Gossip Hound by Wendy Holden

For fans of reading material that has come to be known as "chick lit", here's Wendy Holden's latest novel, GOSSIP HOUND. It's a book that takes the reader into the world of London publishing and celebrity "A Lists" and the latest low-down gossip that is being spread across tabloids, bars, and celebrity bedrooms all over London and beyond.

Grace Armiger is a publicist who works for a small London publishing house called Hatto and Hatto. It sounds like a glamorous job, but it's far from it. Hatto and Hatto has gotten a reputation of never having books that make it to the bestseller lists, so their authors are never the ones that are treated like royalty at any bookseller festival. In other words, it's a company that is going nowhere, and Grace is struggling to keep afloat. To sum it up, the morale at work is only going in one direction: down.

Her latest protege, Henry Moon, has just written the book SUCKING STONES, all about his adventures with an aboriginal tribe, and she is quite anxious to get this book into the realms of the bestseller lists. Unfortunately, no one seems very interested in the book, and she can't seem to sell it at any of the book festivals. Even getting a book signing for Henry is like pulling teeth.

In the meantime, in another part of the London publishing world, Belinda Black, the queen of newspaper smut, is on a tirade and is bent on landing the number one celebrity, Red Campion, as her latest interview conquest. The lengths this woman will go to get her man is hilarious and I couldn't stop laughing at all her antics. Her adventures, believe it or not, and Grace's publishing career, collide during the course of this book, as they both become involved in the world of high-in-demand celebrities and fast paced living.

I don't want to give away too much, but I highly enjoyed GOSSIP HOUND. Although I found it difficult initially to get into the book, once I got used to Wendy Holden's writing style the rest of the book went fast. This book is not for the faint of heart, but for the lover of chick lit and name-dropping and fun trashy antics among the rich and famous. It's fast paced and often times highly unrealistic. It also has a little romance tucked away, for those of you who like that sort of thing. Read GOSSIP HOUND. You won't regret it!

Gossip Hound is a delightful novel centering around Grace Armiger, a publicist for a London Publishing House. With characters like Red Campion, star of Legionnaire and the tabloid journalist Belinda Black, this novel is a humorous read. Whitty, sometimes campy but always entertaining, this book is a must have for fans of the Chick-Lit genre.

Wendy Holden has a rather unique voice in women's fiction. Her novels have the sort of distinctive wit and cleverness that set them apart from most of today's single-woman-in-the-city books. Having read Bad Heir Day, I had looked forward to reading another one of Holden's fantastic novels. Gossip Hound is one of the most entertaining novels I've read all year.

Grace Armiger handles the PR services at Hatto & Hatto, a publishing house that's notoriously known for its WORSTselling authors. She questions her professional ethics after she spends the night with one of her clients. Her life couldn't be less glamorous and more complicated if she'd tried. However, her luck changes when an A-list entertainer enters her life. What she doesn't know is that Belinda Black, a ruthlessly ambitious tabloid journalist, is out to get the scoop that will catapult her career to epic proportions -- even if it means hurting others in the process. There are some fun twists throughout the novel.

Gossip Hound is filled with Holden's signature wit and prose. Also, since all of her books have a backdrop of socialites and fashionistas, Gossip Hound is no exception. Grace and Henry are my favorite characters. And I hated Belinda Black's ruthless ambition and deluded arrogance -- the perfect antagonist. I love women's fiction of this sort, and Gossip Hound is one of satirical and distinctive humor. I couldn't recommend it enough. Enjoy!

This book is pretty much like the other Dreamweaver MX books I looked at, but I liked the clean layout, organization, and imagery of this one.

The book covers the basics of how to create HTML pages and add interactivity to them. There is nothing special here, but the bases are covered in a clear and concise manner.

About half of the book is dedicated to creating interactivity through the use of programming and databases. These topics seem to be explained with more detail than the others in the book, which is good for someone like me who needs the help.

This book is the best resource for Macromedia's latest version of Dreamweaver. You can tell this book has been written from the ground up about the MX version and is not some reproduced Dreamweaver 4 reference.

We have it work and everyone seems to get quite a bit out of it. The new web personel - who need to get up a running in Dreamweaver fast have found it very useful, as did myself coming from UltraDev 4 experience.

If you need an all in one solution for Dreamweaver MX - than this is your book.

Having just purchased Dreamweaver MX, I needed a book to cover just about every feature and this one fit the bill perfectly.

My main reasons for buying this book: I wanted to know the little details about DW-MX that I had glossed over previously: integration with Fireworks, library items, templates and site management, as well as database integration. This book explains those features simply and straightforwardly.

There are some excellent chapters to get you up and running connecting your pages to a database using ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, JSP and ColdFusion. I also needed to learn more about ASP.NET integration, datasets and datagrids in particular. The authors provide clear and concise explanations and tutorials which explain not only how to do it but why it's done like it is. One of the chapters explains how to create your own public extensions for placement on Macromedia's Exchange site. Customization of MX's interface is also explained in this chapter (very cool stuff).

This one won't collect dust on my shelf like so many books I bought previously.

The book The Catcher in the Rye was one of the best books I have ever read, and also my favorite. As a fifteen year old myself I understood much of what Holden was going through. I got the book and didn't stop reading it untill I finished it the next night. I loved the style of writing and it kept me interested untill the very last word.

I absolutely loved this book. Holden Caulfield captures the essence of youth and all the troubles that the youth of any era must go through. A great book for anyone, from a high school student to someone in their 40's. This book will have you laughing, sympathizing and nearly in tears as you read about this troubled young man.

I read this book at 16 because a teacher told me I would relate to the main character. This was soon after I had been diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. I am now 21 and have read the book several times and the more I experience and live through the symptons of my illness, I see how the entire book seems to show that Holden might have been experiencing a manic episode. And it is amazing that it was written so long ago, before much was known of the illness. I adore this book because the thoughts and emotions I sometimes have that seem to be so terribly painfull and unexplainable are all stated crystal clear right there in the pages. I reccomend this book to anyone who has manic-depression, or anyone who wishes to understand such a person's emoitional obstacles. I also highly reccomend all other works by Salinger, particularly "Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour, an Introduction".

This book starts off promising much, delivering a story that has elements of intrigue and suspense. However the writing style (first person) and the insistence of the author to try and add twists wherever possible leaves you reading something that has worn thin by the time the twist arrives. Its almost as if you'd rather read about the secondary character Banks, rather than the main character. The two share a past, and now the same fate, both have had their daughters go missing. Its a good book, but there are better thrillers out there that can keep you page-turning. I recommend reading the other books by Craig Holden, as these are more tense.

I enjoyed Four Corners of the Night though at times I found the time sequence somewhat confusing.

The auther cleverly uses two abductions to highlight the relationships of two police detectives Bank Arbour and Mack Steiner who have been life long friends. He uses these events to provide a deeper insight into both their interpersonal relationships and themselves.

The story starts with the second abduction a teenager from below the tracks Tamara Shiply, and compares this to the disappearans ten years before of Bank Arboughs stepdaughter Jamie.

In theory this is a clever construction , to use the second event to explain the first but it is here that the the book looses its fifth star. At times I found the switching back and fourth very confusing and as one reviewer has stated leaves too many loose ends.

There are occasions where Craig Holden really impresses with his writing. His comparison of the police officer and cornered suspect to that of a priest and confessor. He also highlights the impossibility of absolute evidence in conviction.

Another strand concerns the relationship of Banks exwife Sara with both himself and Mack.This is another way of linking these two charecters.

The auther appears to have a relgeous view as other than entertainment, this is a novel of the destructiveness of overbearing love and when it crosses the threshold of possession and abuse. Without giving away the plot after this very compex narritive reaches its climax we realise that both the detectives are both tied to each other by them both having secrets.

To summarise, this is a very complex and rewarding book written by a way above writer in this gendre. The only book to compare is Mercy by David Lindsey. THis is real praise indeed.

As a new mother, I was hesitant to read a story where children vanish, presumably taken away to have terrible deeds done to them. But I have enjoyed Holden's previous books, and the comments on the book cover prodded me to read this book. I couldn't put it down, and found myself reading it in spare moments, until I finished it in a few days. The twists and turns in the plot made for a suspenseful read, and yet the novel was also lyrical and graceful. My favorite authors tend to be skilled at showing how a person's past shapes him into the person he has become, and Holden does this wonderfully. I recommend this book. and his previous two novels as well.

Although I found the essays (actually reprinted NY Times articles) very interesting and thought provoking, whoever was in charge of copy-editing this book should be handed his/her pink slip.

There are typos everywhere! For instance, it's noted that David Chase's mother died five years ago at the age of, get this, **34** ?

Here are some other zingers:

"One one side..." should be "On one side..."

"At one point, the assaults..." should be "At one point, he assaults..."

"like real life as its lived experienced in the United States..." er, who knows what that was supposed to say?

It's one thing for the occasional typo, but folks, I've only listed a few I could find in the first 5 chapters! It's enough to drive you to distraction. "What, ANOTHER mistake? Yeesh!"

More information: Yes, it's 160 pages, with an added 7 page introduction. However, it's set in BIG type, so I think we're really only getting about 100 pages worth of copy.

Since content is the most important aspect here, it's still a worthy read, but the publisher's rush to print this book forces me (and I would imagine some of you as well) to deduct a star based on such sloppy work.

-MC

It's somewhat obvious that the publisher rushed this book in attempts to capitalize on the incredible popularity of this series.

There are spelling and context errors, and a few general factual errors, that should have been caught in the first editing.

Overall, the information is germane, concise, and pretty well organized. I read the book through and through, and keep it around for when people have questions concerning the show.

A good read for Soprano heads, probably irrelavent to everyone else.

The first Sopranos book I've seen on the market, and one you can't refuse! A collection of essays by different writers throughout 1999 and into 2000. Very up-to-date with plenty of B&W photos of the cast members off the set; many from the 2nd season premiere. An informative behind-the-scenes look at HBO's best series with short bios of the main actors. And you can't beat the price! [160pp incl. the two full-color covers, not 176pp another reviewer claims]

The puzzle here is a intriging mystery but the extreme violence and amoral story line was a turn-off to me.

I think my rewiew will be a little diferent from the others I have read here. In my opinion, "The River Sorrow" is a slow-pace story, without good characterization. That's the kind of book you forget as soon as you finished reading. A book to be really remarkable must stay in your mind long after you put it down. That's not the case of "River Sorrow"!

This is a well written mystery. Several of the main characters have an interesting mix of admirable traits with common failings, such as the doctor who is a recovering addict. The bad guys are not so credibly characterized.

This is NOT a book for beginners who wish to learn JSP/servlets and EJBs and the techniques of J2EE. On the other hand, if you already have some knowledge with these techniques, the book may help to improve your background of J2EE and its components.

1.The strong points of the book are:

- the book does a wonderful job in explaining different key points of J2EE techniques especially at the beginning of each chapter; although the discussion sometimes becomes pretty vague and less clear at the end.

- the book's code examples use j2sdkee1.2.1, orion and jboss which are available for you free with unlimited time.

- the book looks quite impressive, 1600 plus pp. hardcovered.

2.The weak points of the book:

- all the code examples are fairly easy. In fact, too easy to do much help to the readers who need a better workout to pay attention to some key points of the techniques.

- Since only half of the book is devoted to really J2ee techniques, people who already experienced with jsp/servlet may find the other half of the book unecessary.

In conclusion, you may want to check this book out if you alread know jsp/servlet and j2ee( through the Sun's tutorials and examples and wish to have a better understand of this popular but pretty complex technique.

This is one of the earliest J2EE 1.2 book that hit the market and it does a decent job. Coverage on individual topics such as servlets, JSP's, and EJB's are good and coherent. I especially like the EJB topic which spans 6 chapters that gives a lot of details and guidance in architecting your apps using EJB's. Other J2EE topics like JDBC, JNDI, RMI, XML, JMS, and JavaMail also received adequate coverage in the book. Compared with the book by Perrone et al. (Sams), this one is more focused and more in depth.

However, I am somewhat disappointed by the lack of substances (i.e., code, code, code to a developer like myself!) in the later chapters that deal with design strategies. It will have been a lot better if the book used an integrated sample to illustrate how to implement the design principles layed out in chapters 24 and 25. Instead, we have a chapter (30) which basically borrows a canned sample from Orion Server release, which in itself is OK but is not tightly related to earlier chapters. So if you already have servlets and JSP experience and would like to add EJB/JMS to the mix, I wouldn't recommend this book. Pick up the new book from Wrox on BEA WebLogic Server instead.

When it comes to the authoritative reference for server-side Java development, you can't go past Professional Java Server Programming, J2EE Edition. This hefty tome is a revised version on Professional Java Server Programming, updated for the Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition.

This thick tome weighs in at over a massive 1600 pages, far more material than would normally be expected for a book of its price. So what do you get for your money?

Well, this is more than just a book on a single Java technology, like servlets or RMI, or JavaServer Pages (JSP). With contributions from twenty one (21) authors, you've got the most comprehensive guide to Java server technologies, as well as related topics like XML, CORBA, RMI, Jini and JDBC. Then there's the extra material, on Enterprise JavaBeans, JavaMail and other core J2EE technologies.

This book covers the entire gamut of server-side programming, linking one technology to the next. If you're in a hurry, you won't want to read the book cover to cover. Instead, you can jump right in to the technologies you're interested, picking and choosing as you please. This approach works well, and is an important decision for commercial developers working to a schedule. It's a big book, but it's easy to select the sections you need, as you need them.

Like many books of its type, there's plenty of examples, but the authors strike a good balance between theory and practical applications. Unlike most books on server-side programming, there's also case studies for different technologies. I particularly liked this feature - it's something that is generally lacking from most books. Whether you're a fan of case studies or not is really a personal preference, but I found it a refreshing change and one that I believe many developers and managers will likewise welcome.

The writing style is very good, though you'll notice a difference from chapter to chapter as many authors contributed to the book. As far as length goes, 1600+ makes for a long title, but chapters need not be read sequentially to understand the various technologies involved, and it's fairly good value for such coverage. Some readers might prefer an introductory book on servlets (a good idea if you're only interested in small scale web development), but when it comes to coverage of all aspects of advanced server-side programming, Professional Java Server Programming J2EE Edition beats other titles hands down. If you've read the previous edition, but want the updated J2EE coverage, it might still be worth your while purchasing the new title for the updated material. -- David Reilly, for the Java Coffee Break

A wacky cast of characters converges on a small English village for this rural fairytale. The primary character is Rosie, a London illustrator who escapes to the country with her reluctant newspaper columnist boyfriend, Matt. Once they reach the village, they meet a host of quirky villagers. There's Samantha, the washed up, self-proclaimed "celebrity" and her disgruntled husband, Guy, Matt Locke, the reclusive rock star, and Duffy the postman, who is also the town gossip, just to name a few.

Rosie and Mark's relationship begins unraveling in the country-she is happy, he is not, he's a jerk, she is not. Their unhappy cohabitating leads her into the arms of other men, those belonging to craggy farmer Jack, and then those of Matt Locke. Farm Fatale is a light, enjoyable Cinderella story that gets a bit sappy toward the end. But Holden is a clever, funny writer, and for the most part, this happy little farce works well.

Wendy Holden's Farm Fatale is chalked full of characters that are well built and entertaining. This story is about 2 couples moving to the country side from busy London and their struggles and adventures in adapting to country life. I really enjoyed this book. It was light, fun and entertaining. If you are looking for something to just relax and enjoy, you won't be sorry with this book.

Farm Fatale is an entertaining story of a London couple that moves to the country and the "excitement" that happens from there. I found the characters to be captivating and real. Rosie is the typical fairytale girl who falls into a deep dark well and comes out with a dozen roses, and the guy. Never have I read a story that depicts the country and it's people better. I laughed throughout the book and cried at the end. A wonderful book for any time anywhere. You would most likely have to enjoy British authors to get some of the humor.

Jack Collier has a brilliant idea that will not only attain him his Ph.D. from Harvard, but cure cancer. However, his faculty advisor Dr. Dutton steals the ideal of training Strep A bacteria to eat tumors leaving Jack expelled for plagiarism and feeling heartbroken.

Jack flees Harvard to seek his former girlfriend who is dying from cancer. However, unbeknownst to Jack he has become infected with his cure, turning him into a modern day but deadlier Typhoid Mary. He kills anyone who comes in physical contact with him. With the FBI wanting to stop Jack before others die, while others want Jack dead before he reveals the truth, he continues his trek cross country to try to save a life.

THE CARRIER is an exciting, fast-paced medical thriller that falls a bit short of being a classic horror tale. The story line moves so fast that readers will finish it quickly, but feel very little towards the characters in the process. Even though this tale is not quite what it could have been, any one skeptical about Holden Scott's talent will realize he is a major player who needs to know speed kills interesting plots, even one that is still fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

"The Carrier" by Holden Scott, St. Martin's Press, 2000.

A Fast Moving Book mixing modern gene therapy with the modern concern for the upcoming plague.

The author, Scott Holden, combines a fairly deep knowledge of modern genetic laboratories with a story of politics in the university setting. His main character is a genius Ph. D. candidate (Jack Collier) from New Jersey who ignores the jealousies on the university campus (Harvard of all places) until his advisor, Professor Dutton springs a rather large conspiracy on Jack. Jack Collier is expelled for plagiarism, while it is Dutton who had done the real plagiarism. In hopes of a Nobel Prize, Dutton steals Jack's work, which was intended as a cure for cancer. In stealing Jack's discovery, Prof. Dutton inadvertently changes the cure into a killer. Jack carries the killer/cure across the United States, while being pursued by FBI agents, one of whom is a psycho and another a Ph.D. in Biology. This is an interesting sub-plot all on its own.

The book is well written, but some discrepancies crept in: I do not think that the Boston Police Department has legal authority in Cambridge, where Harvard is located. The references to the BPD should have been to Cambridge Police. On p. 209, the editor permitted "stewardess" to be used, when today's correct usage is "flight attendant". On p. 191, the verb "affects" was used when the noun, "effects" was required. All of this is minor compared to the fast-moving story combining many modern themes.

After you read this book, you will probably never want to use a public toilet again! When Holden Scott first started writing as Ben Mezrich, there was an obvious talent there that somehow seemed to elude critical or public acclaim. However, since changing his name and writing "Skeptic," seems his fate is a little more promising.
"The Carrier" is a by the numbers chase thriller, which has some interesting scenarios, and some truly frightening scenes (reference to the above mentioned public toilet scene..yipes!). However, so many "coincidences" occur and agent Thomas Moon is so over the top that you have to grimace at some of the cliches Scott uses. However, this is an effectively creepy and involving book, one that flows nicely and gives us another one of Mezrich/Scott's typical young medical heroes who is caught up in the bureaucratic/evil world of modern science. You can't help but admire Jack and his quest to save his beloved Angie from cancer; and you can't help but hate Michael Dutton, who cruelly steals Jack's "miracle."
A nice, engaging read and one that I recommend; it's fun.

Holden has a great grasp on the tragic American hero and is also able to spin highly-infectious stories. The resultant combo is best displayed in The River Sorrow. While this book starts strong and has a vice-like hold on the reader through the middle sections, I found the last section to be predictable, and even a bit corny. I was downright disappointed with Holden on this latest offering, but as I hold him to an exceptionally high standard, I still must give the book a decent review. A great one to bring to the beach; make sure you apply enough suntan lotion before starting the book as you'll have a hard time putting it down for much of the story

This is a good read. The characters in the story are very three dimensional. I especially like the FBI agent RedFeather. The ending is a bit surprising, but I don't like it. Apart from that the whole plot is quite well-organised. Read it on the beach, or during a long flight. You should not be disappointed!

I liked the novel, it kept me reading until the end. I did not like the ending though. (I'm not going to give it away) This is a good cottage book. I will try Holden's other books as well.