Today's Featured Book:

The Occasionally Accurate Annals of Football: The NFL's Greatest Players, Plays, Scandals, and Screw-Ups (Plus Stuff We Totally Made Up)

by Dan Patrick and Joel H. Cohen

BenBella Books

Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The Occasionally Accurate Annals of Football is a love letter to America’s favorite game, full of highlights, history, great plays and players, scandals, Super Bowls, and a series of lies, idiotic theories, baseless conspiracies, a diet that may kill you and, of course, a poorly-written haiku.  The book takes the credibility Dan Patrick has built up over a stellar broadcast career (ESPN, NBC Sports, something called “Peacock”) and risks it all with these falsehoods, half-truths, and even some quarter-truths.

In My TBR Stack:

The Public Relations Handbook

edited by Robert L. Dilenschneider

Matt Holt Books

Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

 

The Public Relations Handbook contains valuable guidance for navigating the 2020s and beyond, answering for public relations professionals questions such as:

• How can they best work with a market research department or firm?
• How can they contribute to the sales department’s efforts to open up new channels of distribution?
• How can they maximize the impact of the ad agency’s new campaign?
• How can they advise the HR operation on the best ways to assure a diverse workforce, thereby avoiding the nightmare of an attack in that regard?
• How will they work with top management in the event of a sex abuse scandal?

The Public Relations Handbook has always been at the forefront of the practice of public relations. The first edition was published in 1967, with updates following in 1979, 1987, and 2010. The 2010 edition reflected advances in the practice of public relations based on the realities of the digital age. This new 5th edition examines and prescribes how to make public relations indispensable in an era facing new challenges in global public health as well as the convergence of new financial, economic, political, and societal issues.

No longer is public relations viewed as a separate and narrow tactic isolated from other activities. Public relations professionals must be prepared to deal with a staggering variety of people, issues, and subjects. Today it is a given that planning and implementing a public relations program must harmonize with overall objectives whether that means selling a product, raising money, or advancing a cause or a candidate.

The Public Relations Handbook assures public relations practitioners that they can navigate this new world effectively, and provides them the tools for doing so.

On My Radar:

The Drudge Revolution: The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media

by Matthew Lysiak

BenBella Books

Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The internet blogger equipped with no more than a high school education has been credited for everything from the impeachment of President Bill Clinton to the death of print news and the election of President Donald Trump. Carl Bernstein went so far as to call Drudge an “influence unequaled” in American politics.

But nearly 20 years after first bursting into the mainstream of American consciousness with his groundbreaking role in the investigation of President Clinton, remarkably little remains known about the man behind the keyboard or the improbable rise that ushered in a new era of media.

In 

Never-before-seen details include:

• Newly uncovered information about Matt’s early life, including exclusive interviews with his friends.
• Exclusive interviews with Joseph Curl, longtime friend and editor of the Drudge Report, who breaks his silence for the first time. 
• Revealing details about Drudge’s relationship with Andrew Breitbart, the creation of Breitbart.com, and a “pay-to-play” scheme employed by both the Drudge Report and Breitbart.
• Emails from Matt to the Trump campaign, showing his close working hand in helping win the campaign of 2016, his role as advisor to the president, his relationship with Jared Kushner, and his role ousting Steve Bannon.
• Personal information about how much longer Matt will continue at the helm of the world’s most powerful web aggregator. 

Based on extensive research nearly 200 personal interviews, 

In My TBR Stack:

The Golden Sequence: A Manual for Reclaiming Our Humanity
by Jonni Pollard
BenBella Books
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

We are a generation trying to make sense of the world and find purpose. At the same time, we are constantly battling an age that drowns us with information, in a society that has become conditioned to mistrust and cynicism. Despite this, our hearts still yearn to connect more deeply and feel like we belong to a world that is compassionate and loving.

Within each of us is an untapped power to create the change we desire in our lives. This change benefits not only the individual but the community as whole, allowing us all to break through toxic beliefs and conditioning.

The key to unlocking our true selves starts by accepting the responsibility of this power and using it to look within.

The Golden Sequence is a response to the greatest need of our time – reclaiming the power of our humanity. Through his genuine, essential lessons, expert meditation teacher Jonni Pollard presents a powerful case that the current global crisis is rooted in our disconnection from our true purpose and responsibility to belong.

A global leader in the field of mindfulness, Jonni's programs have helped more than 100,000 thousand people, across the world, learn how to meditate. Most self-help books trap readers in isolated victimhood, focusing on the person they ought to be rather than seeing the power already present inside. The Golden Sequence shows you how to help yourself by helping the world, by creating authentic, loving connections with everyone and everything around you.

The Golden Sequence will teach you to stop feeling dissatisfied, stop feeling helpless, and stop feeling alone.

Based on ancient Vedic teachings, re-envisioned for a 21st Century mindset, the book provides a practical blueprint to owning one's purpose and power. Rediscover our human nature, learn how to reclaim it as your greatest power, and start to love yourself by seeing the difference you can make in the world.

On My Radar:

The King of Con: How a Smooth-Talking Jersey Boy Made and Lost Billions, Baffled the FBI, Eluded the Mob, and Lived to Tell the Crooked Tale
by Thomas Giacomaro and Natasha Stoynoff
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

As a teenager, Tom Giacomaro began working in the mob-laden New Jersey trucking industry. A charming, brash-talking salesman with a genius-level IQ, he climbed the ranks and let his lust for money and relationships with New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago crime families send him spiraling into a world of drugs and violence. Forced to go on the lam in South Africa and Europe, he returned a year later with millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds stuffed in his underwear. And that’s only the beginning.

In The King of Con, Tom details how he hashes out a deal with the FBI, agreeing to become a special crime informant in an effort to avoid jail time—only he somehow manages not to rat anyone out and, incredibly, continues his high-finance, white-collar scheming, luring celebrities and other high-profile contacts to invest multimillions in his new business ventures. When it all inevitably comes crashing down, Tom is thrown in prison for over a decade, yet, even behind bars, he’s able to get what he wants from anyone: the warden, the doctors, the guards, his fellow inmates . . . and he eventually finds a way to get released early.

Cowritten by journalist Natasha Stoynoff, The King of Con is the true story about a streetwise Jersey boy who talked and scammed his way to the top and became richer and more successful than his wildest dreams. It offers an unforgettable look into the life of a man who became hooked on living life to thrilling and dangerous excess, rubbing elbows with celebrities and crime bosses, until he was humbled by the FBI, by the US Attorney, and by life itself.

Now, Tom is back in his old New Jersey neighborhood. His old business cronies and mob contacts are calling, his palms are itching to make billions again, and the US Attorney’s office is watching. Will he stay on the straight and narrow, or will he steal back his crown of crime as the King of Con?

In My TBR Stack:

In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators
by Jeffrey L. Rinek and Marilee Strong
BenBella Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

FBI Special Agent Jeff Rinek had a gift for getting confessions from criminals—bank robbers, serial killers, terrorists, and those he dedicated most of his 30-year career with the Bureau to hunting down: child predators. 

Rinek worked hundreds of investigations involving crimes against children: from stranger abduction to serial homicide to ritualized sexual abuse. There is no more important—or more brutal—job in law enforcement, and few have been more successful than Rinek at solving these sort of cases.

One of the most surprising confessions he managed to obtain was from a budding serial killer named Cary Stayner to four horrific slayings known as the Yosemite Park Murders, an accomplishment made more extraordinary by the fact that the FBI nearly pinned the crimes on the wrong suspects. Rinek’s recounting of that confession and what he learned about Stayner provides perhaps the most revelatory look ever inside the psyche of a serial killer and a privileged glimpse into the art of interrogation.

In the Name of the Children takes readers into the trenches of real-time investigations where every second counts and any wrong decision or overlooked fact can have tragic repercussions. Rinek offers an insider’s perspective of the actual case agents and street detectives who are the boots on the ground in this war at home. By placing us inside the heart and mind of an unflinchingly honest and remarkably self-reflective investigator, we will see with our own eyes what it takes—and what it costs—to try to keep our children safe and to bring to justice those who prey on them.

In My TBR Stack:

Greatest Love: Unblock Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day with the Power of Unconditional Love
by Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha with Master Maya Mackie and Master Francisco Quintero
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The greatest love is love that truly lasts and has no conditions. It is the love of a mother for her child. It is the love we read about in poems. It is the love we long to have.

We all have challenges that keep us from experiencing this greatest love. These challenges may present themselves in your health, relationships, or finances. With this book, learn how to unblock your life in 30 minutes a day with the power of unconditional love, the greatest love, which surpasses the human and enters the love of all creation.

Practice the simple, joyful exercises within this book, and receive powerful blessings from Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, a world-renowned healer, humanitarian, spiritual master, and 11 time New York Times bestselling author, and Master Maya Mackie, who also embodies the purest love and compassion.

The power of greatest love can melt all blockages and harmonize all separation and all that is not love. Carry this treasure with you to apply its wisdom anywhere, anytime, to enrich and bless your health, relationships, finances, intelligence, and every aspect of life.

Currently Reading:

The Blood of Patriots: How I Took Down an Anti-Government Militia with Beer, Bounty Hunting, and Badassery
by Bill Fulton and Jeanne Devon
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

When Bill Fulton arrived in Alaska, he was filled with optimism and big dreams. When he left, it was under FBI escort.

Bill was an Army Infantryman, and when his knees, back, and ankles gave out, he opened the Drop Zone, a military surplus supply store in Anchorage. He started hiring fellow vets: sharpshooting hippies, crew-cutted fundamentalists, PTSD sufferers—all seeking purpose and direction.

And Alaska gave it to them. The Last Frontier is vast—the perfect refuge for fugitives; the perfect place for vets seeking a mission. More than 400 fugitives would meet Bill and company on the wrong side of a gun, and he would learn many lessons along the way—like even tiptoeing through snow can get you shot and removing a gun from the butt crack of a 300-pound man is not as easy as it sounds.

Bill was just enjoying the ride until one day the FBI asked him to go undercover, and his road forked. Schaeffer Cox was a private militia commander building an arsenal and plotting to kill judges and law enforcement officers. Bill’s mission would be tohelp take Cox and his militia down, without a shot being fired.

The Blood of Patriots traverses a wide swath of rugged territory. Raucously funny and stark, it depicts men who were once brothers in arms serving their country—often on opposite sides—in a deadly test of the intricacies of liberty, the proper role of government, and the true meaning of patriotism. It offers a witty and unsettling look at political rhetoric gone awry, all set in the beautiful, terrifying landscape of our 49th state.

In My TBR Stack:

The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club that Revolutionized Stand-Up
by Budd Friedman with Tripp Whetsell
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Ever hear the one about the aspiring Broadway producer who rented out a recently defunct Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of New York’s theater district and accidentally changed the course of American comedy? It’s no joke—his name is Budd Friedman, and his legendary club helped reshape the stand-up comedy landscape that is still a staple of entertainment today. The Improv is the first-ever an oral history of the most important comedy club in America, emceed by Budd Friedman himself, and featuring in-depth interviews with some of the most important names in comedy—including Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Bill Maher, Richard Lewis, Robert Klein, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Judd Apatow, Al Franken, Paul Reiser, Howie Mandel, Bob Saget, Dick Cavett, Paul Provenza, Drew Carey and many more—telling it like it is about how this game-changing entertainment institution came to be. 

On My Radar:

Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City, Was Extorted Out of Millions by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Informants in FBI History
by Michael D. Blutrich
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City, Was Extorted out of Millions by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Mafia Informants in FBI History is the fascinating account of a man in the Witness Protection Program, his experiences as a gay man operating a successful New York City gentleman’s club before becoming an unlikely FBI informant, and how it all went wrong.

In his own self-deprecating voice, Blutrich tells all: From recording armed gangsters in the act of committing felonies and repeatedly evading discovery through amazing stealth to enduring a psychotic break from the imposed pressures and losing everything in the name of earning redemption.

On My Radar:

This Too Shall Suck: The Story of One Man's Transformation from a Complete Loser into Not Quite as Much of a Loser
by Matt Graham
BenBella Books
Trade Paperback

From the book publicity:

Greetings. My name’s Matt Graham. I am, pound for pound, inch for inch (in all three dimensions), IQ point for IQ point, the biggest Loser I personally know. (Made it to the finals in the World Scrabble Championships…lost. Landed a writing gig with Saturday Night Live…only got one joke on the show before being canned, and the revolving door literally hit me on the ass on the way out. Joined OKCupid and received no responses after sending out more than 120 messages. You get the picture.)

So starts the story of a self-proclaimed chronic failure with uncanny expertise on life’s tendency to suck. This part tell-all, part confessional details all the ramblings, ravings, and score-settlings of a comedian who is too verbose for Twitter.

Follow him from his childhood in the Midwest where we meet his mother, a woman with a penchant for spilling family secrets to the town drunk, and his father, a man so cheap he justifies swiping tips off tables, all the way to New York City where the ups and down of his life have given him permanent whiplash.

Along the way, you’ll also get Matt’s insider scoop on what it was like to come up in the comedy scene in New York with people like Louis C.K., David Cross, and Marc Maron as well as a look into what it’s like to be a broke comic in the city (here’s a hint: sometimes you have to eat pancake batter for dinner).This Too Shall Suck—also a critically acclaimed New York International Fringe Festival show that ran for two solid years (OFF Broadway, naturally)—is Matt’s unflinchingly honest look at his own shortcomings that will have you rolling with laughter at times and moved to tears at others, and probably leave you feeling much better about your own life.

In My TBR Stack:

Literary Cash: Unauthorized Writings Inspired by the Legendary Johnny Cash
Edited by Bob Batchelor
BenBella Books
Trade Paperback

Fro the publisher's website:

The legendary lyrics of Johnny Cash are the inspiration for this collection of extraordinarily creative works that provides a new spin on this musical legend. For nearly five decades, Cash captivated audiences with his unique voice and candid portrayal of the gritty life of a working man, and his songs continue to strike a chord with listeners today. But it is the stories behind the music that remain with audiences and provide the inspiration for the work in this thoughtful compilation of fiction and non-fiction from contributors such as Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Don Cusic, Amanda Nowlin, Gretchen Moran Laskas and Russell Rowland.

In My TBR Stack:

Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir
by Joe Satriani and Jake Brown
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

"Joe has refined his own style of playing to a point where he’s forever up there in the stratosphere of excellence that is reached by very few musicians."
—Brian May

"Every time Joe puts his fingers on a guitar, what comes out sounds like inspired music, even if it’s just a finger exercise. He created and branded a niche with his own voice and in so doing he wielded an entire genre."
—Steve Vai

***

Go behind the scenes with the musician The New York Times called “a guitar God!”

Oft-hailed as the Jimi Hendrix of his generation, living guitar legend Joe Satriani has long-transcended stylistic boundaries with a sound that raises the bar like a new horizon for the broader genre of instrumental guitar rock. Joe’s 6-string secrets have astounded listeners around the world for nearly 30 years.

In Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir, Joe and co-author, music biographer Jake Brown, take fans on their first authorized tour of the story behind his climb to stardom and the creative odyssey involved in writing and recording of a storied catalog of classics including “Surfing with the Alien,” “Summer Song,” “Satch Boogie,” “Always With Me, Always With You,” “The Extremist,” “Flying in a Blue Dream,” “Crowd Chant,” and more!

Featuring previously unpublished photos and hours of exclusive, first-hand interviews with Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music offers a unique look inside the studio with Joe, giving fans a chance to get up-close and personal like never before. With insider details about his collaboration with multi-platinum supergroup Chickenfoot, exclusive interviews with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, first-hand commentary from fellow guitar legends such as Steve Vai, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Primus’s Larry LaLonde, and legendary music producers including Glynn Johns and the late Andy Johns, this memoir offers a rare inside look for die-hard Satriani fans, guitar enthusiasts, and anyone who loves to rock.

On My Radar:

The Set-Up: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV
by Pete Crooks
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The pitch went like this: Chris Butler, a retired cop, ran a private investigator firm in Concord, California. His business had a fascinating angle—his firm was staffed entirely by soccer moms.

In fact, Butler employed PI Super Moms: attractive, organized, smart, and trained in investigative techniques, self-defense, and weaponry. This American Life host Ira Glass described them as “MILF: Charlie’s Angels.”

When this story came across Pete Crooks’s desk when he was working at Diablo magazine in 2010, he was instantly hooked. He’d heard a little bit about Butler and his super moms in the news; they’d been featured in People magazine and on Dr. Phil. What Butler’s publicist was offering was too tantalizing to pass up: an opportunity to ride along with Butler and a few of his sexy PIs as they prepared to start filming a reality TV show.

But after the ride-along—and after he started receiving mysterious emails from one of Butler’s employees—Crooks started to realize something didn’t seem right. After doing a little digging, he discovered the “sting” he’d seen only had one real victim…him. The PI bust had been a setup.

Crooks wasn’t a hardboiled crime reporter. He did lifestyle pieces a regional magazine. The more he learned about Butler’s operation, the more he realized he was in far over his head. But swallowing his fears, he decided he was going to write an expose on Butler and his entire organization. He soon found himself deep in the underbelly of fake sting operations, wannabe celebrities, police corruption, drug-dealing, reality television, double-crossing employees, and more twists and turns than a dozen crime thrillers.

On My Radar:

Screw the Valley: A Coast-to-Coast Tour of America's New Tech Startup Culture
by Timothy Sprinkle
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Long considered the ideal environment for tech startup companies, Silicon Valley has recently become a victim of its own success, an expensive, crowded, hypercompetitive place that no longer works for all entrepreneurs.

In Screw the Valley, author Tim Sprinkle takes readers on a cross-country road trip, hitting many of the new tech hotspots: Austin, Texas; the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; New York City, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Boulder, Colorado; and Kansas City, Missouri.

In a tour of these seven new technology cities, Sprinkle encourages entrepreneurs to think outside the Silicon Valley box and explore the modern startup culture that’s springing up all over the country. With an up-close look at the major players in each city, how the local culture is conducive to the burgeoning tech industry, and what each city is bringing to the table in new innovations and inventions.

In My TBR Stack:

The OPA! Way: Finding Joy & Meaning in Everyday Life & Work
by Alex Pattakos and Elaine Dundon
BenBella Books
Hardcover

A perfect New Year's Resolution kind of book, if you ask me….

From the publisher's website:

How can we live more meaningful lives?

In chasing the good life, many of us sacrifice our relationships, our health, and our sanity, and at the end of the day still find ourselves with lives and work that bring us little fulfillment or meaning. The pursuit of happiness doesn’t fill this void, and it doesn’t help us deal with the challenges and chaos that are inevitable in everyday life. We need to learn how to embrace all of life—the ups and the downs, the joys and sorrows, the good times as well as times of transition and upheaval.

Inspired by ancient Greek philosophy and traditional Greek village life, and backed by years of research, The OPA! Way offers a breakthrough, practical approach to discovering and reconnecting with the true meaning of our lives and work. Bestselling authors Alex Pattakos and Elaine Dundon, founders of The OPA! Way® and The Meaning Group, share insights, stories, and three core lessons to guide you on your odyssey to meaning:

• Connect meaningfully with Others
• Engage with deeper Purpose
• Embrace life with Attitude

Create the meaningful life you want by living and working The OPA! Way. OPA!

In My TBR Stack:

Jumping Into the Parade: The Leap of Faith that Made My Broken Life Worth Living
by Tim Brown
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

On the outside, it looked like Tim Brown was living the ideal life. He had risen from his hardscrabble beginnings in South Florida to a position of status and wealth in the Denver business community. He had married into an extremely prominent and well-recognized family and had built several thriving businesses. But on the inside, it was another story altogether. The ghosts of his past haunted him, relentlessly hounding him about his value as a father, friend, and business leader. His life was deceptive and spinning out of control, and it led to the darkest night of his life.

From that darkness, Tim found the strength to reshape his entire life. His faith gave him the courage to “jump in the parade,” a phrase his father-in-law coined to mean truly living, taking chances and being who you really want to be—not who others expect you to be. With a renewed commitment to discovering, owning, and living his values, Tim began the process of deconstructing and then reconstructing his life.

Jumping in the Parade proves you don’t have to remain a prisoner of your past or a victim of your present. This heartfelt and humbling story shows how anyone can find the strength to jump in the parade and live a life truly worth living if they are willing to take a hard look at living into alignment with their values.

In My TBR Stack:

What Do You Want to Create Today? - Build the Life You Want at Work
by Dr. Bob Tobin
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Dr. Bob Tobin lived what looked like a great life in Southern California: he had a house by the beach, a good consulting practice, and a BMW. But he wasn’t truly happy. Work didn’t really work for him.

After a trip, losing a job, and a major change in perspective, Bob relocated to Japan, where his career path changed in ways he had never predicted and he finally found personal satisfaction, success and happiness.

But how did he do it? And how can you do it?

Many of us feel a dissatisfaction with our lives, but lack the ability or mindset to make happiness a priority. It’s time to forget everything you think you know about how to succeed, and stop trying to fit the mold. Traditional models of “success” don’t work—not in a way that is right for you. Start learning more about yourself and your passions—and start realizing your creative and professional dreams in your life—today.

What Do You Want to Create Today?: A Guide For Having a Great Life at Work shows you how to develop your career in a way that uniquely suits you.

Tobin has spent 25 years inspiring hundreds of executives and thousands of students to create the kind of lives they want at work using the strategies outlined in this book. His pioneering approach comes from his years as an American professor and consultant in Asia, and his experience running a contemporary art gallery in Tokyo.

Offering a mix of inspiring advice, practical suggestions, questions for reflection, and uplifting stories, What Do You Want to Create Today? will become an essential guide in finding happiness and fulfillment via your work.

• You’ll gain a new perspective as you learn:
• Why focusing on objectives is holding you back
• How to “read the air” and act on what people don’t say
• How to develop courage and confidence
• How best to handle difficult coworkers

It’s time to embrace your dreams, surround yourself with positive people, summon your courage, have fun working, and never stop learning.

In My TBR Stack:

Nashville Songwriter: The Inside Stories Behind Country Music's Greatest Hits
Jake Brown
BenBella Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

Fans of American country music love the personal, relatable stories artists share through their songs. For a country music enthusiast, singing along with a favorite track is more than just jamming to a catchy tune – it’s a way of connecting with the singer’s journey.

Nashville Songwriter gives readers the first completely authorized collection of the true stories that inspired hits by the biggest multi-platinum country superstars of the last half-century – recounted by the songwriters themselves. Award-winning music biographer Jake Brown gives readers an unprecedented, intimate glimpse inside the world of country music songwriting.

Featuring exclusive commentary from country superstars and chapter-length interviews with today’s biggest hit-writers on Music Row, this book chronicles the stories behind smash hits such as:

• Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind”
• Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Southern Voice,” and “Real Good Man”
• George Jones’s “Tennessee Whiskey”
• Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel,” and “Cowboy Cassanova”
• Brooks & Dunn’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Bout You”
• Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned the Night” and “Just a Kiss”
• Brad Paisley’s “Mud on the Tires,” “We Danced,” and “I’m Still a Guy”
• Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” and “That’s My Kind of Night”
• The Oak Ridge Boys’ “American Made”
• George Strait’s “Fool Hearted Memory,” “Ocean Front Property,” and “The Best Day,”
• Rascal Flatts’s “Fast Cars and Freedom,” “Why Wait,” and “Take Me There”
• Kenny Chesney’s “Living in Fast Forward” and “When the Sun Goes Down”
• Ricochet’s “Daddy’s Money”
• Montgomery Gentry’s “If You Ever Stop Lovin’ Me”
• The Crickets’ “I Fought the Law”
• Tom T. Hall's “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and “A Week in the County Jail”
• Trace Adkins’s "You’re Gonna Miss This”
• David Lee Murphy’s “Dust on the Bottle”
• Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” and “Fly Over States”

And many more top country hits over the past 40 years! American 

On My Radar:

Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally
Bob Zmuda & Lynne Margulies
BenBella Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

For the first time ever, the two people who knew Andy Kaufman best open up about the most enigmatic artist of our generation.

Comedian and Taxi star Andy Kaufman, known for his crazy antics on screen and off, was the ultimate prankster, delighting audiences with his Elvis and Mighty Mouse impressions while also antagonizing them with his wrestling and lounge lizard alter ego, Tony Clifton. In 1984, some say he died while others believe he performed the ultimate vanishing act.

At last, in Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally, Bob Zmuda, Andy’s writer and best friend, and Lynn Margulies, the love of Andy’s life, reveal all, including surprising secrets that Andy made Lynne and Bob promise never to tell until both of his parents had died.

Hilarious and poignant, this book separates fact from fiction, and includes a candid inside take on the Milos Forman film Man on the Moon, which starred Jim Carrey as Andy, Paul Giamatti as Zmuda, Courtney Love as Margulies and Danny DeVito as Andy’s manager, George Shapiro. Zmuda and Margulies reveal what was truthful and what wasn’t and share their behind-the-scenes Kaufmanesque antics they concocted with actor Jim Carrey keeping him in character, at times, much to the chagrin of studio chiefs. Andy Kaufman also exposes intrigues of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Finally, Bob Zmuda shares—in detail—the reasons he believes Andy Kaufman did, in fact, fake his own death, including exactly how he did it and why Andy will return.