Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/20/2012
ISBN-13: 9780062207067
ISBN-10: 0062207067

In this amiable, conversational memoir by legendary crooner Tony Bennett, names like Lady Gaga appear alongside Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin. Bennett's vast array of celebrity-studded stories capture hilarious, heartwarming, and inspirational moments from his extraordinary 60-year career, but he also shares the wisdom he has gained from his own experiences and from the people he met along the way. If Tony Bennett's not your style, it appears to be the season for inspirational, advisory, and entertaining memoirs -- try Dolly Parton's Dream More, or learn from George Bailey in Bob Welch's 52 Life Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life.

Publisher: Touchstone
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/30/2012
ISBN-13: 9781439191828
ISBN-10: 1439191824

This authorized biography of Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen features in-depth interviews with family, friends, and close associates and even offers a poignant retrospective from the Boss himself. Thanks to these interviewees -- high-school classmates, Springsteen's mother, and his sisters among them -- readers will get an up-close-and-personal perspective on the 20-time Grammy Award-winning musician and songwriter. By encompassing Springsteen's entire career, Bruce provides both depth and breadth and offers insight into his "consummate musicianship and his deep passion" (Publishers Weekly).

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Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250027627
ISBN-10: 1250027624

Combining history, character studies, and behind-the-scenes drama, this official reference guide for the six-time Emmy Award-winning PBS series' third season explains the inspirations behind Downton Abbey's characters while placing key plotlines in their historical context. Since it offers a sneak peek at season three, it's best that you have an understanding of what's happened thus far, but fans will love its stunning photography and the way it rounds out their favorite characters and provides historical details. Those looking for narrative nonfiction related to the era will want to try Fiona Carnarvon's Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/20/2012
ISBN-13: 9780385535632
ISBN-10: 0385535635

In this irreverent, humorous, and informative memoir, a veteran of the hospitality business describes working in the hotel industry -- and comes clean (pun intended?) on the housekeeping department, the unwritten code of bellhops, and what really goes on in a valet parking garage. But while he offers tips for guests and shares stories of crazy coworkers and guests, he also humanizes those who provide hospitality services. For more service-industry tell-alls, try Steve Dublanica's Waiter Rant, Phoebe Damrosch's Service Included, or Melissa Plaut's Hack.

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Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780061252280
ISBN-10: 006125228X

Born in 1882 to an African-American sharecropper family, Jimmy Winkfield's prospects were dire, but he managed to find success as a jockey, winning the Kentucky Derby twice. Married three times and the father of five children, Winkfield made and lost fortunes, fled American racism for Russia and found success there, too -- as well as in Austria, Poland, and France, where he was eventually forced by Nazis to return to the U.S., where he worked as a stable boy. Readers who enjoyed reading about Winkfield's fascinating successes in spite of pervasive racism may also enjoy reading Jeremy Schaap's biography of track and field athlete Jesse Owens, who faced similar challenges. It's called Triumph.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2001
ISBN-13: 9780375502910
ISBN-10: 0375502912

To look at Seabiscuit -- or his first 50 races -- one would never know that he had the potential to become the most popular racehorse of the 20th century. But, thanks to the efforts of his owner, his dedicated trainer, and his jockeys, Seabiscuit made racing history despite his stunted legs and knobby knees. Their road to unimaginable fame and success (even President Roosevelt halted work to listen to the race between Seabiscuit and his foe, War Admiral) is the subject of this wildly popular and hugely compelling bestseller (originally published in 2002) and the 2003 movie based on it.

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Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/30/2005
ISBN-13: 9780425200308
ISBN-10: 0425200302

Funny Cide was always a longshot -- owned not by an experienced horseman but by a group of friends, trained by a talented but not particularly sought-after trainer, and ridden by a jockey who'd experienced his fair share of ups and downs -- but this three-year-old Thoroughbred nevertheless captured the hearts of fans after coming out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2002. Full of compelling details about the unlikely heroes involved (man and beast alike), this charming book will hit the spot if you're looking for an "irresistible" (Booklist) story of winning against the odds.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780312341008
ISBN-10: 0312341008

Legendary racehorse Man o' War competed in 21 races in 1919 and 1920 and won an astounding 20 of them, frequently breaking speed records. He's generally considered to be the best racehorse to ever compete in the U.S., and his story -- while not as dramatic as Seabiscuit's -- offers insight into the sport. His last race was against another crowd favorite, Sir Barton, and the careers of both horses are examined in great detail, as are the rumors surrounding Man o' War's sole defeat and the lives of his jockeys and trainers. Serious racing fans won't want to miss this piece of Thoroughbred history.

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Publisher: Anchor Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/19/2005
ISBN-13: 9781400033171
ISBN-10: 1400033179

Jane Smiley's best known for her novels, but the Pulitzer Prize-winning author is also a horse lover and a racehorse owner. Here, she shares her adventures as an owner, including tidbits about her horses' varied personalities and what she learned about her horses from veterinarians, trainers, and an animal communicator (who told her that one horse, Hornblower, would rather be referred to by his nickname, "Wowie"). Enthusiastically told, this memoir is sure to appeal to anyone who's ever wanted to own a horse, or who is lucky enough to have one.

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