Description: Sinatra. Streisand. Dylan. Pavarotti. McCartney. Sting. Madonna. What do these musicians have in common besides their super-stardom? They have all worked with legendary music producer Phil Ramone.For almost five decades, Phil Ramone has been a force in the music industry. He has produced records and collaborated with almost every major talent in the business. There is a craft to making records, and Phil has spent his life mastering it. For the first time ever, he shares the secrets of his trade.

Verdict: 'Making Records' is a peek into the career of legendary music producer Phil Ramone. Mr. Ramone has been either a recording engineer or producer since the late 1950's and has probably done more to help create and shape the music of the 20th century than anybody. He has 14 grammy awards to his credit and is one of the most respected producers in the industry.

The book begins with Phil's early years recording jazz and commercial jingles to getting his own studio and eventually becoming one of the most recognized music producers today. Phil has collaborated with some of the most prominent well known musicians ever and has also helped other musicians beginning their career become prominent and well known. The record producer's primary goals are to create a stimulating environment, develop the ideas of the musicians and make sure the performance is recorded and mixed properly.

The book doesn't really go into the minuet technical details into making records. It tells more of the personal or human aspect which Phil shows is just as important as any technical facet. Think about suggesting to someone like Frank Sinatra or Barbra Streisand that the music doesn't sound right or let's try something different. He explains that it has a lot to do with the human relation as there are some pretty big ego's out there and as soon as you offend one of them or let them become uncomfortable everything may be lost.

The book skirts through the three basic steps in making a successful record which the producer is directly involved in each. Recording, mixing and mastering. Another thing that Phil stresses in the book is when recording a session start recording before the very first note and don't stop until the session is completely over because you never know when that magic moment or elusive sound your looking for will come around and you don't want to miss it as you may never be able to duplicate it again.

The parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were the times Phil kind of reminisces on some of the more famous sessions he has done with people like Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Bob Dillon or Ray Charles and how he was always trying to encourage the musician's creativity while also keeping them going in the direction that they both agreed they were attempting go. It's very interesting to be familiar with a certain music like Billy Joel's Glass Houses and to read about how some of the songs took shape and became hits that won grammys. It's like learning something you didn't know about the music you do know.

After reading the book I find myself in awe of the catalog of musicians Phil has worked with. From Harry Belafonte to Elton John. Tony Bennett to Luciano Pavarotti. Rod Stewart to (kinda hate to say it) Clay Aiken and so many others it's mind boggling. Obviously, Phil has polished his craft and has to be the considered the Godfather of music producers and after all these years he's still producing today. His book is definitely worth reading for anybody who has any interest in music or it's production.

Reviewed by Jonas Simpson

Description: Lord Geoffroy Loveall arrives home one fateful morning with a most unusual package - he’s found an abandoned baby, whom he adopts and names Rose in honor of his long-dead sister. Rose’s childhood inside the sprawling maze of towers, lawns, and halls that make up Love Hall is an endless round of privilege and delight. There is only one problem: Rose’s father wanted a daughter, but he brought home a son. When Rose reaches adolescence, Lord Loveall’s delusion becomes apparent to all, and her parents can no longer disguise the secret around which they’ve created Rose’s entire world: this delicate flower is, in fact, a boy.

Verdict: Wow, was this a most intriguing book. From start to finish, 'Misfortune' is just simply one of those books that is hard to put down. You promise yourself that you will at the end of each chapter, but then you carry on for a few paragraphs more ... ! Artistically weaving several different points of view in the first person narrative, Stace demonstrates a masterfully creative writing style. You can tell from his writing that he is also a lyricist. Full of fascinating characters, wonderful word games, and a twisted plot, this epic tale is sure to be enjoyed by many for generations to come. I truly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading his next book; as I know you too will.
Reviewed by Maggie Steinberg

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Description: When Arlene Fleet headed off to college in Chicago, she made three promises to God: She would never again lie, never fornicate outside of marriage, and never, ever go back to her tiny hometown of Possett, Alabama (the "fourth rack of Hell"). All God had to do in exchange was to make sure the body of high school quarterback Jim Beverly was never found. Ten years later, Arlene has kept her promises, but an old schoolmate has recently turned up asking questions.

Verdict: While not a fan of Southern literature, I was pleasantly suprised when I read Jackson's debut novel, and found it intriguing, touching, and startlingly funny. Imbued with self conscious self-deprecating humour and a carefully paced, well-constructed storyline, 'Gods In Alabama' manages to cross genre boundaries as a contemporary Southern novel for the generation trying so desperately to escape their familys' influences. Arlene Fleet, a native of Possett, Alabama, has fled her hometown for Chicago, where she finds a fresh start and a new home. But when her past, in the form of an ex-classmate searching for a long-lost high school football hero, Arlene must return to the place she loathes to confront the past she thought she'd left behind. 'Gods In Alabama' is full of unexpected twists, quirky humour, and touchingly real characters. Trust me, it takes ahold and doesn't let go.
Reviewed by Laurel James

Description: Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a sick sense of humor? What is John Updike's deal anyway? And who won the Adult Video News' Female Performer of the Year Award the same year Gwyneth Paltrow won her Oscar? David Foster Wallace answers these questions and more in his new book of hilarious nonfiction.

Verdict: Not going into this book with too much fore-knowledge or information - the exact same way I like to see my movies - I more or less fell in love with Foster Wallace's writing accidentally! But, my oh my, I am totally pleased with this collection of essays. Foster Wallce seems to have found his working wonderment, as he writes so masterfully, and with such a compassionate flavor to his prose. I was finishing the article on Authority and American Usage this afternoon and I realized for a second as I caught my breath in between his platinum clauses, how thoroughly engaging his writing style is. But its the compassion that's most noticable for me. In 'Lobster' he comes off both smart and sensitive and while naturally digressive, the footnotes are almost 90% of the time entertaining ... and I laughed me ass off quite a bit!! This book, 'Consider The Lobster' is HIGHLY recommended.
Reviewed by Jade Brown

Description: Beginning in the mid-1960s, a string of successful rock bands emerged out of Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood of Los Angeles tucked away in the hills north of Sunset Boulevard. From the success of bands like the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas, and singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Webb, Walker proposes Laurel Canyon as rock's answer to Jazz Age Paris.

Verdict: 'Laurel Canyon' captures all the magic and lyricism of an almost mythological geographical spot in the history of pop music. The book lovingly relates the story of a more melodious time in rock and roll where the great talents of the 60s and 70s cloistered together in a sort of enchanted valley populated by an all-star cast of characters, including Joni Mitchell, Jim Morrison, Mama Cass and Brian Wilson. Sure he pads aplenty about tangential issues hardly unique to Laurel Canyon, such as, besides cocaine, those somewhat forgotten but then integral figures on the pop music scene, groupies. Nevertheless, he is pretty comprehensive about a pivotal place and time in American rock. If not quite essential to the rock shelves, the book valuably accounts for how, with the rise of the Eagles and their bland, strictly commercial ilk, the term mellow lost its luster as a pop-music -descriptor. Michael Walker has written extensively about popular culture for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and other publications. He currently lives in Laurel Canyon.
Reviewed by Mike Stevens

www.holtzbrinckpublishers.com

'Laurel Canyon' Audio Page

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Description: From novelist Mathias B. Freese comes 'The i Tetralogy' - a gripping epic that explores the nature of the Holocaust during and after the war, through an incisive observation of three pivotal characters. The varying dimensions of their moral nature inextricably link each of them - victim, perpetrator, and murderer's son. Brilliantly weaving interior monologue and external event, the quartet assays the monumental impact of the Holocaust upon i, a death camp prisoner; his Nazi taskmaster Gunther; Gunther's escape to America at war's end; and consequences upon Conrad, Gunther's eldest son. The reader ponders the risk of forgetting, of sanitizing, of "sweetening" the Holocaust.

Description: The legacy of Jim Morrison continues to live on. The poet lived fast and died young but his legend has grown larger than his life ever did. Now there is a book dedicated to Morrison’s lyrics. Album by album and song by song the reader can delve into the mind that was half genius and half madman.

Verdict: OK, let's get this straight (and out) from the very beginning ... Danny Sugerman is someone in the Doors "family" that a lot of people don't think very highly of! The Doors manager has made a pretty good living out of Jim Morrison's death and continues to this day to fuel the many myths he helped create with his contribution to "No One Here Gets Out Alive". But if it weren't for Danny The Doors would not be selling so many records or books ... or basically anything on Morrison, one feels. Danny has helped keep "The Myth" alive. This is why The Doors are so popular today. Having said that, no single person worked harder to keep the Doors name alive in the 80's than he did ... so, I guess somewhere deep inside me I also have a fair amount of respect for Danny.

His latest book, 'The Doors: The Complete Illustrated Lyrics' is one of the best photographic, visual book records of the band to date - and to my mind, of course! It is a fascinating, visually rich and enjoyable display of a band that changed rock music and the amount of praise (and criticsm) they inspired. The pictures are great, they are clear, close and informative and clearly show how Jim Morrison created the theatrical aspects we so see so often in today's rock music. Jim used rock music to share his art but in the end he became a rock star and his poetry took a backseat. This was not what he wanted but he rode it out till the end. In death, Morrison has found what he so desired in life. Now we celebrate the words of Morrison as much as the antics or the songs. This book is a must for any Doors fanatic and anyone who has ever been touched by the music and words of the late, great Jim Morrison.
Reviewed by JoJo Zeeb

Description: PI Frank Johnson, who moved to rural West Virginia in search of peace and quiet, stumbles on his noisiest case yet when a Stinger missile explodes in the air over his property. He thinks it ought to be a simple matter to find out why the missile was in the skies over West Virginia, but when he is beaten up, and then his best friend's wife is murdered, Frank quickly realizes he has caught the tail of a monster.

Verdict: Ed Lynsky's novel, 'The Blue Cheer' is a hard-edged, dark, well-written detective story of the highest calibre. It tells the tale of Frank Johnson (in his second mystery), a private investigator (PI) who is running from his past. Now located in a small West Virginia town (Scarab), all is well until a mid-air explosion occurs literally above his head one night. Johnson quickly discovers that the cause of the fireworks is a Stinger missile, but his self-congratulations are short-lived due to being knocked out soon thereafter.

And when the wife of an old friend ("Old Man" Maddox), confined to a wheelchair, is brutally tortured and murdered, Johnson - along with Maddox and Robert Gaitlin (a friendly defense attorney) - set about delving head first into their investigations. But there is a racist organization named the Blue Cheer that has taken root in the West Virginia hills and appears to have connections even in the most unexpected places. Of course, Johnson’s investigations seem to point to the Blue Cheer as the source of the Stinger launch that exploded over his yard, but he quickly comes to realize that the group has far more in mind than some innocent target practice.

As brutalities, murders and peculiar events further occur - and local police display an interest only in nailing Johnson himself - his conviction grows that he must bring this whole mess to a conclusive head sooner rather than later ... and stay alive in the process!

'The Blue Cheer' is a vivid, fast, dark, well-written detective novel; one that brings home the more traditional urban noir crime fiction for sure, but still manages to add a certain something to it at the same time. I suggest you go back and read the first book in the series - perhaps buy them both and read it before this one! - as catching up with the adventures of Frank Johnson is not time spent wasted by any stretch of Lynsky's vivid imagination.
Reviewed by Jennifer Brunswick