Book Meets World

 

What started as a television show, became a behind the scenes podcast, and now into a book. I watched the show Boy Meets World when it was on. My favorite scene will always be "Plays With Squirrels". Everyone had their favorite character- mine was Eric. What I didn't know was what it was like to film the show so many grew up watching. I have to say, I was disappointed. Nowadays, it's no surprise to find out life was miserable for the people cranking out our beloved shows. Sadly, Boy Meets World  is among the list. 

Boy Meets World burst onto the scene in the late 1980s. There wasn't a market for shows aimed at teens and no one really thought Boy Meets World would amount to much. But it did. A 23 year old's bet on the neglected family comedy genre paid off big time.

In Book Meets World you'll find out how everyone got cast. Also, who among the cast didn't think the show would go anywhere. You're going to learn the changes made after the first table read and how that involved the Topanga character. 

The authors will share how Danielle was hired only to be threated with being fired if she didn't make a change most had no issue with at all. They'll also tell you about the "death chair" and it's connection to guest stars. 

While they barely mention Ben Savage at all, you'll learn how he and Ryder grew close as filming went on. Including something they did as friends that became something their characters did, too. They don't discuss how Ben turned his back on everyone in the cast out of nowhere, so you won't get any information on that.

Were you a fan of Topanga's hair? Well, Danielle will tell you all about it. The way she got the crimped hairstyle. (Hint: it didn't involve a crimping iron) The drama of cutting it. 

You will also get a ton of production members stories. Who were the great ones? Who were the nightmare ones? How did they affect moral on the set? Not to mention- who in the cast dated who.

If you haven't listened to the Pod Meets World podcast, this book will give you all the info you need about the show. if you were a fan of the show, you may enjoy the behind the scenes making of it all. I wasn't as pulled in as I hoped I'd be. I got bored with all the production people discussion. I did learn things I didn't know going in, so that was cool. 

TMI

 

Summary:

The aptly named book by a woman who holds nothing back. She shares it all: her addiction, her highs and lows, the successes and the struggles. What were some of the jobs Jane had in her down time? What are some of the places she lived in her lifetime? What lessons did she learn the hard way? How was it to share success with 5 other women and then be moved to the background? What has her life been like since The Go-Gos hayday? Sit down, buckle up and be prepared for her to tell you all about it.

I have to be honest: I wasn't a huge fan of The Go-Gos when I was growing up. I liked their music, but I wasn't a diehard fan. I mostly knew Jane from her single "Rush Hour", which came out after she left the band. But, I'm always curious to read someone's story. And, let me tell you, she has quite a story to tell.

Jane's life has been a non-stop roller coaster ride. She lost a sister to drowning. But, since it was an older sister who died before Jane was even born, she didn't learn about it until she was in her 40s! By the time she was 11 years old, the signs of depression, and what would later be diagnosed as Bipolar, began to appear. David Bowie became her  saving grace then. He was someone she connected to and could see part of herself in. 

By the time she was in high school, Jane had been assualted, tried to commit suicide and started taking psychedelics. She had even had a threesome with a guy and his girlfriend. It resulted in a pregnancy which was aborted and Jane was back to partying that night. 

Life in LA is where things took a huge turn for Jane. While going to school for fashion, she discovered the Punk scene and embraced it wholeheartedly. She literally lived in the middle of it and partook in the drugs and partying that would happen within her building or neighborhood. 

The Punk scene is actually where The Go-Gos were founded. Each member was discovered from it and they established themselves in it. In time, the band was playing to packed houses and even went on a European tour. However, the very scene that embraced them and made them would be the same scene that turned on them and called them sell outs. 

Once the band got going on their commercial success, they would feel the pressure. That would lead to cattiness and jealousy. Belinda Carlisle became the focal point and it changed everything for them. The drugs, partying and lifestyle were getting to them. After successful albums and tours, the breaking point came in a writing debate. Should everyone get the same amount of money? Or should the songwriters get a little more since they wrote the hits? When they couldn't see eye to eye, Jane quit.

Life on her own led to mild success career-wide, but tons of growth personally. There were marriages that ended, drugs taken, a mental hospital stay, out of country moves, jail time. Jane even worked in a job she thoroughly loved- in BDSM. 

I'm telling you, you are not going to be lacking in intrigue while reading this book. She's passionate and not shamed by things many feel she should be. She owns all of it. She's learned from all of it. And you will be entertained by it. I had a hard time putting this book down because I had no idea what was coming next. That, alone, kept me turning the pages.

Love That Lasts

 

Summary:

Ally Yost may be a Christian podcaster now, but it was a journey to get there. Here, Ally tells you her testimony and lessons she learned along the way. 

My youngest daughter is the one who showed me Ally's Coffee With Christ on Ice podcast. It didn't take long to see why so many love her. But I was more curious about her story. How did she find God? What was her life like? So when I learned about this book, I jumped at the chance to read it. I didn't know what she would share, but I knew I wanted to read it.

Ally's family knew of God. They went to church on Christmas & Easter, the prayed at the table. However, it would be many years, and a bit of life lessons, before "knowing" became "a relationship". Once she moved out on her own, she found more than independence. Readers, Ally found drinking. She did what so many others her age did- party it up! But little changes were afoot in our girl's life. 

Like the rest of the world, the pandemic changed how life was done on the day to day. Such life changes led her to making videos on TikTok. One of her videos went viral overnight. Eventually, she started to mention Christ and would pray in her videos. What she didn't know then, God set the ball in motion for a new life. 

Her life would move her to LA, Tennessee and back to LA again. During these times, God became more active and more of a focus in her life. An encounter with the Holy Spirit led to the Bible she owned to come alive as she read it. 

On follower demand, Ally made a podcast. What it originally started out as began to evolve. As her faith became stronger, she created another one to discuss it. It didn't take long to learn she didn't want to do both. So, Coffee With Christ On Ice became her sole focus. Since then, she's been on fire for Christ. 

If you watch her podcast, you'll love her story. She's honest with it all- and some of it isn't pretty. She tells you what she learned through the ups and downs. She'll tell you the people God placed in her life and the ones who didn't stay. She tells you it all with grace and humility as a believer of Christ should. I often felt like we were at lunch and she was just sharing her story. It was very conversational. I enjoyed reading it.

Elf Unwrapped

Elf Unwrapped

By: Andy Richter & Aaron Karo

Genre: Music/Television

Summary:

Within these pages you will learn what it was like to create and film the legendary movie we all know and love.

Before Elf was ever the movie families gather around to watch yearly, it was the product of David Bernbaum's imagination. Ever wonder how the movie went from his head to the screen? Well, now you can know. As you read the book, countless behind the scenes info is going to take the shape of the movie we all now know and love. Read funny stories shared amongst the cast. Learn how many rewrites the original script went through before it became what you know. What famous lines and scenes were improv or scripted. Did Will actually eat the spaghetti concoction you see? And just who was originally slated to play Buddy? And who is responsible for getting the movie made?

Fans of the movie will love reading the story of how it all came to be. Some things weren't knew to me, but many things were. I had no idea Vince Vaughn had any connection to the movie, but he did. Nor did I know that the elves costumes would cause such a ruckus lawyers got involved. And just wait until you find out where many of the interior scenes were filmed! (HINT: it wasn't a movie studio)

Curl up and enjoy reading the book that takes you behind the scenes of a beloved Christmas movie watched yearly by millions.  

 

Looking For Terry

 

Most people know Terry Bradshaw from his football career. I knew him, mostly, from his reality show, The Bradshaw Bunch. I knew he played football, but couldn't tell you for which team. I just knew him as the goofy guy from a movie or two and his reality show. So, I was excited to read this book and get to know the m an behind the goofy laughs. 

As a child, Terry had ADHD- but no one knew. That diagnosis would be decades into the future. And while he wasn't a natural athlete, he did well in football. He even was recruited to a college for it. Unfortunately, his fear of letting people down and not being liked, went to college with him. It didn't take long for him to act as if the jokes made at his expense weren't fueling his insecurities. Those jokes would follow him into his NFL career. While playing for 14 seasons, he made many laugh playing up the dumb boy act. His early seasons were a struggle so many wrote him off. But, he stuck it out and made a good name for himself.

However, his off season time was no less of a struggle. As he tells you, he had a hard time when life wasn't busy. He would make poor decisions that were made rashly. Often, biting him in the butt later. This would occur once he no longer played football. Marriages led to divorces. Lessons learned the hard way eventually led him to key diagnoses: ADHD and Clinical Depression. Once he got the right medicines, life started to look differently. 

I have to admit that I grew bored of all the football stories, though many readers won't. I really got hooked into the book when he talked about his mental health and ADHD. Like I said earlier, I really knew him from his reality show, so I was more interested in the second half of the book. I loved reading how his wife, Tammy, was the Godsend he needed. I loved how she was different than anyone else he'd met and didn't pander to his ego. I loved how she didn't need Terry to have a complete life, she just loved him. I loved reading how they built the life they have now. And how they were partners in both of his cancer treatments. 

Within the pages of the book you'll see the humble side of Terry Bradshaw. With honesty and humility he reflects on his past with the wisdom he has now. He owns up to his faults and flaws. I enjoyed learning more about him.

Theology For The Rest of Us

 

Theology For The Rest of Us

By: Lisa Harper

Genre: Christian Resources

As Lisa Harper was studying for her Doctoral degree, she came across a whole lot of words that many of us don't know about. So, she had the brilliant idea to compile these words that are relevant to the Christian faith. This book is that compilation. It's literally a dictionary of the words she felt we should know about. Each word comes with it's origins, examples from the Bible- and sometimes her own life. 

If you are studying the Bible History or just wanting to know more about words you hear, this book is a great resource for you. She puts each explanation in easy to understand words. She breaks each word down to show you where it came from and how it came to be in the Bible. Each word also comes with a reasoning for why it's important to know and how it plays into out faith now. 

Some words I knew, but most I didn't. For example, I knew of Advent. But I didn't know there was a wreath involved along with candles to represent important concepts. That was a new revelation for me. Now I want to do this each year! Thank you, Lisa, for informing me of this.

This newest addition to her catalog is a departure from all of her previous books, but no less useful. Like I said, this is a great resource to use when you come across a term you aren't familiar with. You still get her humorous explanations we've all come to love, as well as the knowledge she's known for.  

The Munich Affair

 

The Munich Affair

By: James Patterson & David Ellis

Genre: Fiction/ Historical Fiction

Summary:

We all know of Hitler's World War 2 atrocities. History has those events well documented with the information easy for anyone to access. What if Hitler killed people who were close to him- namely young girls who were in a warped relationship with him? 

History has more than enough evidence to support the depravity of Adolf Hitler. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would argue this fact. But within the pages of The Munich Affair, a whole new layer of depravity and disgust is brought to light. 

Geli Raubal was known as Hitler's niece. She was a young girl in her twenties who had been living in his house and in a relationship with the dictator before he ever became a dictator. According to the book, she was finished with their sick and twisted relationship. She no longer wanted to participate in the sexual activities he wanted. Instead, Geli wanted to move to Vienna to marry her music teacher with whom she was having a baby. What is factually known is that she was found with a fatal gunshot to the head. The official conclusion was suicide, but there were those who questioned that theory. And they became vocal about it.

Fritz Gerlich was a journalist. He was a vocal opponent of Hitler and was vocal in his questioning of Geli's death. Both of which landed him on Hitler's hate list. After repeated threats (passioned visits) by Hitler's henchmen didn't stop Fritz, more drastic measures were taken. 

Thomas Bauer is the investigator who responds when Geli's death is called in. Right away, Thomas doubts the story of events he's told. Things don't add up. He and Fritz pair up to learn the true nature of her death. However, Thomas's wife and children have enough Jewish blood in them to be a target for Hitler's plans. Hitler's men have no problem using this weak point to their advantage. But, they underestimated who they were dealing with.

The Munich Affair is a hefty book- both page wise and in subject matter. While I enjoyed the sarcastic attitude of Thomas, it doesn't make the book easier to digest. Knowing most of these events may not have happened to these characters is a small consolation because these things did happen to people at the time. 

I did feel there were parts of the book that could've been taken out since they did nothing to move the plot around. For the most part, I liked the book. It wasn't always an easy read for me- most WW2 books aren't easy for me to read. Yes, I did have to take breaks to step away from the senseless hatred and cruelty. 

The book is full of tense moments and action. One of my favorites was the scene where Thomas breaks his wife out of jail. She's a feisty character I loved reading about. 

Loyal Patterson fans, and suspense readers, will be glued to this latest writing partnership how the story unfolds and to see what happens next. Not to mention how it will all play out in the end. It would be a good book to read on a road trip or flight. It really will take you out of your current life and plop you down amongst hell, though. I recommend having plenty of chocolate on hand when you read it.