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I can't make this up : life lessons
by Kevin Hart
The award-winning actor and comedian presents an inspirational memoir on the importance of believing in oneself, sharing stories about the addiction and abuse that marked his childhood and how his unique way of looking at the world enabled his survival and successful career.
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| Smart Baseball: The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones... by Keith LawIn Smart Baseball, ESPN senior baseball writer and statistical analyst Keith Law takes on traditional baseball stats and explains why new ways of analyzing baseball are better than the old, inefficient ways many fans are familiar with. From weighted stats to who should or shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame, Law makes compelling (and often entertaining) arguments that are sure to prompt plenty of inter-inning discussions among fans. |
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| Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World by Rob SheffieldThere are plenty of biographies and histories of the Beatles as a group and as individuals; this is something different. Rob Sheffield, author of Love is a Mix Tape (and creator of many actual mix tapes) instead offers an homage in many acts. In essays that reflect on why the Beatles became so popular (and why they still resonate today), Sheffield focuses on the emotional connections we make to music. If you grew up with the Beatles or your parents passed on their love to you, Dreaming the Beatles will be a treat. |
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| This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey SidibeOscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe starred in Precious and now has a role in the popular television show Empire, but this book is really about Sidibe herself rather than her accomplishments on screen. Raised by a subway singer and a polygamous father, she is open about her sometimes strained relationships with her parents, the expectations her family had of her when she met with some success, and even her embarrassing fanfiction writing. Read it for a well-written biography of a confident, insightful young woman -- who just happens to be a star. |
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| The Cake and the Rain by Jimmy WebbA superstar songwriter in the 1960s and 1970s, Jimmy Webb shares his path to the high life. The son of an Oklahoma preacher, Webb arrived in L.A. a teetotaler (which didn't last long), and ended up being the youngest inductee into the National Songwriters' Hall of Fame. Frank and sometimes gossipy, this memoir drops names left and right, making it an excellent choice not only for Webb's many fans but for those interested in the machinery of music-making in the '60s. |
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You Don't Look Your Age : And Other Fairy Tales
by Sheila Nevins
A famed television producer and president of HBO Documentary Films shares frank but lighthearted advice for today's women on how to navigate the challenges of pursuing a career in a man's world, balancing the responsibilities of a working parent, aging in a youth-obsessed culture and thriving as a feminist in a dynamic marriage.
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Great Books You Might Have Missed |
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Poking a dead frog : conversations with today's top comedy writers
by Mike Sacks
Gives behind-the-scenes stories of the comedy-writing world, including what goes on at The Onion and Saturday Night Live, in a book that includes contributions from such luminaries as Adam McKay, Michael Schur, Glen Charles, Marc Maron, Mel Brooks, Amy Poehler, Terry Jones, Paul F. Tompkins and more!
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| Moscow Nights: The Van Cliburn Story by Nigel CliffAt the height of the Cold War, a young pianist from Texas wowed a Moscow audience and won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition -- though Russian officials were reluctant to give the prize to an American. His win, at a tense time in the two countries' histories, is the center of this book, which details both Van Cliburn's passionately musical life and the drama of the Cold War. Cold War buffs and music history aficionados alike won't want to miss this "rousing" (Kirkus Reviews) life story. |
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| The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman is already a bestselling author; can you imagine what will happen now that his epic novel American Gods is airing on TV? This, however, is his nonfiction, a collection that mixes cultural and literary criticism with thoughts on art, music, and the origins of science fiction and fantasy. (He also staunchly defends reading, libraries, and librarians.) Erudite and witty, reading Gaiman's essays is almost like having a dinnertime chat (we wouldn't really know, but we imagine he'd be a great tablemate. We might be biased.). |
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The Last Sultan : The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun by Robert GreenfieldA portrait of the founder of Atlantic Records offers insight into the complexities of his life, covering his privileged upbringing in Turkey and his role in the careers of such performers as Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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