BAD DRAWER by Seth Fishman has been selected as a 2024-2025 Arkansas Diamond Primary Award Nominee. The chosen books are aimed at students to “read for their own pleasure and/or inspiration.” Voting will take place in May of 2025. Penguin Workshop published BAD DRAWER on October 25, 2022.

Alex Van Halen’s BROTHERS debuted at #2 on The New York Times Bestseller Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction lists for the week of November 10, 2024. Harper published BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

Robert Hilburn’s A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY was featured on Parade’s “The 15 Best New Book Releases” for the week of October 22-28. They write: “[M]usical talent Randy Newman has Grammys, Oscars and Emmys to his credit, thanks to film scores, songs for TOY STORY and a string of acclaimed albums…Start now with ‘12 Songs’ and ‘Sail Away,’ two of his best, then play the score to THE NATURAL. Then you’ll understand why his prickly, satirical, heartfelt Americana is praised by so many…and he’s long overdue for a serious biography.” Hachette Books published A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY on October 22, 2024.

People Magazine published an exclusive cover reveal for Yrsa Daley-Ward’s debut novel, THE CATCH, which will be the capstone title for Glory Edim’s Well-Read Black Girl series, launching next year. Founded in 2015 as a book club, Well-Read Black Girl promotes and encourages conversation about diverse new voices in books. “Our new literary series is determined to introduce narratives that are innovative and beguilingly genuine," Edim said in a statement to People. "Daley-Ward's writing fits the bill; the voices in her manuscript hovered over my head for days. My co-editor, Gina Iaquinta, and I can't wait for you to experience her powerful characters.” Liveright publishes THE CATCH on June 3, 2025.

Prior to the publication of Robert Hilburn’s A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY, The New York Times ran a Sunday feature about Randy Newman. Bob Mehr writes: “[Newman’s] movie songs are filled with memorable melodies; his own albums with unsavory characters. One of the most astute cultural observers is the subject of a new book…While Hilburn’s book functions as a conventional, often penetrating, biography, it’s ‘also a personal, critical argument on Randy’s behalf,’ Hilburn said in an interview. ‘It’s fine to enjoy ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me,’ but the greatness of Randy Newman, his real legacy, are all the brilliant songs he’s written about the shortcomings of the American character.’” Hachette Books published A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY on October 22, 2024.

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BROTHERS by Alex Van Halen received fantastic writeups from Gary Graff of Billboard and Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone. Graff writes: “Throughout BROTHERS’ 231 pages, Van Halen discloses the tight bond between him and Eddie, personally and musically – and presents the connection between those two as one and the same thing…The passion for music came early and was a constant, of course, and one can read in BROTHERS the kind of mission on Van Halen’s part to offer a more expansive and sophisticated view of his brother’s talents.” Harper published BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

The New York Times published a guest essay by Padma Lakshmi: “As a Cook, Here’s What I see in Kamala Harris.” Lakshmi writes: “I see what everyone else sees on Kamala Harris’s résumé: a history of public service that qualifies her for the presidency. But I would argue that the qualities she shows as a cook might say even more about her success as a leader. What qualities make for a good cook? Which make for a good president? In a lot of cases, they overlap. Cooking well requires organization, attention to detail, patience — and the impulse to bring people together. In a divided country, these qualities can help Ms. Harris be a good, even a great, president…In cooking, Ms. Harris displays the very qualities this country sorely needs — her care and her ability to tell a new kind of story about what it means to be American.” Mariner Books published THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD AND TRAVEL WRITING 2024 on October 22, 2024.

GOD BLESS YOU, OTIS SPUNKMEYER by Joseph Earl Thomas has been longlisted for the 2025 ALA Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It joins 21 other fiction titles that “showcase truly exceptional writing reflective of powerful experiences, histories, and humanity.” The shortlist will be announced November 12, 2024. Grand Central Publishing published the book on June 18, 2024.

Alex Van Halen’s memoir, BROTHERS, was the subject of a fantastic New York Times piece. Richard Bienstock writes: “Why did [Alex] write [BROTHERS]? ‘To add a little more depth to the understanding of what Ed was all about…When you’re in the spotlight, people tend to speak for you. I wanted to remind people that Ed was not a commodity. He was a complex human being.’… BROTHERS is not a story of regret. It’s a tale of understanding, of acceptance, of love. Mostly, of humanness. ‘If you’re going to tell the story, you should give equal space to the good and the bad,’ Alex said. ‘Because the good doesn’t make any sense without having the bad.’” Harper will publish BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.