The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was one of three books I bought at one time. I am not typically a mystery fan and what I really enjoyed bout Brown's book is that it is not a "typcial" mystery. It's really great. I read it at the same time as I read My Fractured Life by Rikki Lee Travolta and despite being two different genres, there were a lot of similarities. It's a sign of great authors, crossing typical genre barriers. Da Vinci is more than a mystery; Fractured is more than a Hollywood story. I truly enjoyed both because they refused to be cornered into a genre. Both kept me guessing.

The Actor Speaks is a practical guide to acting. It tells you what to do with your instrument. It is a great book for any performer. However it is purely practically, it doesn't get you out of playing Hamlet perfectly in the livingroom. To prepare for the real industry outside the practical I also recommend picking up "My Fractured Life" by Rikki Lee Travolta. It gives a very detailed and graphic look at real life as actors trying to make it in modern society and some tips on getting luck to play in your favor.

Traci Lords: Underneath it All is a good half of the story of Hollywood. It has patches and holes. What's there is great. It needs more though. I bought Amazon's package of Traci Lords: Underneath it All together with Rikki Lee Travolta's My Fractured Life and they are perfectly matched. Together they provide the full story of the nastiness of Hollywood. Traci came in the business as an underaged porno princess. Rikki came in as the illegitimate child in a famous family. Together they saw the splendor of sexual and drug temptations from different prospectives. Both succeeded in the end, against the odds. That alone is amazing and shows the champion spirit of these two writers and actors. I suggest you buy the package because the books really compliment each other and it is by reading them together you get the whole picture of Hollywood.