Musical theatre fans delight in reading about the famous and not-so-famous disasters in the genre. Mandelbaum covers nearly 200 of these musical flops that opened (and often quickly closed) on Broadway between 1950 and 1990. It is a lively read, well researched, and has plenty of "what were they thinking?" attitude. Not much copy is given to one musical (except the title musical Carrie) but the coverage is comprehensive. A favorite among musical theatre fans, Not Since Carrie was the inspiration for Mark Robinson and myself when we continued Mandelbaum's chronicle with our own Musical Misfires.

This is a gorgeous picture book that depicts living with depression so beautifully. Whilst there is some text it’s the pictures that really do the story telling.

It’s beautiful illustrations manage to get across how dark, all encompassing and lonely it can feel when living with depression but offers a sweet hopeful ending that is a comfort to read. I have always loved this book and it will forever be one of my favourites.

If you are looking for a highly opinionated and passionate account of the Broadway musical and the changes it has undergone over the decades, this book is for you. Grant does not pull his punches and the general tone is one of despair at the decline in the quality of musicals. But the book is well researched and offers many provocative ideas which the die-hard musical fan will find fascinating. It's the kind of work that you want to read after you have a solid knowledge of American musical theatre and you want to have your traditional ideas challenged.

This book is so very weird in the best possible way. It’s also gritty, unglamorous, tender, and impossibly beautiful.

Death isn’t some grand, scary figure, but rather a bit of a hapless rube. And his love interest Molly is doing the best she can under very trying circumstances. Seeing them come together and carve out a life is both heartbreaking and heart-healing. 

I found this book to be a fun, intense read.

Will Jordon spins a story about ex-army ranger Cameron Becker, who, like many in this genre, is more prone to following his instincts than orders. This book came out as the COVID pandemic ended, so I found the concept of a manmade pathogen that could lead to humanity’s extinction quite ironic.

I enjoyed how Will Jordan wove the 1959 incident of Dyatlov Pass into the story, so it became a lynchpin in the drama.

The authors of this book are all people whose collective work over decades has constantly shaped my own understanding of music, part of a movement to argue that music’s greatest potential comes in the ‘doing’ of it, not just the listening to it.

This book asks important questions about what are we – as musicians and artists of all stripes – going to do with our artistry to improve our worlds. There are lots of great examples in the book of how Art making can change our experience, and re-connect us with our common humanity.

We are all artists if we want to be, and together we can use our artistry to build the kind of worlds we actually wish to live in.

I had read this book as a teenager and picked it up again last December. It had been so long since I’d read it that it felt like a brand-new novel. Cooney’s Christmas tale is a heartwarming yet realistic take at how foster children experience the holidays.

Here, we meet a foster child named Katie who believes she will get a family for Christmas when she takes part in a program for disadvantaged children who receive a present from generous strangers.

It is a short yet powerful novel I will now read every Christmas vacation. 

What? A scholarly book about Broadway to kick things off? Absolutely. If you think you know everything about musicals, Jack Viertel (a jack-of-all-trades with a career seeped in working in and around the stage) is here to take you a step deeper. From the evolution of what is “popular” and preferred, to the aspects that make a show into a hit, Viertel leads you through the decades of American musicals for a thorough education that is equal parts analysis and a shared love of the genre. The best part is that he loves Broadway as much as you do! He pulls the curtains aside to probe how this amazing world works, in an entertaining and informative way. 

One of my favorite books on the genre, and indispensable if you’ve moved beyond show scores and behind-the-scenes anecdotes (although he has those too!).

When I was kid, it was a rite of passage to watch the movie version of this musical with my parents on TV during Fourth of July week in the U.S.. I’ve since seen regional theater productions as well.

Yes, the play is fun and funny, but what did not sink in until I’d done my own research into the lives of the signers was how marvelously the words and lyrics lay out the history. When one of the flashy South Carolina delegates sings “Molasses to Rum,” you understand the underlying economics of the slave trade. The songs still hold up and advance the plot, as all great Broadway songs must do.

But if you miss the words in the 1972 film or modern staged versions, the only way to absorb it all is to dip into the official libretto itself.

Moonfleet is a fictional tale of life on the high seas. Starting out as a boy, the main character takes on a life where he constantly grows and learns through his dangerous interactions with smugglers. The book is filled with stories of different adventures and challenges and it will keep you engrossed all the way through. This is one of the best books of its kind that I have read.