o britain...
Well, I guess christmas is here, and with it a huge flood of celebrity-written books. In the UK, apparently, everyone buys each other books written by famous people for gifts. The whole obsession with CELEBRITY is insane here, with shows like Big Brother being absolutely HUGE. We have countless magazines dedicated to celebrity gossip, and tabloids spend most of their time following z-list celebrities rather than mummified space dogs from mars. Anyway, here's the top 10 list from Amazon.co.uk Books right now. I have to say I'm rather ashamed.
1.Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson
-Ok, so Nigella is hot, and her food is hot. But this just goes to show the phenomenon of the UK. Celebrity chef cookbooks sell more than regular cookbooks, and even traditional cookbooks of the past are labelled with celebrity status (IE Mrs Beeton). These celebrity cookbooks are not made to be cooked with, but to be displayed to show your interest in food while you eat a takeaway.
2. On The Edge by Richard Hammond
-Top Gear guy who almost killed himself earlier this year in a rocket car. Need I say more?
3. Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver
-More hot food by a hot celebrity chef. This book (like Nigella's) corresponds to a TV series that just ran. Such a cynical way to make money...
4. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
-Our first "real" book... and it's a mass market novel. But still, this is the kind of thing that's supposed to be on a top-ten best-seller's list. An actual book that people sit down to read. Not a book they buy to own, but one they'll read and then return to the charity shop where they bought it.
5. Guinness World Records 2008 (Guinness) by Guinness World Records 2008
-In the UK, even small celebrities are worshipped. Talk shows are constantly trying to break records for the most inane things. (sponge throwing, wtf?)
6. Official "High School Musical 2" Calendar 2008
-The other thing the UK does is obsess. It just seems so much worse here- I know that the High School Musical has a following in the states, but it just seems that followings here are 1000x worse. Maybe it's because there's nothing else for the youth to do until they hit 18 and can legally start binge drinking?
7. Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor
-Another celebrity book to follow a TV show, but it's Ewan McGregor and the show is cool so I'll just ignore it <3
8. Snakehead (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz
-Another REAL book, one of those you expect to see on best-sellers. This is just a pre-order, and it's already hit 8.
9. Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2008 by Leanne Gill
-An annual. We don't have these in the states so I'll explain. These are sortof like hardback magazines which are released around the end of the year to sum up kids TV shows, cartoons, and so on. Some are decent and fun, and others are pretty much trash. But yeah, Doctor Who has become pretty huge since it was reintroduced a few years ago, with two spinoffs and so much merchandise, it probably makes Comic Book Guy cry.
10. Eric Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton
-The only thing better than a TV celebrity is a music celebrity. And the only thing better than a celebrity book is an Autobiography. Meh, at least it's Eric Clapton who actually has some life to write about, rather than last year's X-Factor winner.
1.Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson
-Ok, so Nigella is hot, and her food is hot. But this just goes to show the phenomenon of the UK. Celebrity chef cookbooks sell more than regular cookbooks, and even traditional cookbooks of the past are labelled with celebrity status (IE Mrs Beeton). These celebrity cookbooks are not made to be cooked with, but to be displayed to show your interest in food while you eat a takeaway.
2. On The Edge by Richard Hammond
-Top Gear guy who almost killed himself earlier this year in a rocket car. Need I say more?
3. Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver
-More hot food by a hot celebrity chef. This book (like Nigella's) corresponds to a TV series that just ran. Such a cynical way to make money...
4. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
-Our first "real" book... and it's a mass market novel. But still, this is the kind of thing that's supposed to be on a top-ten best-seller's list. An actual book that people sit down to read. Not a book they buy to own, but one they'll read and then return to the charity shop where they bought it.
5. Guinness World Records 2008 (Guinness) by Guinness World Records 2008
-In the UK, even small celebrities are worshipped. Talk shows are constantly trying to break records for the most inane things. (sponge throwing, wtf?)
6. Official "High School Musical 2" Calendar 2008
-The other thing the UK does is obsess. It just seems so much worse here- I know that the High School Musical has a following in the states, but it just seems that followings here are 1000x worse. Maybe it's because there's nothing else for the youth to do until they hit 18 and can legally start binge drinking?
7. Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor
-Another celebrity book to follow a TV show, but it's Ewan McGregor and the show is cool so I'll just ignore it <3
8. Snakehead (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz
-Another REAL book, one of those you expect to see on best-sellers. This is just a pre-order, and it's already hit 8.
9. Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2008 by Leanne Gill
-An annual. We don't have these in the states so I'll explain. These are sortof like hardback magazines which are released around the end of the year to sum up kids TV shows, cartoons, and so on. Some are decent and fun, and others are pretty much trash. But yeah, Doctor Who has become pretty huge since it was reintroduced a few years ago, with two spinoffs and so much merchandise, it probably makes Comic Book Guy cry.
10. Eric Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton
-The only thing better than a TV celebrity is a music celebrity. And the only thing better than a celebrity book is an Autobiography. Meh, at least it's Eric Clapton who actually has some life to write about, rather than last year's X-Factor winner.