An Actor's Library - TWENTY William Alexander

Now that was truly a good read! I love everything about this book - the author’s easy to digest style, the tracking of the marked up bill over time and the various strange occurrences that befall each recipient. I can see how each chapter could stand alone as an individual short story but I enjoyed how the author connected them. I looked forward to finding the $20. bill in each bizarre tale. Ironically the money was not mentioned only once and it was my least favorite chapter. Could I have blocked it out?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a taste for a little bit of horror and a whole lot of suspense. I want to read more from William Alexander.

Officially now a fan, I will be following him on facebook and amazon.

An Actor's Library - TOP OF THE ROCK The Rise and Fall of Must See TV

I am on a new NBC show CROWDED and the actor who plays my son, Clifford Mcghee, recommended this book to me. I always have at least one bookshelf of unread books in my bookcase and yet I keep buying more. I thought maybe if I don’t purchase anymore I would someday read them all. Clifford’s verbal review of this book made me feel compelled to read it. I searched online and discovered the audio version, perfect for driving while listening so I bought it.

What an amazing journey of stories, anecdotes and facts about what makes a network successful and how sitcoms become hits from the page, through the pilot, to many seasons on the air.

There was one name that was mentioned and quoted often and seemed to connect the dots during this golden era of Must See TV. That name is James Burrows. He has directed some of the brightest stars in front of the camera and made life changing executive decisions as a producer. His legacy includes the sitcoms Friends, Taxi, Cheers, Mike & Molly, Will & Grace, Frasier, the Big Bang Theory and now Crowded. Our Season 1 finale was Mr. Burrows 1,000^th episode as a director! In my opinion that makes him the Sitcom King. I could relate to so many of the stories from the actors in these ground breaking shows after working with him for 9 episodes. I am officially spoiled!

As an invited guest to the taping of MUST SEE TV An All Star Tribute to James Burrows, I got to experience this book in 3D. It’s still so surreal to me to be in the same room with all of the stars from the above mentioned shows and to know that I am now a part of entertainment history. As Clifford stated, Crowded could easily be the next chapter in this book.

Sean Hayes is also an integral part of the NBC story starting with his role on Will & Grace and now as an executive producer with his buddy Todd Milliner (Hazy Mills Productions). They are the producers of several hit TV shows which now include Crowded and the All Star Tribute to James Burrows. Be sure to tune in on Feb. 21, 2016 on NBC. #mustseetv is back!!!

An Actor's Library - MR. PEANUT Adam Ross

I first heard about this book in an article about Stephen King's favorite authors. Being a Stephen King fan I just had to know who he liked and was certain I would like them too. I had the article up on my bulletin board forever and recently when I did a remodel, I took it down vowing to "let it go". I would probably never get to read it anyway. Then one day a few months ago, I was at my hair stylist's studio and saw Mr. Peanut on her book shelf! Well I had to borrow it. It took me about 2 months to read it which is unusual for me especially if I'm enjoying the story. I've been known to finish a really good book in one day. Needless to say I wasn't enjoying this story but I kept struggling through it hoping it would get better and I really did want to know "whodunit". When I found out, I was even more disappointed. In Adam Ross' defense, he does have a style that kept me wanting to know more but I found the book rather confusing and couldn't quite differentiate between the characters. It seemed like the same story was happening to two separate couples and I couldn't figure out what the actual ending was. So back to Stephen King I go...I will leave it to him to get his inspiration from wherever he needs to just as long as he keeps writing the novels I am so often "thrilled" by.

An Actor's Library - ALL IN ALL Stacy Keach

Anyone who truly knows me or has been following my blog knows that I have mad respect for writers and authors. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to work with a person who has written a book about the very industry we are employed in simultaneously.  Stacy Keach’s ALL IN ALL was a gift from him to me while working together on the new NBC show Crowded. As much as I would like to be selfish, it is actually a gift to the world, especially for actors at every level.

This book is filled with wisdom from a classically trained thespian with many years of experience in all areas of acting including voice over’s. He has studied in London and performed all over the world.  I believe his longevity in this business is fueled by talent, passion and a love for his craft. And the love of his life – his beautiful wife Malgosia and their children Shannon and Karolina .

I must say it has been a joy to see this book come to life as I work along side of him every day. I’ve always said that on the job training can’t be beat in this business.

On page 242, Stacy talks about delivering your lines “with robust energy, clarity and emotional truth”. That’s what I see consistently in his work. I’ve learned so much in the past 3 months. Between fleshing out our characters everyday and reading his fascinating stories from stage, television & film, the lessons I have learned will stay with me for the duration of my career. If all goes well, it will include many more seasons of Crowded with my new mentor!

In the meantime, Stacy Keach’s resume will become my Netflix Queue. Watching his body of work should keep me busy until we return for Season 2.

Pick up a copy of ALL IN ALL and look for us on NBC in March 2016. #Crowded

An Actor's Library - LOVING IN THE GROWN ZONE

This post is part of Loving in the Grown Zone Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with many other inspiring bloggers across the globe. To learn more and to join us as we change the conversation about healthy love, CLICK HERE!

Of all my book reviews, this one brings me the most joy.  

My life has been forever transformed since 

I've started living in the grown zone.

Enjoy!

It took me a minute to get to this book after I ordered it, but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. It is the perfect end of the year book for me since it is my intention to attract a healthy love interest in 2015. Not only have these two authors given me a formula but their book, Loving In The Grown Zone, will be my reference point. There are so many gold nuggets among these pages. I can see myself writing them on post-it notes and sticking them everywhere to remind me “How To Recognize Good Love” (one of my favorite chapters). You see, I could be the poster child for all their examples of unhealthy relationships and behaviors. Now, armed with the knowledge contained in this book, I know what went wrong and what not to do or accept from this point forward. It starts with self love which I admit I’m pretty good at these days. Then, even when that special person enters my life, I know we have to take our time to get to know each other and give each other the “honor, esteem and respect” we both deserve.

Thank you Zara Green and Alfred Edmond Jr. for reminding me that I have a lot to offer and therefore it’s quite normal for me to set high standards for those who would prove worthy of my time and company. And thank you for letting me know what to look for in a partner and how that should feel.

I highly recommend this book to anyone needing a relationship reality check. The writers give it to you with real talk. Their style is like a good friend or your favorite relative giving you advice that you wish you had had years ago. They’ve packaged this wisdom so that it will always be available. I know I will be returning to these pages often. And when they come across a single, healthy Grown Zone man looking for love, they have permission to give him my number.

Zara D. Green and Alfred Edmond Jr. are co-principals of A2Z Personal Growth Enterprises, producer of The Grown Zone discussion series and related media properties. The couple leads sessions on personal growth, self-love and resiliency, healthy relationships and “Grown” decision-making via online and live events across the country. They know this book is changing the conversation about healthy love. You can grab your copy HERE.

An Actor's Library - STILL ALICE

I had heard about this book from a couple of people and had it on my book list. When I stumbled upon it in the bookcase where my mom lives, I thought it was a sign that I must read it, so I did. STILL ALICE is a beautifully written novel about an extremely high-functioning woman who has developed early on-set Alzheimer’s told from her point of view.

Becoming a recent caregiver for my mother who is showing signs of early memory loss herself, I have been learning all I can about this disease and how to care for her. I can easily identify with the characters in the book who are family members (especially the actress daughter), but what was most intriguing was how Lisa Genova was able to capture the experience from the afflicted person’s point of view. There were times when as a reader, I thought the author had made a mistake only to find out that we were seeing the world through the eyes of Alice.

I enjoyed reading the facts presented as a story and not clinically and it gives me hope that because there seems to be knowledge of what causes this disease, a cure must certainly be on the way.

This is not an easy road for anyone involved, but this novel lets us know we are not alone and reminds us of the compassion that is needed in helping our loved ones (and ourselves) through this.

Note:  Julianne Moore plays the renowned linguistics professor, Dr. Alice Howland, in the film.

An Actor's Library - theWARofART

This book was recommended to me a couple of times and I finally got the title right and purchased it. I didn't really know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised. There were many AHA moments contained in those pages. The author often speaks from a writer's point of view but the information applies to any type of creative artist. He first talks about Resistance and the many forms it takes to prevent us from getting the job done. By the end of the book as he discusses amateur vs professional and hierachy vs territorial, I am even more confident about what I was put on this earth to do. I always felt it was a spiritual connection and I will continue to wear my artist hat proudly.
This book is a keeper for my library. I'm sure I will be referring to it from time to time as I walk the creative path that is set before me.