I am fascinated by certain celebrities. I don’t usually go in for all the reality TV, but when I find friends I like, I tend to stick with them. There is a great crop of bios out right now that I’ve really enjoyed. It’s a somewhat eclectic mix, so take a read and see if anything pops out. Also note that a lot of times, the author will read their audio books. If you want to feel like your favorite celeb is sharing their thoughts with you, maybe go that route. Either way, these are great reads for those hot summer days.

I am a huge Nate Bargatze fan. He is a local stand-up comic who has recently hit it big after selling out Bridgestone arena and hosting SNL twice in two years. He just released his first book, Big Dumb Eyes, where he shares with us what it’s like to grow up as the son of a clown/magician. Wanting the full Bargatze experience, I checked out the audio book so that Nate could read his book to me. It was like having an extra long stand-up special to enjoy. Was there repeated material I’ve heard him share before? Yep. He even admits it in a couple of spots. Did I care? Nope. I still go back and watch his previous specials, so it didn’t bother me here either. Nate has been vocal about not being a big reader, but I’m so glad we dragged him over to the dark side. He’s right - reading really is the key to smart. Get your copy today and see how this local boy made good.

I am going to date myself when I say that I grew up with Connie Chung. I don’t mean that she lived down the street from me and we rode our bikes together. Every night during dinner, my family would watch the local news with Maureen McFadden, Mike Collins, and weatherman Dick Addis (shout out to WNDU!), then when it switched to the national news, Connie Chung would magically appear. I never for a second considered that it was weird that an Asian American woman was hosting a national news show. It had just always been that way. Knowing what I know now, that was an incredible feat to accomplish. And after reading her autobiography, it shows how dogged she was in pursuing her goal. This was a great read that I polished off in a day because it pulled me in and I didn’t want to stop reading. If you are of the same certain age as me and grew up with Connie on your TV, don’t miss this one. And if you have no idea who Connie Chung is, maybe check this out and be inspired.

I must say that while I enjoy the musical stylings of Miss Beyonce Knowles,  I am not a die-hard, super, mega, stalker-wanna-be fan. I was kind of on the fence about reading her mom’s memoir. But then I found a Lucky Day copy and decided to give it a try. And I’m glad I did. This was a good read. Be warned - Bey does not show up until about 100 pages in, but Tina told a good story. I had no idea that Beyonce was Tina’s maiden name - and it was only that because the hospital spelled it wrong on her (and all her siblings’ birth certificates). If you are any kind of Beyonce fan, you shouldn’t let this one pass you by. Go to your favorite branch, and maybe there will be a Lucky Day copy waiting for you. If not, you can always put a hold on it and wait for the magic to come to you.

My husband and I are children of the 80s. We are hard-core fans of those classic 80s movies - my husband loves Back to the Future and I am in it to win it with Ghostbusters and The Karate Kid. I have no idea how many times I have watched these - let’s just say it’s a big number. I quote their dialogue on a daily basis (“Get him a body bag!”). We just recently finished watching Cobra Kai, so the world of Karate Kid was on my mind. I don’t remember how I found this book, but once I did, I knew it was for me. The Karate Kid himself tells his story of becoming an 80s champ. It was doubly fun because I checked out the audio and let Ralph tell me his story. If you are any kind of Karate Kid fan, this one is for you. And if you haven’t watched Cobra Kai, the library has the first 5 seasons on DVD. It’s time to sweep the leg, Johnny. 

I am a little older than Keke’s target demographic, so I really didn’t catch on until she hosted Password. And I found her enjoyable. Turns out she was also in Akeelah and the Bee which I had watched without realizing that was her. This was a fun read. Admittedly I had to google what happened between Keke and the father of her son. She alluded to it in the book, like we all knew about it already. (I didn’t.) If you check out the audio version of the book, Keke will read it to you like you are her best friend. Now I might have to go out and find me some stuff with Keke Palmer.

So those are my latest friends to share with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Happy Summer Celeb-ing…
:) Amanda