We can thank a dinner party conversation about television's potential to educate children for the longest-running children's show on TV, Sesame Street. Well, that and the inspiration and hard work of its founders and puppeteers, especially Jim Henson and Frank Oz. This thorough, lengthy book delves deeply into the origin and early days of the show (including the huge amounts of research that went into each episode), but spends rather less time on the Sesame Street of today. Fans will enjoy the detail, but those looking for something a little more sentimental will want to try David Borgenicht's Sesame Street Unpaved.

In this "really, really detailed personals ad" (the author's own description of her first memoir), actress and novelist Carrie Fisher describes the ups and downs of her eventful life--growing up with celebrity parents (actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher), her early success in the hugely popular Star Wars movies, her battle with addiction and mental illness, her turbulent romances, and her role as a single mother. And as one might expect from a woman who has also delivered a one-woman comedy show about her own life, she does so with great--and often acerbic--wit. Keep an eye out for her family tree to see who's related "by scandal" rather than by blood--you never know what you might learn.

Vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, and now MP3s and digital downloads. In the last three decades the music industry has undergone countless changes in both technology and the way its customers approach their purchases, and for the most part, it's been a struggle. Rolling Stone contributor Steve Knopper examines the industry's difficulty adjusting to the digital age, noting that infighting isn't helping a profit structure beset by iTunes, Napster, and Rhapsody on one side and musicians with access to sophisticated recording programs on the other. "The music industry is toast," says The Village Voice. Let Knopper show you why--and how it could have been avoided.

Last season's Super Bowl is long gone by now, but if you're still reveling in your team's win, bummed out by your team's loss, or already looking forward to next year (when your team has a new chance to make it), you might be interested in learning what it takes to bring the Super Bowl to life. We're not talking team records here--we're talking about the people that film and broadcast the game, set up equipment for half-time, and provide the beer. It takes a lot of preparation and planning--and money (it's estimated that each Super Bowl has a $400 million impact on the local economy). "Illuminating," says Sports Illustrated.

We can't all be 20-something single women living large in Manhattan, but thanks to publicist Sloane Crosley's debut collection of essays, we can read about the vagaries of modern urban life. Offbeat and humorous, Crosley writes about her obsession with plastic ponies, the time she baked a cookie in her boss' likeness (it was not received well), what it's like to be a maid-of-honor for a long-forgotten classmate, and the accidental despoiling of an exhibit at the Natural History Museum. If you are a fan of sardonic scribes like David Sedaris, David Rakoff, or Sarah Vowell, you'll appreciate this appealing slice-of-life collection.

As one might expect when it comes to Eminem, this self-portrait by the controversial music artist is upfront and personal; he hides nothing as he shares his private thoughts on everything from his inner struggles to his relationship with his daughter. Complemented by drawings, hand-written lyrics, and previously unseen photographs, The Way I Am is an illuminating look into his wildly creative writing process. If you're a fan, you won't want to miss this book or the accompanying DVD, which is narrated by Eminem himself.

Film and television actor George Hamilton starts this dishy memoir with a telling behind-the-scenes look at his time on Dancing with the Stars, sprinkled liberally with anecdotes from earlier in his life, when he was either a schoolboy learning how to dance or a (not very talented) instructor of wealthy widows. He's led a storied life so far, and he's more than willing to share his thoughts on Hollywood and on his unusual upbringing, which involved a lot of cross-country trekking in search of a wealthy man to marry his mother. A "witty raconteur" (Publishers Weekly), the ultra-charming Hamilton delivers the goods.