Style book

"The ELLEments of Personal Style"

Novel

"Russian Winter" by Daphne Kalotay

Janie Bryant book

"The Fashion File: Advice, Tips and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men"

Cookbook

The Good Housekeping Cookbook: 125th Anniversary Edition

GAGA

Gaga hardcover book

Totally Toned Arms: Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days

I'm not someone that actively pursues exercise, but I'd totes sweat a little for better arms. Trainer Rylan Duggan's book claims we all can rock M'Obama arms after just three weeks, with minimal equipment. I only flipped through it, but I'll test out some of his techniques. One day. Incidentally, I wonder how the first lady feels about being a marketing tool adjective for fit arms.  Tone up. 

Hip Hop Dog

Written by award-winning children's book scribe, Chris Raschka, this book is described as a "doggy allegory." From the jacket: "Can dogs rap? Of course they can. We've all seen them throwing it down, tossing it up, hounding, pointing, beagling and boxing in our back streets and front parks. Here's the story, told in his own words, of one rising dog star." Plus, any book that says "I'm the top-est, never stop-est, Boston Pop-est," is cool in my book. Best. kid's. book. ever.  Check it

Grow Your Own Drugs

Despite its colorful cover with a smattering of trippy butterflies and flowers, I'm sorry to report that the "drugs" this book highlights are strictly of the legal variety. In fact, they're not really drugs but natural remedies and beauty fixes, so the title might a bit of an attention-grabbing ploy (kinda like those birthday cards whose cover says "BEER!" or "SEX!" and the inside says "now that I've got your attention ... happy birthday!"). Inside, there are DIY remedies for scores of common ailments (heartburn, bug bites, eczema) although some struck me as nonsensical. An example? An alleged "memory booster," which involves fresh rosemary and a bottle of wine. Now, maybe I'm being cynical, but if wine really boosted one's memory, I imagine the age-old question of "what the fuck happened last night?!?" would have been all but eradicated. In like, 4000 BC.  Cook your own stuff. 

Bridal book madness

Miss Manners' Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding

The Big White Book of Weddings: A How-To Guide For the Savvy, Stylish Bride

Knack Make it Easy: Planning Your Wedding

Oh, bridal books. Over the past couple of weeks, I've received quite a few. I assume this is because the holiday season is peak proposal time (or at least it is according to the gajillion wedding-related PR press releases I get).  I typically put these aside for the bridal planning sections we publish every couple of months, but today I started thumbing through them and noticed one started out like this: "He proposed! Congratulations! Finally, you're on route to the day you've been waiting for your entire life."

Um, not so fast, wedding psychos. I fully understand that the multi-million dollar wedding industry is based upon these types of rally cries, but I simply find the whole operation dreadfully outdated. Who has the time to stress out about napking rings, lighting schemes and the color of your bridal party's  shoes? Anyway, these authors are always good to use as sources for wedding stories, so I'll shut up now. 

Underneath it All: A Girl's Guide to Buying, Wearing and Loving Lingerie

Most of the books I've been getting lately are related to health and fitness, but I did get this cute little guide. It's actually a pretty comprehensive manual on finding the right lingerie and underthings for your style and body type — from tights to bras. It breaks down every type of underpinning imaginable, too, so it's perfect for gals who have no idea what a balconette bra or a tanga-cut pair of undies are (myself included).  Check it!

The Cocktail Primer

Happy Thanksgiving! I've been off for a couple of days, which is why postings have been non-existent. I imagine others are out as well, so I haven't received much stuff of interest. I did get this hardcover book, The Cocktail Primer. I always tend to like the idea of cocktail books better than the actual books themselves. I think it's because most folks that come over for cocktails are fine with beer or wine, so I never really feel the need to concoct snazzy drinks, though I always want to (and now that I've recently become enthralled with "Mad Men," maybe I will).  This book stood out because it's written by Eben Klemm, a pretty notable mixologist who now works exclusively for BR Guest restaurants (Dos Caminos, Blue Water Grill, 675, Primehouse, etc). There's nothing groundbreaking in the book, but it's a solid overview of the essentials of classic cocktail making. Here it is. 

The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places

This fab coffee table book portrays a range of famous folks (actors, models, artists, designers, social figures, politicians, etc) in photos at parties, balls, weddings and at home as they appeared in Vogue from the '60s to the present. Obvz, all the photos were taken by bigwigs (Avedon, Ritz, Newton, Leibovitz, Frissell, etc) and they're awesome.

Get this book, which comes out 11/17.

The New York Times Practical Guide to Practically Everything, 2nd Edition

I can never decide if these "guides to life," so to speak are meant to be taken seriously or if they're meant to be a little cheeky. I say this because they often combine practical knowledge (reducing your investment taxes, how to how to play Mah-Jongg, how to fix your own computer, how to drink wine) to the laughably improbable (how to react if confronted by a bear). This $32 NYT guide — a good gift for know-it-alls or know-nothings — looks like a dictionary and spans nearly 1,000 pages. 

Get smart here. 

The Batman Vault

Haven't really had a chance to look through this monster of a hardcover book, but they're calling in a "museum-in-a-book" so I'm guessing it includes a beyond in-depth look at the superhero. Totes wish I had a comic-loving friend to give this to, or a kid brother or something. Buy it for yours! 

The Twilight Journals

OMG!!! TWILIGHT!!! VAMPIRES!!!!! JOURNALS!!!

Um, so kidding. I've never read a Twilight book in my life, or seen the flick for that matter, but I'm aware of the effect the franchise has on tweens and teens. I got this tin in the mail and I was sort of hoping it was filled with the actual books, so I could see what the brouhaha's all about without having to actually pick them up at the bookstore. I'm no literary elitist, but I'd rather not feed into the stereotype (young-looking caucasian gal buying Twilight at Barnes and Noble, with visions of a rumpled R-Patz swimming in her head). Anyway, these are blank journals with dreamy quotes from the books and plenty of room for lots of giddy entries about how hot vampire are. Twi-hards can get the set here.

Fierce Style: How to be your Most Fabulous Self

I know I sort of dissed "how-to" style books earlier, but I like Christian Siriano so whatever, call me a hypocrite. Plus, If I were the type to buy myself a style book, I might be more inclined to take his advice than some random editor. Unlike some others, this colorful, list-heavy book doesn't read like an instruction manual, it's more about fun with fashion and developing a personal style. It's also, naturally, filled with his signature phases ("hot tranny mess," "ferosh," "tickety-tack.") Here's a plus: He mentions the wonders of shopping designer at stores like TJ Maxx or MARSHALL'S (secret Mecca). Fab gift for a stylish someone, or funny gift for some who loathes Siriano. $25. Check it.

Boat books ahoy

First Class: Legendary Ocean Liner Voyages Around the World

Outrageous Yachts

Not sure if there's a sky-high demand these days for books about extravagant boats but I got two today, so apparently people are writing them. Nice gifts for enthusiasts, I suppose ... Outrageous Yachts soooo makes me wish I was lounging my ass off in Sardinia or even Miami on a hot-ass Benetti with a Kir Royale in hand.

Bette Davis: Larger than Life

Not sure why the cover image looks like a weird hybrid of Kate Winslet and Patti LuPone, but I'm totally into this hardcover about the no-nonsense icon. I also have one from the same series about Lana Turner, but I don't know anything about her other than she was a blond siren and not nearly as dark as Davis .

I typically reference "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" whenever I spot someone wearing a manic amount of makeup (caked-on rouge and the like), so this book is apropos. Check it out

InStyle: The New Secret of Style

Many of these "how-to" style books always strike me as a bit ... Bland? Repetitive? Patronizing? Yes, yes and yes. Some are cool to browse through to in order to get inspired, but I always feel like the instructional books just reiterate cliche ideas of what's "classic" and "timeless." (We know, all women should have a crisp white shirt, a trench, a pencil skirt, an LBD, a well-cut pair of black trousers, blah, blah, blah). This book, by the editors of InStyle, probably would resonate with the readership of my publication though. While readership is large, a cutting-edge, fashion-forward crowd don't depend on us for style advice.

Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation

So now, I have the option of knowing every single thing there is to know about periods and menstruation, all from this cheekily-designed little book. Can't decide if it's right for my publication, though ... Considering a small write-up. Will hang on to it for a bit. It retails for $27.99 and comes out next week.