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PREMIUM

We’ve Decided To Go in a Different Direction: Essays

Sanchez is unafraid to share her worst moments in this relatable and inspirational take on overcoming life’s unexpected obstacles.
PREMIUM

From “Born To Be Wild” to “Dazed and Confused”: Rock Music’s Revolution in 1968

Despite covering most of the significant bands of the time, Einarson tends to deal with time-worn material and offers few new insights in a book that may seem repetitive to most rock fans.
PREMIUM

Songs She Wrote: Forty Hits by Pioneering Women of Popular Music

A treasure for those interested in music and women’s history. The easy-to-read narrative will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
PREMIUM

Behind the Red Velvet Curtain: An American Ballerina in Russia

This peek inside what it takes to become a Russian ballet dancer will inspire appreciation for Womack’s dogged determination to achieve her dream.
PREMIUM

Essential Lessons of Dance: Moving Through Life

An insightful and heartening account of the importance of movement.

The Yardbirds: The Most Blueswailing Futuristic Way-Out Heavy Beat Sound

Stanfield captures the emergence and evolution of 1960s British blues that will captivate classic rock fans.
PREMIUM

Hope I Get Old Before I Die: Why Rock Stars Never Retire

The short chapters make this a fast read, and the variety of musicians reckoning with their legacy means that this should have appeal for a broad selection of readers and fans.
PREMIUM

It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time

An entertaining, often hilarious behind-the-scenes look at working in show business.
PREMIUM

Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory

Koehler is passionate and persuasive, but this scholarly work will probably appeal primarily to diehard Reeves fans and film students.
PREMIUM

Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away

A well-researched, straightforward biography about an unsung star. For larger film collections.
PREMIUM

When the Going Was Good: An Editor’s Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines

An engaging book for lovers of glossy magazines and the people who make them.
PREMIUM

Dressed in Black: The Shangri-Las and Their Recorded Legacy

MacKinney’s level of research and analysis will likely appeal more to music scholars than casual readers. However, as the first complete history of the Shangri-Las, this volume should still draw interest from music historians and classic pop fans.
PREMIUM

Man of Taste: The Erotic Cinema of Radley Metzger

King brings erudition to sexploitation, grounding this work in film theory and exploring the subjectivity of taste. Less subjective are the movie stills used to illustrate his points.
PREMIUM

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival

This breezy oral history will appeal to most rock fans. The authors explore the festival’s impact on ’90s rock culture and provide intimate portrayals of the bands that Lollapalooza featured.
PREMIUM

Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch

Little has been available heretofore about Crouch other than his 1974 autobiography Through It All, so Darden and Newby are to be commended for this title, likely to become the definitive exploration of this influential artist.
PREMIUM

Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over: My Guide to Life

Caine has a wealth of wisdom, experience, and genuine positivity, and his fans and cinephiles will significantly enjoy his musings.

June Mathis: The Rise and Fall of a Silent Film Visionary

Slater’s thorough research and astute analyses of cinematic themes make this an exemplary biography of a filmmaking pioneer.

Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)

This attractively designed book, featuring film stills, publicity posters, and gorgeous photos of its subjects, is a valuable addition to the genre.
PREMIUM

The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir

RuPaul’s many fans will want to check out his self-narrated memoir, which offers a candid and sincere account of his experiences, reflections, and growth.

From Here to the Great Unknown

An intimate glimpse of Presley’s experiences growing up in the shadow of her father Elvis. This memoir is a beautiful tribute to the enduring power of love and the complexity of human experience through enduring family bonds.
PREMIUM

The Glass Menagerie

A superb production, sure to delight longtime fans and those just discovering Williams’s iconic play.
PREMIUM

Dorothy Parker in Hollywood

The thorny, enigmatic Parker is a great subject, and Crowther’s flawlessly narrated account is recommended for any audio biography collection.

How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music

An enlightening account of the hurdles that women creators, performers, and artists have overcome. Vibrant, essential, and empowering.
PREMIUM

There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift

Overall, Evers’s book provides a good analysis of Taylor Swift’s evolution as both an artist and a brand unto herself. A good choice for all academic libraries and public libraries with strong business collections.
PREMIUM

Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star

Sensitively drawn and without hindsight judgment, Sen’s biography of Oberon depicts a determined woman who triumphed at a high personal cost.

Roots and Rhythm: A Life in Music

Peacock’s lyrical writing will draw readers in and keep them interested. This memoir will appeal to those interested in one man’s experiences in several contemporary music spaces.

Hallowed Be Thy Name: The Iron Maiden Bible

Metalhead readers will be looking for this on library shelves, and they won’t be disappointed.

PREMIUM

Stomp Off, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong

An exceptional conclusion to Riccardi’s brilliant trilogy.

The Guitar Repair Book: A Practical Guide to Repairing and Maintaining Acoustic and Classical Guitars

An indispensable resource for any musician or budding luthier getting serious about acoustic or classical guitars.

Lorne: The Man Who Invented ‘Saturday Night Live’

Add this to the top of the pile of SNL tomes, just in time for the show’s 50th anniversary.

PREMIUM

The Uncanny Muse: Music, Art, and Machines from Automata to AI

This analytical, historical review should interest readers of pop culture analysis.

PREMIUM

Theater, War, and Memory in Crisis: Vichy, Algeria, the Aftermath

Best for serious students of theater or colonialism and violence studies, but may be challenging for general audiences.
PREMIUM

Monument Eternal

Coltrane’s winning spiritual exercise will appeal to readers looking for a wonderful memoir about music and personal faith.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One

A polished, thoughtful, and wildly entertaining audiobook with outstanding narrators.

Damn Glad To Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches

A top-shelf audiobook production from a well-known actor and director with the staying power and talent needed to navigate the fickle Hollywood realm.

PREMIUM

Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman

Practitioners in women’s and cinema history and general readers will appreciate information about this trailblazing pioneer.

Woody Allen: A Travesty of a Mockery of a Sham

A fascinating, scrupulously researched, and entertaining biography.
PREMIUM

This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light

A celebration of the healing power of family and dance, Holker’s memoir to show how to heal from tragedy without wrapping everything up in a neat bow.

Jazz Radio America

A much-needed and meticulously detailed study of an under-explored aspect of 20th-century music in the United States. This is for jazz listeners, musicians, DJs, influencers, musicologists, and historians.

PREMIUM

Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn: A Walk on the Wild Side with Andy Warhol’s Most Fabulous Superstar

Should interest pop culture enthusiasts and fans of Woodlawn and Warhol.
PREMIUM

Hollywood Blackout: The Battle for Inclusion at the Oscars

Arogundade charges that changes such as expanding the number of films nominated and internationalizing the Academy’s voting membership have gradually increased the cultural makeup in the still largely white AMPAS, with more improvements expected.
PREMIUM

The Musical Life of Melanie: From the Village to Woodstock and Beyond

This biography showcases a life lived in tune with a trailblazing spirit.

I’ll Have What She’s Having

A funny and upbeat “live, laugh, love” message like only Handler can deliver.
PREMIUM

‘Murder, She Wrote’

Public libraries may wish this enjoyable but optional purchase was a coffee table tribute book, while academic libraries may struggle to find an audience.

On Elton John: An Opinionated Guide

Despite Restall’s Bowie asides, this is a magnificent overview of John’s music and legacy; an excellent addition to the plethora of music criticism.

PREMIUM

From the Shadow of the Blues: My Story of Music, Addiction, and Redemption

Hooker has survived more in his life than most people, and fans of his music and the blues will appreciate learning his story.

‘The Wire’: A Cultural History

This timely retrospective on inner city reality as a cultural phenomenon will appeal to media scholars and crime show fans.
PREMIUM

Hollywood’s Unofficial Film Corps: American Jewish Moviemakers and the War Effort

Like physical combat veterans, many on the front lines in Hollywood subsequently seldom talked about their efforts, which makes this book valuable.
PREMIUM

Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews

Kaufman’s shtick gets repetitive, but readers will gain insight into the world of no-budget cinema.
PREMIUM

Fearless and Free: A Memoir

This dialogue with Baker revels in her poetic and often humorous way of speaking. Pair with Chris Chase and Jean-Claude Baker’s authoritative biography Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart.

The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture from the Margins to the Mainstream

This title is not merely essential for any collection on popular music or queer history. Savage’s ability to turn a wealth of information into a compellingly readable narrative should make this volume of interest to readers of all stripes.
PREMIUM

Hip-Hop Is History

A fascinating and exuberant account of hip-hop’s music and poetry, dances, storytelling, breakbeats, and the skills of turntablists. In audio form, Questlove’s sharply observant and vital music history lets listeners tap into the genre’s rhythms and beats and consider what the next decades of hip-hop music and entertainment may hold.
PREMIUM

Doc Watson: A Life in Music

The combination of meticulous research and fluent writing makes this title important for anyone interested in Doc Watson or the evolution of old-time, traditional, and folk music over the past 90 years.
PREMIUM

Mahler’s Symphonic World: Music for the Age of Uncertainty

Recommended for scholars possessing the requisite musical background and for sophisticated readers interested in the relationship of the arts to the human condition.
PREMIUM

I Dream of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots

Alford’s smart prose will captivate readers and leave music fans with thoughtful questions about Mitchell and her musical influence.
PREMIUM

In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some

A thoroughly enjoyable guide to a relatively charmed life.
PREMIUM

Dancing on the Fault Lines of History: Selected Essays

This retrospective of modern dance criticism by one of the field’s trailblazers contextualizes the evolution of the art form and how it has been studied. Recommended for collections specializing in modern dance history and scholarship.
PREMIUM

Mitzi Gaynor: Her Life and Career

Gaynor’s recent passing and the lack of other biographies on her should generate some interest in this volume, but it is primarily a surface-level recounting of her life and work.

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

A provocative, insightful, disturbing, and well-researched indictment of Spotify, the music industry, and streaming platforms, which daily mine billions of data bits from users to maximize profits and churn out musical formulas. Highly recommended.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One

Impossible to put down, this rollicking memoir is well-written and thoughtful and will have readers eager for the second volume.

PREMIUM

Readying the Revolution: African American Theater and Performance from Post–World War II to the Black Arts Movement

Shandell deftly uses a 21st-century lens to identify specific plays with progressive thought. Theater professors, students, and enthusiasts should take note.
PREMIUM

Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman

Shields’s fans will particularly enjoy this engaging and down-to-earth memoir. It is also an inspirational and reassuring reminder to all women that even the famous must come to terms with aging.

Moxie: The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood

This attractive and enlightening work is further enhanced by a bonus section of additional film stars, a thoughtful foreword by Jane Fonda, and excellent notes and bibliographic material. A must for film aficionados and historians.
PREMIUM

Heroes of the New Hollywood: Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Pacino, Duvall, and De Niro in the ’70s

Lalande relies heavily on speculation tinged with Freudian analysis, yet his conclusions about the enduring power of these performances are well worth reading. This is a valuable exploration of these cinematic legends’ impact on film and popular culture.
PREMIUM

What a Fool Believes: A Memoir

An underdog tale that is a must-listen for all jazz-rock and soul fans.
PREMIUM

Under a Rock: A Memoir

A must-listen for fans of Blondie, music history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the vibrant cultural landscape of the late 20th century.
PREMIUM

Journey’s End

Despite some difficulty in following the quickly spoken dialogue, this is a powerful production that captures the raw intensity of war.
PREMIUM

Off the Ground: Paul McCartney in the 1990s

A must-read for fans of ’90s music and Beatlemaniacs.

Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera

Caplan highlights a treasure trove of vocalists and creators in this magisterial work that will prove immensely rewarding to serious opera scholars and those studying race relations and sociology in the 20th-century United States.
PREMIUM

George Cukor’s People: Acting for a Master Director

For classic film lovers, Cukor fans, and LGBTQIA+ collections.
PREMIUM

Merchant-Ivory: Interviews

Raw’s astute selection of interviews creates a cohesive picture of the filmmakers’ unique vision.

It’s All in the Delivery: Pregnancy in American Film and Television Comedy

A long overdue look at the continuing struggle to address a most fundamental aspect of life.
PREMIUM

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir

A sure bet for Case’s many fans: a memoir that is as intriguing and mysterious as the artist herself.
PREMIUM

New German Cinema and Its Global Contexts: A Transnational Art Cinema

The editors of this comprehensive tome laud the late Thomas Elsaesser’s New German Cinema as the only other complete treatment of this topic.
PREMIUM

Where Madness Lies: The Double Life of Vivien Leigh

With a wealth of unpublished juicy material that celebrity mavens will devour, this is a moving and tragic story of how mental illness derailed a stellar career.
PREMIUM

The Life and Music of Booker “Bukka” White: Recalling the Blues

A welcome and long-overdue biography of an important blues figure, for fans, musicians, and researchers.
PREMIUM

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk

This engrossing account of a musician’s transformation is a testament to the healing process and will engage listeners who seek to express their lived experiences without fear.

A City Full of Hawks: ‘On the Waterfront’ Seventy Years Later—Still the Great American Contender

A perfect recap of the film and the controversial era; a treat for cinephiles.
PREMIUM

South Side Impresarios: How Race Women Transformed Chicago’s Classical Music Scene

Readers interested in American classical music and Black history and culture will find much to celebrate in this outstanding book.

A Thousand Threads: A Memoir

Cherry weaves a tapestry of memories into her vibrant debut.
PREMIUM

The Purple One: Prince, Race, Gender, and Everything in Between

Readers looking for a comprehensive or easy-reading book on Prince’s career will be better served elsewhere. However, those wanting to take a scholarly deep dive into Prince’s work and its impact on cultural, political, and social subjects will discover unique insights that have not yet been covered in other academic literature.
PREMIUM

American Noir Film: From ‘The Maltese Falcon’ to ‘Gone Girl’

A well-written introduction to noir films and how the genre has continued to thrive as times changed.
PREMIUM

Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music

Pop confectionery with surprising depth, much like its subject. For Swift fans and those who love them.

‘Giant’ Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film

Ferber enthusiasts will relish the scope and depth of this fine and captivating narrative.
PREMIUM

Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King

While Elvis generally credited gospel, R&B, and a few artists by name, he was fundamental in fusing aspects of American culture from disparate racial traditions when segregation was beginning to lift. His appropriation, explored here, remains polarizing.
PREMIUM

We Found Love, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Romantic Hits

These reminders of popular culture melodies covering nearly 100 years will foster wistful reflection.

PREMIUM

Weep, Shudder, Die: On Opera and Poetry

There is much for general readers to absorb in this long walk through an art form that has been evolving for 500 years.

How Sondheim Can Change Your Life

A generous reading of the works of a master composer and lyricist who reinvented the American musical.
PREMIUM

Damn Glad To Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches

Matheson is honest and self-effacing when discussing his personal life, and he provides valuable advice for those trying to get into the business. Yes, he does discuss John Belushi.

Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops

A surefire hit for movie lovers.
PREMIUM

Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly

Other than Perkins’s own 1996 autobiography, little has been published about him, and Apter admirably fills the gap with this detailed and emotionally charged biography.

Carson the Magnificent

Filled with tidbits such as the origin of the famous golf swing and humanizing stories of regret over losing his first wife to divorce and his son to a car accident, Zehme expertly fully captures a full portrait of Carson.
PREMIUM

The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.: A Biography

Though never pinpointing the reasons for the explosive, major-label success of a rebellious band, which ostensibly distrusted corporate rock, Carlin assembles a solid, much-needed narrative of one of the major alternative rock bands that both complements and updates David Buckley’s 2002 R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography.

Growing Up Urkel

A candid and surprisingly touching memoir from the actor who created one of television’s most memorable characters.

Crafting the Ballets Russes: Music, Dance, Design; The Robert Owen Lehman Collection

With beautiful images and accessible writing, this is recommended for readers interested in modern ballet of the early 20th century.
PREMIUM

Autonomy: Portrait of a Buzzcock

Guitarist and songwriter Diggle’s engaging memoir will appeal to fans and music lovers alike.
PREMIUM

Christmas Movie Ultimate Trivia Book: Test Your Superfan Status and Relive the Most Iconic Christmas Movie Moments

This quiz book is suitable for circulation if answers are written on a separate piece of paper. An optional holiday purchase for public libraries.

The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime

A must for MacLaine’s fans and entertainment buffs.
PREMIUM

The Endless Refrain: Memory, Nostalgia, and the Threat to New Music

Though his book is thought-provoking, Rowell never thoroughly explains the reasons for the fixation on older music beyond the obvious penchant for comforting nostalgia, easy access to past hits through technology, and corporate greed. An interesting but not entirely satisfying book for rock fans.
PREMIUM

Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound

This distinctive title gives readers vivid insight into the lives of four fascinating cellists. It also pays homage to the uniqueness of cellos.
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