Unlike the autobiography I read about Billy Busch, from the Anheuser-Busch company, where for most of the book, he discussed his fairy tale life growing up, Willie Davidson from the Harley-Davidson company didn’t do that. Willie discussed in really good details his passion for art and motorcycles. Even though, I am not a motorcycle enthusiast,…
Tag: Memoir Book Reviews
The Mutt For Me – by Don Hughes
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. Even though I did read it, I didn’t enjoy it. It was just a quick story of Don and a dog he adopted named Barbie from the local shelter. Don was a volunteer there and had helped…
The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic – by Daniel de Vise
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. It’s not one of my favorite movies, although, I did love the music and the comedy of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and a few lines are embedded in my brain. I don’t remember the first time…
Family Reins: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty – by Billy Busch
I didn’t know anything about the Busch family or the history of the Anheuser-Busch company, until I read this book. The title is spot on, as Billy tells the story how the company got started and then the fall when it got brought by another company. I also didn’t know that the company tried and…
Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years – by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt
This is by far one of the best books I have read this year. Not only is it due to her age and everything she has lived through, but it’s also her extremely positive vibes on life. I really enjoyed learning about her life, especially how she got started as a teacher. She never complained…
Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 – by Moshe Kasher
I have tried a few times to read this book in the past and just couldn’t get past the first chapter. A few weeks ago, on Netgalley, I saw he has a new book coming out in 2024, and being a member of Netgalley, I was able to get a copy of it. I read…
Turning Pages: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher – by John Sargent
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I chose this book because I was intrigued by the title. John Turner Sargent’s mother’s paternal grandfather was Frank Nelson Doubleday who was the founder of Doubleday and Company. The same Doubleday family who at one point owned the New…
Glory Days: A Basketball Memoir – by Bill Reynolds
A few days ago, I saw a Tweet that said #ripBilly. Not knowing which Billy this was, I opened the Tweet and as I scrolled through the comments, it was Bill Reynolds, a sportswriter and author of several books. Still didn’t ring a bell, but another comment mentioned this book. So, I read the book…
Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win – by John Willkom
I got to be honest and tell you that I had no clue who John Willkom was. Just within the past few weeks, I started to follow somebody else on Twitter as he reviews sports books (@SprtBookReviews), and in one of his Tweets, John Willkom (@JohnWillkom) was mentioned as he also reviews sports books. So,…
Peter Asher: A Life in Music – by David Jacks
I have been seeing this book as an advertisement on my Kindle. I knew about his music with Peter and Gordon and his involvement with The Beatles and Apple Records but had no clue about how prolific his career as a producer and a manager was until now. James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt were by…
The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother – by James McBride
I don’t remember if this book was mentioned in a book I recently read or if somebody mentioned it in the Goodreads Society Facebook page, but whatever it was, I am very glad I threw this book in my Amazon Wishlist, and read it, because it was an amazing read. James McBride is a black…
Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era – by Ken Emerson
I have tried and failed to read this one a few times, but since I just read a book about some of the girl groups of the 1960’s, and some of the songwriters from that book were featured pretty prominently in this one. So, I gave it a go again and am very glad, I…
Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court – by Chris Paul
Even though I haven’t paid attention to sports since my son was born in 2016, I do know who Chris Paul is, and watched him several times battle the San Antonio Spurs in regular season and playoff games. I also knew he went to Wake Forest, just like Tim Duncan from the Spurs. I was…
But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups – by Emily Sieu Liebowitz and Laura Flam
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. My parents would often play the local oldies station in the car, and that is where my love of the 60’s music started for me. When I turned 13 in 1990, I purchased The Beatles box set…
Mise en Place: Memoir of a Girl Chef – by Marisa Mangani
Sometimes, I read a book where I know nothing of the author, and the description appeals to me. I am very glad that Amazon allows free samples of books and I do take full advantage of that. If I like the book, I buy it. If not, hey, I tried, and it wasn’t for me;…
Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture – by Andy Cohen
I started to read his book called The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up, but I stopped because I wanted to start at the beginning of his life, not at the birth of his kids! I also didn’t know a whole lot about him, so I was eager to learn. I enjoyed reading about…
Pageboy: A Memoir – by Elliot Page
When I saw this book as an upcoming new release a few months ago, I put it on my Amazon Wishlist, so when it comes out, I can read it. And not forget about it! I had no clue how much he struggled with gender dysphoria. I thought everything was fine and dandy. Boy, I…
Game Changer – by Bob Whitsett
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. I had no clue about this book, until I saw this book on a list provided by @SprtBookReviews. I, immediately, put this book in my Amazon Wishlist, only to know that I would have to wait till…
The Boys of Dunbar: The Story of the Greatest High School Basketball Team – by Alejandro Danois
I don’t remember where I saw this book advertised, but when I clicked on it and read the description, I was totally blown away by the names of the players on that Dunbar High School basketball team. Four of them, I am very familiar with – Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams, David Wingate, and Muggsy Bogues….
Soundtrack of Silence – by Matt Hay
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. The only reason I read this book, was because I liked the title (a very nice playlist of verses of songs was mentioned throughout the book). I really want that playlist! So, basically, Matt is losing his…