Arts & Entertainment Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

A Life Reimagined: A Memoir of Hope in the Midst of Loss

Jill Halfpenny (Author), Jill Halfpenny, TBD (Narrator)

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Travelling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell

Celebrated music critic Ann Powers explores the life and career of the legendary Joni Mitchell One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Joni Mitchell has inspired countless musicians and authors, while never stopping still herself. In Traveling, Ann Powers seeks to understand the paradox of Mitchell – at once both elusive and inviting – through her myriad journeys. Drawing on extensive interviews with Mitchell’s peers and deep archival research, Powers takes readers to rural Canada, charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats and explores her loves along the way. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Travelling is a fresh and fascinating biography, and one that questions whether an artist can ever truly be known to a fan.

Ann Powers (Author), Hillary Huber, TBD (Narrator)

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I Was There: Dispatches from a Life in Rock and Roll

Alan Edwards (Author), Alan Edwards, TBD (Narrator)

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Finding My Voice: A story of strength, self-belief and S Club

The inspirational first book from S Club 7 legend Rachel Stevens Whether as part of the iconic S Club 7 or as a successful solo artist, Rachel Stevens was in the eye of the 00s pop storm. Catapulted to fame at 18, her life took a whole new direction, and the whirlwind began. Constantly stereotyped and controlled within the industry, she has privately struggled with her self-worth and mental health, and has since gone on a journey of personal growth. Following a personal break-up and an S Club reunion – and having found her confidence and voice – Rachel is ready to be completely open and honest for the very first time. Finding My Voice is Rachel’s unfiltered story about discovering her true self in a manufactured world.

Rachel Stevens (Author), Rachel Stevens, TBD (Narrator)

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Relationship Status

Anastasia Kingsnorth (Author), Anastasia Kingsnorth, Byron @tbhbyron, Saffron @saffronbarker, TBD (Narrator)

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Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs

From beloved CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca, author of New York Times bestseller Mobituaries, comes an inspiring collection of stories that celebrates the triumphs of people who made their biggest marks late in life. Eighty has been the new sixty for about twenty years now. In fact, there have always been late-in-life achievers, those who declined to go into decline just because they were eligible for social security. Journalist, humorist, and history buff Mo Rocca and coauthor Jonathan Greenberg introduce us to the people past and present who peaked when they could have been puttering—breaking out as writers, selling out concert halls, attempting to set land-speed records—and in the case of one ninety-year tortoise, becoming a first-time father. (Take that, Al Pacino!) In the vein of Mobituaries, Roctogenarians is a collection of entertaining and unexpected profiles of these unretired titans—some long gone (a cancer-stricken Henri Matisse, who began work on his celebrated cut-outs when he could no longer paint), some very much still living (Rita Moreno, the EGOT who's still got it). The amazing cast of characters also includes Mary Church Terrell, who at eighty-six helped lead sit-ins at segregated Washington, DC, lunch counters in the 1950s, and Carol Channing, who married the love of her life at eighty-two. Then there's Peter Mark Roget, who began working on his thesaurus in his twenties and completed it at seventy-three (because sometimes finding the right word takes time.) With passion and wonder Rocca and Greenberg recount the stories of yesterday's and today's strongest finishers. Because with all due respect to the Golden Girls, some people will never be content sitting out on the lanai. (PS Actress Estelle Getty was sixty-two when she got her big break. And yes, she's in the book.)

Jonathan Greenberg, Mo Rocca (Author), Mo Rocca, TBD (Narrator)

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Murray Ball: A Cartoonist's Life

The long-awaited biography of cartoonist Murray Ball, creator of Footrot Flats In Murray Ball: A Cartoonist's Life, Murray's son Mason Ball shares all the hits and misses and long years of hard graft that went into what would become the wildly successful creative enterprise: Footrot Flats. From his unique viewpoint and with candid honesty, Mason reveals the real-life backstory to Murray's most iconic characters and themes, telling the story of the man - and father - who could see the quirks of human nature and capture them with the stroke of a pen. Richly illustrated with family photos and cartoons by the bloke who brought us that most lovable character, the Dog. Let me show you how my dad became a leading cartoonist of his generation, how his endearing characters evolved and where the insightful and humorous ideas sprang from. Let's see the man behind the drawing desk and delve into the workings of his mind. - Mason Ball

Mason Ball (Author), Martin Crump, TBD (Narrator)

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The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy

Living with Dad was like living with a stranger—as a kid I often had trouble connecting and relating to him. But I was always proud of him. Even before Star Trek, I’d see him popping up in bit roles on some of my favorite TV shows like Get Smart, Sea Hunt, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. And then one night he brought home Polaroids of himself in makeup and wardrobe for a pilot he was working on. It was December 1964 and nobody had heard of Star Trek. Still, the eight-year-old me had watched enough Outer Limits and My Favorite Martian to understand exactly what I was looking at. Spock’s popularity happened quickly, and soon the fan magazines were writing about dad’s personal life, characterizing us as a “close family.” But the awkwardness that defined our early relationship blossomed into conflict, sometimes smoldering, sometimes open and intense. There were occasional flashes of warmth between the arguments and hurt feelings—even something akin to love—especially when we were celebrating my father’s many successes. The rest of the time, things between us were often strained. My resentment towards my father kept building through the years until we were estranged. I wanted things to be different for my children. I wanted to be the father I never had, so I did all the things dads are supposed to do. And then I got Dad's letter. That marked a turning point in our lives, a moment that cleared the way for a new relationship between us.

Adam Nimoy (Author), Adam Nimoy, TBD (Narrator)

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My My!: ABBA Through the Ages

On the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo - the song, not the battle - one super-fan sits down to listen to the ABBA Gold album from start to finish, attempting to unlock the secrets of its hold on him - and on all of us. Partly a highly personal work of musical criticism, partly a history ABBA told through colourful vignettes, and partly the record of Giles' time spent trampling around damply in Sweden, braving the hardcore fans on ABBA Day in the Netherlands and somewhat reluctantly attending a sing-along screening Mamma Mia, this is Giles' mission to get to the very heart of ABBA. Nineteen tracks yield nineteen chapters, from 'Dancing Queen' to 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', to 'Take A Chance on Me', and onwards, eventually circling back (as all roads from ABBA eventually do) to 'Waterloo', the album's final track. Listening to each song gives rise to thoughts on pop music, autobiographical reflections on the times, and ruminations on ABBA themselves - their story, their phenomenon, and the evolution of their presence in our lives. It's a book about growing old, and the things that never do. And it's a book about fashion, snobbery, authenticity, critical judgement, the passage of time - and the triumphant ability of truly great pop music to transcend all of those things forever. But it's also a book about the development of one of pop's greatest and best-loved albums, and an unabashed tribute to the power of a major-to-minor modulation and a well-placed glissando.

Giles Smith (Author), Kris Dyer, TBD (Narrator)

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My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future

Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a "lively, engaging, and often wise" (The New York Times Book Review) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music. Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history: she is the first Black woman to cowrite a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood's "XXX's and OOO's". Randall found inspiration and comfort in the sounds and history of the first family of Black country music: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity. What emerges in My Black Country is a celebration of the most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, My Black Country is the perfect gift for longtime country fans and a vibrant introduction to a new generation of listeners who previously were not invited to give the genre a chance.

Alice Randall (Author), Alice Randall, TBD (Narrator)

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Naked Portrait: A memoir of Lucian Freud

Rose Boyt (Author), Rose Boyt, TBD (Narrator)

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What a Fool Believes: A Memoir

A remarkable memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling icon of blue-eyed soul Michael McDonald, written with the Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser. Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael McDonald’s unmistakably smooth baritone voice defined an era of rock and r&b with hit records like “What A Fool Believes,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “I Keep Forgettin’,” “Peg,” “It Keeps You Running,” “You Belong to Me,” and “Yah Mo B There.” In his candid, freewheeling memoir, written with his friend, the Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Paul Reiser, Michael tells the story of his life and music. A high school dropout from Ferguson, Missouri, Michael chased his dreams in 1970’s California, a heady moment of rock opportunity and excess. As a rising session musician and backing vocalist, a series of encounters would send him on a wild ride around the world and to the heights of rock stardom—from joining Steely Dan and becoming a defining member of The Doobie Brothers to forging a path as a breakout solo R&B artist. Interwoven with the classic music, Michael tells a deeply affecting story of losing and finding himself as a man. Michael reckons with the unshakeable insecurities that drove him, the drug and alcohol addictions that plagued him, and the highs and lows of popularity. Along the way he relays the lessons he’s learned, and that if he’s learned anything at all it’s that there’s often little correlation between what you get and what you deserve. Filled with unbelievable stories and an incredible cast of characters—from Ray Charles, Carly Simon, and Kenny Logins to Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, and James Taylor—What a Fool Believes is a moving and entertaining memoir that is sure to be a classic.

Michael Mcdonald, Paul Reiser (Author), Michael Mcdonald, Paul Reiser, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Arts & Entertainment Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir