Nica’s Dream by David Kastin
Nica’s Dream: The Life and Legend of the Jazz Baroness is one of those books that you wouldn’t find credible if it were fiction.
Joe Simon: My Life in Comics by Joe Simon
While biographies of the real superheroes in the world of comics are, sadly, few and far between, it’s difficult to imagine one much better than Joe Simon: My Life in Comics.
The Real Girl Next Door by Denise Richards
The big news isn’t that reality star and one-time vampish ingenue Denise Richards has written a book. It’s that her ex-husband, former Two and a Half Men star apparently gone mad, Charlie Sheen, likes The Real Girl Next Door when we’d expected… well… more madness.
The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet
Half a century after the debut publication of The Curve of Time, the first person account of a young widow’s travels with her five children on a 25-foot coastal cruiser of the shores of British Columbia still captivates.
The Natural Laws of Good Luck by Ellen Graf
Ellen Graf’s The Natural Laws of Good Luck is one of those memoirs that, if it were presented to you as fiction, you’d scoff and send it back. Incredible but true, then, that this is the story of the author’s own marriage.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford almost reads like a novel with a heavy focus on one character: a very handsome guy from L.A. who parlayed an eventful childhood surrounded by family and friends and Hollywood star drive-bys into one of the most successful careers in Hollywood itself.
An Improvised Life by Allan Arkin
While Alan Arkin’s An Improvised Life is disguised as a memoir, it’s really something more than that; though some would say less.
Ugly Beauty: Helena Rubinstein, L’Oréal and the Blemished History of Looking Good by Ruth Brandon
British historian, biographer and novelist, Ruth Brandon, has been making a habit of writing very good books on art and culture-related topics.
Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall by Frank Brady
Though he was once considered to be the Mozart of the chess board, by the time he died at the age of 64 in 2008, chess champion Bobby Fischer was widely considered to be a kook who died notorious and maybe crazy in Iceland.
Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
More than anything, Radio Shangri-La is about transformation. The awakening of a sleepy kingdom to the inevitably cold dreams of the modern world and, of course, Napoli’s personal transformation as she trades her self-dubbed midlife crisis for peace -- an even joy -- in the magical kingdom.
Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes
You only have to look at Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney to know that it is going to at least try to be exhaustive: it’s a very thick book.
|
|
Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation by Harlow Giles Unger
The book that will change your mind, change your view and introduce you to a whole gang of players you’ve never considered before.
The Hilliker Curse by James Ellroy
The Demon Dog is alive and well and perhaps even feeling somewhat hopeful. And a whack-load of reviewers might feel compelled to pooh-pooh this one, but Ellroy fans will eat it up.
Storyteller by Donald Sturrock
Roald Dahl, author of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG and many others, died on November 23, 1990. Storyteller remarks that anniversary.
The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock
If you were to dream up the perfect gift for the hardcore book lover, it would look a lot like The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock.
Adventures in Solitude by Grant Lawrence
There’s something bittersweet and surprising about Adventures in Solitude, Grant Lawrence’s look back at his “Beachcombers-meets-The Shining” childhood and coming of age in Desolation Sound, a remote part of coastal British Columbia.
Becoming Jimi Hendrix by Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber
Before you even pick the book up, you know that the story of legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix is flawed; sure to disappoint. The star of the story dies in the end. Astonishingly, September 18 is the 40th anniversary of Hendrix death.
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen by Anna Whitelock
Just when you thought the world couldn’t possibly need yet another biography of “Bloody Mary Tudor,” (1516-1558), along comes a young, hotshot British historian who not only discovers aspects others before her have missed, she shares her new tidbits in a compelling and lucid manner in her debut work.
7 Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin by James Sullivan
It's difficult to imagine a time when George Carlin (1937-2008) won’t be missed. He was more than a comedian. He commented on our life and times with a brutal honesty and an insight that cut through the sheep-like suits we humans can often don’t.
Cooking Dirty by Jason Sheehan
In Cooking Dirty author Jason Sheehan has a kick-ass way of expressing himself and explains the why of a cook’s love of food, expresses passion and tells the reader why anyone would do what he did for years; work in exhausting, overheated, nasty kitchens full of egos, burns and yelling and make meals for people. And you get it.
Angel of Death Row by Andrea D. Lyon
No matter what your personal thoughts on the death penalty, Angel of Death Row will give you something to think about. The book is not, after all, about the moral questions in play here. At least, not on the surface of things. It is the story of defense lawyer Andrea D. Lyon, who has successfully defended the lives of 19 inmates sentenced to death.
See previous biography reviews -->
|
