Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic

Born Farrokh Bulsara, rock music legend Freddie Mercury (1946–91) would have turned 70 on September 5, so the release of music journalist/editor Blake's (Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen) title about Queen's late lead vocalist is jolly well timed. From binding to pages, this book is drenched in bright colors and copiously illustrated with 200-plus color and black-and-white photos with descriptive and informative captions. Each titled chapter (e.g., "I'm Just a Poor Boy") begins with a time line and tells Mercury's story in an informative, entertaining, and easy-to-read narrative. While the text occasionally feels gossipy, the inclusion of interviews that Blake personally conducted between 1998 and 2014 with Queen's guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor (who worked closely with Mercury from the late 1960s until his death) adds weight and helps paint a more complete picture of the venerable and flamboyant front man as a rock star, musician, and individual.