The New Rules of Marketing and PR, David Meerman Scott (Wiley)

After being wowed by David Meerman Scott at the 2007 Book Expo, we at Blog On Books naturally felt compelled to check out his book, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” After all, we are a blog, and his book specifically addresses how to put together a successful blog, among other things.

While writing his book, Scott first posted each chapter on his blog, www.webinknow.com, in order to get feedback from his readers. The result of this process is that the finished book is arranged like a blog, with each chapter containing a set of “postings” about a particular subject. These subjects range from the process of releasing an effective press release in an online world to the process of creating a “viral” marketing campaign. The reader can pick and choose whichever subjects are most relevant and then skip straight to those parts of the book.

Since our interest is in maintaining this blog, we reaped the most benefit from Chapter 4, “Blogs: Tapping Millions of Evangelists to Tell Your Story.” However, we also found many relevant facts scattered throughout the rest of the book. For example, although we thought we were well versed in search engine optimization before reading the book, this book showed us that some of our perceptions were incorrect.

In conclusion, we highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to succeed in the ever-changing world of e-commerce and online media. We ourselves will be implementing Scott’s tips as we continue to build Blog on Books. – David Jonelis

Rickles’ Book, Don Rickles (with David Ritz) (Simon & Schuster)

Hey, Hockey Puck! What ya readin’? Can’t you hear him now? For 50 years, Don Rickles has made people laugh, mostly by making fun of them and often venturing into territory no man in his right mind would go. In ‘Rickles’ Book’ (he couldn’t come up with a title), the man chronicles his life from his early days in Brooklyn taking any jobs he could get as an entertainer (bar mitzvahs and weddings were the mainstays back then) to his slow-but-steady rise to fame in the clubs of New York, Miami, Hollywood and eventually Las Vegas. Along the way, this ‘King of Zing’ rubbed shoulders and performed with many of the greats of comedy, TV and the movies. His escapades with everyone from Clark Gable to Jackie Gleason in the 50’s and 60’s, to guys like Johnny Carson and even Ronald Reagan in the 70’s and 80’s, make for a colorful collection of stories. The most heartfelt ones are reserved for his mother, Etta, who managed to manuever ‘the Great Summit’ in Miami, where she convinced Dolly Sinatra to have her boy Frank check out Don’s act while the two were booked in the same city for several weeks. Sinatra and Rickles ended up becoming life-long buddies and Rickles’ stories of Frank in Vegas and Palm Springs make for enjoyable, lighthearted reading. With the passing of a generation of guys like Hope, Berle, Carson, Parr, the Rat Pack and the others referenced in the book, Rickles is certainly one of the last remaining connections to the most famous era of the classic American comedian. That, and his self-revealing story, are what make this book a special read. – Tim Devine

Do You!, Russell Simmons with Chris Morrow (Gotham Books)

From dealing weed to dealing multimillion dollar branding ventures, the godfather of hip-hop, Russell Simmons shows you how to take the lessons of his life and apply it to your own in this open and revealing look at his rise to financial independence and fame.

Peony in Love, Lisa See (Random House)

Peony in Love is narrated by the hungry ghost who had been a 16-year-old girl nicknamed Peony. She was the cloistered daughter of a wealthy Chinese family during the 17th century when the Ming Dynasty was crumbling under the Manchu invasion. Peony got her father’s permission to see the epic opera “The Peony Pavilion” as long as she stays behind a screen. Chinese women were not to be seen in public, and Peony’s father had already arranged a marriage for her. Peering through the screen at the opera, Peony spies a handsome poet and later slips out of her house to meet him. Desperate for his love and already betrothed to an unknown man, Peony takes a cue from the opera and decides to starve herself to death, only to discover it was all unnecessary. Lisa See’s second novel (following Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) has received mostly positive reviews with the Washington Post saying, “This reader felt, from time to time, almost literally transported and commends the willing suspension of Western disbelief. There’s much here to be savored and a great deal to be learned.” – ReviewsofBooks.com

Fuse of Armageddon, Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff (Tyndale)

Las Vegas Homicide Detective Kate Penner investigates a murder by Hoover Dam; the evidence points towards hostage negotiator Mulvaney Quinn, who normally works Israeli-Palestinian issues. Kate travels to Israel to extradite Mulvaney back to Nevada.

However, once in country, Israeli intelligence requests Kate to allow Mulvaney to complete a critical but difficult hostage deal. She agrees to let him work out the release of an American evangelical pastor and twenty-nine loyal practitioners from a Palestinian group that threatens to kill all of them if their demands are not met. However, she insists that she accompany him so that he cannot use the negotiation to escape his return to the states. Neither is aware at this time of a more insidious plot that could fuse a holy war of Armageddon proportions throughout the entire Middle East and retaliations beyond.

FUSE OF ARMAGEDDON is an exhilarating suspense thriller that stars two likable heroes whose attraction is open, but controlled as to not intrude on the missions. The story line is action-packed while also tearing into the modern American evangelical movement that, like the Crusades, insists biblical Israel needs to belong to the Jews. Readers will appreciate this strong thriller and seek out the previous work of this fine writing team (see THE LAST DISCIPLE). – Harriet Klausner

I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This, Bob Newhart (Hyperion)

Between his original CBS television series and later in syndication, much of America grew up with Bob Newhart. The well loved comedian has had a resurgence lately, and his delivery in ‘I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This’ is as funny now as ever. Predictably, the book is played for laughs including a mild revelation or two, including some interesting things about those closest to him. This droll, nostalgic telling of his life is pretty much what you would expect; a humble guy with enormous luck, who has stayed funny and relevant both as a comic actor and a stand-up comedian for over 40 years. It seems to include most of his well known routines as well as a generous helping of stories about many of his famous friends and fellow entertainers. Of course, a large part of Bob

Will Cook for Sex, Rocky Fino (Stephens Press)

Of course we were lured in by the title, and while cookbooks aren’t really our specialty, we thought we’d devote a little space to one of the few we’ve ever seen relating to a guy’s point of view about cooking. (Inexperienced guys, of course, not your world renowned-chef type guys.) As skeptical as we were (based on the title alone), ‘Will Cook for Sex’ actually does a good job of laying out (pun intended?) recipes for all occasions that are simple yet effective for having the girl of your dreams be dutifully impressed with your newly-honed culinary skills. Southern California’s Rocky Fino goes through all the steps from the first date (‘The Show’) to the second (‘the Swing Date’) to the third (‘the Peer Review’) with a wide variety of savory choices – from Italian Stallion Penne to Lobster Spears to Kingfish Benedict – finally ending up with the Morning After meals, the Weekend Pass and what to do for the holidays. With simple instructions and a well photographed, bright layout from Visual Impact, ‘Will Cook for Sex’ (recently awarded Foreword Magazine’s Cookbook of the Year award) would actually make a great first addition to any single guy’s kitchen bookshelf.

The Digital SLR Guide, Jon Canfield (Peachpit Press)

‘The Digital SLR Guide: Beyond Point and Shoot Digital Photography’ covers the many options of the latest cameras, which typically combine features from 35mm cameras with a better storage and delivery system. A digital SLR can make for great pictures, but photographers moving from ‘point-and-shoot’ to this mode are typically confused and lost over all the options and possibilities of both shooting and using popular image-editing software. This guide is the place to begin: it covers all accessories, features, how to adopt expert techniques for shooting the best photography, and how to edit images for maximum results. Any library appealing to amateur photographers will find it a welcome reference. – Midwest Book Review

NY Book Festival Set for Central Park

The 2007 New York Book Festival will take place on Sat. June 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. Appearances by authors Mike Vaccaro, Fiona Bloom, Iris Pearson, actor Alex Skuby (“King of Queens”) and others are expected. The event is free and open to the public and includes author readings, live music, children

The Lost, Michelle Hancock (Midnight Ink)

In December 2004, ninety-five years old Aldo Cecilio dies from cancer; his daughter Pia inherits his vast estate including his Cecilio Museum of Art and Antiquities in New Paltz, New York. Among his papers is an ancient document written in a language that Pia has no idea what it might be. She visits Columbia University where she seeks to meet brilliant ancient language graduate student Guy Coffee Daniels. She asks him to translate her father’s apparent Dead Sea scroll.

What Coffee translates crushes his spirit as the document is the gospel by Jesus. In it the Son of God claims to be actually the Devil’s disciple. Unable to cope, Coffee becomes a homeless street person carrying a sign John 13.16 instead of the usual 3.16 as this fallen student knows now “the population wants to be deceived, so let them be deceived” for deception is the root of evil. Pia searches for the lost Coffee and her scroll not realizing that he fears revealing the truth because devout believers like her would handle the great con worse than a cynic like him who became a street person once he learned the meaning of the word.

Readers will be hooked by the underlying premise of THE LOST and wonder how Pia will react if she catches up to Coffee and gets him to reveal what he learned that sent him into a mental tailspin. The story line is fast-paced although it contains some well written “required” action scenes that add suspense but also takes the audience away from the powerful thought provoking philosophical issues. Michelle Hancock’s tale is stupendous when the plot coaxes the audience to a paradigm switching pondering of the plausibility whether Jesus and company pulled off the greatest hoax in history and if true how the faithful and the non-believers would react. – Harriet Klausner

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