Mommywood-Tori Spelling

I was so excited when this book came out--I actually spent the $17 and bought it at Target (and for someone who frequents the library, $17 for a book is quite a splurge). Turns out, I should have just saved my money. The great thing about Spelling's first book was the candidness; she was so open about her experiences--good, bad, or completely ridiculous. I was looking forward to learning more about her life as a mother, but Mommywood ended up reading like a script from her upcoming season of Tori and Dean:Home Sweet Hollywood. While reading of her escapades, I thought to myself, "Hmm...this seems a bit staged and overdone." Lo-and-behold, I saw a commercial depicting Tori and her family in the same situations I had just read about. It just felt like a let down; it seemed as though she was pushed to write this book as a means of promoting her show. Though this book was a fast read and did provide some laughs, I was left wishing Spelling would have been more honest and, dare I say, understated?

sTORI Telling- Tori Spelling

Honestly, I had never thought much of Tori Spelling; like many others, I thought she was a vacuous, spoiled, washed-up T.V. actress. I hadn't planned on reading her autobiography, but ended up looking through it while waiting for Seanna at the library. I was pleasantly surprised with what I read. It was a funny, candid, sometimes heartbreaking look into her life. Tori shared stories from her childhood, including the famous "snowy Christmas in L.A." story. Her father did, in fact, hire a company to create a "winter wonderland" for his children on an 80 degree Christmas morning. And yes, the mansion really does have a bowling alley.

Tori wrote about her first marriage, which seemed perfect to everyone on the outside, but was actually dysfunctional at the core; they didn't, in Tori's words, "mesh well." I enjoyed reading how Tori met and fell in love with her current husband, Dean. Though it wasn’t the most ideal situation (they were both married at the time), they couldn’t deny the attraction. Tori followed her heart and ended up getting just what she was looking for—a family. I also enjoyed reading how she moved on from her days on 90210; she strived to make a name for herself in the acting world, despite being the daughter of Aaron Spelling. After reading this book, I got the feeling that Tori is a determined person—she was determined to step out of her father’s shadow and to be the kind of mother she had always hoped for. Done and done!

OK, so maybe she talks about some heavy stuff (mommy issues anyone?) but she’s also really funny, and after reading this book, I’m pretty sure I want her to be my B.F.F. I definitely recommend it if you need a good laugh.

F.Y.I: Tori Spelling's new book, Mommywood, comes out Tuesday, April 14th!!