Review by Diana Saenger

 This book is so appropriately titled. One would never guess a cartoonist would be seeing so much of the world, but reading about Tom Gill's travels in addition to his wonderful escapades as a cartoonist is a fun and enlightening read. 

Gill had worked on his book for many years but passed on Oct. 17, 2005 before it was published. His good friend Tim Lasiuta was entrusted with finishing the project and getting it into print and has done a commendable job that Gill would be proud of, and readers will thoroughly enjoy.

Nice, juicy biographies about classic movie stars are always anticipated best sellers. Author Charlotte Chandler has written Not The Girl Next Door, Joan Crawford: A Personal Biography and titillates our sense of voyeurism. Chandler has taken a little different view and mostly shows the good side of the much-maligned Crawford. When Crawford's daughter Christina Crawford wrote the devastating Mommie, Dearest years ago, the monstrous portrait she painted of her mother was taken as truth and ruined the star's image to this day. Many of Crawford's close friends were horrified by that book and are interviewed in the new release to straighten out the public's image of the MGM icon.

While everyone loves a good entertaining and sentimental film, the holidays are the perfect time to enjoy these classic favorites. Grab a yuletide grog, gather the family and spend your holiday with Bing Crosby, Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Natalie Wood, Danny Kaye, Margaret O'Brien and Barbara Stanwyck.