**INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE MONTH** **GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE DAY** **FINANCIAL TIMES 'BEST SUMMER BOOKS 2022' PICK** 'Incredibly moving.' - Guardian 'Entertaining.' - Telegraph 'Most books about pop stars focus on the way we turn average human beings into demi-gods. In writing a book about how they have to turn back into humans Nick Duerden has done both us and them a service.' - David Hepworth 'Funny, poignant and often inspirational.' - Mat Osman The desire for adulation is a light that never goes out. We live in a culture obsessed by the notion of fame - the heedless pursuit of it; the almost obligatory subsequent fallout. But what's it like to actually achieve it, and what happens when fame abruptly passes, and shifts, as it does, onto someone else? This is the point at which pop stars are at their most heroic, because they don't give up. They keep on striving, keep making music, and refuse simply to ebb away. Some sustain themselves on the nostalgia circuit, others continue to beaver away in the studio, no longer Abbey Road, perhaps, so much as the garden shed. But all of them, in their own individual ways, still dare to dream. Exit Stage Left features tales of drug addiction, bankruptcy, depression and divorce, but also of optimism, a genuine love of the craft, humility and hope. This is a candid, laugh-out-loud and occasionally shocking look at what happens when the brightest stars fall back down to earth. 'Exit Stage Left is the book I've long wanted to read about the PTSD-like after-effects of pop stardom - and Nick Duerden is the perfect writer for the job. The pop star's bittersweet lot is represented with flair and empathy.' - Pete Paphides, author of Broken Greek 'Exit Stage Left is a funny and poignant book, drawing on Duerden's considerable experience as a journalist and interviewer . . . he understands what motivates this strange bunch of people.' - Andy Miller, Spectator 'Fame is the brightest candle, but in this brilliant collection of interviews, Nick Duerden answers the question: what does a candle do after it's burned out?' - David Quantick 'Duerden finds fascinating layers of humanity, pathos, humour and wisdom in equal measure. A brilliant book, for artists and fans alike.' - Frank Turner Featuring brand new interviews with the likes of: Bob Geldof, Shaun Ryder, Robbie Williams, Roisin Murphy, Stewart Copeland, Billy Bragg, Wendy James, Alex Kapranos, Joan Armatrading, Leo Sayer, Gary Lightbody, Lisa Maffia, Tim Booth, Bill Drummond, Rufus Wainwright, David Gray, and Justin Hawkins.

2019 GLAAD Media Award Winner for Outstanding Comic Book Drama! Comedy! Tragedy! For the renowned Southern playwright called Snagglepuss, these are the ingredients that have made him a star of the New York stage and the glittering world that surrounds it. But the year is 1953, and behind the bright lights, darkness is brewing. Snagglepuss is gay... and his enemies are out to destroy him for it. As Snagglepuss prepares for his next hit play, there's already a target on his back. The Red Scare is in full effect, and the House Un-American Activities Committee is hunting down every last subversive in show business. So far, Snagglepuss has stayed out of their spotlight. One by one, his best friends are being blackballed, from legends like Lillian Hellman and Dorothy Parker to his fellow Southern gentleman Huckleberry Hound. Can Snagglepuss' reputation survive the rampage of the right wing long enough for him to stage his next masterpiece? One thing's for sure: the show must go on! Hot off his surprise-hit reimagining of The Flintstones, writer Mark Russell joins artist Mike Feehan to unleash the fire and fury of his sharp-witted political satire in Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles--a powerful look at what it means to be an American, no matter who or what you are. Collects Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #1-6, plus a Snagglepuss story from Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special #1.

How could one simple school play turn Degrassi Junior High upside down and inside out? Stephanie Kaye, president of the student body, is sure she is going to be the star. Joey Jeremiah, class clown, thinks that if he gets a part in the play, Stephanie will finally notice him. LD has more important things on her mind than the play. No one is prepared for what happens next...and Degrassi Junior High will never be the same again. Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.

In less than a year, Neil Peart lost both his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, and his wife, Jackie. Faced with overwhelming sadness and isolated from the world in his home on the lake, Peart was left without direction. That lack of direction lead him on a 5

Detective Chief Inspector Brock investigates the murder of a well-known actor When the body of Lancelot Foley, a well-known actor, is discovered in an excavation in a fashionable Chelsea street one snowy February morning, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Brock is assigned the case. Is the dead man’s wife, fellow actress Vanessa Drummond, as innocent as she would like the police to believe? As Brock – aided by Detective Sergeant Dave Poole and Kate Ebdon, his Australian-born detective inspector – investigates, the case takes him from London to Paris, and there will be more than one death before the shocking case is solved.

These are all hoop-snake stories. That doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with them ... just that they fit the classification of 'stories that you can believe, or not believe'. It doesn't even mean that they might not be true, but they might not be. In this collection at least, almost all of them are true stories, some may not be believable but do give it a shot to believe! Australians, at least those that live outside the Big Smoke, are the people most likely to tell you a hoop-snake story. You know the type, likeable, happy to buy you a drink. The Where're ya from? kind of person. Quite likely wearing a large but very strangely shaped hat .... Elastic-sided boots. Shorts and no socks, probably not a tee shirt, unless it's a company one. Probably has a couple of mates nearby, to back up his stories ... that is, to corroborate or confirm what he's just told you. So, if you are planning to visit Australia WATCH OUT for this person, probably a bloke. And for hoop-snakes!

How did an innocent birthday wish bring three historical figures into the future, together? Wren Dynamene has it bad. Not only does the former leading actress have debilitating stage fright that keeps her off the stage and in the wardrobe, but she’s secretly crushing on the star—and best friend, Marco. Blowing out her birthday candles, she wishes for love and courage, never expecting three historical figures to time travel to the present with the mission to fix her love life. When chaos ensues, and trouble arises, the show must go on, leaving Wren with the decision–step back into the limelight and risk her friendship for love, or continue to languish backstage? Exit, Stage Left is a heartwarming time travel romance novelette from historical time travel romance author, Erin Krueger. If you enjoy golden retriever heroes, sassy wallflower heroines, fascinating and humorous historical figures, forced proximity, and friends that won't give up, then you'll love this scrumptious production.