2024 Stars So Far | Arts & Humanities

Ranging from performing arts memoirs to craft books to philosophy, this large section of the Book Review featured a number of outstanding titles in the first half of 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRAFTS 

Albans, Clare. The Modern Embroidery Handbook. White Owl. May 2024. 128p. ISBN 9781399041324. pap. $24.95. 

Boyle, Erin & Rose Pearlman. Making Things: Finding Use, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Crafting Everyday Objects. Hardie Grant. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781958417270. $35. 

Cay, Khuc. Wonderful World of Amigurumi: 15 Adorable Amigurumi Creations. Landauer. May 2024. 144p. ISBN 9781639810642. pap. $19.99. 

Downey, Shannon. Let’s Move the Needle: An Activism Handbook for Artists, Crafters, Creatives, and Makers; Build Community and Make Change! Storey. Oct. 2024. 264p. ISBN 9781635868906. pap. $19.99. 

Fahmy, Anna-Marie & Andrew Fahmy. Making Fairy Garden Accessories: 22 Enchanting Projects for Your Backyard. Fox Chapel. Mar. 2024. 128p. ISBN 9781497103962. pap. $16.99. 

Inouye, Megumi Lorna. The Soul of Gift Wrapping: Creative Techniques for Expressing Gratitude, Inspired by the Japanese Art of Giving. Storey. Apr. 2024. 208p. ISBN 9781635865547. $25. 

Mahon, Joi. Elevate Your Sewing: Brilliant Techniques for Adding Personal Style to Any Garment. Landauer. Jul. 2024. 96p. ISBN 9781639810482. pap. $19.99. 

Mortensen, Sherilyn. Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting: How To Add Texture, Design, and Style to Your Quilts. Landauer. Jul. 2024. 144p. ISBN 9781639810383. pap. $19.99. 

Toellner, Melvin “Bird Man Mel” & Matt Maguire. Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses: Step-by-Step Instructions and Plans for 15 Specific Birds, Including Bluebirds, Wrens, Robins & Owls. Fox Chapel. Jun. 2024. 112p. ISBN 9781497104280. pap. $19.99. 

Van In, Jessie. Crocheting Reversible Amigurumi Projects: Adorable 2-Way Patterns Using Fur Yarn & Easy Methods. Landauer. Mar. 2024. 112p. ISBN 9781639810352. pap. $19.99. 

Varvara, Faith. Kawaii Doodle Café: Learn To Draw Adorable Desserts, Snacks, Drinks & More. Rock Point. Jan. 2024. 144p. ISBN 9781631069598. pap. $19.99. 

Wimsett, Ariana. Amigurumi Loveys and Blankets: 16 Adorable Animal Projects To Crochet and Snuggle. Landauer. May 2024. 160p. ISBN 9781639810598. $19.99. 

Yang, April (a.k.a. Coolirpa). DIY Thrift Flip: Sewing Techniques for Transforming Old Clothes into Fun, Wearable Fashions. Quarry. May 2024. 152p. ISBN 9780760383216. pap. $24.99. 

DECORATIVE ARTS

MacDonell, Nancy. Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion. St. Martin’s. Aug. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781250288738. $32. 

FINE ARTS 

Sonia Delaunay: Living Art. Yale Univ. Apr. 2024. 540p. ed. by Waleria Dorogova & Laura Microulis. ISBN 9780300275766. $75. 

LITERATURE 

Barry, Rebecca Rego. The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells. Post Hill. Feb. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781637588505. $30. LIT

Hopson, Cheryl R. Zora Neale Hurston. Reaktion. Jul. 2024. 224p. ISBN 9781789147957. pap. $22. BIOG 

Teague, Lettie. Dear Readers and Riders: The Beloved Books, Faithful Fans, and Hidden Private Life of Marguerite Henry. Trafalgar Square. May 2024. 328p. ISBN 9781646011940. pap. $27.95. BIOG 

Madu, Zito. The Minotaur at Calle Lanza. Belt. Apr. 2024. 144p. ISBN 9781953368669. pap. $19.95. LIT

PERFORMING ARTS 

Abley, Sean & Tyler Doupé. Queer Horror: A Film Guide. McFarland. Jul. 2024. 468p. ISBN 9781476690278. pap. $75. FILM

Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin. So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We’re Still So Obsessed with It). Dey Street. Jan. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780063276161. $29.99. FILM

Benoliel, Bernard & others. Alfred Hitchcock All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short. Black Dog & Leventhal. Oct. 2024. 648p. ISBN 9780762488681. $60. FILM

Butler, Dean. Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond. Citadel. Jun. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780806543291. $28. MEMOIR

Charney, Noah & James Charney. The 12-Hour Film Expert: Everything You Need To Know About Movies. Rowman & Littlefield. Jun. 2024. 248p. ISBN 9781538173428. $34. FILM

Courogen, Carrie. Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius. St. Martin’s. Jun. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781250279224. $30. BIOG

Dench, Judi & Brendan O’Hea. Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781250325778. $32. THEATER

Duralde, Alonso. Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film. Running Pr. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780762485895. $40. FILM

Gefter, Philip. Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Bloomsbury. Feb. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781635579628. $32. FILM

Golland, David Hamilton. Livin’ Just To Find Emotion: Journey and the Story of American Rock. Rowman & Littlefield. Feb. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781538187012. $33. MUSIC

Hanna, Kathleen. Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk. Ecco. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780062825230. $29.99. MEMOIR

Henderson, Odie. Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema. Abrams. Jan. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781419758416. $27. FILM

Hoff, A. Ashley. With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making of an Unintentional Camp Classic. Chicago Review. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781641607681. pap. $19.99. FILM

John, Elton. Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour. Hyperion Avenue. Sept. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781368099165. $55. MEMOIR

Kaplan, James. 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. Penguin Pr. Mar. 2024. 496p. ISBN 9780525561002. $32. MUSIC

Karger, Dave. 50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars & Filmmakers on Their Career-Defining Wins. Running Pr. Jan. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780762486328. $30. FILM

Kennedy, Matthew. On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide. Oxford Univ. May 2024. 264p. ISBN 9780197664117. $29.99. BIOG

McGlory, Mary & Sylvia Saunders. The Other Fab Four: The Remarkable True Story of the Liverbirds, Britain’s First Female Rock Band. Grand Central. Mar. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781538739969. $30. MEMOIR

McNab, Ken. Shake It Up, Baby!: The Rise of Beatlemania and the Mayhem of 1963. Pegasus. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781639366583. $32. MUSIC

Menter, Marcia. That Voice: In Search of Ann Drummond-Grant, the Singer Who Shaped My Life. She Writes Pr. Jun. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781647426620. pap. $17.95. BIOG

Moral, Tony Lee. Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards. Titan. Feb. 2024. 144p. ISBN 9781789099546. $50. FILM

Nussbaum, Emily. Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV. Random. Jun. 2024. 464p. ISBN 9780525508991. $30. TV

Powers, Ann. Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell. Dey Street. Jun. 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780062463722. $35. BIOG

Rollins, Sonny. The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins. New York Review. Mar. 2024. 172p. ed. by Sam V.H. Reese. ISBN 9781681378268. pap. $17.95. MUSIC

RuPaul. The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir. Dey Street. Mar. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780063263901. $29.99. MEMOIR

Said, Edward W. Said on Opera. Columbia Univ. Jan. 2024. 120p. ed. by Wouter Capitain. ISBN 9780231212014. pap. $20. MUSIC

Salisbury, Katie Gee. Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong. Dutton. Mar. 2024. 480p. ISBN 9780593183984. $32. BIOG

Scheer, Paul. Joyful Recollections of Trauma. HarperOne. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780063293717. $29.99. MEMOIR

Seidelman, Susan. Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls. St. Martin’s. Jun. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250328212. $30. MEMOIR

Silver, Alain & James Ursini. From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir. Running Pr. Mar. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780762484935. $30. FILM

Stanley, Bob. The Story of the Bee Gees: Children of the World. Pegasus. Feb. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781639365531. $29.95. BIOG

Thompson, Dave. Vinyl Record Collecting for Dummies. For Dummies: Wiley. Apr. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781394226641. pap. $19.99. MUSIC

Thomson, David. Remotely: Travels in the Binge of TV. Yale Univ. Jan. 2024. 280p. ISBN 9780300261004. $28. TV

Tucker-Sullivan, Lori. I Can’t Remember If I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love and Legacy. Backbeat: Rowman & Littlefield. May 2024. 242p. ISBN 9781493084142. $34.95. BIOG

Tye, Larry. The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America. Mariner. May 2024. 416p. ISBN 9780358380436. $32.50. MUSIC

Woessner, Martin. Terrence Malick and the Examined Life. Univ. of Pennsylvania. Mar. 2024. 416p. ISBN 9781512825602. $65. BIOG

Young, Josh & Manfred Westphal. The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn. Grand Central. Apr. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781538751428. $34. BIOG

PHILOSOPHY

Weil, Simone. The Need for Roots. Penguin Classics. Feb. 2024. 320p. tr. from French by Ros Schwartz. ISBN 9780241467978. pap. $18. 

SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION 

Bruno, Christopher R. & others. The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul: Retrospect and Prospect. IVP Academic. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781514001141. pap. $30. REL

Cosper, Mike. Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found. IVP. Feb. 2024. 176p. ISBN 9780830847341. $24. MEMOIR

Hibbard, J. Todd. Prophets and Prophecy: God Speaks in Ancient Israel and Judah. Paulist. Feb. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780809149872. pap. $32.95. REL

McCammon, Sarah. The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. St. Martin’s. Mar. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781250284471. $30. REL

Park, Benjuamin E. American Zion: A New History of Mormonism. Liveright: Norton. Jan. 2024. 512p. ISBN 9781631498657. $35. REL

Tworkov, Helen. Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America. St. Martin’s Essentials. Apr. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781250321558. $29. MEMOIR

SPORTS & RECREATION 

Golenbock, Peter. Baseball Heaven: Up Close and Personal, What It Was Really Like in the Major Leagues. Rowman & Littlefield. Mar. 2024. 344p. ISBN 9781538181829. $28.95. HIST

Nathanson, Mitchell. Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind. Univ. of Nebraska. Apr. 2024. 224p. ISBN 9781496237170. $32.95. HIST

Parry, John Weston. The Burden of Sports: How and Why Athletes Struggle with Mental Health. Rowman & Littlefield. Feb. 2024. 296p. ISBN 9781538175538. $38. PSYCH

Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully. Univ. of Nebraska. May 2024. 288p. ed. by Tom Hoffarth. ISBN 9781496238788. $34.95. SPORTS

Powter, Geoff. Survival Is Not Assured: The Life of Climber Jim Donini. Mountaineers Bks. Jun. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781680515374. pap. $22.95. BIOG

 

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