Mark Lieberman's Blog: Mark Lieberman's BOOK REVIEWS

Vagabond: A Memoir – by Tim Curry

It’s funny because I had this book in my Want to Read list, and when it finally made it to my Currently Reading list, it was Thanksgiving and my wife turned on the movie, Clue, for all of us. My 9-year-old son liked it so much, that we watched it again and then again the following day.

He talked about his parents and sister (his dad died very young of pneumonia, after suffering a stroke), his schooling, and his vagabond moves around London and the USA both as a youngster and later in life as an adult. His first stroke of acting goodness came from the musical Hair in London. From there he auditioned for Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and he got it, and he went with that role to the United States and the film version. One of his classmates at boarding school wrote and directed the screenplay for Clue. Later in his life, Curry was in Spamalot. He also did quite a bit of voice over work. Throughout the book, there are a lot of stories of the musicals and films he starred in as well as his brief career as a musician.

In 2012, Curry suffered a stroke, and there are areas in his life where he struggles (walking and memory). He is still a presence and does his best to showcase himself and all of his roles.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Unscripted – by Cheryl Hines

I only knew of Cheryl Hines from the tv show Curb Your Enthusiasm (even though I have never watched it). I didn’t know she was part of The Groundlings. Her teacher was Lisa Kudrow before she got Friends. How cool is that?

If you are a fan of Curb, she provides a lot of great insight to the show as well as Larry’s mind. She talked highly of her family, her first marriage, her current marriage to RFK, Jr, and her kids.

Being a part of the Kennedy clan, she did discuss that. She and Bobby Kennedy, Jr had a lot of fun travel adventures all over the world. Yes, she also wrote quite a bit about his 2024 Presidential run and his current role. I kind of skimmed through all that quickly.

AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs – by Gina Gershon

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Now, before I start, I need to tell you I have only seen a few of her movies, so I wasn’t that familiar with her.

It was a really quick read for me, and I enjoyed her stories of growing up in the Valley and insights to some of her movies (Showgirls and Bound). In addition to living in the Valley, she also lived in NYC and LA, and shared some stories from those places as well.

I am always interested in reading about what inspired somebody to start doing something, and for Gina, it started at Beverly High School in Beverly Hills, CA where she met fellow classmates who shared her interests in acting. She did write about her family, her siblings, but nothing on her own relationships. She had some cool stories about sparring with Bob Dylan in a boxing ring, hearing Purple Rain for the first time with Prince, hanging with Lenny Kravitz in high school.

From reading it, I learned that she has always stood up for herself and if something didn’t feel or sound right, she left (there are few instances where she mentions this). I don’t think I have ever seen her name as doing something stupid, and I say thanks and keep on doing what you do.

Bloody Genius (Virgil Flowers, #12) – by John Sandford

Well, I am a little bit sad that I have just finished reading all the Virgil Flowers books. What am I supposed to do with my life now that I don’t know what “that fucking flowers” is up to? Maybe I will see him on the road here in Minnesota where I live!  I like that in most, if not all, Lucas plays a small role as a confidant and boss, and Virgil quite often gets the help from fellow BCA agents, Shrake and Jenkins (who can easily have there own series).

Actually, I will be OK folks. I have some other thriller fiction book series in my want to read list that I want to try:

American Assassin (Mitch Rapp, #1)
The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, #1)
The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme, #1)

Before I dive into these, I will read some memoirs.

I have already read all the Lucas Davenport books, also by John Sandford, and I know that a new Prey book is coming out next year. Some of the Prey books feature Lucas and Virgil. I also read the Letty Davenport’s books, again by John Sandford. The Kidd books, again and also by Sandford, I read the first one, but didn’t like it – I do have the rest of those books and I may try again.

So, now the question is Lucas or Virgil. Please don’t make me choose, because I like them both even though they work very differently. If this were real-life, I would prefer to hangout with Virgil and talk music and life. Plus, he is also a writer and photographer – like me!

I enjoyed the Virgil series very much and hope that we get more soon.

Return of the Spider (Alex Cross, #34) – by James Patterson

After I read James Patterson by James Patterson, I became a fan and devoured all the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, and Michael Bennett books. So, yeah Alex Cross was my first. Back in 2022, is when I read, Along Came a Spider (the first book in the series).

When I saw this one, Return of the Spider, a prequel to book one, I wanted to jump in a time machine and get it immediately. I probably should’ve reread book one to get more familiar with Gary Soneji and his criminal instincts.

It was Alex Cross before he became the famous Alex Cross and it also featured present day Alex Cross. Sounds confusing, but for me, I was able to follow along and felt that I was his partner. Lots of flashbacks to what happened before Along Came a Spider. Basically, it was Alex’s first case with John Sampson.

I am not going to provide any spoilers. All I will say, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next Alex Cross book.

Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird

I got this from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. Before I begin, I will tell you that when I was 13 years old in 1990, Larry Bird was my favorite player in the NBA. Don’t know why, when I had my hometown San Antonio Spurs to cheer for. A friend of the family, at that time, worked for the Boston Celtics and somehow, word got to him, and an autographed picture from Larry arrived for me. How awesome is that?

This book primarily looks at Larry’s high school and college playing days, and everything that happen during those days. From his father’s suicide to Larry working manual labor jobs to Larry not talking to the media, to Larry’s work ethic as a basketball player, and to Larry’s toughness on the court. Coaches and players he played with and against are interviewed throughout the book. I am glad that Larry never gave up basketball, as he probably could’ve easily done that as enjoyed outdoor labor!

He started his college playing days at Indiana under head coach Bobby Knight and was recruited by Dave Bliss. But, he left and eventually attended Indiana State. In 1979, Indiana State went undefeated before losing to Michigan State and Magic Johnson. Yep, Bird and Magic and that rivalry continued in the NBA. A lot of details on games and how the Indiana State basketball came to be (from the coaching staff and all of the players) is in the book.

The last few chapters flash forward to a where are the key players now, and that was interesting for me to learn.

Judy Blume: A Life – by Mark Oppenheimer

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

Now, before I begin, I do need to inform you that although I knew who she was when I was younger, I don’t remember reading any of her books. I did read part of one of the Fudge books to my son, but he wasn’t interested.

I always enjoy when a writer has a memoir, as it’s interesting to me to see what inspired them to start writing. Her inspiration was Dr. Seuess.

The author, Mark Oppenheimer, talks about her life growing up, her evolution of being a an avid reader, and her passion for writing. A lot of insight to all of her books are discussed. Letters to and from Judy are quoted throughout the book. Judy’s two ex-husbands, current husband, and her two kids are prominently mentioned.

Yeah, she wrote about controversial topics, but so what. Was it biographical? Some of it was. Personally, I don’t think books should be banned because of a “risqué ” topic. And, that has happened to some of her books.

Her son, Larry, directed a movie adaptation of Tiger Eyes and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, was also made into a film, but that was it. Several other times, Judy’s books tried and failed, even though on some of them, she was present and tried to help with feedback. That seems to be her biggest regret.

Overall, I enjoyed leaning more about Judy’s life. Will I go back and read her books? I don’t think I will. Nothing against them, I am just older and prefer a different type of genre. If she writes a police thriller, I will be first in line!

A while back, I read James Patterson’s memoir, and afterwards I devoured all the Alex Cross books, Michael Bennett books, and the Ladies Murder Club books. I should read Stephen King’s book, On Writing – his genre is also not of interest to me.

Any other author memoirs I need to throw in my want to read list?

John Candy: A Life in Comedy – by Paul Myers

I read Searching for Candy by Tracey J. Morgan in 2022, so I was already familiar with Candy’s life, Reading another book about his life wouldn’t hurt me, so I was on-board and eager. And, I even took some notes while I read it for this review, unlike in 2022 when I just read it. I am watching the Amazon Prime Documentary about Candy.

If you fan of John Candy, whether it be his SCTV days or his movies, this books provides a lot of details from the people closest to him. Like Joe Flaherty, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd, Valri Bromfield, Bill Murray, and many more from that era of comedians. Later in his life, one of his neighbors was John Hughes, and often times, both families would hang out together.

Just imagine if Tom Hanks, Mike Meyers, Ben Stiller, and Patton Oswalt had not seen him perform, a lot of great movies and comedic performance wouldn’t have been made! What if Candy told Conan O’Brien to try anything but comedy?

Candy passed on Ghostbusters and Rick Moranis got the part. Candy passed on Three Amigos and Martin Short got that part.

Candy prided himself of being close to his wife and two kids (who were all interviewed prominently in this book) and being a generous person on the set of tv shows and movies.

I had no clue about his business relationship with the CFL Toronto Argonauts (he was one of the owners at one time). How cool is that?

Yes, he had weight issues, and heart disease ran in his family. I mean, his own father died of it when Candy was 5 years old. He didn’t like fat jokes or people making fun of him (when that happened, he would have panic attacks), and he did try to be healthier. He died way too early at the age of 43 of heart disease. His last call was to Catherine O’Hara wishing her a happy birthday for her 40th!

Here are my favorite Candy movies (in no particular order):

Summer Rental
The Great Outdoors
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Cool Runnings
Canadian Bacon
Stripes
The Blues Brothers

3… 2…1… We’re on the Air: An Inside Look at Sports Television, Journalism, and Gender Equity – by Robert Steinfeld

I never would’ve known about this book had it not been for a friend of mine, Richard Oliver, on Facebook, who shared an update status where he interviewed Robert Steinfeld (Bob) at the JCC in San Antonio. 

Now, let me tell you that when I worked for the San Antonio Spurs from 1999 to 2002, I often saw Bob and his team eating in the hospitality room. My team also ate around that same time. 

Also, as somebody who did stats for high school football games on television, I know what goes on behind the scenes in the production truck. Not a lot of people get that insight until now. It’s a pretty busy job with a lot of preparation (both before, during, and after the event). Stressful? Yeah, I would think so. 

Bob tells his story of how he got started, along with a lot of great stories from various sporting events, and I enjoyed reading about everything. Of course, he got to me meet athletes and celebrities throughout his amazing career. 

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, he not only produced the US Women’s Softball team wining the gold for the first time in that sport, but he fought with all his will to showcase the gold medal game in primetime. He also produced lots of games for the WNBA. And, he highly encouraged women as announcers, sideline reports, producers, and directors. There is even a while chapter written about how amazing Nancy Lieberman (no relation to me) is. 

In the chapter about the San Antonio Spurs, I was looking for my name, and didn’t find it. His first year began in 1989, and one of the rookies on the Spurs was David Robinson. He talks highly of Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Coach Pop. He had a talented crew working with him of directors Mike Kickirillo and Daniel Ashcraft. If you watched a game on television, you would often see those three names at the end of each broadcast. He worked with many talented announcers and got to see quite a few Hall of Fame players during his 24 year career with the Spurs – in addition to four championships. 

One of the stories that resonated with me was he had a heart attack at 30,000 feet enroute to New Orleans for a basketball game between them and LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavalier team. Well, just like me, he had elevated levels of troponin. He had bypass surgery, and was out of commission for a several weeks. I had two stents and was back to work two days later. 

I am very glad I read this and as you can see, I really enjoyed it.

Misunderstood: A Memoir – by Allen Iverson

I knew of Allen Iverson from his college and professional playing days. I also knew of what happened at the bowling alley that landed him in jail when he was in high school. Being a fan of the NBA, I enjoyed watching him play ball. So, when I saw this memoir of his life, I was intrigued.

His nickname as a basketball player is “the answer.” And, in this book, he provides answers to everything he did throughout his life. He talked about the bad things, the bowling alley incident, the good things, how me met his wife in high school, his athleticism in football and basketball, and how certain people (role models like coaches) helped him tremendously along the way. He was on a football state championship.

How awesome is it that he persevered, and just 3 years after being in jail, he became the number one pick in the NBA Draft.

He talked about his brand of style, and how he was the first to be questioned about it.

He has a strong sense of family and friends, and holds them all very close to him.

Of course, his playing days at Georgetown and the Philadelphia 76ers are mentioned heavily. Although, stuff that happened after his MVP season of 2001 when the 76ers made the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, is very brief. Yeah, he was inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame in 2016 and he was voted as one of the top 75 players in the NBA in 2021.

While he was at Georgetown, he played against some really good players: Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Felipe Lopez, and so many more. The Big East Conference was lit from top to bottom with stars!

Look at the 1996 NBA Draft and how many stars were drafted after Iverson:

Allen IversonStephon MarburyRay AllenAntoine WalkerKobe ByrantPeja StojakovicSteve NashJermaine O’NealDerek FisherJerome Williams (also from Georgetown)Othella Harrington (also from Georgetown)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.