National Bestseller--New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's WeeklyAre you ready to see your fixer upper?These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV's Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like - Who are these people?What's the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America's new best friends.The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.In The Magnolia Story fans will finally get to join the Gaines behind the scenes and discover:The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping babyJoanna's agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their childrenWhen Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreckJoanna's breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful homeHarrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial coupleMemories and photos from Chip and Jo's weddingThe significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they doThe way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the wayAnd yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? "Oh yeah," says Joanna. "He was, and still is, my first fixer upper."
Publisher: n/a
|
9780718079185
|
Hardcover
The Anna Karenina Fix
By Groskop, Viv
As Viv Groskop knows from personal experience, everything that has ever happened to a person has already happened in the Russian classics: from not being sure what to do with your life (Anna Karenina) , to being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn't love you back (Turgenev's A Month in the Country) , or being socially anxious about your appearance (all of Chekhov's work) . In The Anna Karenina Fix, a sort of literary self-help memoir, Groskop mines these and other works, as well as the lives of their celebrated creators, and her own experiences as a student of Russian, to answer the question "How should you live your life?" This is a charming and fiercely intelligent book, a love letter to Russian literature and an exploration of the answers these writers found to life's questions.
Abrams Press
|
9781419732720
|
Hardcover
So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know
By Retta,
In her hilarious book of essays,Parks and Recreation star Retta shares the stories that led to her success in Hollywood.In So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know,Parks and Recreation star Retta takes us on her not-so-meteoric rise from roaches to riches (well, rich enough that she can buy $15,000 designer handbags yet scared enough to know she's always a heartbeat away from ramen with American cheese) . Throwing her hard-working Liberian parents for a loop, Retta abandons her plan to attend med school after graduating Duke University to move to Hollywood to star in her own sitcom -- like her comedy heroes Lucille Ball and Roseanne. Say what? Word. Turns out Retta might actually be on to something. After winning Comedy Central's stand-up competition, she should be ready for prime time -- but a fear of success derails her biggest dream. Whether reminiscing about her days as a contract chemist at GlaxoSmithKline, telling "dirty" jokes to Mormons, feeling like the odd man out on Parks, fending off racist trolls on Twitter, flirting with Michael Fassbender, or expertly stalking the cast of "Hamilton," Retta's unique voice and refreshing honesty will make you laugh, cry, and laugh so hard you'll cry. Her eponymous sitcom might not have happened yet, but by the end of So Close to Being the Sh*t, you'll be rooting for Retta to be the next one-named wonder to take over your television. And she just might inspire you to reach for the stars, too.
St. Martin's Press
|
9781250109347
|
Hardcover
Go Ask Ali
By Wentworth, Ali
New York Times bestselling author Ali Wentworth offers her hilarious and unique advice on surviving the absurdity of modern life in her third collection of laugh-out-loud comic vignettes.Ali Wentworth's first two books, Ali in Wonderland and Happily Ali After, were lauded by readers, critics, and fellow comedians alike. Entertainment Weekly included Happily Ali After on its "Must List" and hailed it as "hilarious. . . . Her glass isn't half full - it's "empty and cracked," while Cosmopolitan praised it as "razor-sharp." Chelsea Handler called Ali in Wonderland "truly hilarious," and Kathy Griffin christened it, "Chicken Soup for the Vagina." Alec Baldwin has described Ali as "funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth," and Jerry Seinfeld has raved, "Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth's mouth is funny!"At once endearing and hilarious, thoughtful and far-fetched, this third collection offers Ali at her wisest and wittiest as she delivers tips, pointers, and quips on a host of life's conundrums and sticky situations, including the funny, sometimes embarrassing yet unforgettable situations that have shaped her inimitable world view as a wife, mother, actress, comedian, and all around bon vivant. Thoroughly entertaining, Go Ask Ali is packed with thoughts and musings from "the girlfriend you want to have a glass of wine with, the one who makes you laugh because she sees the funny and the absurd in everything" (Huffington Post) .
Harper
|
9780062466013
|
Hardcover
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Betty White
By Sharaf, Juliana
With a television career spanning more than 80 years (the longest on record) , she is one of America's most beloved entertainers, best known for her award-winning roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. She has received eight Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Grammy Award, and numerous Humanitarian Awards for her work with animals. She is a Television Hall of Fame Inductee as well as a Disney Legend. In 2018, her career was celebrated in a PBS documentary called Betty White: First Lady of Television and in 2019 she joined the cast of Pixar's Toy Story 4. As she approaches her 100th birthday in January 2022, Betty continues to break new ground as an entertainer and grow in popularity.
Media Lab Books
|
9781948174817
|
Hardcover
Miss Memory Lane
By Haynes, Colton
A brutally honest and moving memoir of lust, abuse, addiction, stardom, and redemption from Arrow and Teen Wolf actor Colton Haynes.Four years ago, Colton Haynes woke up in a hospital. He'd had two seizures, lost the sight in one eye, almost ruptured a kidney, and been put on an involuntary psychiatry hold. Not yet thirty, he knew he had to take stock of his life and make some serious changes if he wanted to see his next birthday. As he worked towards sobriety, Haynes allowed himself to become vulnerable for the first time in years and with that, discovered profound self-awareness. He had millions of social media followers who constantly told him they loved him. But what would they think if they knew his true story? If they knew where he came from and the things he had done? Now, Colton bravely pulls back the curtain on his life and career, revealing the incredible highs and devastating lows.
Atria Books
|
9781982176174
|
Hardcover
Baddiewinkle's Guide to Life
By Winkle, Baddie
Instagram's hippest grandma shares her thoughts on living and dressing adventurously in this humorous illustrated guide.Known for her tie-dye tops, shirts with sayings like "Bye Basic," and giant neon drop earrings, eighty-eight-year-old Baddie Winkle is one of the internet's hottest stars. The alter-ego of Helen van Winkle, Baddie began with an adventurous makeover. Putting on her great granddaughter's tie-dye Grateful Dead bears t-shirt, jean shorts, and socks patterned with pink marijuana leaves, Helen posted her first photo of Baddie in April 2014, with the help of her grandkids and great-grandkids. Since then, Baddie's colorful, youthful style, controversial photos, and snaps with celebrities like Miley Cyrus have earned her the devotion of more than two million Instagram fans and transformed her life.
Harper Design
|
9780062655646
|
Hardcover
Judy and I
By Luft, Sid
The third of Judy Garland's five husbands, Sid Luft was the one man in her life who stuck around. He was chiefly responsible for the final act of Judy's meteoric comeback after she was unceremoniously booted off the MGM lot: he produced her iconic, Oscar-nominated vehicle A Star Is Born and expertly shaped her concert career. Previously unpublished, Sid Luft's intimate autobiography tells his and Judy's story in hard-boiled yet elegant prose. It begins on a fateful night in New York City when the not quite divorced Judy Garland and the not quite divorced Sid Luft meet at Billy Reed's Little Club and fall for each other. The romance lasted Judy's lifetime, despite the separations, the reconciliations, and the divorce. Under Luft's management, Judy came back bigger than ever, building a singing career that rivaled Sinatra's. However, her drug dependencies and suicidal tendencies put a tremendous strain on the relationship. Sid did not complete his memoir; it ended in 1960 after Judy hired David Begelman and Freddie Fields to manage her career. But Randy L. Schmidt, acclaimed editor of Judy Garland on Judy Garland and author of Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, seamlessly pieced together the final section of the book from extensive interviews with Sid, most previously unpublished. Despite everything, Sid never stopped loving Judy and never forgave himself for not being able to ultimately save her from the demons that drove her to an early death at age forty-seven in 1969. Sid served as chief conservator of the Garland legacy until his death at the age of eighty-nine in 2005. This is his testament to the love of his life.
Chicago Review Press
|
9781613735831
|
Print book
Are You Anybody
By Tambor, Jeffrey
It's rare that an actor embodies even one memorable character over the arc of a career. Jeffrey Tambor has managed to create three, beginning with Hank "Hey Now!" Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show, the series created by Garry Shandling, Jeffrey's first mentor in television. He went on to find two more show creators, Mitch Hurwitz of Arrested Development and Jill Soloway of Transparent, who shared a love of actors and taught him a lot about acting along the way. Are You Anybody is Tambor's chance to discuss his creative process and immense accomplishments from a life lived onscreen. Drawing from his formative childhood years, in which he describes himself as a fat Hungarian-Jewish kid with a lisp and a depressive father to how he drew inspiration from his life to create these characters, Tambor's memoir is funny, insightful, and uplifting, touching on comedy and the enduring chutzpah required to make it through life.
Crown Archetype
|
9780451496355
|
Print book
Then and Now
By Cook, Barbara
One of the greatest American singers and actresses of her generation looks back on a magical and turbulent life spanning a half century of theatrical history from the golden age of the Broadway musical to the present day.A legend of the American theater, Barbara Cook burst upon the scene to become Broadway's leading ingnue in roles such as Cungonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide, Amalia Balash in Jerry Bock's She Loves Me, and her career-defining, Tony-winning role as the original Marian the librarian in Meredith Willson's The Music Man. But in the late 1960s, Barbara's extraordinary talent onstage was threatened by debilitating depression and alcoholism that forced her to step away from the limelight and out of the public life. Emerging from the shadows in the early 1970s, Barbara reinvented herself as the country's leading concert and cabaret artist, performing the songs of Stephen Sondheim and other masters, while establishing a reputation as one of the greatest and most acclaimed interpreters of the American songbook.
The Magnolia Story
By Gaines, Chip
National Bestseller--New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's WeeklyAre you ready to see your fixer upper?These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV's Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like - Who are these people?What's the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America's new best friends.The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.In The Magnolia Story fans will finally get to join the Gaines behind the scenes and discover:The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping babyJoanna's agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their childrenWhen Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreckJoanna's breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful homeHarrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial coupleMemories and photos from Chip and Jo's weddingThe significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they doThe way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the wayAnd yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? "Oh yeah," says Joanna. "He was, and still is, my first fixer upper."
The Anna Karenina Fix
By Groskop, Viv
As Viv Groskop knows from personal experience, everything that has ever happened to a person has already happened in the Russian classics: from not being sure what to do with your life (Anna Karenina) , to being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn't love you back (Turgenev's A Month in the Country) , or being socially anxious about your appearance (all of Chekhov's work) . In The Anna Karenina Fix, a sort of literary self-help memoir, Groskop mines these and other works, as well as the lives of their celebrated creators, and her own experiences as a student of Russian, to answer the question "How should you live your life?" This is a charming and fiercely intelligent book, a love letter to Russian literature and an exploration of the answers these writers found to life's questions.
So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know
By Retta,
In her hilarious book of essays, Parks and Recreation star Retta shares the stories that led to her success in Hollywood.In So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know, Parks and Recreation star Retta takes us on her not-so-meteoric rise from roaches to riches (well, rich enough that she can buy $15,000 designer handbags yet scared enough to know she's always a heartbeat away from ramen with American cheese) . Throwing her hard-working Liberian parents for a loop, Retta abandons her plan to attend med school after graduating Duke University to move to Hollywood to star in her own sitcom -- like her comedy heroes Lucille Ball and Roseanne. Say what? Word. Turns out Retta might actually be on to something. After winning Comedy Central's stand-up competition, she should be ready for prime time -- but a fear of success derails her biggest dream. Whether reminiscing about her days as a contract chemist at GlaxoSmithKline, telling "dirty" jokes to Mormons, feeling like the odd man out on Parks, fending off racist trolls on Twitter, flirting with Michael Fassbender, or expertly stalking the cast of "Hamilton," Retta's unique voice and refreshing honesty will make you laugh, cry, and laugh so hard you'll cry. Her eponymous sitcom might not have happened yet, but by the end of So Close to Being the Sh*t, you'll be rooting for Retta to be the next one-named wonder to take over your television. And she just might inspire you to reach for the stars, too.
Go Ask Ali
By Wentworth, Ali
New York Times bestselling author Ali Wentworth offers her hilarious and unique advice on surviving the absurdity of modern life in her third collection of laugh-out-loud comic vignettes.Ali Wentworth's first two books, Ali in Wonderland and Happily Ali After, were lauded by readers, critics, and fellow comedians alike. Entertainment Weekly included Happily Ali After on its "Must List" and hailed it as "hilarious. . . . Her glass isn't half full - it's "empty and cracked," while Cosmopolitan praised it as "razor-sharp." Chelsea Handler called Ali in Wonderland "truly hilarious," and Kathy Griffin christened it, "Chicken Soup for the Vagina." Alec Baldwin has described Ali as "funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth," and Jerry Seinfeld has raved, "Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth's mouth is funny!"At once endearing and hilarious, thoughtful and far-fetched, this third collection offers Ali at her wisest and wittiest as she delivers tips, pointers, and quips on a host of life's conundrums and sticky situations, including the funny, sometimes embarrassing yet unforgettable situations that have shaped her inimitable world view as a wife, mother, actress, comedian, and all around bon vivant. Thoroughly entertaining, Go Ask Ali is packed with thoughts and musings from "the girlfriend you want to have a glass of wine with, the one who makes you laugh because she sees the funny and the absurd in everything" (Huffington Post) .
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Betty White
By Sharaf, Juliana
With a television career spanning more than 80 years (the longest on record) , she is one of America's most beloved entertainers, best known for her award-winning roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. She has received eight Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Grammy Award, and numerous Humanitarian Awards for her work with animals. She is a Television Hall of Fame Inductee as well as a Disney Legend. In 2018, her career was celebrated in a PBS documentary called Betty White: First Lady of Television and in 2019 she joined the cast of Pixar's Toy Story 4. As she approaches her 100th birthday in January 2022, Betty continues to break new ground as an entertainer and grow in popularity.
Miss Memory Lane
By Haynes, Colton
A brutally honest and moving memoir of lust, abuse, addiction, stardom, and redemption from Arrow and Teen Wolf actor Colton Haynes.Four years ago, Colton Haynes woke up in a hospital. He'd had two seizures, lost the sight in one eye, almost ruptured a kidney, and been put on an involuntary psychiatry hold. Not yet thirty, he knew he had to take stock of his life and make some serious changes if he wanted to see his next birthday. As he worked towards sobriety, Haynes allowed himself to become vulnerable for the first time in years and with that, discovered profound self-awareness. He had millions of social media followers who constantly told him they loved him. But what would they think if they knew his true story? If they knew where he came from and the things he had done? Now, Colton bravely pulls back the curtain on his life and career, revealing the incredible highs and devastating lows.
Baddiewinkle's Guide to Life
By Winkle, Baddie
Instagram's hippest grandma shares her thoughts on living and dressing adventurously in this humorous illustrated guide.Known for her tie-dye tops, shirts with sayings like "Bye Basic," and giant neon drop earrings, eighty-eight-year-old Baddie Winkle is one of the internet's hottest stars. The alter-ego of Helen van Winkle, Baddie began with an adventurous makeover. Putting on her great granddaughter's tie-dye Grateful Dead bears t-shirt, jean shorts, and socks patterned with pink marijuana leaves, Helen posted her first photo of Baddie in April 2014, with the help of her grandkids and great-grandkids. Since then, Baddie's colorful, youthful style, controversial photos, and snaps with celebrities like Miley Cyrus have earned her the devotion of more than two million Instagram fans and transformed her life.
Judy and I
By Luft, Sid
The third of Judy Garland's five husbands, Sid Luft was the one man in her life who stuck around. He was chiefly responsible for the final act of Judy's meteoric comeback after she was unceremoniously booted off the MGM lot: he produced her iconic, Oscar-nominated vehicle A Star Is Born and expertly shaped her concert career. Previously unpublished, Sid Luft's intimate autobiography tells his and Judy's story in hard-boiled yet elegant prose. It begins on a fateful night in New York City when the not quite divorced Judy Garland and the not quite divorced Sid Luft meet at Billy Reed's Little Club and fall for each other. The romance lasted Judy's lifetime, despite the separations, the reconciliations, and the divorce. Under Luft's management, Judy came back bigger than ever, building a singing career that rivaled Sinatra's. However, her drug dependencies and suicidal tendencies put a tremendous strain on the relationship. Sid did not complete his memoir; it ended in 1960 after Judy hired David Begelman and Freddie Fields to manage her career. But Randy L. Schmidt, acclaimed editor of Judy Garland on Judy Garland and author of Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, seamlessly pieced together the final section of the book from extensive interviews with Sid, most previously unpublished. Despite everything, Sid never stopped loving Judy and never forgave himself for not being able to ultimately save her from the demons that drove her to an early death at age forty-seven in 1969. Sid served as chief conservator of the Garland legacy until his death at the age of eighty-nine in 2005. This is his testament to the love of his life.
Are You Anybody
By Tambor, Jeffrey
It's rare that an actor embodies even one memorable character over the arc of a career. Jeffrey Tambor has managed to create three, beginning with Hank "Hey Now!" Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show, the series created by Garry Shandling, Jeffrey's first mentor in television. He went on to find two more show creators, Mitch Hurwitz of Arrested Development and Jill Soloway of Transparent, who shared a love of actors and taught him a lot about acting along the way. Are You Anybody is Tambor's chance to discuss his creative process and immense accomplishments from a life lived onscreen. Drawing from his formative childhood years, in which he describes himself as a fat Hungarian-Jewish kid with a lisp and a depressive father to how he drew inspiration from his life to create these characters, Tambor's memoir is funny, insightful, and uplifting, touching on comedy and the enduring chutzpah required to make it through life.
Then and Now
By Cook, Barbara
One of the greatest American singers and actresses of her generation looks back on a magical and turbulent life spanning a half century of theatrical history from the golden age of the Broadway musical to the present day.A legend of the American theater, Barbara Cook burst upon the scene to become Broadway's leading ingnue in roles such as Cungonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide, Amalia Balash in Jerry Bock's She Loves Me, and her career-defining, Tony-winning role as the original Marian the librarian in Meredith Willson's The Music Man. But in the late 1960s, Barbara's extraordinary talent onstage was threatened by debilitating depression and alcoholism that forced her to step away from the limelight and out of the public life. Emerging from the shadows in the early 1970s, Barbara reinvented herself as the country's leading concert and cabaret artist, performing the songs of Stephen Sondheim and other masters, while establishing a reputation as one of the greatest and most acclaimed interpreters of the American songbook.