Review: The Tao of Bill Murray by Gavin Edwards

Title: The Tao of Bill Murray -  Real Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing

Author: Gavin Edwards

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: September 20, 2016

Source: Publisher

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I picked up this book thinking "hey I know who Bill Murray is!" and that I have enjoyed the majority of the movies I have seen him in. 

I figured it would be cool to get to know a bit more about the comedic genius that is Bill Murray.

And then...I actually read this book.

The Tao of Bill Murray shares a bunch of stories about Bill Murray over the years.  You learn a little bit about his start in life...but then you learn stories about him.  Things that happened on sets of movies, weird places he popped up and did things, strange adventures, etc.

And yes, some of it was kind of interesting.  And I definitely learned a good bit about Bill Murray.

But that is the problem.  What I learned about Bill Murray changed my perception about him a little bit.  And I really do not think that was supposed to be the intention of this book.

There were many times that it was mentioned in this book that Bill Murray is the kind of guy who does what he wants when he wants and how he wants.  You may want him to show up some where at a certain time, but if he doesn't feel like it, he won't be there.  But that is okay!  Because that is just Bill Murray....and that it is acceptable.  And I personally just found it hard to find that an acceptable trait in a person and felt that it was kind of rude...

And when I read this book, I really didn't want to find my opinion of Bill Murray to change towards the negative direction.  I wanted to continue to think of him as the comedic genius that is a little eccentric.  But that isn't what I got with this book.  And honestly?  I really don't think this was the intention of the author at all!

Personal problem?  Yes, it quite obviously is.  But it really hampered my enjoyment of the book.

But in the end, I did learn quite a bit of random information about him.  I really enjoyed the section about the movies.  There were stories from almost every single movie he has been in or has appeared in.  The exception being (as far as I could tell) the newest Ghostbusters movie.  And it was out already.  It was randomly mentioned in a different story, so I really thought it would have been included.  I did read the ARC though, so if it ended up being included in the final version, please feel free to correct me.

The other part I really enjoyed was the part where it wasn't really just random stories about Bill Murray...which was in the very beginning.  We get a brief description of his life and his beginning, and I found it fascinating and a very good read.

The rest of it...was more or less...stories of things he did, people he surprised, stuff that happened on movie sets, etc.  Sad to say, it got a little boring sometimes.

But I read it.  I learned things.  My opinion of him was changed, sadly not for the better, but maybe it won't be that way for you.

My Rating

3 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) - Felicia Day

Title: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

Author: Felicia Day

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: August 11, 2015

Source: Edelweiss

I am going to be honest with you, I only vaguely knew who Felicia Day was before reading this book.  I new she was from that internet show The Guild, that she was in that weird movie with Neil Patrick Harris, and that she liked video games.  So why did I decide to read this book?  I think it was the title and that I also liked video games.

I am so happy I decided to go ahead and read this.  I typically do not find time to read many non-fiction books.  I get around to maybe 1 or 2 a year.  I always tend towards fictional books.  I love magical elements, mystical creatures and the such.  You know, things that aren't necessarily real.  It is a fault of mine that I try year after year to change.  I always tell myself "this year I am going to read more nonfiction books" and it never happens.

I am glad that if I do not manage to read another nonfiction book this year, that the one I did end up reading was this one.  You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a book that is going to stick with me for a long long time.

You may be thinking "but this is just a memoir of a red headed geeky chick, how can you possibly be that happy you read this?"  And it is true, it is a memoir of hers.  However, when you read it you will discover she had a greater purpose for writing this book than just to let her fans know that she was a weird home schooled kid, a musical prodigy, and a lover of video games.

In this book Felicia Day takes you on a journey of her self discovery.  It seems at first like it is going to be a fluffy light hearted read with some geeky humor thrown in.  That she will not get into anything too personal or too dark, but she does take you there and I thank her for doing so.

In a way, when she takes you to the darker stuff, she takes you with her.  By the time you get there, you have related to her on so many different levels.  There were so many times during my reading of this book where I found myself going "OMG that happened to her too?!" or "yup I have been there before."  And let us not forget the ever wonderful "I TOTALLY REMEMBER THAT HAPPENING" moment.  My major one of those happened when I was reading about her World of Warcraft gaming.

With this memoir, Felicia Day has a very important message for those who choose to read it and to listen.  I do not want to tell you what the message is.  I want you to discover it for yourself like I did.  I do not want to deny anyone this journey.

Please take the time to read it.  What Felicia Day has to tell you is worth it.

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Review based on an advanced reading copy made available from the publisher through Edelweiss.