unchartered terriTORI - Tori Spelling

TITLE: uncharted terriTORI

AUTHOR: Tori Spelling

SUMMARY: Welcome to Los Angeles, birthplace and residence of Tori Spelling.

It's not every Hollywood starlet whose name greets you on a Virgin Airways flight into la-la land. But Tori Spelling has come to accept that her life is a spectacle. Her name is her brand, and business is booming. Too bad when your job is to be yourself, you can't exactly take a break.

Tori finally has everything she thought she wanted-a loving family and a successful career-but trying to live a normal life in Hollywood is a little weird. With the irresistible wit, attitude, and humor that fans have come to love, the New York Times bestselling author of sTORI telling and Mommywood is back with more hilarious, heartwarming, and candid stories of juggling work, marriage, motherhood, and reality television cameras.

Tori comes clean about doing her time on jury duty, stalking herself on Twitter, discovering her former 90210 castmates' "I Hate Tori" club, contracting swine flu, and contacting Farrah Fawcett from the dead. Like many mothers, she struggles to find balance (Stars, they're just like us!)-only most women don't have to battle it out with paparazzi at the grocery store. She talks openly about the darker side of life in the spotlight: media scrutiny over her weight and her marriage to Dean McDermott, her controversial relationship with Dean's ex-wife, and her unfolding reconciliation with her mother.

Having it all isn't always easy-especially when you're a perfectionist-but with the help of her unconventional family and friends, an underwear-clad spiritual cleansing or two, and faith in herself, she's learning to find her happy ending. Because when you're Tori Spelling, every day brings uncharted terriTORI.***

Just when you thought sTORI time was over, the beloved Hollywood starlet has so much more to say. ***"My life has changed dramatically in the past several years. I married Dean; we moved several times; we had two children; we created a show that has gone into its fifth season on the air. I have love. I have a family. I have a home. I have work. It's all I ever wished for. But trying to be a perfect wife, mother, and mini-mogul has its challenges, especially if, like me, you want to be perfect at all of them at the same time." -from uncharted terriTORI - From Publisher

REVIEW: I can't seem to get enough of this girl. I find her writing so amusing and I adore how honest she is. It's funny to read about the missteps she's made and that she's okay with sharing them.

The tone of this book is very different from the tone of the first one. You can tell that her popularity has spiked with doing the show and her various projects she's dived into. It's not often that a married celebrity couple admits to faults and rifts between them. I liked that she didn't try to project that they had a perfect marriage, of course at the same time portions of this will fuel the paparazzi but at least she's being honest with her fans. Marriage is hard and it is work and after having kids and diving into projects it can put a strain on the marriage, in fact more often it does than not. However, she still has a positive attitude and it's real. It felt like talking to a friend. Having a girls night out and just dishing and venting and being able to walk away knowing that I'm not the only one.

All around another enjoyable book from her and I'm looking forward to more.

RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

sTori Telling - Tori Spelling

TITLE: STori Telling

AUTHOR: Tori Spelling

SUMMARY: She was television''s most famous virgin -- and, as Aaron Spelling''s daughter, arguably its most famous case of nepotism. Portraying Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, Tori Spelling became one of the most recognizable young actresses of her generation, with a not-so-private personal life every bit as fascinating as her character''s exploits. Yet years later the name Tori Spelling too often closed -- and sometimes slammed -- the same doors it had opened.

sTORI telling is Tori''s chance to finally tell her side of the tabloid-worthy life she''s led, and she talks about it all: her decadent childhood birthday parties, her nose job, her fairy-tale wedding to the wrong man, her so-called feud with her mother. Tori has already revealed her flair for brilliant, self-effacing satire on her VH1 show So NoTORIous and Oxygen''s Tori & Dean: Inn Love, but her memoir goes deeper, into the real life behind the rumors: her complicated relationship with her parents; her struggles as an actress after 90210; her accident-prone love life; and, ultimately, her quest to define herself on her own terms.

From her over-the-top first wedding to finding new love to her much-publicized -- and misunderstood -- "disinheritance," sTORI telling is a juicy, eye-opening, enthralling look at what it really means to be Tori Spelling. - From Publisher

REVIEW: Let me start off by saying, "Donna Martin Graduates!". There. I feel much better.

I never found Tori Spelling to be all that engaging until a.) later 90210 episodes where we got more from her character and b.) watching reruns of her Tori & Dean reality shows. I am that proverbial cat where curiosity generally gets me every time, so I had to pick up this book. I'm glad that curiosity was once again my friend and I didn't end up cursing my inquisitive nature. I ate through this in one reading and pretty much hit all the emotions on the wheel, yes I did get teary eyed and perhaps a tear was shed... or two.

I remember watching an episode of her reality show where she's at a book signing for her second book and fans are saying that she's just so real and normal. I rolled my eyes but after reading this book I wish you could retract past eye rolls because they were right. She is rather normal for having the upbringing that she did.

For all you Spelling haters out here, I can't say this book will change your view point on this Hollywood blonde but it's certainly entertaining. She has a refreshing voice and it read honest and real. I feel, after reading this, that perhaps she's a bit misunderstood and truly funny. Tori's got a way of sharing a story that makes you feel like you're in her inner circle of friends, having a few drinks on a roof top hotel bar while another Tori powwow is had. I didn't find her pretentious or snobby, the book was far more down to earth; with her taking blame, admitting wrongs and sharing her heart.

Guiltily I have to admit all the 90210 information (Luke Perry starting a fist fight at her families annual Christmas party) made me delighted. I fully admit to having a behind the scenes addiction and this book gave me lots of goodies.

All around I loved this book and will be picking up her second and third book. "sTori Telling" made me a bit of a fan of this quirky blonde.

RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥