You On Top

May 29, 2006
No doubt, there's a built-in market for this unique self-help book by the editor-in-chief ofCosmopolitan , namely the millions ofCosmo readers who, if we're to believe White, are simply desperate to know everything from "How to Find the Time to Do the Things You Really, Really Want" to "The Most Neglected Moan Zone on a Man's Body." Much of what White has to offer, at least in the areas of career development, time management and even, to a degree, appearance, is good old-fashioned common sense. White also makes sure on nearly every page that readers will know how well connected she is, dishing on celebrities and other important types she's dazzled and been dazzled by. As to the title topic, White's advice ranges from sensible ("Guys have sex fears, too") to downright silly. In a chapter titled "9 Extra Little Orgasm Tricks," White advises readers to get a Brazilian wax. Her source for this tip?Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria, who "swore by it when we interviewed her."

June 15, 2006
First things first: the title of Cosmo editor in chief White's second nonfiction title (after Why Good Girls Don't Get AheadBut Gutsy Girls Do) is misleading. Most women who pull this book off the shelf will assume they're dealing with a steamy sex manual. What White offers, however, is really self-help lite for young women, with short chapters of tips on subjects like, yes, sex, but also fashion, beauty, work, and social situations. White often walks a thin line between being self-congratulatory about her success and being genuinely helpful. Her best advice derives from her experiences as head of an insanely popular women's magazineanyone in her position should know a few things about interpersonal communication. She shares how to read people, how to get them to say yes, and how to compliment one's superiors effectively. No one will find all of her advice life-changingor even relevant (the sex tips in particular tend toward the ridiculous, redundant, or tired)but this is a great book for jotting down tips that readers finds most handy. For public and college libraries.Amanda Glasbrenner, Chicago

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2006
White, editor in chief of " Cosmopolitan" and author of the popular Bailey Weggins mystery series, turns here to the kind of sex-and-lifestyle advice that keeps single gals pulling " Cosmo "off the newsstand. Although hardly your typical " Cosmo "girl (she's married, lives in the suburbs, and was even baking a pie when her boss at Hearst called to offer her the job), White claims that, in the course of editing the magazine, she's learned plenty about the essence of the " Cosmo "world: getting it all, especially men and sex. Her chatty advice is mostly commonsensical (don't talk to men about Jen and Brad), but it's delivered with considerable style and wit--and without much psycho-sex-babble ("own your own hotness" aside). And, yes, there is plenty of sexy stuff (the 12 oral-sex tricks are as frank as any of Dr. Ruth's notoriously unbuttoned advice). White will be making the talk-show rounds to promote her book, and that exposure, combined with her place atop the " Cosmo" masthead, is sure to generate demand among the target audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)