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Prince fans and others interested in popular music will find much to love and ponder in this engaging collection.
Libraries with strong film and horror sections will find this irresistible two-volume reference an essential purchase.
The book explores nearly every aspect and example of Black horror cinema, from recurring one-dimensional archetypes to surgical dissections of relevant films, but its overall message resonates. Black voices and creatives in cinema have made strides in representation, but there is clearly more work to do.
Abdurraqib is one of the preeminent cultural critics of our time, and his insightful essays give listeners much to consider, so long as the narration style works for them.
PREMIUM
What You Are Now
A play that questions and affirms the power of trauma, with mixed results in audio.
This well-produced, essential account of hip-hop music and culture will appeal to the genre’s many fans, as well as listeners who enjoy popular culture and oral history.
PREMIUM
Continuity
A climate-charged spoof of filmmaking superficiality that solidly entertains but doesn’t quite soar. Directed in its excellent audio format by Anna Lyse Erikson and part of L.A. Theatre Works’ “Relativity Series” of science-themed plays.
Hardcore house music fanatics will enjoy this book’s discussions on various clubs, drum machines, and acetates. Give it to readers who fondly remember the genre.
Shea’s matter-of-fact journalistic style prevents sensationalism from overtaking this study of the Mamas & the Papas’ powerful influence and importance.
Malkin’s book will be of interest to many, but it is not the sweeping, nuanced history that punk deserves.
All workers, as well as TV and movie buffs, can appreciate this well-told book of essays about labor in Hollywood.
Waldman’s fun guide brings together a fascinating cast of experts to help readers discover the real-life influences behind science-fiction movies and TV shows.
PREMIUM
The Monkees: Made in Hollywood
This work ably demonstrates how the well-oiled music machine in Los Angeles scored a short-lived megahit with their American answer to Beatlemania.
PREMIUM
All You Need Is HELP
A fun collection of Beatles-related information that adds to the canon. Readers looking to see what extra work the group from Liverpool did outside of their own recordings will find it in this title.
This beautiful art book serves as a most welcome companion to Beatles scholarship and 1960s culture in general.
This helpful overview of ’80s and ’90s action films also ventures into the forgotten subsequent film failures of the far-from-invincible men stars, guiding readers to films to avoid or to reevaluate.
PREMIUM
Bang Bang Crash: A Memoir
Recommended for fans of Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller or Carrie Brownstein’s Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl.
An intelligent and vital look at women in rock audiences. All Springsteen fans will likely enjoy this, but it also deserves serious consideration from general readers interested in studies of popular music, gender, and fandom.
A diverting and informative tour and an excellent companion to William Schnabel’s Summer of Love and Haight.
Fredriksson’s honesty about her often abrasive past behavior, her frustration at being discounted in the men-dominated music industry, and her attempts to find alternative lifesaving treatments makes for an engaging read. Most poignant is her vulnerability as she opens her closets and photo albums that showcase a life well lived.
Neither an excoriation of the sex industry nor a reclamation of it as a source of empowerment, this memoir adds a needed complexity to the conversation about both.
PREMIUM
Staging Emily Dickinson: The History and Enduring Influence of William Luce’s The Belle of Amherst
Bursting with anecdotes, personal stories, and careful research, this is an important contribution to American theater history. Readers who cannot imagine a life without stage performances will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Readers looking for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world of television production, as well as those searching for inspiration and motivation to pursue their own dreams, will enjoy this memoir. It’s a great addition to a collection looking to round out its entertainment section.
Great for libraries with lots of movie buffs, especially fans of silent films and classics, and for institutions with film studies programs.
An appealing read for anyone interested in moviemaking, and an essential for aspiring costumers. Carter’s contributions to Black cinema make this a worthy inclusion in any library collection.
An excellent examination of the current state of on-screen trans representation and its real-life effects. Anderson also offers some insight into the ways gender, sexuality, and race are handled in different media.
While exploring a life in music, this book also outlines trying to fit in, finding and retaining a job, and adjusting to fellow workers, all experiences that many readers may find to be universally relatable.
Offered more for information than extensive sociological analysis, this is an entertaining treat for nostalgia and trivia lovers.
Deliberately designed for fun instead of scholarship, this book offers much to enhance studies and stir the imaginations of pop culture fans.
PREMIUM
Don’t Call Me Home: A Memoir
With humor, love, and some giddiness, Auder tells her singular survival story.
Will have wide appeal for general audiences, particularly those who enjoyed memoirs such as Tara Westover’s Educated and Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox.
This fast and breezy diary reveals a man who is happiest not on camera but when he’s curled up in bed reading picture books to his children.
Payne’s oral history does a remarkable job of defining and showing the meteoric boom of emo that music fans will find fascinating.
General readers might best savor this anthology of articles, a tribute to the resilience of maturing music performers, by perusing them one by one.
After this substantive look at Abbey Road beyond the famous zebra-stripe crossing album cover, music mavens might also consider Alistair Lawrence’s Abbey Road and Kenneth Womack’s Solid State.
Solomon presents the information in such an enjoyable and digestible way that he delivers a worthwhile reference title.
PREMIUM
Why Tammy Wynette Matters
Fans of Wynette and country music will be drawn to this reappraisal.
This tale will appeal to readers curious about the formative years of the United States’ country-music scene.
Eleanor Caudill’s perspicuous narration will compel listeners forward and gives Taylor’s frequent ballsy quotes appropriate rendering. An engrossing, gossipy listen.
PREMIUM
Queen in Comics
Queen fans, megafans, and curious newbies will clap and sing along to this colorful, kaleidoscopic graphic novel.
PREMIUM
Soul Survivor: The Autobiography
A story of survival with a bird’s-eye view of Swinging Radio England that pop music aficionados will likely enjoy.
The author’s love for his subject shines through in this entertaining and edifying reference that would be valuable to theater students and fun reading for lovers of the theater.
A strong, long-overdue bio of a 1970s guitar hero who played a major role in many staples of classic rock.
Fans will enjoy Ralph’s stories of courage and perseverance and her positive messages for future divas.
Recommended for memoir lovers and for those who are searching for the path to healing after a traumatic experience.
This sincere and affectionate examination of Garland’s life and legacy is heavily laden with photographs and will appeal to the legend’s many fans.
Jones turns it up to 11 with his latest collection. These are captivating and absolutely delightful tales of rock’s wonder and power.
PREMIUM
I’m Coming To Take You to Lunch: A Fantastic Tale of Boys, Booze and How Wham! Were Sold to China
A breezy but insightful snapshot of an era implausible even to those who lived it. For fans of Wham! and pop culture aficionados.
Lewis provides a straightforward, candid, and lively account of his more than 60-year-long musical journey that will appeal to general readers and jazz fans.
Although its length is daunting, this tome is welcome. It’s an interesting foray into Converse’s glimmer of fame and sad subsequent neglect.
There aren’t any shocking revelations about the band or its music, but this book, with its insider’s perspective, takes music fanatics on an enjoyable romp through the grunge heyday.
PREMIUM
Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters
A touching tribute. O’Connor has been the subject of recent and numerous articles, a documentary, and books (including her own), but McCabe’s take is unique in its critical analysis of the media and its attempts to silence and cancel O’Connor.
PREMIUM
Tell Me Everything: A Memoir
Use caution when recommending this particular celebrity memoir. It should come with a trigger warning, considering its cover-to-cover instances of abuse, neglect, drug use, violence, and trauma.
No one experimented more with film than Godard in his day. It’s helpful to have this insightful, if sometimes difficult to follow, account of his oeuvre.
A sweet gem of a tale that will appeal to McCarthy fans and those who appreciate a challenging journey.
Mordden’s book is authoritative proof that the legacy of American theater is eternally indebted to gay culture.
Written for an audience both knowledgeable in cult films and fluent in film theory, this title meets a niche need. Readers seeking to learn a little more about films such as The Bird with the Crystal Plumage or Don’t Torture a Duckling might find themselves overwhelmed.
From A (“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”) to Z (“Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart”), this book will delight lovers of American pop songs. But those who don’t read music will find it hard to follow Suskin’s dissection of melody lines, rhythm accents, and key changes, which makes up half or more of each entry.
This book’s vibrant revelry will likely appeal both to those who own Les Paul guitars and to the fans of the many famous players of the instrument.
A well-written and engaging book on a star everyone should know. Perfect for libraries with classic movie fans and film-history nerds.
While readers studying film will likely devour this book, non-academic readers may find the research portions a bit dry. However, if they push through, they will find its information, and its filmography of every title mentioned throughout the book, worth their effort.
With a wide range of pieces and candid photographs throughout, this work will likely appeal to music fans and readers interested in independent music studios and music history.
A smooth and energetic read about the making of one of Aotearoa’s most prominent drag queens. Recommended for readers who enjoy getting a peek behind-the-scenes of reality television and entertainment culture.
Anachronistic tales throughout and Bellamy’s sometimes overly simplistic lessons and advice take away from the book’s allure. This title is best to give to his fans, especially those who grew up watching him.
Honest and raw, this book serves a slice of an inspiring life that reminds readers to keep trying. Williams’s story will likely appeal to readers interested in music, poetry, literature, or mental health.
PREMIUM
Third Girl from the Left
A deeply personal, emotionally wrenching memoir and eyewitness account of the AIDS pandemic.
This is an eye-opening exploration and essential reading for readers interested in pop or queer culture.
PREMIUM
Paris: The Memoir
Hilton’s fans and supporters, along with readers interested in pop culture and books by celebrities, might request this one.
The subject matter might appeal only to a limited audience of strict cinephiles, but McEwen’s sentimental devotion is both noteworthy and impressive in this entertaining work.
Some readers will enjoy the author’s free-ranging, exuberant style. For others, there are more traditional treatments of Beethoven in books such as Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford and Beethoven: The Man Revealed by John Suchet.
Barber knew everybody in his milieu, and this book reflects that. Scholars will devour this exceptional study, but any music lover will benefit from reading it.
Spiced with fascinating stories, this book provides a valuable personal insight into the heyday of ’80s electropop that will appeal to general readers.
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