Ellen DeGeneres... From Beginning to Now (Biography)

After years of painstaking, round-the-clock research, surviving on a mere twenty minutes of sleep a night, and collaborating with lexicographers, plumbers, and mathematicians, DeGeneres has crafted a book that is both easy to use and very funny. Along with her trademark ramblings, The Funny Thing Is...contains hundreds of succinct insights into her psyche, supplemented by easy-to-understand charts, graphs, and diagrams so that you'll never miss a joke.

Overseeing all aspects of production, DeGeneres labored over details both significant and insignificant, including typefaces, page number placement, and which of the thousands of world languages to use. Ultimately she selected English, as it's her mother tongue, but translations into Hindi and Pig Latin are already in the works.

DeGeneres takes an innovative approach to the organization of her book by utilizing a section in the beginning that includes the name of each chapter, along with a corresponding page number. She calls it the "Table of Contents," and she is confident that it will become the standard to which all books in the future will aspire.

Some of the other innovative features you'll find in this edition:

More than 50,000 simple, short words arranged in sentences that form paragraphs.

Thousands of observations on everyday life -- from terrible fashion trends to how to handle seating arrangements for a Sunday brunch with Paula Abdul, Diane Sawyer, and Eminem.

All twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

Audrey Hepburn was a rare beauty who managed to be just as graceful and captivating on the inside as she was on the outside. Her lithe dancer's body, large dark eyes and effortlessly chic clothing have made Hepburn a fashion icon for decades, no matter how many other trends may come and go. At the same time, Hepburn's refined and charming personality captured her fans' hearts, and her charity work was an important part of her life up until her final years.

With her characteristic and unique blend of tomboy, ballerina and socialite personas, Hepburn worked hard to make her way into the ranks of Hollywood A-listers, but never forgot to stay true to her roots and genuinely care for those in need. After a childhood that was marked with tragedy and hardship, from losing her father to enduring the trials of World War II, Hepburn persevered and quickly became a role model for many people. She showed the world that it was possible to have a blend of poise and playfulness, to be a movie star and a humanitarian at the same time.

Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard work—first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying.

In this searing, unflinchingly honest book, Portia de Rossi captures the complex emotional truth of what it is like when food, weight, and body image take priority over every other human impulse or action. She recounts the elaborate rituals around eating that came to dominate hours of every day, from keeping her daily calorie intake below 300 to eating precisely measured amounts of food out of specific bowls and only with certain utensils. When this wasn’t enough, she resorted to purging and compulsive physical exercise, driving her body and spirit to the breaking point.

Even as she rose to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, all the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. With the storytelling skills of a great novelist and the eye for detail of a poet, Portia makes transparent as never before the behaviors and emotions of someone living with an eating disorder.

From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love with and eventually marrying Ellen DeGeneres, and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues.

The extraordinary life and career of music legend Rod Stewart, in his own words for the first time.
 
With his soulful and singular voice, narrative songwriting, and passionate live performances Rod Stewart has paved one of the most iconic and successful music careers of all time. He was the charismatic lead singer for the trailblazing rock and roll bands The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces, and as a solo artist, the author of such beloved songs as "Maggie May," "Tonight’s the Night," "Hot Legs," "Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?," "Young Turks," "Forever Young," and "You Wear It Well."  Now after more than five decades in the spotlight, he is finally ready to take a candid and romping look back at his life both on and off the stage. From his humble British roots to his hell-raising years on tour with his bandmates, not forgetting his great loves (including three marriages and eight children) and decades touring the world, Rod delivers a riveting ride through one of rock's most remarkable lives.

Selected in 1997 as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World, Jennifer Lopez shows that she’s more than just a pretty face. Her best known trademarks are her curvy figure and her diverse talents. Starting out as a “Fly Girl” Jennifer Lopez has quickly moved through the ranks.

Her breakout role in Selena led her to stardom. Lopez is the highest paid Latina today, as well as being the first music artist to have a number one selling album and movie in the same week. Jennifer has proven that she is a versatile performer in the categories of dance, acting, singing and as an entrepreneur as well.     

Read the juicy details in this short and concentrated read of singer, actress, songwriter, mom, business woman and Latina sensation that is...