Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/07/2013
ISBN-13: 9781451659207
ISBN-10: 1451659202

Fans of actress Mary Tyler Moore have no doubt already devoured her two memoirs; fans of the show that bears her name will be delighted to pick up this behind-the-scenes story of the making of the classic television series. Offering insight into how the influential show reflected changing American perspectives (it was the first sitcom to employ numerous women as writers and producers) and the legacy it left, this "fast-paced and charming" (Publishers Weekly) chronicle provides plenty of detail on the show, its writers, and the actors that a receptive audience came to love.

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Publisher: Crown Archetype
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/14/2013
ISBN-13: 9780307716484
ISBN-10: 0307716481

For a time, veteran sports biographer Allen Barra saw legendary baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays as something more than mere men, thanks to their on-field achievements. But as he grew older he saw their failings, too, and came to the conclusion that athletic prowess doesn't necessarily carry over into personal perfection. Nevertheless, in this insightful history, he examines what made these two the best players in the 1950s -- and, perhaps more importantly, what parallels he saw between their lives both on and off the field. "Compelling and deeply affecting," says Kirkus Reviews.

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Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/07/2013
ISBN-13: 9781451678123
ISBN-10: 1451678126

When MTV debuted in 1981, the explosion of music videos ignited not only the careers of various bands and musicians but also the careers of the brand-new VJs who were introducing the videos and interviewing the stars -- and, in the course of all that, getting to know such artists as Cyndi Lauper, David Lee Roth, and Aretha Franklin. In this behind-the-scenes oral history of MTV's early years, there's plenty of gossip, but also an exploration of the channel's influence on popular culture. For more on life as an MTV VJ, try Kennedy's upcoming The Kennedy Chronicles. For more on MTV in the 1980s, try I Want My MTV by music journalists Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum.

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Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/04/2013
ISBN-13: 9780670025817
ISBN-10: 067002581X

Fans of David Halberstam's The Amateurs will appreciate this sporting account, which likewise follows a handful of young men in their quest for Olympic gold. In this case, each member of the eight-man rowing team from the University of Washington is fully profiled, along with their coaches, Tom Bolles and Al Ulbrickson, and a British boatmaker by the name of George Pocock. Their games were the 1936 Berlin Olympics, hosted by Adolf Hitler, and their story is all the more admirable because these rowers were working class in a country still gripped by the Depression -- and most of their rivals were decidedly better off.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/04/2013
ISBN-13: 9780312643805
ISBN-10: 0312643802

This comprehensive biography of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman's creators, draws on a decade of research and new discoveries to provide the complete story behind his creation. It details a friendship that evolved into a working partnership, the inspiration for the Man of Steel, and the pair's premature sale of the character to Action Comics. Check it out if you've an interest in the comic book industry or in Superman himself; the collaboration between Siegel and Shuster also inspired Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

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Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/29/2009
ISBN-13: 9780374532048
ISBN-10: 0374532044

Though very instructive when it comes to linguistics, this entertaining book combines education and anecdote with aplomb; for example, in the section on the letter a, you'll soon be reading about the time the author, Roy Blount, Jr., wrote a story with ("so to speak") basketball player Wilt Chamberlain. In all a celebration of letters and their combinations, it's laid out much like a dictionary, and there are constant references to other entries (and to the things each word calls to Blount's mind). If words and their histories bring you pleasure, you'll want to give this wise and witty book a try, along with Blount's follow-up, Alphabetter Juice.

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Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/01/2005
ISBN-13: 9780743250627
ISBN-10: 0743250621

One day, Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs decided to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopædia Britannica (2002 edition). Then he decided to write about it, so that others could learn of the humorous and unexpected mishaps that occurred as a result -- for one thing, he got shunned at cocktail parties after one too many attempts to share what he'd learned (his coworkers nicknamed him the Great Conversation Stopper). Ultimately, The Know-It-All is part memoir, part trivia compendium, and wholly enjoyable. If you like Jacobs' style, you can read about the year he spent following all the rules of the Bible (The Year of Living Biblically), or try Ammon Shea's similar experiment in reading a reference work (Reading the OED).

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Publisher: Villard
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/30/2007
ISBN-13: 9780812974997
ISBN-10: 0812974999

Back in 2004, Ken Jennings won an astounding 74 straight competitions on television's best-known trivia show, Jeopardy!; viewers' fascination with his success prompted this entertaining look at the appeal of trivia of all kinds, from the pop culture of the past to such modern-day phenomena as Trivial Pursuit -- and Jeopardy! itself. Celebrating "useless" facts and recounting Jennings' own success, Brainiac is more than a memoir -- it's a look at the culture of trivia and all the many competitions that support it, from college bowls to television shows, and is sprinkled with trivia questions (and answers) to boot!

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Publisher: Harmony Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/02/2008
ISBN-13: 9780307394934
ISBN-10: 030739493X

Belying its small size, this whimsical compendium offers a fascinating look at 100 or so members of the animal kingdom. From aardvarks to worms, the information contained within is laid out across two pages for each animal, complete with drawings and sidebars. Did you know that of the 20 species of armadillo, only one can roll itself into a ball? Or that they range in size from "no longer than a sausage" to "heavier than most Texan cheerleaders"? Or that nine-banded armadillos can suffer from leprosy? All this, and so much more, can be found with the pages of The Book of Animal Ignorance.

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Publisher: Quirk Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/03/2010
ISBN-13: 9781594744105
ISBN-10: 1594744106

Laid out to encourage dipping into, rather than a straight-through read, this history of lost states encompasses proposed states that were never granted statehood and lost colonies that did actually once exist. Plenty of obscure detail will keep trivia nuts busy while illustrations help pin the geographic area down. You may not be able to visit Adelsverein or McDonald in person, but at least you'll know something about them.

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