Got a bit long in the tooth, but he seems like a complicated man. ( )

I was quite overjoyed with given the chance to read this book, then I started to read it and even though I did find it OK to read was I also a bit disappointed because it felt that much of the books information could I have easily have found on the internet.

This book may be about Bill Murray, but Bill Murray himself is lacking from the pages since he hasn't in anyway been part of the writing of this book, other than stuff he has said in interviews. That is hardly surprising since he is a very private person. Just try to give him a call and see if he gets back to you. You can be a world famous director and still have trouble getting in touch with him (Thank God Sofia Coppola never gave up). But as a source for information about Bill Murray does this book feel like more kind of gossip about him than real fact. Yes you get facts, him growing up, and his life and movies, but you never really get to know him since all the info is from old interviews and from what people around him say about him. And, it's listed from A-Z, which makes it feel even less biographical.

But I did enjoy reading it (sometime) because this is still Bill Murray and my favorite parts is the pages when ordinarily people tell tales of Bill Murray cashing parties and stuff. He can just show up and have a good time at a party and then leave. He may be private, but he is sure friendly when he wants to be.

Anyway, for a die hard Bill Murray fan can this be a fun book to read.



For everyone else there is always Wikipedia.

I received this copy from Quirk Books through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you! ( )

This should have been titled "The Bill Murray Encyclopedia" due to the writing style. There is no flow, just a bunch of facts and opinions. ( )

I grew up watching movies starring the great Bill Murray. Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Scrooged were some of my favorites as a child and then I was introduced to old episodes of Saturday Night Live from the 70's and found a whole new appreciation for this comedian. I've never seen Caddyshack or Groundhog Day, which are probably the roles he's most famous for. When I mentioned this to my husband and suggested that maybe we watch them, his face lit up like I gave him a Christmas present. So, I must be missing out on something.

I didn't know much about the actor before reading The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray by Robert Schnakenberg, and when I flipped through the pages, it wasn't quite what I expected out of a biography. In fact, I'm reluctant to even call it a biography, it's more of an encyclopedia filled with facts about the actor. If you want to know Murray's view of cats, well you can find it listed under C. How does he feel about golf? Look under G, and spoiler alert: He loves it.

Everything you never knew you wanted to know seems to be in this book. My particular favorites is the roles he was considered for and didn't want and Tales From Murrayland. Robert Schnakenberg hasn't met or conducted interviews with Murray, so all this information is collected through books, television, newspaper, and magazines interviews with Murray as well as his colleagues. However, it is nice to have it all compacted into one book. The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray is a great homage to this beloved comedian.

I had a paperback copy of this book, but I also listened to it as an audio book as well. And while I'm a fan of audio books, I think I would pass on it in this case. Please note: This has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the audio book or the narrator. Both were excellent. The book has images and is visually stimulating. While listening to the audio is good. but it's as if someone is reading entries to an encyclopedia. Johnny Heller, the narrator, did a wonderful job with the material. I would absolutely listen to another book narrated by Heller. This book didn't work as an audio book for me.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017/04/review-big-bad-book-of-bill-murray.html... ( )

A great review of Bill Murray's life and work. The only downside is that this was not authorized by Murray, and as a result all of the anecdotes included are from interviews. It's a very easy book to navigate and the pictures are great. ( )