| Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel ByrneWhat it is: celebrated Irish actor Gabriel Byrne's humble and intimate memoir detailing his working-class origins and his 40-year career.
Topics include: Byrne's childhood spent in seminary school, which he left after he was molested by a priest; how alcoholism spurred his complicated relationship with fame.
Book buzz: Byrne's lyrical writing style has earned him comparisons to Irish literary icons James Joyce and Seamus Heaney. |
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Topics include: they will walk you through the process of turning an idea into ear-candy, deciding on an effective name, what type of microphone to use, to making lots and lots of money.
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Featuring: a master class in how TV news is made, putting together a story when sources are explosive, unreliable, and even dangerous and behind the scenes was a war room of clashing producers, anchors, including Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace.
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| Just As I Am by Cicely TysonWhat it is: an engaging memoir by iconic Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson, published just two days before her death in January at age 96.
Topics include: how Tyson broke barriers and combatted stereotypes in the entertainment industry, including being the first Black actress to wear her natural hair on TV and earning an Oscar nomination for 1972's Sounder, her first lead film role; her volatile relationship with Miles Davis, to whom she was married for eight years. |
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| Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas (HPL on order: coming soon!) by Alexi PappasWhat it's about: In the aftermath of her mother's suicide, which happened when she was five, Alexi Pappas sought an adventurous life, becoming a filmmaker and record-setting Olympic runner.
Why you might like it: Pappas' candid debut offers an inspiring roadmap to overcoming hardships and following your dreams.
Want a taste? "This book is about making a life, not just living a life. We will grow up together here." |
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What it is: a juicy, intimate biography of one of the greatest comedians ever -- a performer whose sixty year career was borne, simply, out of a desire to make people laugh so she could feel loved. Features: exploring her enduring cultural legacy, discussing subjects ranging from her husband's suicide and her feud with Johnny Carson to her numerous cosmetic surgeries and her controversial death in 2014.
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| The Princess Diarist by Carrie FisherWhat it is: actress Carrie Fisher's self-deprecating behind-the-scenes account of making the first Star Wars movie at age 19.
Featuring: Fisher's earnest diary entries and poems written during the film's production, which reveal her crush on (and eventual affair with) co-star Harrison Ford; her present-day recollections on the relationship.
Want a taste? “If Harrison was unable to see that I had feelings for him (at least five, but sometimes as many as seven) then he wasn't as smart as I thought he was -- as I knew he was." |
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My squirrel days by Ellie KemperWhat it is: Ellie delivers a hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman’s journey from Midwestern naïf to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker. Read it for: learn how she found her comedic calling in the world of improv, became a wife, mother and New Yorker. It's also a laugh-out-loud primer on how to keep a positive outlook in a world gone mad and how not to give up on your dreams.
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Life will be the death of me : ...and you, too! by Chelsea HandlerWhat it is: the comedian shares her year-long journey to escape her privilege bubble, a time of change that included therapy, self-reflection, and finding her voice as an advocate for change. Why you'll like it: the funny, sad, super-honest, all-true story of Chelsea Handler's year of self-discovery; featuring a nerdily brilliant psychiatrist, a shaman, four Chow Chows, some well-placed security cameras, family members, friends, assistants, and a lot of edibles.
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| Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali WongWhat is: an upbeat and unfiltered collection of letters addressed to comedian Ali Wong's toddler-age daughters, offering hard-won advice from her life on and off the stage.
Topics include: Wong's Vietnamese Chinese upbringing; early career failings; marriage and motherhood; hobnobbing with celebrities.
Reviewers say: "A down-to-earth collection that is raw but not irreverent" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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