Books Reviews - Page 6

The 2009 World Almanac and Book of Facts
Softcover, 1,008 pages (retail $12.99)

A universe of facts at your fingertips, this hefty oversized paperback—the latest edition of the ultimate reference book—has been updated with comprehensive sections on the 2008 presidential elections (with stats for every county in the United States), baseball’s World Series, Summer Olympic Games coverage and more. The perfect gift for someone who thinks he knows everything—and for everyone else who knows they don’t!
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Country Music: The Masters
By Marty Stuart
Hardcover, 374 pages (retail $49.99)

Stuart, a lifelong country music performer and shutterbug, creates a one-of-a-kind multi-media experience with this coffee-table collection of original photos (of titans like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Dolly Parton) and a CD of his own stories and songs about the music and stars he so clearly idolizes. It’s a unique walk down a honky-tonk hallway filled with memories and magical moments spanning 40 years of country music’s colorful past.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

The Seven Personalities of Golf
By Darrin Gee
Hardcover, 128 pages (retail $17.95)

Anyone who loves hitting the links will enjoy this little guidebook by an authority on the mental aspects of golf. Are you more Intimidator (Tiger Woods), Swashbuckler (Arnold Palmer) or Gamesman (Lee Trevino)? Find out, along with a wealth of other insights about how knowing your “inner golfer” will help you improve your game and stay out of the rough.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Presidents Fandex
Game (retail $10.95)

A perfect stocking stuffer for trivia buffs, history lovers and political junkies of every persuasion, this newly updated edition of the popular Fandex Field Guides puts a world of presidential info at your fingertips—literally! Fan ’em out, from George Washington to the newly elected Barack Obama, for a quick, fun and fact-filled run through the long halls of Oval Office history and the 44 men who’ve held the lofty title of America’s chief executive.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

The Encyclopedia of Reality Television
Softcover, 843 pages (retail $17.95)

All the TV “reality” shows you’ve ever watched—and many, many more that you probably haven’t—are given the A-Z rundown in this comprehensive guide covering more than two decades. Having trouble remembering who won the third season of Survivor? Can’t recall the name of the snot-blowing bike messenger who grossed out his roommates The Real World? Forgotten how long Joe Millionaire ran before the money ran out? Then, my docudrama-loving friends, this book is for you!
—Neil Pond, American Profile

The Band Name Book
By Noel Hudson
Softcover, 336 pages (retail $29.95)

What do The Beatles, Steppenwolf, Blue Oyster Cult and KISS have in common with Girl Scout Hand Grenade, Banana Boy and Tigers Can Bite You? They’re all here—alongside some 2,000 other acts—in this frisky compendium of band-name origins, from A Band Called Pain to ZZ Top. Packed with album-cover artwork, trivia, tidbits and liberal dashes of this and that, it translates into hours of browsing by rock lovers of all ages.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

New & Noted:
Through the magic of modern recording technology, a host of living singing stars—including Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Anne Murray and Olivia Newton-John—sing along with one who’s been gone awhile on the CD “Elvis Presley Christmas Duets”... The DVD set “Bones—Season Three: Totally Decomposed Edition” includes all 15 third-season episodes of the continuing crime-solving adventures of a forensic anthropologist and her FBI agent partner, plus bonus features… Is Kevin Costner’s futuristic “Waterworld” really, as many critics have hissed, one of the worst movie stinkers of all time? Decide for yourself—watch the Extended Edition DVD, which includes a second version with more than 40 minutes of additional footage… The 1970s CBS sitcom “Good Times,” starring jive-talkin’ comedian Jimmy “Dy-no-MITE!” Walker, arrives on DVD with “Good Times: The Complete Series,” a collection of all six seasons on 17 discs… History takes a lickin’ in the book “An American History Album,” which traces our nation’s landmark achievements through the many commemorative stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service. —Neil Pond, American Profile

Merry Christmas From …
by Karen Robert
Hardcover, 160 pages, $14.95

This collection of 150 whimsical, heartwarming and just plain odd Christmas cards will make you smile—and help kids around world do the same. Half the proceeds go to Smile Train, an organization that provides surgery for children with cleft lips and palates.
Neil Pond, American Profile

LIFE: The Classic Collection
Hardcover, 144 pages (retail $29.95) Amazon

One hundred of history’s most memorable photographs are presented in this unique “gallery,” which displays them on full, oversize pages, with 25 of the images as detachable pullout duplicates, suitable for framing. See the world as some of Life magazine’s greatest photographers did, once upon a time, clicking their shutters at just the right instant to capture fleeting moments that would become timeless.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
By Tom Moon
Softcover, 1,007 pages (retail $19.95)

Face it—you’ll probably never listen to all of them. But you’ll nonetheless get a profound kick out of the stunning diversity of the 1,000 songs, albums, symphonies and other musical works selected by Moon, a longtime critic for NPR’s “All Things Considered,” who makes even the pieces you’ve never heard of sound so interesting you’ll want to get them into your ears. From Bach to the Beatles, with stopovers at a spectrum of musical points in between, it’s essential reading sure to expand the horizons of anyone who loves music.
—Neil Pond, American Profile