New Biographies

Adele by Marc Shapiro

“Over the past year, Adele has taken the country by storm, sweeping the 2012 Grammy Awards and taking home six titles, including one for Album of the Year. The British singer-songwriter has been smashing records ever since her 2008 appearance on Saturday Night Live and her 2009 Grammy for Best New Artist. The success of her second album, 21, made her the first living artist since the Beatles to have two top-five hits in both the UK singles and albums charts. The album hit the #1 spot in 18 different countries. In the U.S., 21 is the longest running number one album by a female in Billboard history, surpassing Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard. To put it simply, her worldwide success is unmatched. This one-of-a-kind book will provide answers to fans' burning questions.” – Jacket.

A Matter of Principle by Conrad Black 

“In 1993, Conrad Black was the proprietor of London's Daily Telegraph and the head of one of the world's largest newspaper groups. In 2004, he was fired as chairman of Hollinger International after he and his associates were accused of fraud. Here, for the first time, Black describes his indictment, four-month trial in Chicago, partial conviction, imprisonment, and largely successful appeal. Woven throughout are Black's views on big themes: politics, corporate governance, and the U.S. justice system. He is candid about highly personal subjects, including his friendships - with those who have supported and those who have betrayed him - his Roman Catholic faith, and his marriage to Barbara Amiel.” – Jacket.

A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed

CBC Middle East correspondent and Palestinian-Canadian Nahlah Ayed writes with insight and first-hand knowledge of the countless ways in which the Arab people have fought against oppression and loss. Ayed was born to Palestinian refugee parents in Winnipeg, but spent some of her formative childhood years in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. This shaped her thinking and her future work as a reporter covering the wars, crackdowns, and uprisings across the region. A uniquely personal and moving account. – Summary.

Diary of a Player by Brad Paisley

“This honest, funny, revealing book is one musician’s true story of what’s been a very musical life with strings attached. It is Brad Paisley’s love letter to the guitar as an instrument that changes our lives and a loving salute to the musical heroes who taught him everything he really needed to know about growing up. You’ll also hear from some of Brad’s many friends, like Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and Sheryl Crow, and get some heartfelt guitar tips from this confessed country player.” – Jacket.

Double Cross: The True Story of D-Day Spies by Ben MacIntyre

Traces the sophisticated D-Day operation through which extraordinary spies deceived the Nazis about the location of the Allied attack, profiling the successful Double Cross System and the remarkable individuals who used the program to save thousands of lives. – Summary.

Life by Keith Richards

Keith Richards is a rock legend. With The Rolling Stones he has created songs that will be remembered as some of the greatest in rock history. Finally the man himself tells his story of life in one of the worlds greatest rock bands. Keith reveals his obsession with Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, how he learned to play the guitar, and what it was like forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. He also discusses the band's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richards discusses his relationship with Anita Pallenberg, the death of Brian Jones, falling in love with Patti Hansen, and his periods of isolation and addiction. - Summary. 

Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

The stand-up comedian, television host, best-selling author and actress candidly discusses her personal life, her professional career and describes what it was like to become a judge on American Idol. – Summary.

The Big Miss by Hank Haney

Hank Haney coached Tiger Woods from early 2004 to the spring of 2010 and is considered by many to be the world’s number one golf instructor. This is his insightful account of the six-year journey with Tiger Woods, during which the amazingly gifted golfer collected six major championships and changed golf history. – Summary.

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

“In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match. He suffered third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year of physical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done, undertaking the complicated journey from near-death to high school and from suicide to the emotional mainstream of life. The Burn Journals is a truly remarkable book about teenage despair and recovery.” – Back Cover.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

“A lot of professors give talks titled The Last Lecture. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.” – Jacket.

Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan

A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours in Iraq. After returning home, however, the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injury and crippling PTSD took their toll. Haunted by the war and in constant pain, Luis drank, argued, and cut himself off from those he loved. Then he met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive service dog who had trouble trusting humans – until Luis. – Summary.