Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour – Marti Rulli & Dennis Davern
Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour Marti Rulli & Dennis Davern Genre: Biographies & Memoirs Price: $9.99 Publish Date: November 22, 2010 Publisher: E-Reads Seller: Ingram DV LLC REVISED EDITION with new updates and additional information not included in the original hardcover release! GOODBYE NATALIE, GOODBYE SPLENDOUR is the long-awaited, detailed account of events that led to the mysterious death of Hollywood legend Natalie Wood off the coast of Catalina Island on November 28, 1981. It is a story told by a haunted witness to that fateful evening: Dennis Davern, the young captain of Splendour, the yacht belonging to Wood and husband Robert Wagner. Davern initially backed up Wagner's version of that evening's events through a signed statement prepared by attorneys. But Davern's guilt over failing Natalie tormented him. Davern reached out to his old friend Marti Rulli, and little by little, at his own emotional pace, he revealed the details of his years in Wood's employ, of the fateful weekend that Natalie died, and of the events following her death that prevented him from telling the whole story–until now.
The Prostitutes’ Ball – Stephen J. Cannell
The Prostitutes’ Ball Stephen J. Cannell Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers Price: $2.99 Publish Date: October 12, 2010 Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Seller: Macmillan / Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC Detective Shane Scully responds to a call in the Hollywood hills at a once-immaculate mansion, the scene of an infamous murder twenty-five years prior. He discovers the remnants of a lavish pool party. The revelers have fled, leaving three dead bodies in their wake, all shot with the same gun. One is an acclaimed film producer. The other two, a pair of gorgeous women. With his new partner, Sumner “Hitch” Hitchens, Scully begins to investigate what looks to be an open-and-shut case: The women were hired prostitutes, and there's security video of an angry husband firing on all three. A simple case of brutal revenge. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems: There's a single spent bullet casing that doesn't match the rest. From that single bullet emerges a story of love, murder, suicide, and one of the biggest financial frauds in L.A. history. Someone has gone to great lengths to cover up a decades-old crime, and as Scully and Hitch get closer to the answer, they find themselves in a killer's crosshairs.
Slash – Slash & Anthony Bozza
Slash Slash & Anthony Bozza Price: $1.99 Publish Date: October 13, 2009 Publisher: HarperCollins Seller: HarperCollins From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll He was born in England but reared in L.A., surrounded by the leading artists of the day amidst the vibrant hotbed of music and culture that was the early seventies. Slash spent his adolescence on the streets of Hollywood, discovering drugs, drinking, rock music, and girls, all while achieving notable status as a BMX rider. But everything changed in his world the day he first held the beat-up one-string guitar his grandmother had discarded in a closet. The instrument became his voice and it triggered a lifelong passion that made everything else irrelevant. As soon as he could string chords and a solo together, Slash wanted to be in a band and sought out friends with similar interests. His closest friend, Steven Adler, proved to be a conspirator for the long haul. As hairmetal bands exploded onto the L.A. scene and topped the charts, Slash sought his niche and a band that suited his raw and gritty sensibility. He found salvation in the form of four young men of equal mind: Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, and Duff McKagan. Together they became Guns N' Roses, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time. Dirty, volatile, and as authentic as the streets that weaned them, they fought their way to the top with groundbreaking albums such as the iconic Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion I and II. Here, for the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told from the inside: how the band came together, how they wrote the music that defined an era, how they survived insane, never-ending tours, how they survived themselves, and, ultimately, how it all fell apart. This is a window onto the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a seat on the roller-coaster ride that was one of history's greatest rock 'n' roll machines, always on the edge of self-destruction, even at the pinnacle of its success. This is a candid recollection and reflection of Slash's friendships past and present, from easygoing Izzy to ever-steady Duff to wild-child Steven and complicated Axl. It is also an intensely personal account of struggle and triumph: as Guns N' Roses journeyed to the top, Slash battled his demons, escaping the overwhelming reality with women, heroin, coke, crack, vodka, and whatever else came along. He survived it all: lawsuits, rehab, riots, notoriety, debauchery, and destruction, and ultimately found his creative evolution. From Slash's Snakepit to his current band, the massively successful Velvet Revolver, Slash found an even keel by sticking to his guns. Slash is everything the man, the myth, the legend, inspires: it's funny, honest, inspiring, jaw-dropping . . . and, in a word, excessive.
Home – Julie Andrews
Home A Memoir of My Early Years Julie Andrews Genre: Biographies & Memoirs Price: $2.99 Publish Date: April 01, 2008 Publisher: Hyperion Seller: Hyperion, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, Inc. Since her first appearance on screen in Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews has played a series of memorable roles that have endeared her to generations. But she has never told the story of her life before fame. Until now. In Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie takes her readers on a warm, moving, and often humorous journey from a difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America. Her memoir begins in 1935, when Julie was born to an aspiring vaudevillian mother and a teacher father, and takes readers to 1962, when Walt Disney himself saw her on Broadway and cast her as the world's most famous nanny. Along the way, she weathered the London Blitz of World War II; her parents' painful divorce; her mother's turbulent second marriage to Canadian tenor Ted Andrews, and a childhood spent on radio, in music halls, and giving concert performances all over England. Julie's professional career began at the age of twelve, and in 1948 she became the youngest solo performer ever to participate in a Royal Command Performance before the Queen. When only eighteen, she left home for the United States to make her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend, and thus began her meteoric rise to stardom. Home is filled with numerous anecdotes, including stories of performing in My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison on Broadway and in the West End, and in Camelot with Richard Burton on Broadway; her first marriage to famed set and costume designer Tony Walton, culminating with the birth of their daughter, Emma; and the call from Hollywood and what lay beyond. Julie Andrews' career has flourished over seven decades. From her legendary Broadway performances, to her roles in such iconic films as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hawaii, 10, and The Princess Diaries, to her award-winning television appearances, multiple album releases, concert tours, international humanitarian work, best-selling children's books, and championship of literacy, Julie's influence spans generations. Today, she lives with her husband of thirty-eight years, the acclaimed writer/director Blake Edwards; they have five children and seven grandchildren. Featuring over fifty personal photos, many never before seen, this is the personal memoir Julie Andrews' audiences have been waiting for.
Rin Tin Tin Enhanced eBook – Susan Orlean
Rin Tin Tin Enhanced eBook The Life and the Legend Susan Orlean Genre: Pets Price: $14.99 Publish Date: September 27, 2011 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Seller: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc. Featuring more than seventy-five photographs and almost a dozen rarely seen videos from Rin Tin Tin’s legendary career, this Enhanced eBook edition of Susan Orlean’s Rin Tin Tin vividly illustrates the life and legacy of the canine hero. He believed the dog was immortal. So begins Susan Orlean’s sweeping, powerfully moving account of Rin Tin Tin’s journey from orphaned puppy to movie star and international icon. Orlean, a staff writer at The New Yorker who has been hailed as “a national treasure” by The Washington Post , spent nearly ten years researching and reporting her most captivating book to date: the story of a dog who was born in 1918 and never died. From the moment Corporal Lee Duncan discovered Rin Tin Tin on a World War I battlefield, he saw something in the pup that he felt compelled to share with the world. Rin Tin Tin’s improbable introduction to Hollywood led to the dog’s first blockbuster film and, over time, the many radio programs, movies, and television shows that followed. The canine hero’s legacy was cemented by Duncan and a small group of others who have devoted their lives to making sure the dog’s legend will never die. At its core, Rin Tin Tin is a poignant exploration of the enduring bond between humans and animals. It is also a richly textured history of twentieth-century entertainment and entrepreneurship and the changing role of dogs in the American family and society. Filled with humor and heart and moments that will move you to tears, Susan Orlean’s first original book since The Orchid Thief is an irresistible blend of history, human interest, and masterful storytelling—a dazzling celebration of a great American dog by one of our most gifted writers. Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Saturday Night and The Orchid Thief , which was made into the Academy Award–winning film Adaptation. She lives with her family and her animals in upstate New York and may be reached at www.susanorlean.com and twitter.com/susanorlean. www.RinTinTinTheBook.com
Dear Cary – Dyan Cannon
Dear Cary My Life with Cary Grant Dyan Cannon Genre: Biographies & Memoirs Price: $11.99 Publish Date: September 20, 2011 Publisher: HarperCollins Seller: HarperCollins He was the most charming, handsome, romantic, and famous leading man in the world….what could possibly go wrong? With unparalleled honesty, Dyan Cannon shares the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of her magical romance and stormy marriage to screen legend Cary Grant. He was the ultimate star, defining Hollywood glamour as well as cinematic achievement. She was a bright new actress, beautiful and funny, who would one day prove her talent by being the first woman to receive Academy Award nominations for her work on-screen and behind the camera. When he asked to meet Dyan, she assumed it was for an acting part, but he had a different role in mind for her…and so began a storybook romance that brought her to dizzying heights. On his arm, she found herself traveling in the inner circles of power and glamour in which Cary Grant was king, with friends such as NoËl Coward, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn, and so many others considered Hollywood royalty. Behind closed doors, she discovered a Cary no one knew. A thoughtful, caring, and private person, with dark family secrets that weighed heavily on him. He was a man contending with the swan song of an astonishing film career while her career was just beginning. Despite the age difference, they fell in love, got married, and had a beautiful daughter together. Happily Ever After still proved elusive, and their relationship was beset with tragic twists and turns. It took a tremendous toll on Dyan as she struggled to keep her heart and mind intact. With rare photos and never-before-seen letters and notes from Cary Grant, Dear Cary is told with poignancy and hard-won wisdom. For anyone who has ever loved and lost, Dyan Cannon?s memoir is an exploration of what love means, and an inspirational story of surviving life?s slings and arrows.
Full Black – Brad Thor
Full Black A Thriller Brad Thor Genre: Fiction & Literature Price: $12.99 Expected Publish Date: July 26, 2011 Publisher: Atria Books Seller: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc. #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor brings readers his darkest and most intriguing thriller yet — a terrifying story of espionage and betrayal — brilliantly paced with superb nonstop action. Born in the shadows and kept from heads of state, there are some missions so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don’t exist. When one such mission goes horribly wrong, a wave of dramatic terrorist attacks is set in motion. Their goal: the complete and total collapse of the United States. With the CIA’s intelligence abilities hobbled, former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath launches an audacious plan to infiltrate the terrorists’ network and prevent one of the biggest threats the United States has ever faced. Simultaneously, a foreign wet work team has been sent to California. Their target: one of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers. While working on a secret documentary project, movie producer Larry Salomon has unknowingly exposed one of the world’s wealthiest and most politically connected powerbrokers — a man with a radical anti-American agenda poised to plunge the nation into deadly, irreversible chaos. As the plots rocket to their pulse-pounding conclusion and the identities of the perpetrators are laid stunningly bare, Harvath will be left with only one means to save America. Unable to trust anyone, he will be forced to go Full Black . Intense and frighteningly realistic, FULL BLACK is, hands down, Brad Thor’s most riveting thriller to date.
Sex on the Moon – Ben Mezrich
Sex on the Moon The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in Histroy Ben Mezrich Genre: True Crime Price: $13.99 Publish Date: July 12, 2011 Publisher: Knopf Seller: Random House Digital, Inc. (Books) Thad Roberts, a fellow in a prestigious NASA program had an idea—a romantic, albeit crazy, idea. He wanted to give his girlfriend the moon. Literally. Thad convinced his girlfriend and another female accomplice, both NASA interns, to break into an impregnable laboratory at NASA—past security checkpoints, an electronically locked door with cipher security codes, and camera-lined hallways—and help him steal the most precious objects in the world: the moon rocks. But what does one do with an item so valuable that it’s illegal even to own? And was Thad Roberts—undeniably gifted, picked for one of the most competitive scientific posts imaginable, a possible astronaut—really what he seemed? Mezrich has pored over thousands of pages of court records, FBI transcripts, and NASA documents and has interviewed most of the participants in the crime to reconstruct this Ocean’s Eleven –style heist, a madcap story of genius, love, and duplicity that reads like a Hollywood thrill ride. From the Hardcover edition.
Professional Idiot – Stephen Steve-O Glover & David Peisner
Professional Idiot A Memoir Stephen Steve-O Glover & David Peisner Genre: Biographies & Memoirs Price: $12.99 Expected Publish Date: June 21, 2011 Publisher: Hyperion Seller: Hyperion, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, Inc. Fame can be addictive. From his early days videotaping crazy skateboard stunts to starring in the blockbuster Jackass franchise, there was little that Stephen “ Steve-O” Glover wouldn’ t do for attention. Whether it was stapling his nutsack to his leg, diving into a pool full of elephant crap, or routinely risking death invading the private lives of sharks, lions, tigers, and bears, almost nothing was out of bounds. As the stunts got crazier, his life kept pace. He developed a crippling addiction to drugs and alcohol, and an obsession with his own celebrity that proved nearly as dangerous. Steve-O has been a man in search of a spotlight practically since birth. Growing up all over the world, thanks to his father’ s career as a corporate executive, he was the kid who’ d drink handfuls of salt in order to make friends. After he stole a video camera from his dad as a teenager, his future path was more or less sealed. Footage of himself skateboarding soon gave way to footage of himself setting his hair on fire or doing back flips off apartment buildings into shallow pools. After detours to several hospitals, a couple of jails, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, he landed, quite naturally, on MTV’ s Jackass, in 2000. He took to fame like it was the very thing missing from his life, but it was never enough. He filled the void with booze and drugs, and soon began treating his entire life like it was one big? and supremely risky? stunt. In 2008, Steve-O holed up in his West Hollywood apartment, where he drank, snorted, smoked, huffed, and swallowed drugs around the clock? and began broadcasting his downward spiral on the Internet. Finally, his Jackass comrade Johnny Knoxville and seven other friends staged an intervention and forced him into a psychiatric ward against his will, ultimately saving his life. Today he has been clean and sober for more than three years. Professional Idiot recounts the lunacy, the debauchery, the stunts, the drug addiction and the path to recovery and redemption with the same bravado and humor that have endeared Steve-O to so many. Hilarious, harrowing, and inspiring all at once, Professional Idiot will entertain those who’ ve been with him on his many wild rides, as well as surprise and intrigue those who know him only as the guy willing to do anything? no matter how painful? for a laugh.
The Last Gunfight – Jeff Guinn
The Last Gunfight The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral-And How It Changed the American West Jeff Guinn Genre: United States Price: $12.99 Publish Date: May 17, 2011 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Seller: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc. On the afternoon of October 26, 1881, in a vacant lot in Tombstone, Arizona, a confrontation between eight armed men erupted in a deadly shootout. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral shaped how future generations came to view the old West. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clantons became the stuff of legends, symbolic of a West populated by good guys in white hats and villains in black ones, and where law enforcement largely consisted of sheriffs and outlaws facing off at high noon on the main streets of dusty, desolate towns where every man packed at least one six-shooter on his hips. It’s colorful stuff — but the truth is even better. As The Last Gunfight makes clear, the real story of the O.K. Corral and the West is far different from what we’ve been led to believe by countless TV Westerns and Hollywood films. Drawing on new material from private collections — including diaries, letters, and Wyatt Earp’s own hand-drawn sketch of the shootout’s conclusion — as well as documentary research in Tombstone and Arizona archives and dozens of interviews, award-winning author Jeff Guinn gives us a startlingly different and far more fascinating picture of what the West was like, who the Earps and Doc Holliday and their cowboy adversaries really were, what actually happened on that cold day in Tombstone, and why. The gunfight did not actually occur in the O.K. Corral, and it was in no way a defining battle between frontier forces of good and evil. Combining newfound facts with cinematic storytelling, Guinn depicts an accidental if inevitable clash between competing social, political, and economic forces representing the old West of ruggedly independent ranchers and cowboys and the emerging new West of wealthy mining interests and well-heeled town folk. With its masterful storytelling, fresh research, and memorable characters — the Earps, cattle rustlers, frontier prostitutes, renegade Apaches, and Tombstone itself, a beguiling hybrid of elegance and decadence — The Last Gunfight is both hugely entertaining and illuminating, and the definitive work on the Wild West’s greatest shootout.
