoir by Kate Mulgrew

Born with Teeth: a memoir by Kate Mulgrew - 302 pages

This fascinating biography takes the actress through her early years as a child in Iowa through her time on Star Trek as Captain Janeway.  Mulgrew has led an amazing life filled with passion and heartbreak both personally and professionally.  She brings her past to life with vibrant description and the utmost candor.  I truly hope we can look forward to another book to extend her memoirs into the next exciting chapters of her life. 

Tribute by Nora Roberts

Tribute by Nora Roberts - 451 pages

Cilla, a former child star, has come to Virginia to restore her famous grandmother's "little farm".  Cilla has always felt a connection to her legendary actress grandmother who died of an overdose long before she was born.  Now she plans to rehab her house to live in.  But someone doesn't want Cilla in town.  Vandalism escalates to harassment and assaults.  Now Cilla is working with her neighbor Ford to determine who, and why, someone wants her gone.

I listened to the audio version of this book.  It was very well done.  The narrator did a great job altering dialects, tones, and drawls to differentiate between the characters.

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

176 pp. One of several candid memoirs written by Carrie Fisher, she details her childhood growing up the child of Hollywood stars, her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, and her bipolar diagnosis and subsequent electroshock therapy treatments. Tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating, and witty.

Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life by Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life by Melissa Joan Hart - 276 pages

This is Melissa Joan Hart's memoir of her life in show business.  She talks about her childhood as attending school in the suburbs while moonlighting as a commercials and theater actress.  She then talks about her two big series - Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  She makes it plain that a lot of her "clean" image is simply from the fact that nobody ever got photos of her drunk or doing drugs - which she did quite often before marrying.  She also talks about her marriage, her sons, and trying to work as a mother.
The book is written in a very conversational style which makes it extremely easy to read.  I don't usually read biographies / memoirs, but this one was fun.  She tells enough stories and names enough names to make it interesting without really trashing anybody too much.  A fun read!

Melissa Explains It All by Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Explains It All by Melissa Joan Hart, 276 pages

I am not a big Melissa Joan Hart fan, but I do love reading celebrity biographies.  I am not sure how big of star you would classify her as, but she did star in a couple of sitcoms. I guess the title of her book comes from her first series on Nickelodeon called Clarissa Explains It All.  I did watch her more popular series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch on ABC. This book details Melissa's climb up the Hollywood ladder as well as her personal life which included an appearance on Dancing With the Stars. She also has a current sitcom out which I have never seen.  This book was interesting for a little bit, but then it got very repetitive with every little detail of her life.  She does seem to use this opportunity to drop a lot a celebrity names of whom she has rubbed shoulders with.  One of these celebrities is Jerry O'Connell.  Though, I think the biggest name she drops is Ashton Kutcher.  I would only recommend this book if you have a lot of time to kill or if you are a die hard Melissa Joan Hart fan.

Life Is Not A Reality Show: Keeping It Real with the Housewife Who Does It All by Kyle Richards

Life Is Not A Reality Show: Keeping It Real with the Housewife Who Does It All by Kyle Richards, 275 pages

I guess you could call this book tooting your own horn.  And, Kyle Richards (Aunt to Paris Hilton and sister to child star Kim Richards) blows her horn hard.  Born and raised in Beverly Hills and growing up a child actor (she appeared in Little House on The Prairie), I can see where she gets her attitude.  As far as children growing up in Beverly Hills, she probably did not have as lavish a lifestyle as some. If you are a fan of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, you will love this book. Describing her wonderful marriage to her husband Mauricio, Kyle gives advice on how to keep a man.  She also gives advice on hair and makeup and throwing parties. One interesting story is how she inherited her mother's diamond ring.  Because her sisters already had extensive jewelry collections, she inherited the ring.  The pictures in this book were an added bonus!

Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas

Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas - 377 pages

Jessica Wentworth is the most famous actress in London.  Her life is in the public eye.  What no one knows is that she has a secret husband she has never met.  For years Damon Savage has been searching for the wife his parents wed him to when he was a child.  He's surprised to find out it is the actress that has captured his attention.  Now they must decide whether to divorce and go their separate ways or to try to make their marriage a real one.
This was an interesting book.  The idea that two children (ages 3 and 7 years) could be married was horrifying.  While I thought the romance was too quickly introduced between the characters, it was refreshing to see it take more than just a week or two for the happy ending that usually occurs in romance books.