Sugar, Butter, Flour / Jenna Hunterson / 160 pages

Sugar, Butter, Flour: The Waitress Pie Book is a pie cookbook based on the recent hit musical with music by Sara Bareilles. Jenna Hunterson is the main character of the story, not the actual author of these recipes. Moment of truth: I didn't bake any of these pies yet. But I did read through the whole book, and it's pretty fun. Be aware that the cookbook is based on the pies from the musical, not the movie. There were a few recipes from the movie I was really hoping to see and didn't--that's not a bad thing, just telling you so you're aware. There were a couple of people who complained about thinking Jenna was a real person, which is silly. The title page has the real author's name as the author of the recipes; not having it on the cover is common for book or movie-based cookbooks. I'm excited to try a few of them and may tweak my review when I do. Suffice it to say, this is a good pie book primarily consisting of classics with a twist. This is a solid choice for people who enjoyed the musical, as well as those who just like trying new and fairly simple pie recipes!

Hamilton: The Revolution / Jenny McCarter and Lin-Manuel Miranda / 288 pgs

"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by Providence, impoverished, in squalorGrow up to be a hero and a scholar?"
And thus begins the Tony and Pulitzer winning musical on Broadway, "Hamilton." This book was so good. Lin-Manuel Miranda did an amazing job of making sure that the entire musical is within the pages of the book. He also provides a ton of footnotes that explain both the history of Alexander Hamilton and the time period between 1776 and 1804 and his musical inspiration. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes looks at how the musical was conceived, written, edited, changed, and produced. Each of the principal actors are profiled, and those who worked behind the curtain like the choreographer and costume designer. If you either borrow or buy this book, make sure to read the song lyrics while you are listening to the cast album. It was such a great way to take in the whole experience, especially if you, like me, won't ever get to NYC to see it live.

Hammersteins / Oscar Andrew Hammerstein 236 p.

Oscar Hammerstein, II, the public knows and loves through his wonderful musicals, Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song, Sound of Music and more. This famous lyricist grew up in the world of Oscar Hamemrstein, I, his grandfather. Oscar, I, turned his attention to music and theater after establishing himself as a successful businessman. It is Oscar I who built many theaters in New York City. He turned the Longacre Square into Times Square, the theater capitol of the world. His sons managed these theaters and nurtured the careers of Will Rogers, W.C. Fields, Al Jolson, Charlie Chaplin.

Written by Oscar, II's grandson, Oscar "Andy" Hammerstein, this work presents all sides of the entire Hammerstein family including its scandals and tragedies. It chronicles development of popular musical theater.

What fun to read "behind the scenes" of this talented family.