The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures
by Sam Stall, Lou Harry, and Julia Spalding
Published by Published by Quirk Books
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures, 1,001 Things You Hate To Love is just plain fun! The amount of cross-referenced trivia is astounding. I find I am curious about many things other people stick their nose up at. How many of you have the same guilty pleasures?
The authors believe many of the items have two things in common: 1) Discussing them in public with either friends or strangers will automatically bring either "condescending smiles or derisive giggles." 2) All the things they talk about are or were extremely popular.
Arranged alphabetically, the book covers a rich and vast haul—everything from celebrities like Liberace and Bill Clinton; the scoop on Chef Boyardee (yes he was a real person), Hamburger Helper; and Rice-A-Roni; and an interesting fact about Old Spice Cologne and the sailor in the commercials. There are also tidbits about television programs like Sanford and Son, The Osbournes, Hee Haw and Gilligan's Island, to name a few. We also get interesting facts about The George Forman Grill, Kathie Lee Gifford, embarrassing Oscar acceptance speeches and television bloopers.
This is a fun, light read full of "stuff" that people are interested in, even if they don't want to admit it. What is my own guilty pleasure? Well, I faithfully watch each and every episode of Survivor. Even my children know not to call me on Thursday evenings. Perhaps you'll find your guilty pleasure in this book.