Search results for ""rare bird books""
Rare Bird Books The ChangeAbility Deck: The 7 Principles for Change
The pocket-sized toolkit for meeting CHANGE.Going through a big change? Need fresh perspectives and strategies? The ChangeAbility Deck provides daily insights and revelations to life’s challenging questions. The ChangeAbility Deck helps you identify your resistance and find more flexibility and ease in response to any change you are facing.Based on the inspiring breakthrough book, ChangeAbility: How Artists, Activists, and Awakeners Navigate Change by Sharon Weil, each of these 48 cards teaches you how to easily apply “The Seven Principles for Change” to any change scenario: personal, or public. This reusable deck brings new resource to even the most serious considerations.Pick a card. Make a change.
£16.19
Rare Bird Books The Plinko Bounce
New York Times Best Thriller of 2023New York Times Editors' Pick 2023For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes. Then, in the summer of 2020, he’s assigned to a grotesque murder case that brings national media focus to rural Patrick County, Virginia—Alicia Benson, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is murdered in her home. The accused killer, Damian Bullins, is a cunning felon with a long history of violence, and he confesses to the police. He even admits his guilt to Andy. But a simple typographical error and a shocking discovery begin to complicate the state’s case, making it possible Bullins might escape punishment. Duty-bound to give his client a thorough defense, Andy—despite his misgivings—agrees to fight for a not-guilty verdict, a decision that will ultimately force him to make profound, life-and-death choices, both inside and outside the courtroom. With its unforgettable characters, spot-on blueprint of the justice system, intricate plotting, and provocative, no-holds-barred ending, The Plinko Bounce demonstrates once again why Martin Clark has been called “the thinking man’s John Grisham” by The New York Times and praised as “hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer” by Entertainment Weekly.
£19.99
Rare Bird Books The Snail and the Butterfly
Attention Mushroom Hunters And Aspiring Aviators Of All Ages!Have you ever wanted to do something great? Something no one else believed you could do? Well here is your chance to learn how. Meet a little snail who wanted to fly and an old butterfly who questioned why. Travel with the little snail as he crawls up a mushroom determined to soar from the top. But every time the same thing makes him stop: fear. Sound familiar?Filled with inspiration and motivation, this magical conversation between an ambitious snail and seasoned butterfly encourages us to pursue our dreams regardless of who we are or where we come from. With words by award-winning author Doug Cooper aka Dougie Coop and illustrations by acclaimed Australian artist CJ the Kid, the rhythmic verse and playful style reminds us all we can achieve the impossible as long as we believe, trust, and persevere.
£12.99
Rare Bird Books Highland Falls
Punk rock legend Blag Dahlia returns with his third transgressive novel Highland FallsNina West is a deceptively petite young trickster who works at a funeral home in the suburban Illinois town of Highland Falls. Her short-term boyfriend Ace fronts the Dunderhearts, a band so unlistenable that only constant infusions of cocaine can make them tolerable. Ace’s grandfather Fredo owns the home and lets the band practice in the basement amid the corpses and formaldehyde while Ace drives the family Hearse.Nina’s brush with a Bolivian consulate official brings so much of South America’s favorite export into their orbit that Dunderheart’s bass player Lex, the only cute one in the band, drops dead just as Nina is about to have her way with him. Meanwhile, just down the street, Ricky Leiber returns to Highland Falls to claim the family home his parents have left him after their untimely demise. Looking forward to a life of anonymous indolence and television addiction, Ricky falls for Nina at his folk’s funeral. Ricky falls hopelessly in love with Nina, while Nina remains hopelessly in love with herself.From the suburban wastelands of Highland Falls, Illinois, all roads finally lead to Hollywood where a blood-soaked massacre vaults Nina to instant stardom and worldwide acclaim. It’s a happy ending guaranteed to captivate a miserable generation.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Danger in Plain Sight
The first Callie and Cash thriller is now available in trade paperback!For fans of Scott Turow, Lee Child, and Raymond Chandler“Weissbourd has created an entire genre—Seattle Noir… I devoured the novel in a single night and I think you will, too.” —Jacob Epstein, writer and executive story editor, Hill Street BluesCelebrated restaurateur Callie James is stunned when her estranged ex-husband, French investigative reporter Daniel Odile-Grand, strolls into her restaurant on what could have been any Seattle evening. After fourteen years, the story he tells is even more unlikely than his sudden appearance. As she throws him out into the darkness, her nightmare begins. Daniel is deliberately hit by a car, hurled through the front window of her restaurant—broken, bloody and unconscious…Reluctantly, Callie hides him. Returning to her restaurant, she is greeted by two assassins insisting that she produce Daniel or pay deadly consequences. Overwhelmed, and hopelessly out of her depth, Callie hires the only man she knows who can help her: Cash Logan. Callie can’t imagine relying on Cash, a soldier of fortune… and her former bartender, a man she had arrested for smuggling ivory through her restaurant two years earlier, a man who still hasn’t forgiven her. After a devastating attack on her restaurant, with danger in plain sight, Callie and Cash face kidnappers, murderers, weapons dealers, and treachery at every turn. Ultimately, Callie is forced to change— to become authentically self-aware—with stunning consequences.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books God of Sperm: Cappy Rothman’s Life in Conception
God of Sperm tells the remarkable story of Dr. Cappy Miles Rothman, the son of notorious gangster Norman "Roughhouse" Rothman, who went on to become a trailblazer in the field of reproductive medicine. Rothman started the California Cryobank, one of the world's largest repositories of reproductive genetic material and cord-blood stem cells. Among other achievements, Rothman also pioneered the use of microsurgery in urological procedures, postmortem sperm retrieval techniques, and was one of the first practitioners of andrology, a specialty dealing with male reproductive biology and medicine. How Cappy Rothman went from Mafia scion and man-about-town during the postwar Miami Beach--Havana era of gangster chic to one of the most consequential figures in modern medicine is an epic, only-in-America tale that is also a fine reminder of the broad horizons and wild possibilities life in the U.S. can offer.
£19.99
Rare Bird Books We Loved the World But Could Not Stay: A Collection of One-Sentence Stories
“I write stories that are only one sentence long,” I explain to you as I plant this book like a time-bomb in your public library, “because imperfection is easier to tolerate in small doses.”With unparalleled wit and wisdom, Gary Lippman’s We Loved the World But Could Not Stay is a collection of intricately constructed single-sentence stories that chronicles the outrageous and the everyday with insight and empathy, all while reimagining and reorganizing the very concept of the story and the basic building blocks of our language.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Making It: What I Got Away With In Hollywood
Have you ever wondered what Angelina Jolie fears the most, or what Dustin Hoffman did to ease tension on a film set? What did Whitney Houston think about fame? Find out the secrets of the stars as you go behind the scenes of some of your favorite films with Reba Merrill, and international entertainment journalist who has interviewed hundreds of celebrities while promoting over 500 feature films. Follow Reba's personal journey as she conquers her own addiction and survives the challenging road to success in Hollywood, learning along the way that a celebrity's problems are not so different from our own.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Life in the Stocks: Veracious Conversations with Musicians & Creatives (Volume Two)
In the last few years, the podcast industry has really boomed. Every journalist and celebrity worth their salt now has their own. But what makes Life In The Stocks special? Well, for one thing it’s the eclectic pool of speakers from a wide range of creative disciplines. It’s also the rawness, honesty, and vulnerability of the conversations that Matt Stocks shares with his guests: the interviews are completely candid, unchecked, and authentic.For the purpose of this book, Life In The Stocks: Veracious Conversations with Musicians & Creatives Volume Two, Matt collected highlights from the first eighteen months of the podcast, and presented the anecdotes, musings, and observations in a new format, to tell new stories and tie them together in a way that takes the reader on an emotional journey—from early childhood memories to the dizzying heights of fame, via creative enterprises, experimentation with mind-altering substances, battles with mental health, spiritual contemplations, the meaning of life, death, and a whole lot more.Full of inspirational, entertaining, shocking, tragic, heart-warming, and hilarious tales, Life In The Stocks: Volume Two is much more than just a collection of interview transcripts: it is an insight into the minds of some of America’s most enduring underground artists and an exploration of the history of alternative culture in the US, filtered via the perspective of someone from the UK. In short, it’s a unique and special cultural commentary, and one you will not want to put down.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Head on a Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike
With dozens of full-color illustrations!This is a retrospective of musical poetry by heavy metal guitarist and frontman, Matt Pike, which spans twenty years beginning in 1998 with the album Art of Self Defense up to the latest release, the 2019 Grammy-Award winning record, Electric Messiah. Every chapter features brand-new artistic interpretations from the minds and hearts of an incredible cast of illustrators, tattooers, printmakers, and painters Pike has been trusted since the beginning to depict his vision. The cast of artists are Arik Roper, David V. D'Andrea, Santos, Brian Mercer, Skinner, Jondix,Stash, Tim Lehi, Jordan Barlow, and Derrick Snodgrass created brand new, never before seen works specifically inspired by each album, including one large illustration to define the chapter ahead and two additional vignettes that are directly inspired by the songs. Each has their own bold and iconic style that perfectly compliments the breadth of Pike's various works. These prolific artists transport the reader further into a far-away landscape of ominous Lovecraftian entities, shrouded in wondrous and esoteric darkness. Together, they have redefined the way we perceive Underground Doom Metal these past twenty years and it is our honor to showcase them together along with the incredible written word of Pike.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Portraits: Moments of Intimacy on the Road
For years, when traveling, I found myself getting in conversations with people when I took their pictures, and started to consult with them—showing them the digital shot, then retaking it until we had one they were happy with. It gave us a reason to interact, and a way to do so, even when we shared no language in common. These portraits are the result of those extended sessions, those moments of accidental intimacy on the road. Readers of my three travel books (Drinking Mare’s Milk on the Roof of the World, And the Monkey Learned Nothing, and The Kindness of Strangers) may recognize some of the people, because a number of them feature in those stories. But each stands on its own—each a testament to the human ability to connect across the fault lines that keep us precariously divided. And each is a tribute to the accidental intimacy of the road.
£38.69
Rare Bird Books All Sorrows Can Be Borne
£17.09
Rare Bird Books Life in the Stocks: Veracious Conversations with Musicians & Creatives (Volume One)
Life in the Stocks: Veracious conversations with musicians & creatives is a collection of rock ‘n’ roll stories taken from the iTunes chart-topping podcast, Life in the Stocks—hosted by UK-based DJ, presenter, and writer, Matt Stocks (Ex-Kerrang! Radio/Metal Hammer).Featuring B-Real (Cypress Hill), Clem Burke (Blondie), Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age), Doug Stanhope (Comedian), Kyle Gass (Tenacious D), Steven Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen/The Sopranos), Monique Powell (Save Ferris), Robb Flynn (Machine Head), Tom Green (Comedian), Steve-O (Jackass), Andrew W.K. and many more…
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Water, Wasted
Following the shocking death of a teenage boy, Barrett and Amelia are moved to revisit the passing of their own daughter, Edi, which occurred in the same small town nearly a decade earlier. Amelia finds herself caring for the recently deceased boy’s “sort of” girlfriend, who faces constant harassment and accusations from the townsfolk, while Barrett combs through Edi’s self-published fantasy novels in an effort to connect with her. As he reads, an increasingly bizarre wave of incidents crashes down upon the town involving a talking goat, Bigfoot, and a G-Man with alien thought patterns, to name but a few. As the Missouri River slowly floods, and the thin line between fact and fiction is washed away, Barrett and Amelia struggle against the great unknown and search desperately for inner peace. Blending whimsy and wonder with a mix of mayhem and malevolence, Water, Wasted takes readers on a tour of loss, redemption, and the great unknown.
£18.99
Rare Bird Books Daughters of Darkness
Daughters of Darkness is a collection of fine art portraits of women in corpse paint. A nod to black metal and doom album cover art, Daughters of Darkness was photographed over 10+ years, with more than 400 models from all over the world, almost all of which did their own corpse paint and are fans of black metal. Daughters of Darkness features many celebrities, actresses, musicians, and models (some under the cover of corpse painted anonymity) all of whom donned only corpse paint for this book. Photographed by internationally renowned music and fine art photographer Jeremy Saffer, this project combines both his music photography and fine art photography worlds into a single project, which was conceived to capture the memory of flipping though albums in a music store and buying albums based entirely on the albums cover art (which often featured a nude portrait, someone in corpse paint, or both) prior to knowing the music or the band. Like the music that inspired it, Daughters of Darkness shows the duality of finding beauty in dark imagery, and finding darkness within beauty.
£38.69
Rare Bird Books Moctu and the Mammoth People: Illustrated Edition
Moctu and the Mammoth People is a compelling, well-researched story of a strong, young, dark-skinned Cro-Magnon boy who must fight his rival for leadership of his tribe and the right to mate the beautiful Nuri. Additionally, Moctu has confrontations with the Pale Ones, a fierce group of Neanderthals also called the People Eaters, as the two cultures interact in Paleolithic Italy 45,000 years ago.Besides having dangerous encounters with mammoths, wolves, and saber-tooth tigers, Moctu has to deal with his older rival, Jabil, who fights and undermines him at every opportunity. After Jabil murders several elders who go against him, he deftly shifts blame onto the Pale Ones. He takes over as the tribe’s leader and makes Moctu’s life miserable.On a hunting trip, Moctu is captured and enslaved by the Pale Ones. While with them, Moctu is shocked to discover that, although these primitive people know little about spear-throwers or making clothes, they can make fire, and he learns the skill. He meets the blond and fair-skinned Effie and over time, he recognizes that his hate for the Pale Ones was misplaced. Realizing that Nuri by now has been mated to Jabil, Moctu falls in love with Effie and has a child. But when he uncovers evidence that Jabil murdered his tribesmen, Moctu knows he must return home and mount a challenge. In the interim, Nuri has had to deal with emotional and physical adversities including coming of age and being mated to a man she despises. When Moctu returns, can he overcome Jabil? How will Nuri react? The interspecies conflict may also get Moctu or Effie killed.
£19.99
Rare Bird Books Woodstock: Interviews and Recollections: Interviews and Recollections
Featuring a foreword from legendary director Martin Scorcese,Woodstock: Interviews and Recollections combines stories, anecdotes, and perspectives from dozens of musicians and filmmakers about the making of the Academy Award-winning documentary Woodstock. Assembled by associate producer Dale Bell, the oral history takes readers behind the scenes—and behind the camera—at the decade-defining event.
£15.99
Rare Bird Books Arroyo
£18.99
Rare Bird Books Architects of Self-Destruction: The Oral History of Leftöver Crack
An oral history in the vein of Please Kill MeLeftöver Crack is a band of drug abusing, dumpster diving, cop-hating, queer positive, pro-choice, crust punks that successfully blend ska-punk, pop, hip-hop and death metal genres. They've been banned from clubs, states and counties and kicked off multiple record labels. They’ve received teen-idol adoration and death threats from their fans. They’ve played benefits for a multitude of causes while leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.But, if you dig below the crusty, black metal-patch encased surface, you'll find a contemplative, nuanced band that, quite literally, permanently changed the punk rock community. By combining catchy ska-punk with lyrics that referenced political theorist Michael Parenti, drug usage, and suicide, the band formed a unique mélange that was both provocative and challenging. In fact, the band’s hooks were so sharp that after releasing their debut LP, Mediocre Generica, an entire culture of “Crack City Rockers” grew around the band, pushing the youth towards both the positive and negative aspects of extreme punk rock.Of course, being the combustible band that they are, the band has gotten involved in its far share of fiascoes: full-scale riots in Phoenix and NYC, getting punched out by their own fans, showing up to tour Florida with machetes after receiving death threats from the local gang.Architects of Self-Destruction: An Oral History of Leftöver Crack traces the band's entire history by speaking to the band members themselves, fellow musicians, their fans, and of course, those that still hold a grudge against the LoC... FYI, that's a lot of people.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Desolation Peak: Collected Writings
"Something will happen to me on Desolation Peak…I can feel it." In the summer of 1956, Jack Kerouac hitchhiked from Mill Valley, CA, to the North Cascades to spend two months serving as a fire lookout for the US Forest Service. Taking only the Diamond Sutra for reading material, he intended to spend his time in deep contemplation and to achieve enlightenment. He wrote in his journal that he planned "to concentrate on emptiness of self, other selves, living beings, and universal self." In letters to friends he proclaimed, "Something will happen to me on Desolation Peak…I can feel it." Kerouac's experience on Desolation Peak forms the climax of his novel The Dharma Bums and has also been depicted in part 1 of Desolation Angels and a chapter in his nonfiction book Lonesome Traveler. None of these versions offers a full, true picture, however; and for that reason, Desolation Peak is essential reading. What separates Kerouac from all other writers is the depth that he went in exploring his own consciousness, and what will prove his most enduring legacy is the record he left of that exploration, revealing the psyche of a sensitive, tortured artist grappling with himself in the mid-20th Century. The highlight of Desolation Peak is the journal he kept, starkly revealing the depth of his poverty, the extremity of his mood swings, and the ongoing arguments with himself over the future direction of his life, his writing, and faith. Along with the journal, he worked on a series of projects, including "Ozone Park," another installment of the Duluoz Legend beginning in 1943, after his discharge from the Navy; "The Martin Family," an intended sequel to The Town and the City, and "Desolation Adventure," a series of sketches that became part 1 of Desolation Angels,. In writing it, Kerouac was re-committing himself to his more experimental, then-unpublishable style, declaring in the journal that "the form of the future is no-form." Also included in Collected Writings is "The Diamondcutter of Perfect Knowing," Kerouac's "transliteration" of the Diamond Sutra, his "Desolation Blues" and "Desolation Pops" poems, and assorted prose sketches and dreams.
£21.99
Rare Bird Books Black Heart Fades Blue
If you’re looking for the events that inspired the lyrics to all my songs? Those stories are in this book. If you’re looking for what I did when I was younger? That’s in here. What changed me, made me stop hating and hurting? It’s all here. This is my story and I’m sticking to it. That’s the one thing I have, the truth.Volume three of Black Heart Fades Blue, a three-part memoir by the founder and frontman for one of punk rock’s most notorious acts, Poison Idea.In 1980, Jerry A. formed Poison Idea, a Portland-based punk band that gave voice to disaffected and disenfranchised youth for over 30 years. As happened to so many punk bands, Jerry A. and Poison Idea also went all in on drugs and drinking as they toured the country, spiraling out of control and blowing both the band and their lives apart.Black Heart Fades Blue is not an apology or a nostalgic catalog of events, but a true reckoning with one's past and present. A memoir of a time and a place and a movement, as well as a deep conversation about the memories and moments we leave behind, Black Heart Fades Blue is a deep exploration of an unconventional life.
£12.99
Rare Bird Books They Don't Need to Understand: Stories of Hope, Fear, Family, Life, and Never Giving In
Before he was the charismatic singer of Black Veil Brides and an accomplished solo artist under the Andy Black moniker, he was Andrew Dennis Biersack, an imaginative and creative kid in Cincinnati, Ohio, struggling with anxiety, fear, loneliness, and the impossible task of fitting in. With his trademark charm, clever wit, and insightful analysis, Biersack tells the story of his childhood and adolescence. The discovery of the artistic passions that would shape his life, and his decision to move to Hollywood after his 18th birthday to make his dreams come true, even when it meant living in his car to make it all a reality. It’s the origin story of one of modern rock’s most exciting young superheroes, from building miniature concerts with KISS action figures in his bedroom to making the RIAA gold-certified single “In the End” and connecting with passionate fans worldwide.
£18.99
Rare Bird Books Ironic Icons
Valentin Popov's art combines images of the superhero in American society with traditional religious iconic art from his native Ukraine. His work is in a number of major art museum collections including the National Museum of Ukrainian Art, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and more. Ironic Icons is his first book.
£32.39
Rare Bird Books Men Behaving Badly
O’Leary’s new collection is a frank, unflinching follow-up to 2017’s successful DICK CHENEY SHOT ME IN THE FACE. Here O’Leary does the impossible: dive into the psyches of the most destructive men– a stalker, a Klansman, public shooters— and creates narratives that neither rationalize, nor over-empathize. Refreshingly, these stories deliver both valuable insight, and perspective-enhancing humor. Employing fiercer social commentary and broader imagination, these new stories are concerned with justice, redemption, mockery of a decaying and violent culture and the often greedy men behind it. But for every grubby and disastrous man, there’s hope in the form of the unexpected: a centenarian whose invisibility is a weapon, a retired Montana rancher, a California tomato farmer, an elderly Black woman from Brooklyn with some powerful knitting needles, two fly fishermen–even the Earth herself. While nostalgia, humor, and blunt delivery hook the reader, O’Leary is dead serious about calling out liars, the indignities of American retirement, contagious gun violence, and other social and political ills.
£18.99
Rare Bird Books Easy For You To Say
Easy For You To Say is "Stuttering" John Melendez's memoir of his childhood being bullied in school for his stutter; his years as an on-air personality with The Howard Stern Show; and his subsequent ten-year career as a writer and on-air announcer for Jay Leno's Tonight Show. It details his famously acerbic relationships with celebrities he interviewed/insulted (Raquel Welch once punched him in the face). In the book, Howard Stern emerges as a surprisingly mean, stingy, and megalomaniacal boss—and Jay Leno as a seeming sufferer from OCD.
£19.99
Rare Bird Books Hollywood vs. The Author
It’s no secret that authors have a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. The oft-repeated cliché that “the book was better than the movie” holds true for more reasons than the average reader will ever know. When asked about selling their book rights to Hollywood authors like to joke that they drive their manuscripts to the border of Arizona and California and toss them over the fence, driving back the way they came at breakneck speed. This is probably because Hollywood just doesn’t “get it.” Its vision for the film or TV series rarely seems to match the vision of the author. And for those rare individuals who’ve had the fortune of sitting across the desk from one of the myriad, interchangeable development execs praising the brilliance of their work while ticking off a never-ending list of notes for the rewrite, the pros of pitching their work to Hollywood rarely outweigh the cons.Stephen Jay Schwartz has sat on both sides of that desk—first as the Director of Development for film director Wolfgang Petersen, then as a screenwriter and author pitching his work to the film and television industry. He’s seen all sides of what is known in this small community as “Development Hell.” The process is both amusing and heartbreaking. Most authors whose work contains a modicum of commercial potential eventually find themselves in “the room” taking a shot at seeing their creations re-visualized by agents, producers or development executives. What they often discover is that their audience is younger and less worldly as themselves. What passes for “story notes” is often a mishmash of vaguely connected ideas intended to put the producer’s personal stamp on the project.Hollywood Versus The Author is a collection of non-fiction anecdotes by authors who’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the development room firsthand—some who have successfully managed to straddle the two worlds, seeing their works morph into the kinds of feature films and TV shows that make them proud, and others who stepped blindsided into that room after selling their first or second novels. All the stories in this collection illustrate the great divide between the world of literature and the big or small screen. They underscore the insanity of every crazy thing you’ve ever heard about Hollywood. For insiders and outsiders alike, Hollywood Versus The Author delivers the goods.With contributions by Michael Connelly, Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Alan Jacobson, Andrew Kaplan, Tess Gerritsen, James Brown, Peter James, Rob Roberge, Lee Goldberg, Naomi Hirahara, T. Jefferson Parker, Diana Gould, Joshua Corin, and Alexandra Sokoloff
£12.99
Rare Bird Books Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop
Fun, bright, and playful, Power Pop is a sometimes adored, sometimes maligned, often misunderstood genre of music. From its heyday in the 70s and 80s to its resurgence in the 90s and 00s, Power Pop has meant many things to many people. In Go All The Way, today's best and brightest writers go deep on what certain Power Pop bands and songs mean and have meant to them. Whether they love or hate it, Go All The Way is a dive into the Beatles-inspired pop rock of the last five decades.Featuring:Heather Havrilesky on BlondieCarrie Courogen on Liz PhairMichael Chabon on Big StarJeff Rougvie on Cheap TrickDavid Yaffe on XTCKate Sullivan on Jeff Lynne and ELODylan Champion on Guided By VoicesJoe Clifford on The Hold SteadyDavid Bash on His So-Called (Power Pop) LifeJustin Fielding on The Road to Power PopPaul Myers on SloanJeff Whalen on Power Pop as Beatles ObsessionS. W. Lauden on Fountains of WayneIra Elliot on Putting the Pow! in Power PopRex Weiner on September GurlsMarko DeSantis on SurrenderKen Sharp on The Secret Power Pop History of KISS's Paul StanleyTom Petty on The Strange Magic of Jeff Lynne (as told to Ken Sharp)John M. Borack on The Women of Power PopDave Holmes on Tommy KeeneDaniel Brummel on WeezerNancy Rommelmann on Analog AnthemsAllison Anders on Nick Lowe's Pub Rock RootsAnnie Zaleski on How Jelly Fish Changed the GameChris Holm on The Brainy Power Pop of Allan Carl NewmanScott Miller excerpts from Music: What Happened?Kurt Baker on Pop Punk to Power Pop
£19.99
Rare Bird Books The Performance of Heartbreak and Other Plays
A collection of eleven one- and two-act plays. With hints of Samuel Beckett, Sam Shepard, Neil LaBute, and Tracy Letts, Scott Caan grapples with the emotional interiors of people in a fractured world. Whether writing about actors, lovers, or co-workers, Caan takes on the complicated tension between what we say and what we feel, how we grapple with the world publicly and privately, and what that difference says about us as people. Caan's training as an actor imbues his words with a sense of play and the characters he leaves other actors to create within these plays are deep and open to interpretation. The Performance of Heartbreak and Other Plays is the introduction of an exciting new voice in American theater.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Scale: A Novel
Ray Goldman will outdrink you, out-party you and, unfortunately for him, probably outlive you. As a hopeless and struggling indie rock musician, Ray's best chance of discovering any beauty and purpose in his dysfunctional life will come only when he ceases to struggle against life itself. These are his memoirs. Scale chronicles Ray Goldman's journey downward through the adversarial trials that sometimes prove necessary in facilitating an eventual ascent into truth and happiness. The odd chapters of the novel find Ray, now a 31-year-old guitar player, seeking fulfillment in the wake of a life-altering tragedy while the even chapters see him reflecting on the depravity and selfishness that hastened his descent towards it. Scale is about the relationship between instability and balance, death and resurrection, perception and reality, but ultimately it is about the endless war waged between our disquieted minds and our noble hearts. Fans of pop culture, Americana, Punk Rock music, and Charles Bukowski's Ham on Rye.
£12.99
Rare Bird Books The Dirt in Our Skin
When Ryan and Jason discover the destructive beauty of freestyle BMX, it’s a definitive before-and-after moment for them. The two riders gravitate to the freedom and raw aggression of trail riding as a way of coping with their tumultuous home lives: Ryan’s domineering father and Jason''s father''s suicide.The boys prove themselves within the exclusive East Coast BMX scene. They''re drawn deeper into the culture when they fall in with a group of older pros who are part of a subterranean world of bisexuality and sadistic humor. As Ryan and Jason fight to preserve their relationship, they must navigate their own emerging sexuality and feelings for one another. The death-drive urge to ride massive jumps makes perfect sense to them, but life outside of riding spills over at the edges. The Dirt in Our Skin is a coming-of-age novel and artistic tribute to an activity that’s more lifestyle than sport. It’s a book
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Search Heartache
When I got home, I did what I had stopped myself from doing earlier. I Googled the name: Aimee Laroche. I wondered what I would have done if I had found myself embroiled in this scenario fifteen, even ten years ago. Would I have hired a private detective to track this woman down? Would I have passed sleepless nights waiting for him to hand over a manila envelope containing long lens black-and-whites of a femme fatale smoking Gauloises at a sidewalk café? Probably not. But Googling was irresistible. Like everything on screen, it required no effort. It was so easy.Maura Fielder looks like she has the perfect life: every expectation fulfilled. But under the illusory surface of perfection, Maura finds herself blindsided by what she discovers on her husband’s computer. She has no emotional cubby hole into which she can shove this ghost from her husband’s past, so instead, Maura upends her life—thrashing her marriage, alienating her daughter, and eroding her own moral center. On the verge of sacrificing everything she holds dear to her own obsession, how does Maura manage to regain her equilibrium and reclaim her life?In this post-privacy new world, any woman can find heartache if she searches hard enough.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Flip City
Flip City is the story of fifteen-year-old child model, James Daniel Ross, as he comes of age in 1970—a time of free love, dead rock stars, and serial killers. Escaping the psychiatric facility where his affluent father has placed him, James trades its restraints, prescription meds, and therapists, for freedom, illicit drugs, and the friendship of street kids surviving in the psychedelic shadows of Old Town, Chicago. But when one friend goes missing, James finds himself in an edgy cat-and-mouse game with a John Wayne Gacy-like serial killer whose victims are blond teenage boys. Will James be the killer’s next victim? Or will the killer become James’s?
£14.99
Rare Bird Books My Two and Only
“Go for a run.” That’s what Charlotte Most said to her husband Paul on that ordinary day. And when he did, her life was never the same.Yet Charlotte remains the same: mother, daughter, friend, interior designer… and, although single… wife.Until she meets Brian. When she’s surprised by his little Tiffany-blue box– and the proposal that goes with it – she is forced to make a decision. But questions begin to consume her. Who will Charlotte be if she’s no longer a widow? Does old love prohibit new? Does new love diminish old? How can she marry her one-and-only twice? Heartache and hope propel her through a perilous journey from devoted widow to joyful fiancée.My Two And Only is a love story about clinging to the past and embracing the present. About memory and the stories we tell ourselves. About identities, inner and outward, and the struggle to make peace between them. Humorous and insightful, poignant and profound, My Two And Only explores the question: how much happiness can we allow ourselves… and which self might that be?
£19.99
Rare Bird Books Gabba Gabba Hey: A Conversation With the Ramones
For the first time, you can read the Ramones' comments about their own history in this intimate series of interviews with the legendary band.The Ramones were arguably the single most influential rock 'n' roll act to emerge from that curious muddle of magic and mediocrity called the 1970s. Two of the group's founding members—singer Joey Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone—didn't live to see the Ramones become icons of popular culture, hear their music in TV commercials, or experience the unlikely adoption of "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a sports anthem. Guitarist Johnny Ramone barely lived long enough to see it begin, and drummer Tommy Ramone's death in 2014 wrote finis to the mortal part of the Ramones' story. The legend endured. In 1994, as the Ramones celebrated their 20th anniversary, then-current members Joey, Johnny, drummer Marky, and bassist C. J. knew the group's Road To Ruin would soon approach its end. Given an opportunity to assess where they'd been and what was left to do, they agreed to a series of interviews discussing the entirety of the Ramones' story. This is that story: a career-spanning discussion of the Ramones' career, an intimate glimpse at how the Ramones viewed their work, their experiences, their impact, their legacy, their fans, and each other. It's a unique and fascinating peek into what it was like to be one of the few, the proud, the Ramones.For the first time, you can read the Ramones' published comments about their own history, and much, much more than ever could have fit into a single magazine issue.
£17.99
Rare Bird Books Rough Justice
Callie and Cash are back! For fans of Scott Turow, Lee Child, and Raymond Chandler.“When you get out of jail, don’t ever come back here.”Callie James thought those were the last words she’d ever speak to Cash Logan. Two years later, in Danger in Plain Sight, Callie and Cash become an improbable team taking on lethal adversaries.Now, in Rough Justice, Callie and Cash are back, and their world is about to explode. It’s been a year since they saved her ex-husband’s life and faced unexpected, terrifying adversaries. During that process—confronting kidnapping, murder, and the destruction of her restaurant—they came together, and against all odds, fell passionately in love.The smooth sailing abruptly ends when Sara, a twenty-five-year-old, half-Algerian woman, unexpectedly shows up at the restaurant and insists on telling them her shocking, unbelievable story. Someone has stolen her identity, and they’re trying to kill her. Sara needs their help now, and she has a stunning, life-changing secret to tell.Again, Cash and Callie assemble their unconventional ragtag family—including peg-legged Andre, and Itzac, “the Macher.” Together, they go to war with formidable adversaries to save Sara and ultimately their own lives. The fierce global battle leads them to Cuba, where they launch an audacious offensive that shocks even them…and will absolutely take your breath away.With Rough Justice, Burt Weissbourd elevates not only his deeply rich and complex characters, but the entire thriller genre.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Make It Stop
A speculative tale of dysfunctional vigilantes, sex-crazed junkies, and corporate healthcare run amok from best-selling chronicler of LA punk Jim Ruland. Scores of detox and rehab centers across Southern California have adopted a controversial new conditional release policy that forces patients to stay until they pay their bills. And if they can’t pay? They don’t leave.Enter: Make It Stop, a group of highly skilled recovering addicts dedicated to rescuing those trapped in these prison hospitals by posing as patients and getting them out by any means necessary. But when Scary Gary, one of their top ops, gets killed on assignment, Melanie Marsh and her crew set out to avenge his death and unravel an unthinkable medical conspiracy that threatens to destroy the organization and cripple the city with a dangerous new drug. Melanie may be LA’s best hope but if, and only if, she can stay sober.From decrepit rehab wards to beachside punk clubs, Make It Stop takes readers into LA’s darkest corners, exploring sobriety, sanity, and a society hell-bent on profiting off those who need its help the most.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books House of Hearts
Izzy Ames lives with her high school sweetheart, Cyrus Rivera, in the Salton Sea. They cling to each other and to their close friends Nephy and Seth to cope with the trauma of their pasts. Until the morning Izzy awakes to find Cyrus has vanished.When she realizes no one will help, Izzy takes matters into her own hands and decides to search for Cyrus alone. After weeks of looking for him, she discovers a clue that leads her to the House of Hearts retreat center run by the mysterious Sky. At House of Hearts, Izzy meets an intriguing musician named Ever Fontana and for a moment she is able to forget the pain of her past. But when new clues about Cyrus’ disappearance surface, Izzy must go down into the dark to find the truth.Izzy’s quest will take her into a world of sexuality, madness, and violence, where she will discover life-changing secrets not only about Cyrus but, ultimately, about herself.
£18.99
Rare Bird Books The Beatles 100: One Hundred Pivotal Moments in Beatles History
Was John Lennon meeting Paul McCartney more significant than John Lennon meeting Yoko Ono? Rubber Soul or Revolver? Which Wings album was Paul McCartney’s solo pinnacle?In 100 brief chapters, John M. Borack discusses and ranks the greatest moments in Beatles history. An avid Fab Four fan since childhood and a music journalist for more than thirty-five years, Borack has created a book to agree with and disagree with, and one that is sure to spark conversations. A love letter to the greatest rock band of all time, The Beatles 100 is a book for Beatles buffs and casual fans alike.
£17.99
Rare Bird Books Forbidden Beat: Perspectives on Punk Drumming
Whether they're self-taught bashers or technical wizards, drummers are the thrashing, crashing heart of our favorite punk bands. In Forbidden Beat, some of today's most respected writers and musicians explore the history of punk percussion with personal essays, interviews and lists featuring their favorite players and biggest influences. From 60s garage rock and proto-punk to 70s New York and London, 80s hardcore and D-beat to 90s pop punk and beyond, Forbidden Beat is an uptempo ode to six decades of punk rock drumming. Featuring Tré Cool, Ira Elliot, Curt Weiss, John Robb, Hudley Flipside, Bon Von Wheelie, Joey Shithead, Matt Diehl, D.H. Peligro, Mike Watt, Lynn Perko-Truell, Pete Finestone, Laura Bethita Neptuna, Jan Radder, Jim Ruland, Eric Beetner, Jon Wurster, Lori Barbero, Joey Cape, Marko DeSantis, Mindy Abovitz, Steven McDonald, Kye Smith, Ian Winwood, Phanie Diaz, Benny Horowitz, Shari Page, Urian Hackney, and Rat Scabies.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Hallucinations from Hell: Confessions of an Angry Samoan
The stories in this here anthology may in fact be true true wild tales I’ve absorbed over time. Perhaps drenched with generous hyperbole? I’ll let you decide.As one of the founding members of the seminal punk band Angry Samoans, Gregg Turner has seen his fair share of weird shit. From his time at Creem Magazine in the early 1970s to the formation of the Angry Samoans in Los Angeles, and all the travels, trials, and tribulations that occured after, Turner takes us through a wild ride of stories he's heard, stories he's lived, and some he may or may not have made up.With illustrations by Emmy and Klein-award winning illustrator Gary Panter, Hallucinations from Hell is an onslaught of a book that will appeal to any reader who loves a good story.
£17.99
Rare Bird Books Top Rankin': A Punk/Ska Noir Novel
It's the dawn of 1980 in Los Angeles and everything’s changing.Punks, dopers and assorted miscreants play in the decaying homes of Hollywood golden era stars. The playfully decadent, diverse LA punk scene is under threat from the violent, misogynistic hardcore scene not to mention the suddenly cheap, high grade heroin that's tempting many who haven’t managed to get their artistic careers in gear yet.James Dual wants no part of that and inspired by the racially integrated punky ska revival in England starts the ON Klub, a ska, soul, and reggae club at the rough and ready pre-gentrified Silver Lake end of Sunset Blvd. He and partner in crime, actor spawn Drea Dresden, try their best to make the transition out of the '70s in one piece.As the hole in the hillside dump of a joint successfully explodes there's no fighting on the ON Klub dance floor shared by young Jamaicans, sharp-dressed Asian American girls, South Central kids, London escapees, mods on scooters from Orange County, Latino kids from the neighborhood—all united by the inspiring vinyl they can’t hear on the radio or anywhere else in the US. This is they only place these kids can go where everyone’s welcome and they are treated equally so it becomes home to them.All this attention, not to mention over capacity crowds and under age kids leads to a visit from the soon to be notorious Rampart police division who threaten closure and worse. A journalist friend brings a mob related music man connected to Bob Marley to visit the club, who becomes obsessed with the charismatic young Jamaican singer Loraine Sulley, who is performing that night. He lures James with promises to bring in iconic ska and reggae artists to perform at the club if James convinces Loraine to sign to Marshall’s planned new record label. In the meantime, James and Drea are threatened by two corrupt Sheriff’s homicide detectives who are still trying to nail an innocent James for the death of a band that occurred soon after he first arrived in LA.James arranges to have Drea hide out in London until things cool down. While there she meets controversial new English band Vortex and subsequently joins them for their first US tour where they warn what things could get like if the unthinkable happens and washed up B movie star, US Republican Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan is elected.Capturing the spirit of LA in 1980, Top Rankin' is populated with real-life characters from the music world in Los Angeles, New York, and London, and leads readers on a tour of the dangers and importance of providing refuge on the precipice of major political upheaval.
£15.17
Rare Bird Books The Darkest Glare: A True Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles
Late-seventies Los Angeles was rampant with killers and shady characters, but all the go-getters at Space Matters saw was possibility. Richard Kasparov was handsome and charismatic; his younger associate, Jerry Schneiderman, brilliant and nerdy. When the pair hired a veteran contractor to oversee construction, the space planning firm they operated out of a hip mansion in LA’s Miracle Mile district appeared poised to transform the boundless skyline into their jackpot.After the promising team imploded, however, the orderly lines on their blueprints succumbed to treachery and secrets. To get even, one of the ex-partners launched a murder-for-profit corporation using, among other peculiar sorts, a bantam-sized epileptic with a deadeye shot and a cross-dressing sidekick. The hapless criminals required a comical number of attempts to execute their first target. Once they did, on a rainy night in the San Fernando Valley, the surviving founder of Space Matters was thrown into a pressure cooker existence out of a Coen Brothers movie. Threatened for money he didn’t have, he donned a disguise, survived a heart-pounding encounter at the La Brea Tar Pits, and relied on an ex-Israeli mercenary for protection. In the end, he had to outfox a glowering murderer, while asking if you can ever really know anyone in a town where dirty deals send men to their graves.In The Darkest Glare, Chip Jacobs recounts a spectacular, noir-ish, true-crime saga from one of the deadliest eras in American history. You’ll never gaze out windows into the dark again.Included as a bonus is an original true crime short from the same unhinged era. In “Paul & Chuck,” a flashy, crusading attorney wages war against the messianic leader of a bloodthirsty cult determined to teach the world to stay away.
£12.99
Rare Bird Books Bedside Matters
Bedside Matters, the fifth novel by painter and writer Richard Alther, enlivens its singular setting with an unexpected journey at life's end for one man.Walter had mastered the business world at an unaccounted cost to discover in old age and ill-health a disease that would render his body useless. Walter is a complicated man now captured in the gilded cage of his mansion, watching the world, his world, go by without him.Visitors with agendas appear to remind him of his life and responsibilities: Walter's ex-wife Polly, a voluptuous handful as he would describe her, Paula, his chip-off-the-old block all-business daughter, Gavin, his attractive and irresponsible son with a dodgy track record, and the irrepressible daydreams and memories that flood his consciousness with emotions long shunned.While Walter reads the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi's work, his inner life takes on a new shape, as his body continues to betray him and deteriorate. He says a long, reluctant goodbye while engaging a side to life that has been unexplored until now.The natural world in the garden outside his window pleasures as he battles pain. New people enter his world to invigorate his last days, including his physical therapist Tressie, a woman so enticing he counts the minutes between visits.Succession becomes an obsession with Paula as she builds her empire, and Gavin tries to start over again after another stint in rehab. Walter watches them play the game of life as he becomes a mere observer from the solitude of his stately manor, lost and found in his thoughts. For the first time, he seems to experience life as a poet would, even as the inevitable end comes closer.A cinematic non-linear take and frank examination of the promise of life, even at its end, Bedside Matters concern us all at one time or another as we ask the ultimate question: what matters most?
£18.99
Rare Bird Books I Remember Everything: Life Lessons from Dawson's Creek
Featuring illustrations by Jillian BartholdThe first coming-of-age series for millennial consumption, Dawson’s Creek created one of the most iconic memes before the word “meme” was mainstream. On January 20, 1998, the Capeside High School class of 2001 came into our lives.Dawson’s Creek centered around the titular star—a white man with a lot of privilege—who proved to be anything but our hero. Our heroes were Jen Lindley, the “big city vixen” who turned out to be the third-wave feminist we desperately needed; Pacey Witter, the “lovable loser” and underdog we rooted for the entire series; and Joey Potter, the “poor tomboy” from the wrong side of the Creek who demonstrated what personal strength and independence could accomplish.Pulling quotes from all six seasons, I Remember Everything dissects the main themes of Dawson’s Creek: sex, mental health, relationships, classism, queerness, and much, much more. Erin Hensley and Julia Callahan, hosts of the podcast Dawson’s Critique, break down why we still can’t get enough of this iconic show.
£14.99
Rare Bird Books Adapt or Wait Tables (Revised Edition): A Freelancer's Guide
Inability to adapt is the new illiteracy and freelancing is becoming America’s new normal. What 2008 taught America was not just that derivatives are dangerous and the housing market doesn’t rise forever. It also taught us that survival requires juggling and pivoting, two skills that any freelancer is forced to acquire if they want to keep paying their rent. Adapt or Die is a mix of information, tricks and advice for all the freelancers out there, and the ones who will be stepping onto that playing field as they graduate from college. Written by a freelance writer who has spent the past two decades covering Hollywood and the world of pop culture and fashion, their tips for survival are laced with gossip and references to the famous as well as what they call the “secret celebrities” whose paths they have crossed. Consider this an entertaining how-to manual for anyone with ambition and no road map.
£10.99
Rare Bird Books The Good Family Fitzgerald
The Fitzgeralds are buttressed by wealth and privilege, but they are also buffeted by crisis after crisis, many of their own creation. Even so, they live large, in love and in strife, wielding power, combating adversaries and each other. The Good Family Fitzgerald is a saga of money and ambition, crime and the Catholic Church, a sprawling, passionate story shaped against a background of social discord.Padraic Fitzgerald is the up-from-nothing, aging patriarch whose considerable business interests appear anything but legitimate, but he has bigger problems than law enforcement. A widower, Paddy becomes enmeshed with a young woman who will force him to re-examine his cardinal assumptions. Meanwhile, he has cultivated thorny relationships with his four children, all of whom struggle over the terms of connection with their father. Anthony—oldest son, principled criminal defense attorney, designated prince of the family—and his cherished Francesca are devastated by tragedy. In the aftermath, Frankie comes to play a vital role in Fitzgerald lore. Philip is a charismatic Catholic priest spectacularly torn between his lofty ideals and aspirations and his all-too-human flaws and longings. Matty has wandered aimlessly, but once he finds his purpose, he precipitates turmoil in all quarters. Colleen, the youngest, is a seeker who styles herself the outsider and the conscience of the clan. Her hands are full, as no Fitzgerald is left untested or unscathed, and by the end the whole family, as well as those venturing into their realm, will be stunned into illumination.
£19.99
Rare Bird Books The Remnants
Peterson's weirdly fascinating environment will appeal to fans of epic world building, and the generous dose of ribaldry in the story is a welcome treat. -BooklistThe apocalypse happened, but no one knows how. All that's left are a smattering of bizarro cities called remnants, each ruled by a grotesque potentate known as an Odd. If you wind up in hock to the Odds, they ship you to a chain-gang that stretches thousands of miles across desert, steppe, and tundra. A good-hearted drifter named Eldridge is a longtime member of the Chain. Known as the Red Rook because of his triumph in the Xiang Tournament of 2603-a battle royale of live-action battle chess-Eldridge nevertheless wound up on the Chain because...well, he's always getting in trouble trying to help his friends. But when El's best buddy Boris joins the Chain, he brings word that the Odds have declared war on their friends, each of them being held captive by a different Odd in a different remnant. Eldridge and Boris escape t
£14.38
Rare Bird Books Road to Delano
£18.99