The Reading List: May ’11

Along the Cherry Lane: Tales from the Life of Music Industry Legend Milton Okun
(Hal Leonard Corporation, hardcover, $25)
By Richard Sparks and Milt Okun
He launched John Denver, created arrangements for Peter, Paul, and Mary, and brought Placido Domingo a crossover career, and here the legendary music producer and founder of L.A.’s Cherry Lane Music tells his story.
Out: May 1

Here, Home, Hope
(Greenleaf Book Group Press, paperback, $15)
By Kaira Rouda
A stay-at-home mom hatches a plan for a midlife career makeover in this novel by an L.A. writer.
Out: May 1

I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River: Reflections on Family, Fishing, and Photography
(Insight Editions, hardcover, $22)
By Henry Winkler
The actor is an avid fly fisherman, and this memoir chronicles his annual fishing trips, his photography, and his musings about what it all means.
Out: May 1

The President’s Vampire
(Putnam, hardcover, $25)
By Christopher Farnsworth
In this follow-up to last year’s Blood Oath, the L.A. author continues the story of Nathaniel Cade, the president’s secret vampire.
Out: May 1

Radiance: A Novel
(Counterpoint, hardcover, $24)
By Louis B. Jones
An eminent physicist whose life is crumbling takes a trip to L.A., where a night spent getting arrested helps him figure things out.
Out: May 1

Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd
(Santa Monica Press, paperback, $28)
By John Bengston
He was one of the most popular comedians of the silent film era (along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton), and this volume explores the settings of Lloyd’s movies with stills, archival photographs, and current images. See our full review in the May issue of Los Angeles magazine.
Out: May 1

S’Mother: The Story of a Man, His Mom, and the Thousands of Altogether Insane Letters She’s Mailed Him
(Abrams Image, hardcover, $16)
By Adam Chester
In one letter she frantically insisted he screw his windows shut to keep out killer bees, and in another she warned him about the dangers of trick-or-treaters. The L.A. musician’s pile of loving (and crazy) missives from his mom will have you feeling better about your own mother’s sanity.
Out: May 1

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography 
((Henry Holt, hardcover, $26)
By Rob Lowe
More than just an acting memoir, the 1980s heartthrob candidly discusses his childhood, his alcoholism, his foray into politics, and his dream job on The West Wing.
Out: May 1

Take me Home from the Oscars: Arthritis, Television, Fashion, and Me
(Skyhorse, hardcover, $25)
By Christine Schwab
The television style reporter lived a glamorous life but suffered behind the scenes.
Out: May 1

Walking to Hollywood
(Grove Press, hardcover, $25)
By Will Self
The narrator of the British writer’s satirical latest (also named Will Self) walks around L.A. with his sidekick (named Sherman Oaks) on a fantastical quest to discover who murdered the movies.
Out: May 1

Your Voice in My Head: A Memoir
(Other Press, hardcover, $23))
By Emma Forrest
The British journalist who currently lives in L.A. recalls her suicidal, self-cutting years in New York, and she describes her relationship with the caring psychiatrist who saved her.
Out: May 1

Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelationn 
(Nation Books, paperback, $12)
By Walter Mosley
We live in the richest country on earth, but many of our citizens live in extreme poverty – the native Angeleno (who now lives in New York) explores the disparity in terms of addiction, consumption.
Out: May 2

Afterimage: A Brokenhearted Memoir of a Charmed Life
(Skirt!/Globe Pequot Press, hardcover, $25)
By Carla Malden
Karl Malden’s daughter describes her husband’s battle with cancer, and the grief that followed his loss.
Out: May 3

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir
(Crown Archetype, hardcover, $25)
By Dick Van Dyke
He was America’s favorite good guy in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, and The Dick Van Dyke Show, and here the actor candidly reveals the sometimes troubled man behind the façade.
Out: May 3

A Famous Dog’s Life
(NAL Trade, paperback, $15)
By Sue Chipperton
Gidget was the Taco Bell dog, and she was also the doggy roommate of Mooni, the star of Legally Blonde. The author, Gidget’s trainer, shares her stories of working with the famed pup as well as actors.
Out: May 3

Celebrations of Curious Characters
(McSweeney’s, hardcover, $26)
By Ricky Jay
The magician, historian, author, and actor (Boogie Nights, Deadwood) reveals his world of amusing and arcane knowledge in this volume.
Out: May 3

Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant
(Knopf, hardcover, $25)
By Jennifer Grant
The only child of the charismatic leading man recalls the father who doted on her and addresses some of the rumors about the legend.
Out: May 3

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)
(Putnam, hardcover, $26)
By Betty White
The Golden Girls star recalls her 70 years in the business and reveals some secrets – like she has a crush on Robert Redford and she never intends to discover her natural hair color.
Out: May 3

My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me: And Other Stories I Shouldn’t Share with Acquaintances, Coworkers, Taxi Drivers, Assistants, Job Interviewers, Bikini Waxers, and Ex/Current/Future Boyfriends But Have
(Sterling, hardcover, $18)
By Hilary Winston
The TV writer whose credits include Community and My Name is Earl walked into a bookstore and found her ex had written a novel about their relationship, referring to her character as the “fat-assed girlfriend.”
Out: May 3

Robert Redford: The Biography
(Knopf, hardcover, $29)
By Michael Feeney Callan
In this long-awaited life story, the acclaimed biographer draws on journals, script notes, correspondence, and hundreds of hours of interviews to delve into the iconic star’s personal life as well as his distinguished career.
Out: May 3

You Are Free: Stories
(Riverhead, paperback, $15)
By Danzy Senna
The L.A.-based author of the acclaimed Caucasia has delivered a subtle collection about race, gender, and so much more.
Out: May 3

Exhibitionist: Earl Stendahl, Art Dealer as Impresario
(Angel City Press, hardcover, $45)
By April Dammann
In the early twentieth century, Earl Stendahl was one of L.A.’s early art dealers, establishing Stendahl Galleries; in this volume the patron’s grandson’s wife explores his story.
Out: May 5

The Informant: An Otto Penzler Book
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, hardcover, $27)
By Thomas Perry
The Studio City writer has delivered an acclaimed third Butcher’s Boy novel, in which hit man Michael Schaeffer and Justice Department official Elizabeth Waring do some high-stakes dealing.
Out: May 5

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America
(St. Martin’s Press, hardcover, $26)
By Albert Brooks
The actor, writer, and director imagines a future earthquake that devastates L.A. and a nation unable to respond because of poor policy.
Out: May 10

Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica
(St. Martin’s Press, hardcover, $28)
By Mick Wall
The prominent British music critic provides the definitive story of the band.
Out: May 10

Everything is Going to Be Okay: A Book for You or Someone Like You
(Simon & Schuster, hardcover, $13)
By Bruce Eric Kaplan
This book from the L.A.-based New Yorker cartoonist is a must for your favorite graduate.
Out: May 10

Force of Nature: The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart’s Green Revolution
(HarperBusiness, hardcover, $28)
By Edward Humes
The Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist (and Los Angeles magazine contributing writer) tells the story of the partnership between Wal-Mart’s CEO and a river guide/sustainability consultant.
Out: May 10

Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me
(Grand Central, hardcover, $25)
By Chelsea Handler’s Family, Friends, and Other Victims
The people the late-night comedian has tricked into behaving foolishly tell their stories.
Out: May 10

Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man
(Dutton, $26)
By Chaz Bono
The only child of Sonny and Cher was born a little girl named Chastity, and as an adult she began to work for LGBT rights. In this memoir, Chaz discusses his decision to change his gender and includes a diary of photos of the actual process.
Out: May 10

Sean Duffy
(Front Forty Press/University of Chicago Press, hardcover, $25)
By Doug Harvey and Veronica Fernandez
The L.A.-based artist uses materials like car parts, bottle caps, and office furniture in his installations and sculptures.
Out: May 15

The First Husband: A Novel
(Viking, hardcover, $26)
By Laura Dave
In the latest from the L.A.-based author of The Divorce Party, a woman’s live-in boyfriend dumps her and she rebounds by hastily marrying a sexy chef – but when her new husband transplants her to rural Massachusetts to start his new restaurant, she must find herself again.
Out: May 16

The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me
(HarperOne, hardcover, $26)
By Lisa Ann Walter
The actress and comedian (and Oxygen Dance You’re Ass Off judge) advises women (hilariously) to accept who they are.
Out: May 17

Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, The Mob (and Sex)
(Weinstein Books, hardcover, $25)
By Peter Bart
The former studio executive and longtime Variety Editor reflects on his early years in Hollywood, the 60s-70s.
Out: May 17

Not Dead & Not for Sale: A Memoir
(Scribner, hardcover, $24)
By Scott Weiland
The musician discusses his personal life (drug busts, rehab) as well as the spectacular rise and fall of his former band, The Stone Temple Pilots.
Out: May 17

Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World’s Richest Museum
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,hardcover, $28)
By Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino
The two L.A. Times investigative reporters provide an in-depth account of the scandal in which the Getty Museum was forced to return dozens of artifacts to Italy after it was revealed that the artifacts had been purchased illicitly.
Out: May 24

Dreams of Joy: A Novel
(Random House, hardcover, $26)
By Lisa See
The L.A. author continues the story of May and Pearl from Shanghai Girls (2009) in a stunningly-researched epic about revolutionary-era China. See our full review in the May issue of Los Angeles magazine.
Out: May 31

Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV
(Harper, paperback, $27)
By Ben Shapiro
The conservative pundit endeavors to expose the entertainment industry’s political biases.
Out: May 31

Twin Cities
(Penguin, paperback, $18)
By Carol Muske-Dukes
The latest volume from the USC professor who was appointed California Poet Laureate in 2008 begins in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and explores doublings.
Out: May 31