I always thought Bill Murray was a interesting person, and this book confirms it. Great story, he's not just a funny guy.

Any Bill Murray fans out there? Cause if there is, let me tell you, this book is for you! Filled to the brim with stunning artwork, movie posters, and details on all of his films. Perfect for a coffee table book. You can pick it up, and read a few pages at a time, and put it back down for later. I definitely recommend it if your a fan of the actor.

Thank you to NetGalley, as well as the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Most of the book centers around fan art of Bill Murray. And the fans showcase Bill in all sorts of ways. Most of the artwork is very creative and includes many facets of his personality. Some text is also included. There are short introductions to all the movies and some biographical details. The book is a lot fun and I enjoyed it. This books will make a great gift. Enjoy

My apologies for not getting my review of this book properly written up before it was archived. Thanks to the publishers for sharing it. It's an interesting idea for a book. There was an impressive variety of different artistic styles included. Bill seems to be extremely well loved. It would make a good gift for a hardcore Bill Murry fan.

This is such a fun book!

Over the years Bill Murray has become something of a laidback icon of cool. A low-key hipster who marches to a different drummer... Scratch that. There is no drum. Only the intermittent twang of a banjo with one rusty string that only Bill can hear as he meanders about in an impromptu parade with no specific purpose or particular destination. And he seems to be having a blast doing it!

It seems only fitting that the frequently wacky, sometimes bizarre, but always interesting force of nature that is Bill Murray would inspire the artistic creations featured in this book. They feature all different mediums from traditional (paintings, drawings, sculptures) to alternative. Cliche to sublime. Predictable. Unconventional. Beautiful. Bizarre. It's all represented in The Art of Being Bill.

The book is divided into sections that are somewhat arbitrary and really don't matter all that much. Sprinkled throughout the book are posters from the various films that Bill Murray has appeared in accompanied by a brief essay. It really is just an awful lot of fun.

Bottom line: Nobody really NEEDS this book but I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't find it an enjoyable experience.

***Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I love Bill Murray. I have seen pretty much all of his movies and loved him as a child on SNL. This books takes a whole new look at Bill. With over 100 sketches of Bill in many of his roles you get to see a whole new Bill Murray. Even if you are not a huge fan of Bill Murray this book will bring a smile to your face. The sketches put Bill Murray into all kinds of situations like the last supper, there are tidbits about the films depicted, quotes and more. This is a quick read and would make a great gift for any of Bill Murray's fans.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

What a fun book! I had never heard of this author before but I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Mur-Reality und Very Murray Moments - das beschreibt dieses Buch unheimlich gut. Sehr vergnügliche Lektüre mit tollen Zeichnungen rund um Bill Murray, angereichert mit kurzen Anekdoten und viel wissenswerten Informationen, die nicht überall zu lesen sind. Die Liebe zum Schauspieler durchdringt jede Seite. Ganz großartiges Juwel!

This book was pretty awesome. I'm a huge Bill Murray fan since about 1985 when Ghostbusters hit the scene. I totally recall getting our first VCR and watching this movie. The excitement of it. I can honestly say I've seen several of his movies multiple times.
This book will make you smile. It belongs on your coffee table. I enjoyed the artwork and the little analogies about his film work you might not have otherwise known. A fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Race Point Publishing for allowing me to read this book and see it's artwork in an advanced copy. All opinions of the book are my own.

I really enjoyed this fun book, The Art of Being Bill. As a Bill Murray fan this is a great collection of artwork and descriptions of his movies throughout his career. This will be released Oct 9th! The artwork spans over his incredible career from Caddyshack to Ghostbusters to Groundhog Day to all the Wes Anderson films! I highly recommend this book to any fans as the artwork is creative and amusing!
My brother and I were in Chicago this summer cheering on the Cubs and Murray was at the same games that weekend. He is so iconic it was cool just knowing we were at the same place at the same time!

This is awesome! I absolutely loved it! As a longtime fan of Bill Murray, it was neat to see a collection of illustrations celebrating him. Someone I love is also a huge fan, and I will be buying this for his birthday. Thanks for the opportunity to check it out early!

This is an essential book for all Bill Murray fans. the book highlights the legend of his craft with pictures and paintings that were featured in art shows. His Mona Lisa Smile has led to a showcase of artwork portrayed in this book that is worth the price of the book alone. The book is organized by the many personalities that define Bill Murray: The Jester, The Thinker, The Intense, The Charming, The Exasperated, The Melancholy, The Complex, and The Ledgend. The co author Jennifer Raiser highlights 24 of his movies with a movies poster and a one page of fun filled information about it......did you know that Scooter, the groundhog, bit Bill Murray twice.

The perfect example of how one person can be seen in a completely different way to another. We are many people to many people. Every image is skill fully executed some serious and some funny but all have value. I enjoyed dipping into this book.

One of a kind; who can define him or capture his essence?

The Art of Being Bill: Bill Murray and the Many Faces of Awesome is endlessly mesmerizing and beautifully evocative of Bill Murray’s many nuanced personalities. While the idea to create an art show spotlighting Murray was simply brilliant, to curate that collection and add the posters and background info for many of his memorable films for our enjoyment and edification creates a synergistic Bill-fest. This book is simply fascinating and fun beyond what it ought to be. I found myself flipping my tablet around many times to get my partner to admire yet another artistic interpretation of Bill Murray.

Overall, the movie info interesting read in and of itself, but it’s the nearly 150 artworks that really make this book truly inspiring. It will never cease to amaze me how art can expand and illuminate a picture beyond the object that it is representing. Like hearing an orchestra or choir render a soulful chorus from Les Miserables with such emotion that we are left with chills and goosebumps running down our spine, The Art of Being Bill, communicates more than the sum of its parts. It is a haunting poignancy at times that inexplicably moves and elevates. While I found a few of the pictures rather mundane, most were brilliantly executed and highlighted the nuances in Bill Murray’s cragged features, including his indelibly soulful gaze, and expressions that range from sorrowful to beatific and from querulous to imperious.

The Art of Being Bill is a unique collection that I hope will be repeated for other memorable character actors. Highly recommended for movie buffs, fans of Bill Murray, and connoisseurs of coffee-table art books. The Art of Being Bill could stand alone to entertain as the life of the party; just add fans.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Who doesn’t know Bill Murray? Everyone had seen at least one of his movies. Either he plays a leading or a supporting role, he makes an unforgettable appearance.

The book is based on an art show, in which various artists contributed with works dedicated to him.

This album is divided in 8 parts, each depicting a trait of Bill Murray, the artist: The Jester, The Thinker, The Intense, The Charming, The Exasperated, The Melancholy, The Complex and The Legend. Under each of these themes, there are some iconic movie roles reviewed by the author and some ‘behind the scenes’ trivia and of course, various works of art, most of them portraits.

Some are good, some not quite, however some are exquisite. It would have been great to see also the story behind the art, what part of Murray’s movies or life was the inspiration, but we are given only the title and the artist’s name.

Among my favorites are Bill’s Last Supper by Tom Carlton and Bill-M by Anna Tombacz (the portrait is made from movie lines, the letters being highlighted more or less)

Even if you are not a fan of his, you’ll like the album. The imagination and skills of some of the artists are amazing. (I would have loved to see them live).

This book is a playful, positive examination of the many iconic roles of Bill Murray, from SNL to today. I loved the artistic illustrations throughout the book, and learned many facts and facets of Bill Murray's life. Anyone who stands in awe of this comic actor's talents will enjoy reading this book. Highly recommended!

Who hasn’t loved a Bill Murray movie at some point in their life? This book is a cool combination of Murray-themed artwork and written insight into his many different movie roles. The 150 pieces of art are curated from “The Murray Affair” a traveling Bill Murray art show going around the country. All of the art is fairly good, I especially like the first one depicting him as a knight, and the one of the multiple Bills at a long table, kind of like the Last Supper. Probably best for Bill Murray fans, this art book was fun and decently executed. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, authors Ezra Croft & Jennifer Raiser, and the publisher for my fair review.

Race Point Publishing
Pub: Aug 28th, 2018

Bill Murray is such a funny, wonderful actor. I love that this book had so many amazing pictures of him. I enjoyed reading about his different roles in his movies.

This was a fun little book. It was interesting to see artists give their interpretation of Bill Murray. There were a few pieces I really loved but each one captured his spirit. I also liked that the author also examined his biggest movies and giving some behind the sense look. I also loved the Murray facts sprinkled throughout the book.
If you are an avid Bill Murray fan then this book is for you!

Bill Murray’s movie career is explored along with various artists’ interpretations of him in numerous media in the Art of Being Bill.

Bill’s life (in movies at least) is broken up chronologically into eight chapters: the Jester, Thinker, Intense, Charming, Exasperated, Melancholy, Complex, and finally Legend. Each of Bill’s movies are described in a one-page movie synopsis accompanied by the movie poster and a short behind-the-scenes’ blurb. Then two to four artists offer their interpretation of Bill at that point in his life and career. Using seeds, pastels, pencils, paints and software, each picture is engaging. At the beginning, Bill was portrayed as a clown, a suave player and even a punk rocker. By the end, the representations became increasing melancholy and regretful—just as Bill appeared in his later works.

The art varies widely in media, style and quality but each are valid interpretations of their subject. The text does a excellent job exploring the experiences of an aging comic actor’s early attempts to be taken seriously (i.e., The Razor’s Edge) to actually being taken seriously later in his career (i.e., Lost in Translation). It is easy to see the same trajectory in other comedians’ lives that did not end as well (i.e., Jerry Lewis and Robin Williams). Overall, the Art of Being Bill is more than just the sum of its wide-ranging artwork and provides a thoughtful reflection on life itself. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Race Point Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.