12 Books You Should Be Adding To Your Fall 2018 Reading List

With the Summer of 2018 almost behind us, the weather is getting colder and more time is bound to be spent indoors. In turn, many readers of The Hype Magazine will have more time for reading. In turn, here are 12 recent and/or upcoming titles which are recommended for your reading pleasure.

Refinery29 Money Diaries: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Your Finances…And Everyone Else’s by Lindsey Stanberry

In the Money Diaries series of Refinery29, women candidly share how they spend their money over specific 7-day periods, allowing millions of readers to see the specifics diarists don’t even dare to share with loved ones. Refinery29 Money Diaries: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Your Finances…And Everyone Else’s is a continuation of that concept, where author Lindsey Stanberry presents 10 brand-new diaries as the catalyst for hundreds of pages of accessible and actionable financial advice. Even if you are not a woman — like yours truly — almost everything in this book will be applicable if your ideal end-game is to be financially-stable and responsible.

Pink Floyd: Album By Album by Martin Popoff

Martin Popoff is a prolific author who specialized in comprehensive biographies of classic rock artists. Recently he has found in a niche with his Album By Album series, which takes an in-depth look at band discographies. As the title of this one would suggest, Popoff dives deep into the history of Pink Floyd with this title and definitely has a lot of insight to offer even diehard fans of the British group. In addition to the great written words, Popoff’s titles always have interesting, colorful layouts full of band-related art you may not have seen before, and Pink Floyd: Album By Album is no different on that end.

Matters Of Vital Interest: A Forty-Year Friendship With Leonard Cohen by Eric Lerner

Simply put, Matters Of Vital Interest is a memoir of author Eric Lerner’s decades-long friendship and spiritual journey with the late singer, songwriter, novelist and poet Leonard Cohen. Lerner, a screenwriter and novelist, first met Cohen at a Zen retreat around 40 years ago. Cohen was known to be one of the most reclusive artists of all time, so this is a very rare in-depth look into what Cohen was really like to be around. Lerner manages to be insightful and unbiased within the pages of Matters Of Vital Interest, making this a very worthwhile read for fans of Leonard Cohen.

PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed A Generation Of Young Women And How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein

Linda Kay Klein grew up within the Evangelical Christian Church movement, and in turn, she was taught to be submissive, repress her sexuality, and avoid becoming a “stumbling block” for men. Fortunately, Klein would eventually begin to rethink her approach to her faith, which led to a change in her philosophies and overall philosophy. PURE is a look into Klein’s journey, and rightfully comes across as a call to action for women to rethink their path if things just don’t seem right. This makes for some heavy reading, yet Klein also manages to give you hope, showing how healing is possible for people who are living with the oods stacked against them.

Burning Down The Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, And The Fall Of The Berlin Wall by Tim Mohr

Burning Down The House: Punk Rock, Revolution, And The Fall Of The Berlin Wall is the first book written by writer and award-winning German-language translator Tim Mohr. Previously a collaborator on memoirs by musicians Gil Scott-Heron, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, and Paul Stanley of KISS, Mohr is no stranger to books about chaos or edgy music. Mohr takes readers on a fascinating trip through the 1980s, focusing on East German teenagers that embraced the punk lifestyle and ultimately would play a role in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mohr is a great storyteller and manages to make history read like you are there directly witnessing it.

The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, The MC5, And My Life Of Impossibilities by Wayne Kramer

Speaking of punk rock, Wayne Kramer was a member of a band which many people considering the first punk rock band, the MC5. Kramer has reinvented himself as a composer and solo artist in the years since — almost keeping the MC5 legacy alive — but along the way has experienced countless struggles and obstacles. The Hard Stuff goes into depth about his “life of impossibilities,” and in reading this book, it quickly becomes apparent why Kramer has been influential to countless major artists including Henry Rollins, Tom Morello and Jeff Buckley.

Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom

As the story goes, as Mary Rowbottom was dying from cancer, she urged her daughter Allie to write their family’s story. That story includes the enormous Jell-O fortune that they inherited — in 1899, Allie Rowbottom’s great-great-great uncle bought the patent for Jell-O for $450 — the alcoholism and disease that stalked them, and the small-town values and sexism that suffocated them. Altogether, this is a riveting look at the dark side of one of America’s most iconic companies.

Wasted Days And Wasted Nights: A Meteoric Rise To Stardom by Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender

The late Baldemar Huerta — also known as Freddy Fender — was often referred as “the King of Tex-Mex,” thanks to hit songs like “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights,” “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” “Vaya Con Dios,” and “Since I Met You Baby.” Wasted Days And Wasted Nights: A Meteoric Rise To Stardom was written by Fender’s daughter Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender about her father, unveiling a story that had previously never been told in a book. Simply put, Freddy Fender encountered the highest of highs and the lowest of lows within his career, and author Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender manages to capture that along with the redemption the singer experienced at the end of his life.

Swans: Sacrifice And Transcendence by Nick Soulsby

Notably signed to a major label record deal by Michael Alago — the same A&R executive that had signed Metallica to Elektra Records — big things were expected when Swans went to the majors. Swans, as led by Michael Gira, remains a cult favorite these days, having regrouped in 2010. To compile Swans: Sacrifice And Transcendence, author Nick Soulsby conducted over 120 interviews, so this book definitely has a lot to teach even the most devoted fans of Swans and Gira.

Let’s Talk About Death Over Dinner by Michael Hebb

While the majority of people are happy to discuss birth, death is a taboo topic to the average person. In Let’s Talk About Death Over Dinner, author Michael Hebb aims to make death less taboo in all ways possible. The book ultimately offers practical advice on how to have conversations related to death, no matter the setting, yet manages to be amusing at times. This is a recommended read, to say the least.

INFLUENZA: The Hundred Year Hunt To Cure The Deadliest Disease In History by Dr. Jeremy Brown

If you were to ask a regular person about the most deadly disease of the last 100 years, they may start talking about cancer or AIDS. The reality is that influenza was not only part of a devastating pandemic in 1918, but it still kills over 30,000 people within the United States each year. Dr.Jeremy Brown of the Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health talks about all things influenza within the book, not only giving you the history of the disease, but a look at its possible future.

Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest by K.K Downing

As a co-founder of the legendary band Judas Priest — formed almost 50 years ago in 1969 — K.K. Downing played an instrumental role in creating many rock anthems, including “Breaking The Law,” “Living After Midnight,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.” Downing left Judas Priest in 2011, and has remained relatively quiet in the years since. Heavy Duty: Days & Nights In Judas Priest is Downing’s memoir and a rare look into life behind the scenes with his former band; it is the first memoir released by a prominent member of Judas Priest, past or present. Downing gives a lot of insight into his past, yet he generally takes the high road, coming across as a true gentleman.

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Tags: books, Fall 2018, Freddy Fender, Judas Priest, Leonard Cohen, Linda Kay Klein, Refinery29, Wayne Kramer

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."