I was a bit skeptical about reading this book, as I wasn’t sure I would enjoy her story. I had had no clue her parent’s marriage was arranged. I had no clue who father was a spy in the Chinese government, and because of that, that is how her family was able to migrate to…
Tag: Book Reviews
Inside the Park – by Andrea Williams
I got this one from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I chose this as the description looked interesting, it’s a story of a young baseball fan’s misadventures after getting locked inside a pro baseball stadium on the eve of the biggest game of the season. Timothy “Pumpsie” Strickland is…
An American Story: Everyone’s Invited – by Wilmer Valderrama
This book has been in my Want to Read list since May in Goodreads. I have never watched That 70’s Show, but I knew of his character he played. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about him. Unlike a lot of other memoirs I have read (and, there are a lot), his life…
Runaway Train: Or, the Story of My Life So Far – by Eric Roberts
I have had this book in my Want to Read list on Goodreads since May, so I was eager to read it. I knew of Eric Roberts (by way of Julia Roberts, his younger sister). I had no clue his parents were at one point in his early life co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers…
Robert B. Parker’s Buzz Kill (Sunny Randall Book 12) – by Alison Gaylin
I have had this book in my Want To Read list on Goodreads since January of this year. I was really looking forward to this one, and when I finished it, it was MEH. Nothing excited happened to Sunny. It could just be I am so used to Spenser as a private investigator, and lots…
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball – by John W. Miller
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. As I occasionally browse the Netgalley selections, I kept coming across this one, and I was intrigued, but kept scrolling past it. I mean, I knew of Earl Weaver, but didn’t want to be a part of a book…
Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly – by Jeff Apter
I got this book from NetGalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. As a music fan, I knew who Carl Perkins was and was interested in learning more about him. Plus, The Beatles covered some of his songs and The Beatles were my favorite band for a very long time. I…
Spenser – Books, Movies, and Television
The first Spenser book I read was in January of this year, and I just finished book 28 a few days ago! I am rolling along in his adventures, and am really enjoying them. I don’t care that for the most part, the plots are similar. I am looking forward to book 32 as that…
Fat, Drunk, & Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House – by Matty Simmons
I needed a break from the fiction thriller books I have been reading, and this one filled that void with a lot of laughs from me. I have read a few books and seen some movies about the National Lampoon, so I knew who Matty Simmons was. If you are a fan of the movie…
Beyond the Jump Shot: The Elevated Life of Kenny Sailors – by Debbie Sorensen
I got this one from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I needed a break from the fiction thriller books I have been reading. I had never heard of Kenny Sailors, but was intrigued by the description and wanted to learn more. He was raised by his mother, who taught…
Growing Up Urkel – by Jaleel White
I got a generic email from the Marketing Director saying, based on my previous reviews of celebrity memoirs from Simon & Schuster, I can get this one from Netgalley. I knew of Jaleel White, Urkel and his passion for basketball, but never paid attention to the show Family Matters. Unlike other child actors, Jaleel never…
Hotel Goodbyes – by Stephen Jon Thompson
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. Every few weeks, I scroll through the books on Netgalley to see if anything new pops out to me; this one did. His mother was never reliable and any money that came in, went out immediately. There was no…
Middletide – by Sara Crouch
This was my Book of the Month selection from May. Although I purchased the physical book, I ended up reading it on my Kindle. I actually canceled by BOTM subscription as I wasn’t enjoying the selection of books and genres to choose monthly. So, I have one more BOTM left, and, hopefully, I will read…
Hard to Kill (Jane Smith, #2) – by James Patterson and Mike Lupica
This is the 2nd book in the Jane Smith series. You definitely would need to read 12 Months to Live first, as a lot of the characters return for this book. For me, and at times, I was a bit confused with some of them, and found myself going back in the book to refresh…
Coming Home – by Britney Griner
This book provided a lot of great insight on her Russian imprisonment and how she got through it. I am not going to go into detail, but she had lawyers who were constantly in touch and working on stuff behind the scenes and fellow inmates who helped translate Russian to English. She got to read…
Catch As Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle – by George Tinsley Sr
I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. The only reason I selected this book was due to the cover image (he was dressed half in a basketball jersey and the other half was a business suit) and the description (he played college basketball where his Kentucky…
Watford Forever: How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other – by John Preston
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. For somebody, like me, who isn’t a fan of soccer clubs in England and in general, this book was easy to read, and I never found myself confused with the verbiage. It’s really cool to see the progression of…
Entrances and Exits – by Michael Richards
This book has been in my Goodreads Want To Read bookshelf since February. For a Seinfeld fan like me, I really enjoyed learning more about how he got the role of Kessler/Kramer, all the extra insights from a lot of the episodes, his comedic opportunities and miss-opportunities, and his family. I didn’t care for his…
Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon – by Mirin Fader
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. I enjoyed the parts of his basketball days (in Lagos, Nigeria and Houston; both for college and the NBA), but I skipped some parts about his religious beliefs as I just wasn’t interested in that aspect. Overall, I am…
Poached – by Stuart Gibbs
This is the 2nd book in the Teddy Fitzroy Funjungle series, and I just finished reading it to my 8-year-old son this morning. I really enjoy reading to him, and he understands everything and sometimes we have to stop to discuss what just happened. Last night, he told me to stop reading because he had…