Since the 50th anniversary of hip-hop was widely celebrated a couple of years ago, so many hip-hop retrospectives have aimed at telling the story of the rise of the landmark cultural movement. Grandmaster Flash has successfully shared an even deeper look at the origins of Hip Hop, shining a light on the DJs, the graffiti …
We might as well mention My Effin’ Life, the memoir of Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, aka Geddy Lee, the bass player and vocalist for iconic Canadian prog rock band Rush. My Effin’ Life details Rush’s nearly five-decade-long run, wherein they accumulated more consecutive gold and platinum records than any rock band after those two bands from the UK. Sure, the …
One of my favorite books, fast, feminist, and fun. A 20-year-old female rap artist has her first headlining show with an all-female national tour. Deza makes a lot of mistakes but works hard to make it in the industry. Will the tour go okay? Will Deza fall in love with the replacement DJ? Find out …
A fun, fictional bio of a country superstar, like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, making her last tour due to health issues. A moving portrait of a woman trying to break through a patriarchal industry and the pratfalls she endured. — Gerard Villegas, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, WA In March, novelist Stephanie Clifford came back to …
When I was still small enough to sit on my great grandmother’s lap I wasn’t afraid of anything. I remember trips out to the Olympic Peninsula where my siblings and I slept in tents or beneath the stars. The murmur of adults speaking against the last embers of a fire and the crawl of the …
Memorably set in WWII Ukraine and then Germany, this middle grade novel-in-verse is the story of two sisters who used their talent playing the piano to escape their parents’ fate on the death march to Drobitsky Yar. They hid as students in a prestigious German music school in Berlin through the whole war. One of the …
Katrina is on the run to find a better life when she is discovered by famed violin teacher Shizuka– who happens to be searching for one more soul to finish her deal with Hell. As she trains Katrina, Shizuka also meets Lan, former starship captain turned donut shop owner. I was entranced by this story …
Ellie Jacobs takes a walk near her home in the Exmoor countryside one day. While her husband, Clive, is a domineering lout, Ellie tries to create a peaceful life for herself by writing poetry and walking in the woods. On this day, however, Ellie comes across a barn that has been converted into a harpmaker’s …
