I had no clue he was the narrator in The Wonder Years. I had no clue him and his wife were friends with Mel Gibson and his former wife Robyn. I had no clue he was in a movie Robert Redford directed.

I really enjoyed reading about his background, his movies, his family (wife and kids), and his charity work.

When Bill was presented with an organizational chart, he took a pencil, drew a square above his name, and wrote, “CUSTOMER.” Bill told Irv, “That is the boss, and don‘t you ever, ever forget it. Without customers, there is no need for this chart and no need for any of us. If you don‘t have customers, you don‘t have a business.“

This was actually an interesting book, as I learned a lot about the Howard Johnson legacy. Not only did this book dive into a wonderful history of the company, but also about perfection as everything that was done had to be performed a certain way. I, for one, had no clue it got started as an ice cream stand and restaurant; I just remembered the hotels. Overall, it was a very quick read for and I enjoyed it.

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it‘s published.

I have never heard of Stuckey‘s, but the general description of the book intrigued me. Without any experience as a CEO, Stephanie Stuckey purchased Stuckey‘s Corporation, which was originally founded by her grandfather (whom she called Big Daddy in the book). She told the story of how it got started as well as her climb to success. I enjoyed all of her stories.

I have read quite a few music books lately, and Jim Gordon, a drummer has been mentioned. He ended up being the best studio drummer, and I had to stop reading the book quite often and ask Alexa to play the songs he drummed on. I don‘t want to name them all, because I would forget quite a few, but I will mention Layla by Derek and the Dominoes.

Overall, the book was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

I just finished reading this book to my 8-year-old son, Niko. So, since he knows I write, he wanted to get in the action.

I asked him some questions about the book and his answers are unedited below.

Did you enjoy the book?
Yes, I loved it.

Who was your favorite character?
Summer McCracken and JJ McCracken.

Do you have a favorite quote from the book?
What‘s a quote?

Like when JJ said shut your pie hole.
Yes.

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it‘s published. Now, I have seen Spamalot twice (once in NY and once locally in town), and it‘s one of my favorites (right along the same line as The Producers).

This book is written in a diary format, and I truly enjoyed Eric‘s insights.

It really goes to show you how much effort and time it takes to put on a successful Broadway show, and I really enjoyed it.

Curtis‘s family owned a Chinese restaurant in Detroit, MI , and him, his siblings, cousins, grandparents, and his parents all worked there.

I really enjoyed all of his stories, and it felt like I was a customer in the restaurant with everything on and off the menu in front of me waiting to eat.

Overall, I am glad I chose this one over a comedic book, and was very enthralled by his story.

Whoopi‘s mother passed away in 2010, and her brother Clyde passed away in 2015. This book is about the influence they both had on her. Let me rephrase, it‘s primarily about her mother and her and their life growing up together. I did enjoy reading about how she got discovered; Mike Nichols first and then The Color Purple. How cool is that!!!

Steve Guttenberg tells the story of him, his wife, his sisters, and his brother-in-law taking their dad to dialysis. Steve drives from California to Arizona to be with them, and shares a lot of stories about them when father took care of his son as well as son taking care of his father. I could easily tell that Steve absolutely loved his father, especially when they did things together from the stories.

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it‘s published.

He grew up in Compton, CA. He didn‘t get involved with gangs, but he had a lot of people close to him in the gangs. Some of those people died or went to jail, but he persevered and used his time to be a better basketball player.

I did enjoy reading about his high school, college, and NBA playing days.

This book is about real people; Bill Veeck, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and other negro players from that era. It takes place in 1943 as Bill Veeck buys the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team, and fields his team with the best negro players available.

It‘s an interesting story and I really enjoyed reading about the greatest negro baseball players as well as how smart Bill Veeck was with this brilliant idea.

Mona of the Manor is Mona Ramsey, the daughter of Anna Madrigal. After the death of her husband, Lord Teddy Roughton, Mona becomes the Lady of the Easley House in the U.K. and she overseas it with her adopted son, Wilfred, and a Gardner, Mr. Hargis.

Rhonda and Ernie visit Easley House as well as Anna and Michael Tolliver, a friend of Mona‘s and a love interest for Wilfred. Something happens with the American couple.

This book is about three foster girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who are all raised by the same foster mother, Holly Fairchild, and that foster mom is cruel and punishes them. The girls form a bond and refer to themselves as “sisters.”

Many years later, a detective calls them to tell the girls that bones have been found underneath the house they were raised in. They come back to be questioned by the police. Read the book to find out more.