Flyleaf's Music, Film, TV & Art Picks of 2023
MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios chronicles how superhero movies went from simple entertainment to a full-on cultural phenomenon between the years 2009 and 2023. A smart assessment of the highs and lows of the studio, this is a fascinating read not just for fans of Marvel but for anyone who is interested in studying mass media. --Kat
If you are an absolute movie buff like I am, you need to read Michael Schulman's Oscar Wars. This glittering work chronicles the long, tumultuous, and at times controversial history of the Academy Awards, from the biggest snubs to the standing ovations. This nonfiction epic is so engrossing it will capture your attention like fiction. --Kat
For those of us who are into spacial awareness and the floor plans of television sets—this book should sit on our coffee tables to reference while watching. Detailed in both drawing and background information, this delightful volume fills in the behind-the-scenes gaps. Now someone please show me the Sheffield home floor plan in The Nanny, because that house is a mess! --RC
"In You Are What You Watch, Walter Hickey, Pulitzer Prize-winner and former chief culture writer at acclaimed data site FiveThirtyEight.com, proves how exactly how what we watch (and read and listen to) has a far greater effect on us and the world at large than we imagine."
"Once opened, this book is hard to close. Lushly produced with a mix of screenshots and illustrations, it unwraps the history of Asian cinema in the U.S., punctuated by interviews with important figures. A fun, informative piece of work. Whether you dip into it or read it from cover to cover, this book brings a hidden history to life." --Kirkus Reviews
This book is an absolute must-have compendium for art lovers ranging from studied professionals to fledgling historians. E.H. Gombrich's seminal survey The Story of Art is foundational to art historical studies. Katy Hessel argues that it is a wonderful book but for one flaw: the first edition included zero women artists. The Story of Art Without Men subverts an entire field of study, highlighting its flaws by uplifting underrepresented artists. A masterwork of feminist and art historical criticism to be studied for years to come. --Kat
A fascinating study of a man who could not resist his desire to have priceless works of art for his very own. In this almost unbelievable true crime saga, author Finkel details the great unwinding of the art thief and his world. --Jamie F.
As someone who also spends many of her days reckoning with loving the art and not the artist, Monsters gave me great perspective. Dederer proposes the most effective way to approach the question of "what should we do with the art of monstrous men" isn't to ask what WE should do but rather what I will do. I spent a long time with this book because at times I was jumping for joy in agreement and at others I was in complete disagreement. That is the brilliance of Dederer's approach: criticism and opinion can and have to coexist in a world of monsters. --Kat
"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment." --Anne Lamott
Nic Brown chronicles his transformation from a drummer into a writer, a husband, a father, a teacher, and eventually, a drummer again. Bang Bang Crash is thoughtful, funny, and suffused with both melancholy and joy. --Tony
Britney Spears tells all in this extremely emotional memoir! For a lifelong Britney fan who has seen her through all phases of life, The Woman in Me is truly a must read. From her childhood in Louisiana with her tumultuous family life, her early career performing in malls with "...Baby One More Time," her extremely publicized romantic life, and ultimately her conservatorship, Britney covers everything in her own words. Books don't make me cry very often, but this one really got me! Definitely don't miss this one. --Kat
"Both a herculean work of research and a love letter—to Moore's youth, to underground rock, and to a band that formed in downtown Manhattan in 1981 and went on to change music forever... an exuberantly detailed account... Sonic Life is a big book and it feels like a whole life is poured into it." --Vogue
A great volume of photographs from the height of Beatlemania that makes you feel like you are right there with the Fab Four! Selling the signed volume of this book was the highlight of my entire year as a bookseller! --Kat