If you don’t know who Leon Russell is, let me first say he was (in my book) the best piano player. Second, he was a studio musician, and his crew of musicians was called The Wrecking Crew. There is an awesome documentary about them on Amazon Prime. Third, he was the bandleader for Joe Cocker…
Tag: Memoir Book Reviews
Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’ – by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina
In addition to autobiographies/biographies of musicians, athletes, and celebrities, I also like the occasional memoir of somebody who has worked in the restaurant industry; most though, have been chefs. So, when I saw this book about a Maître D’, I was interested in learning more about him. Because of all the cruises I have been…
Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Women They Loved – by Chris O’Dell
As I was reading the new Leon Russell biography (I actually stopped reading it because it was a bit too much detailed on every single thing he did and with who, but I may go back in a few weeks to finish it), I learned that he had a brief fling with Chris O’Dell. I…
Peanut Butter Memoirs: A Human Story of the Journey to Becoming a Law Enforcement Officer in (Very) Rural Maine – by David Wilson
In the Goodreads Society Facebook page, I saw a post from David Wilson asking very nicely if anybody would read one of his books, and post a review on Goodreads, Amazon, and any other platform. I know how hard it is to get people to leave reviews as I am also a published writer, so…
Sideman: In Pursuit of the Next Gig – by Mark Rivera
I saw this book in the Kindle library a few weeks ago, and Mark Rivera was mentioned by name in a prior book I read recently. So, I was a bit intrigued by this Mark fellow. Not me, somebody else named Mark! I didn’t think I would enjoy this book about a saxophone player, but…
The Education of Kendrick Perkins: A Memoir – by Kendrick Perkins
I was a bit disappointed in this book, as I had to skip several parts of the book where it felt like I was being lectured about certain political and cultural things. I also expected to learn more about his time in high school. A few things I enjoyed about it were about his time…
Warrior: My Path to Being Brave – by Lisa Guerrero
When I was browsing through books, and saw that Lisa Guerrero had written an autobiography, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I knew who she was from her work as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football and The Best Damn Sports Show Period. I didn’t know that her mom died when she…
Prisoner of X: 20 Years in the Hole at Hustler Magazine – by Alan MacDonnell
This book was mentioned in the Chuck Berry book I recently read, and I am always intrigued by people who are writers and then they write a book about it. I enjoyed reading this book, and he had a lot of interesting stories of Hustler and Larry Flynt.
Chuck Berry: An American Life – by RJ Smith
I will admit and tell you that it took me a few times to get into this book as I couldn’t get past the first few chapters. But I finally decided to skim through them really quick and start from where his parents met. I enjoyed reading about his life, his musical influences, what his…
Uphill: A Memoir – by Jemele Hill
Before Niko was born in 2016, I was a sports fan; not the biggest and flashiest, but a fan in general. I was a frequent viewer of ESPN, and that is how I know who Jemele Hill is. I didn’t know about her controversial Tweets that got her in trouble a few times, I didn’t…
After Happy Ever After – by Adam Fletcher
After the 3rd book ends, Adam and Evelyn make a drastic decision to move to Istanbul for a few months to enjoy the scenery and to test their relationship. Well, this book, tells us what happened, and just like his other “weird travel series”, I really enjoyed this one. With all of his books I…
Tuk-Tuk for Two: Escape to India with two strangers, in the unforgettable race of a lifetime – by Adam Fletcher
This is the 3rd book by Adam Fletcher in his “weird travel series.” And just like the first two, I really enjoyed this one. Yes, I googled an image of a Tuk-Tuk, just to have a better idea of what they were dealing with. So, it is indeed a story of two strangers, and of…
Don’t Come Back: a travel adventure of bad-tempered baboons, black magic, and breakups – by Adam Fletcher
This is the 2nd book in his weird travel series, and just like the 1st, I really enjoyed it. He asks a lot of interesting questions to the locals and engages them in conversations about their particular country. I like his style of writing and am now reading his 3rd book in the series.
Love, Pamela – by Pamela Anderson
Unlike other memoirs of celebrities that I have read recently, I knew who Pamela Anderson was. She had a rough childhood but became well known for her body very quickly. She talked about her very fast rise to fame, her marriages (and her infamous sex tape with Tommy Lee), her kids, and her animal rights…
Don’t Go There: From Chernobyl to North Korea – by Adam Fletcher
I was intrigued by the title, and when I researched who Adam Fletcher was, I knew this would be right up my alley as I do like funny and autobiographical travel books. I enjoyed everything he wrote about his travels to interesting places in the world where normal people like me wouldn’t travel to. I…
My Trip Down the Pink Carpet – by Leslie Jordan
I already read his 2nd book, and afterwards, I really wanted to read his 1st book. Well, I enjoyed it very much. Nothing was off limits for him as he wrote about his homosexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, and his passion for helping AIDS patients. He also had a lot of funny stories about being…
Howard Hughes: The Secret Life – by Charles Higham
I have read a few books this year, where Howard Hughes is mentioned. Not really knowing much about him, I sought out to find a good biography of him, and this one didn’t disappoint me. Charles Higham provided an excellent background of Howard and his family, how he made money, all the romantic relationships (with…
How Y’all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived – by Leslie Jordan
I don’t think I have seen anything Leslie Jordan has been in, but I knew that he was a comedian. I also knew that he recently passed away. I was due for a funny book, and I am glad I read this one. This was a very quick and fun read for me. He told…
Legends and Lipstick: My Scandalous Stories of Hollywood’s Golden Era – by Nancy Bacon
For most of the book, she discussed in detail her romantic and sexual encounters with lots of celebrities in the 60’s and 70’s. She also wrote about her alcoholism and double mastectomy. In addition, she was a pinup model, starred in some movies, and was a writer. I will say that I enjoyed the autobiography…
So L.A.: A Hollywood Memoir – by Staci Layne Wilson
As soon as I read the words daughter of a rock star and a pinup model in the description, I knew I had to read it. After reading further, I learned that Dan Wilson from the surf rock group The Ventures was her dad. The 60’s are my favorite music period and I know a…