100 Best Film Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

Cover unavailable

1

Hitchcock. Edition définitive

François Truffaut

5.0

En 1955, François Truffaut rencontre Alfred Hitchcock pour les Cahiers du cinéma. En 1962, Jules et Jim vient consacrer son talent de cinéaste et il prépare La peau douce (1964), de son aveu même le plus hitchcockien de ses films. Aux États-Unis, Hitchcock, avec Frenzy (1962), est au faîte de sa créativité et de son succès. Mais les critiques restent réticents.
Naît alors l'idée du «Hitchbook» : un

Recommended by Darren Aronofsky and Mat Whitecross.

Darren Aronofsky

This book is an amazing guide to Hitchcock’s thought process…Truffaut got Hitchcock to reveal a lot of the different techniques that he used to put together his monumental body of work. [source]

Mat Whitecross

One of the best books on film ever written. [source]

Cover unavailable

2

In the Blink of an Eye

Walter Murch

4.9

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought-provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question - Why do cuts work? - Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and disco

Recommended by Austin Kleon.

Austin Kleon

A short, brilliant book about film editing that has quite a few lessons for writers, too. (It would make an excellent companion to Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies.) I first read about Murch in Lawrence Weschler’s book about his adventures in astrophysics, Waves Passing In The Night, which I picked randomly off my local library’s New Arrivals shelf. [source]

3

Making Movies

Sidney Lumet

4.9

From one of America's most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on 40 years of experience on movies ranging from Long Day's Journey Into Night to The Verdict, Lumet explains the painstaking labor that results in two hours of screen magic.

Recommended by Darren Aronofsky.

Darren Aronofsky

It’s an incredibly clear, honest, and precise discussion of the films Lumet made over the course of his career. There are many pearls of wisdom about directing and filmmaking in the book. [source]

4

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Peter Biskind

4.8

This down-and-dirty romp through Hollywood in the 1970s introduces the young filmmakers--Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, Spielberg, Altman, and Beatty--and recreates an era that transformed American culture forever.

Recommended by B.J. Novak and Darren Aronofsky.

B.J. Novak

Highly recommend it. … About filmmaking in the glory days of the '70s. [source]

Darren Aronofsky

This is an incredibly delicious read—just a great, great account of that era from Easy Rider (’69) through the mid-’70s. It’s the story of all those great filmmakers—my icons—Scorsese, Coppola, Friedkin, and Bogdanovich. They changed the way movies were made in America. It recounts their adventures in making movies. [source]

5

Sculpting in Time

Andrey Tarkovsky, Kitty Hunter-Blair

4.8

An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Andrey Tarkovsky, the genius of modern Russian cinema--hailed by Ingmar Bergman as "the most important director of our time"--died an exile in Paris in December 1986. In Sculpting in Time, he has left his artistic testament, a remarkable revelation of both his life and work. Since Ivan's Childhood won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1962,

Cover unavailable

6

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made

Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell

4.7

New York Times bestseller—now a major motion picture directed by and starring James Franco!

From the actor who somehow lived through it all, a “sharply detailed…funny book about a cinematic comedy of errors” (The New York Times): the making of the cult film phenomenon The Room.

In 2003, an independent film called The Room—starring and written, produced, and directed by a mysteriously wealthy social

Recommended by Austin Kleon.

Austin Kleon

I’ve been watching The Room for years, and I first read Bissell on the subject in Magic Hours. This was a total behind-the-scenes trip, and it is no surprise to me that the movie based on it has gotten great reviews. (I still haven’t seen it.) [source]

7

Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Robert McKee

4.7

Preview Summary

Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series

Recommended by Bill Liao.

Bill Liao

The human world occurs in language so best get good at it! [source]

8

Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

Blake Snyder

4.6

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!

Recommended by Eric Weinstein, Vinod Khosla, Vinod Khosla, and 2 others.

Eric Weinstein

Managing Director/Thiel Capital

Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter. [source]

Bill Liao

The human world occurs in language so best get good at it! [source]

Neville Medhora

It takes you through 11 different 'archetypes' of screenplays you can write, and the exact elements each needs to be a great story. [source]

9

Adventures in the Screen Trade

William Goldman

4.6

Now available as an ebook for the first time!

No one knows the writer's Hollywood more intimately than William Goldman. Two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter and the bestselling author of Marathon Man, Tinsel, Boys and Girls Together, and other novels, Goldman now takes you into Hollywood's inner sanctums...on and behind the scenes for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's

Recommended by Timothy Ferriss.

Cover unavailable

10

On Directing Film

David Mamet

4.6

According to David Mamet, a film director must, above all things, think visually. Most of this instructive and funny book is written in dialogue form and based on film classes Mamet taught at Columbia University. He encourages his students to tell their stories not with words, but through the juxtaposition of uninflected images. The best films, Mamet argues, are composed of simple shots. The great

11

Notes on the Cinematograph

Robert Bresson

4.6

A key influence on the French New Wave and the director of such iconic works as Pickpocket and A Man Escaped, Robert Bresson is one of the central figures of French cinema. Notes on the Cinematograph is not only his definitive treatise on film—its inherent peculiarity and potential—but an ascetic meditation on how art transcends, and is transformed by, the senses.

Bresson upends inherited truths

Cover unavailable

12

Rebel Without a Crew: Or, How a 23-year-old Film Maker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

Robert Rodriguez

4.6

The film-maker Robert Rodriguez describes how he made El Mariachi for $7000, demonstrating many ways in which a film-maker can do for nothing what professionals spend thousands of dollars doing without a second thought.

Recommended by Mat Whitecross.

Mat Whitecross

Yes, I remember growing up and really wanting to be a film-maker. I didn’t understand how films were made. There wasn’t a huge amount of information at the time. It seemed like an impossible dream to go off and become a director – there was no sure-fire route. There still isn’t. I remember going to the careers adviser at school and saying I want to be a director and he pretty much laughed at me and said, ‘Well you can’t!’ [source]

Cover unavailable

13

Film Art: An Introduction

David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson

4.6

Film Art is often assigned to college students taking their first film class. Authors David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson do not follow the traditional method of teaching film art through a close analysis of individual films. Instead, they provide an overview of the major issues students confront when they watch movies. In clear, straightforward prose, the authors describe and dissect the complexi

Cover unavailable

14

The Great Movies

Roger Ebert

4.5

America’s most trusted and best-known film critic Roger Ebert presents one hundred brilliant essays on some of the best movies ever made.

For the past five years Roger Ebert, the famed film writer and critic, has been writing biweekly essays for a feature called "The Great Movies," in which he offers a fresh and fervent appreciation of a great film. The Great Movies collects one hundred of these

15

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting

Syd Field

4.5

A generation of screenwriters has used Syd Field’s bestselling books to ignite successful careers in film. Now the celebrated producer, lecturer, teacher, and bestselling author has updated his classic guide for a new generation of filmmakers, offering a fresh insider’s perspective on the film industry today. From concept to character, from opening scene to finished script, here are easily underst

Cover unavailable

16

What is Cinema?: Volume 1

Andre Bazin, Hugh Gray, Jean Renoir, Dudley Andrew

4.5

André Bazin's What Is Cinema? (volumes I and II) have been classics of film studies for as long as they've been available and are considered the gold standard in the field of film criticism. Although Bazin made no films, his name has been one of the most important in French cinema since World War II. He was co-founder of the influential Cahiers du Cinéma, which under his leadership became one of t

Recommended by Andrew Sarris.

Andrew Sarris

Bazin believed that films should be smooth, and needn’t be so socially weighty; he felt that films should have a realism to them. [source]

Cover unavailable

17

Lynch on Lynch

David Lynch

4.5

David Lynch erupted onto the cinema landscape in 1977 with Eraserhead, establishing himself as one of the most original and imaginative directors at work in contemporary cinema. Over the course of his career, he has remained true to a vision of the innocent lost in darkness and confusion, balancing hallucination and surrealism with a sense of Americana that is as pure and simple as his compelling

Cover unavailable

18

Something Like an Autobiography

Akira Kurosawa

4.4

"A first rate book and a joy to read...It's doubtful that a complete understanding of the director's artistry can be obtained without reading this book...Also indispensable for budding directors are the addenda, in which Kurosawa lays out his beliefs on the primacy of a good script, on scriptwriting as an essential tool for directors, on directing actors, on camera placement, and on the value of s

Cover unavailable

19

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

Michael Ondaatje

4.4

The Conversations is a treasure, essential for any lover or student of film, and a rare, intimate glimpse into the worlds of two accomplished artists who share a great passion for film and storytelling, and whose knowledge and love of the crafts of writing and film shine through.

It was on the set of the movie adaptation of his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, that Michael Ondaatje

20

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner

4.4

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldm

Cover unavailable

21

Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen

Steven D. Katz

4.4

This international best-seller is filled with visual techniques for filmmakers and screenwriters who want to expand their stylistic knowledge.

22

My Last Sigh

Luis Bunuel

4.4

This long out-of-paint autobiography provides insight into the genesis of Bunuel's films and conveys his frank opinions on dwarves, Catholicism, the Marquis de Sade, food, and smoking, not to mention his recipe for a good dry martini!

Recommended by Jason Webster.

Jason Webster

Yes. He is fantastic at the celebration of the non-rational which is one of the things that I find very appealing about Spain. This is Buñuel’s autobiography where he talks about how important it is to let his mind wander and to daydream even though it is becoming more and more unfashionable. He is almost like a prophet of non-rationality in this very rational world. He’s lucky in that he lived during a time when other non-rationalists were doing something similar. His group included Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. So he was part of the surrealist movement for a while, although the surrealists are seen as a strangely hierarchical sort of structure. They don’t seem to be very freedom-loving when it comes to how they act. They were constantly bickering amongst themselves and then kicking people out of their group if it offended their ideas, which is a bit of a contradiction in terms. [source]

Cover unavailable

23

Herzog on Herzog

Paul Cronin, Werner Herzog

4.4

An invaluable set of career-length interviews with the German genius hailed by François Truffaut as "the most important film director alive"

Most of what we've heard about Werner Herzog is untrue. The sheer number of false rumors and downright lies disseminated about the man and his films is truly astonishing. Yet Herzog's body of work is one of the most important in postwar European cinema.
His in

Cover unavailable

24

Film as a Subversive Art: By Amos Vogel

Amos Vogel, Scott MacDonald

4.4

A classic returns! The original edition of Amos Vogel's seminal book, "Film as a Subversive Art" was first published in 1974, and has been out of print since 1987. According to Vogel--founder of Cinema 16, North America's legendary film society--the book details the "accelerating worldwide trend toward a more liberated cinema, in which subjects and forms hitherto considered unthinkable or forbidde

25

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Robert Iger

4.3

Preview Summary

A grand vision defined: The CEO of Disney, one of Time's most influential people of 2019, shares the ideas and values he embraced to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Competition was more intense than ever and technology was changing faster th

Recommended by Brené Brown, Brian Chesky, John Stamos, and 9 others.

Brené Brown

I expected a book written by the person who has led Disney for decades to be defined by both gripping storytelling and deep leadership wisdom. The author delivers, and then some! This book is leadership gold—you won’t forget the stories or the lessons. [source]

Brian Chesky

Co-Founder & CEO/AirBnb

Bob's book is great and he's an excellent CEO. [source]

John Stamos

Loving the book Bob. Really honest and fascinating! Every Disney fan (everyone) needs to read. https://t.co/13VZpFleb0 [source]

26

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

Suzanne Collins

4.3

WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE.
LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.
THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and once girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in

Recommended by Bill Gates and Robert Muchamore.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012. [source]

Robert Muchamore

A brutal, exciting, action-based sci-fi novel. Hugely popular and excellent fun. [source]

Cover unavailable

27

The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: 2013 Edition

Steven Ascher and Edward Pincus

4.3

The authoritative guide to producing, directing, shooting, editing, and distributing your video or film

Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of video and film production, and used in courses around the world, The Filmmaker’s Handbook is now updated with the latest advances in HD and new digital formats. For students and teachers, professionals and novices, this indispensable handbook covers all aspe

Cover unavailable

28

On Filmmaking: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director

Alexander Mackendrick, Paul Cronin, Martin Scorsese

4.3

An invaluable analysis of the director's art and craft, from one of the most revered of all film school directors. Alexander 'Sandy' Mackendrick directed classic Ealing comedies plus a Hollywood masterpiece, Sweet Smell of Success. But after retiring from film-making in 1969, he then spent nearly 25 years teaching his craft at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.

Mackendrick produce

Cover unavailable

29

Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film

Peter Biskind

4.3

DOWN AND DIRTY PICTURES chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines the Sundance Film Festival and Miramax Films that have powered them. Peter Biskind profiles the people who took the independent movement from obscurity to the Oscars, most notably Sundance founder Robert Redford and Harvey Weinstein, who with his brother, Bob, made Miramax an indie powerhouse. Candid, pen

Cover unavailable

30

Film Form: Essays In Film Theory

Sergei Eisenstein, Jay Leyda

4.3

Twelve essays written between 1928 and 1945 that demonstrate key points in the development of Eisenstein’s film theory and in particular his analysis of the sound-film medium. Edited, translated, and with an Introduction by Jay Leyda; Index; photographs and diagrams.

Cover unavailable

31

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

Michael Rabiger and Mick Hurbis-Cherrier

4.3

This comprehensive manual has inspired tens of thousands of readers worldwide to realize their artistic vision and produce well-constructed films. Filled with practical advice on every stage of production, this is the book you will return to throughout your career.

Directing covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating proc

Cover unavailable

32

The Magic Lantern

Ingmar Bergman, Joan Tate

4.3

“When a film is not a document, it is a dream. . . . At the editing table, when I run the strip of film through, frame by frame, I still feel that dizzy sense of magic of my childhood.” Bergman, who has conveyed this heady sense of wonder and vision to moviegoers for decades, traces his lifelong love affair with film in his breathtakingly visual autobiography, The Magic Lantern.

More grand mosaic t

Cover unavailable

33

Directing Actors

Judith Weston

4.3

Internationally-renowned directing coach Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.

34

Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets

Kenneth Anger

4.3

"Hollywood Babylon" was originally published in Paris, and quickly became an underground legend. Not a word has been changed. Not a story omitted. Here is the hot, luscious plum of sizzling scandal that continues to shock the world.

35

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

Bruce Campbell

4.3

Okay, so at least you're interested enough to pick up this book and look inside. I think you and I are going to get along just fine.

Life is full of choices. Right now, yours is whether or not to buy the autobiography of a mid-grade, kind of hammy actor.

Am I supposed to know this guy? you think to yourself.

No, and that's exactly the point. Bookstores are chock full of household name actors and thei

Cover unavailable

36

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood

Mark Harris

4.3

Explores the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967-Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Doolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde-and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood, and America, forever.

Recommended by Josh Charles and Kyle Russell.

Josh Charles

@MarkHarrisNYC I love this so much Mark. Can’t wait to read this book! [source]

Kyle Russell

Found my new "recommends in every coffee meeting" book - "Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood," telling the stories behind the 5 Best Picture nominees in 1968 https://t.co/xpghc74OWy [source]

37

The Wes Anderson Collection

Matt Zoller Seitz

4.2

Wes Anderson is one of the most influential voices from the past two decades of American cinema. A true auteur, Anderson is known for the visual artistry, inimitable tone, and idiosyncratic characterizations that make each of his films—Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom—instantly recogni

38

Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film

Carol J. Clover

4.2

Do the pleasures of horror movies really begin and end in sadism? So the public discussion of film assumes, and so film theory claims. Carol Clover argues, however, that these films work mainly to engage the viewer in the plight of the victim-hero - the figure, often a female, who suffers pain and fright but eventually rises to vanquish the forces of oppression.

39

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

J. K. Rowling

4.2

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at t

Recommended by Joe Lycett.

Joe Lycett

guys i just read this book called harry potter well worth checking out it’s about a really interesting magic lad [source]

40

How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, Multimedia: Language, History, Theory

James Monaco

4.2

First published in 1977, this popular book has become the source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a revised and rewritten third edition incorporating every major aspect of this dynamic medium right up to the present.
Looking at film from many vantage points, How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, Multimedia explores the medium as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and te

41

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

Christopher Vogler

4.2

Provides new insights and observations from Vogler's pioneering work in mythic structure for writers.

Recommended by Darren Aronofsky.

Darren Aronofsky

It’s the Bible for screenwriters. I think it’s the best book on how to write a screenplay ever written. It helped me get through so many roadblocks as a writer. [source]

42

The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

John Truby

4.2

John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood's most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. The Anatomy of Story is his long-awaited first book, and it shares all of his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Grea

43

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

David Lynch

4.2

Where do ideas come from?

In Catching the Big Fish, internationally acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch provides a rare window into his methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Lynch describes the experience of "diving within" and "catching" ideas like fish - and then preparing them for television or movie scr

Recommended by Emma Watson.

44

Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings

Leo Braudy, Marshall Cohen

4.2

Since publication of the first edition in 1974, Film Theory and Criticism has been the most widely used and cited anthology of critical writings about film. Extensively revised and updated, this sixth edition highlights both classic texts and cutting edge essays from more than a century of thought and writing about the movies. Editors Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen have reformulated the book's sect

Cover unavailable

45

Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer

Paul Schrader

4.2

With a new introduction, acclaimed director and screenwriter Paul Schrader revisits and updates his contemplation of slow cinema over the past fifty years. Unlike the style of psychological realism, which dominates film, the transcendental style expresses a spiritual state by means of austere camerawork, acting devoid of self-consciousness, and editing that avoids editorial comment. This seminal t

46

This Is Orson Welles

Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum

4.2

Innovative film and theater director, radio producer, actor, writer, painter, narrator, and magician, Orson Welles (1915–1985) was the last true Renaissance man of the twentieth century. From such great radio works as "War of the Worlds" to his cinematic masterpieces Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Othello, Macbeth, Touch of Evil, and Chimes at Midnight, Welles was a master storyteller, a

Recommended by Mat Whitecross.

Mat Whitecross

Orson Welles has always been my favourite director. I remember catching films of his late at night. One of the first films I saw of his was Touch of Evil; I had never seen anything like it. And the book is incredibly inspiring. He is sitting down with his friend Peter Bogdanovich, who is another great film director, and the two of them just talk about Orson Welles’s career. Welles is a great conversationalist. [source]

47

Cinema 1: The Movement-Image

Gilles Deleuze

4.2

48

The New Biographical Dictionary of Film

David Thomson

4.2

David Thomson’s New Biographical Dictionary of Film topped Sight & Sound magazine’s 2010 poll of international critics and writers as the best film book of all time.

Now in its fifth edition, updated, and with more than 130 new entries—from Judd Apatow to Lena Horne—the classic, beloved film book is better than ever.

For thirty-five years, David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film has been “fi

Recommended by Andrew Sarris.

Andrew Sarris

This volume is a compendium of biographical profiles of just about every major figure in film. But it is really much more than a movie reference book. [source]

49

Film History: An Introduction

David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson

4.2

Cover unavailable

50

The Story of Film

Mark Cousins

4.2

Cover unavailable

51

Conquest of the Useless: Reflections from the Making of Fitzcarraldo

Werner Herzog

4.2

Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) is one of the most revered and enigmatic filmmakers of our time, and Fitzcarraldo is one of his most honored and admired films. More than just Herzog’s journal of the making of the monumental, problematical motion picture, which involved, among other things, major cast changes and reshoots, and the hauling (without the use of special effects) of a 360-ton steamship over

Cover unavailable

52

Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors

Blain Brown

4.2

The world of cinematography has changed more in the last few years than it has since it has in 1929, when sound recording was introduced. New technology, new tools and new methods have revolutionized the art and craft of telling stories visually. While some aspects of visual language, lighting and color are eternal, shooting methods, workflow and cameras have changed radically. Even experienced fi

53

The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies

Vito Russo

4.1

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as "an impressive study" and written with incisive wit and searing perception--the definitive, highly acclaimed landmark work on the portrayal of homosexuality in film.

54

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Steven Jay Schneider

4.1

Updated with brand-new entries to describe the most recent major motion pictures, this critically-acclaimed volume spans more than a century of moviemaking, concisely describing 1001 of the best films from around the world. New in this edition are entries to describe such film hits as "Lord of the Rings", "Mystic River", "Fahrenheit 9/11", and "Million Dollar Baby". But in fact, this volume's team

55

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee, Sissy Spacek, et al

4.1

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mocki

Recommended by Adam Lawrence, Antonio Villaraigosa, Clive Stafford Smith, and 6 others.

Adam Lawrence

It's just the best. [source]

Antonio Villaraigosa

Even though I know we’ve made great strides in America, and have come from the reality of Maycomb, we still suffer today from the lingering effects of the bigotry of that era. At the same time, it’s a lesson in standing tall in the face of tremendously hostile circumstances. [source]

Clive Stafford Smith

The book touches on so many issues and deals with so many prejudices – prejudices towards the mentally ill, racial stuff. It’s a book that was way ahead of its time in many ways. It’s also a wonderfully written book – a joy to read. [source]

56

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)

J.K. Rowling

4.1

It is the summer holidays, and one night Harry Potter wakes up with his scar burning. He has had a strange dream, one that he can't help worrying about...until a timely invitation from Ron Weasley arrives: to nothing less than the Quidditch World Cup!

Soon Harry is reunited with Ron and Hermione and gasping at the thrills of an international Quidditch match. But then something horrible happens whic

Recommended by Big Structural Change.

Big Structural Change

@siriusclaw Azkaban ftw! Goblet is the worst of the series. Great book though. [source]

Cover unavailable

57

Cassavetes on Cassavetes

John Cassavetes, Ray Carney

4.1

Since his death in 1989, John Cassavettes has become increasingly renowned as a cinematic hero--a renegade loner who fought the Hollywood system, steering his own creative course in a career spanning thirty years. Having already established himself as an actor, he struck out as a filmmaker in 1959 with Shadows, and proceeded to build a formidable body of work, including such classics as Faces, Wom

58

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Brian Selznick

4.1

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key,

59

Godard on Godard: Critical Writings

Jean-Luc Godard, Tom Milne, Annette Michelson

4.1

Jean-Luc Godard, like many of his European contemporaries, came to filmmaking through film criticism. This collection of essays and interviews, ranging from his early efforts for La Gazette du Cinéma to his later writings for Cahiers du Cinéma, reflects his dazzling intelligence, biting wit, maddening judgments, and complete unpredictability. In writing about Hitchcock, Welles, Bergman, Truffaut,

60

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Auste

4.1

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud

Recommended by Meg Rosoff.

Meg Rosoff

It’s a coming-of-age story, because she throws aside her prejudices but also sees the house and realises that she could be quite comfortable and maybe realises how important that is. [source]

61

From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film

Siegfried Kracauer

4.1

A landmark, now classic, study of the rich cinematic history of the Weimar Republic, From Caligari to Hitler was first published by Princeton University Press in 1947. Siegfried Kracauer--a prominent German film critic and member of Walter Benjamin's and Theodor Adorno's intellectual circle--broke new ground in exploring the connections between film aesthetics, the prevailing psychological state o

62

House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films

Kier-La Janiss

4.1

House of Psychotic Women is an autobiographical exploration of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films. Cinema is full of neurotic personalities, but few things are more transfixing than a woman losing her mind onscreen. Horror as a genre provides the most welcoming platform for these histrionics: crippling paranoia, desperate loneliness, masochistic death-wishes, dangerous obsessiveness,

63

Cronenberg on Cronenberg

David Cronenberg, Chris Rodley

4.1

With films such as The Brood and Videodrome, David Cronenberg established himself as Canada's most provocative director. With subsequent movies such as The Dead Zone, The Fly, Dead Ringers and Naked Lunch, Cronenberg demonstrated his ability not only to touch painful nerves but also to invest his own developing genre with seriousness, philosophical dimension and a rare emotional intensity.

Cronenbe

64

I Lost it at the Movies: Film Writings, 1954-1965

Pauline Kael

4.1

I Lost it at the Movies is vintage Kael on such classics of post-War cinema as On the Waterfront, Smiles of a Summer Night, West Side Story, The Seven Samurai, Lolita, Jules et Jim etc. Her comments are so fresh and direct, it's as if the movies had only been released last week.

Cover unavailable

65

Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film

Patton Oswalt

4.1

Between 1995 and 1999, Patton Oswalt lived with an unshakable addiction. It wasn’t drugs, alcohol, or sex: it was film. After moving to Los Angeles, Oswalt became a huge film buff (or as he calls it, a sprocket fiend), absorbing classics, cult hits, and new releases at the famous New Beverly Cinema. Silver screen celluloid became Patton’s life schoolbook, informing his notion of acting, writing, c

Cover unavailable

66

Life Itself

Roger Ebert

4.1

Roger Ebert is the best-known film critic of our time. He has been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, and was the first film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. He has appeared on television for four decades, including twenty-three years as cohost of Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.

In 2006, complications from thyroid cancer treatment resulted in the loss of his ability to eat, dri

67

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull

4.1

Preview Summary

“What does it mean to manage well?”
From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and t

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg, Timothy Ferriss, Ezra Klein, and 21 others.

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder/Facebook

This book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work. I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to anyone looking to do the same, and hopefully there will be lessons we can apply to connecting the world! [source]

Timothy Ferriss

Author & Entrepreneur

No matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master. [source]

Ezra Klein

An amazing, amazing book. [source]

68

The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era

Thomas Schatz

4.1

At a time when the studio is making a stunning comeback, film historian Thomas Schatz provides an indispensable account of Hollywood's tradional blend of business and art. This book lays to rest the persistent myth that businesspeople and producers stifle artistic talent and reveals instead the genius of a system of collaboration and conflict. Working from industry documents, Schatz traces the dev

Recommended by Jane Root and Marina Hyde.

Jane Root

This is an amazing book. It’s an academic book, but it reads like a novel. It was a very important book for me when I was studying film and television. Film theory was dominated for many years by the idea of the auteur, the single visionary director who managed, in the hell of the industrial system that was Hollywood’s studio system, to nonetheless produce amazing individual work. Thomas Schatz’s book is a complete antidote to that. While he doesn’t in any way argue that Alfred Hitchcock or John Ford weren’t great directors, he talks about the vigour and energy of the classical Hollywood system. It’s not about these maverick individuals succeeding by fighting against the system. [source]

Marina Hyde

It’s about how gradually the stars became more savvy: they started saying I want to do this or that kind of movie, because people don’t like to be told they’re one sort of star. But people didn’t want to see Bogart going insane for example: he’s a cynic, and also a romantic, and you want to see that Warners’ style. That’s something Schatz deals with – that all the major studios developed a very specific house style. MGM was the kind of massive, prestige house – they famously said they never made B-grade movies – whereas Warners had this reputation for gang movies, and Jimmy Cagney was their big star. Universal developed the horror genre which was cheap, and as a result the players that were contracted to these studios fitted those house styles. But the stars become more important, and eventually the directors did too, largely down to Hitchcock, who inspired auteurs like Spielberg, Cimino and Coppola. [source]

69

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini and Simon & Schuster Audi

4.1

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacri

Recommended by James Altucher, Ann Miura-Ko, Magda Marcu, and 1 others.

James Altucher

Founder/StockPickr

Excellent novel. [source]

Ann Miura-Ko

Ann Miura-Ko recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show". [source]

Magda Marcu

I’m currently reading “The Kite Runner”. I never have expectations from books, I let them surprise me as I get into the story. Learning about characteristics of different cultures, in this case the Afghan one, it’s one aspect I am interested in. [source]

70

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)

J.K. Rowling

4.1

For Twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black m

Recommended by Maude Garrett.

Maude Garrett

@GeekBomb Best use of time travel in a book or series to date [source]

71

Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk

4.1

"THE FIRST RULE ABOUT FIGHT CLUB IS YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT CLUB."

Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded for as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anyt

Recommended by Ryan Holiday and Van Badham.

Ryan Holiday

Author

I’m amazed how many young people haven’t read this book. Truly life-changing. This is the classic of my generation; it is the book that defines our age and ultimately, how to find meaning in it. It’s a cautionary tale too—about being too caught up in revolutionary ideas. [source]

Van Badham

SUPER EXCITED to receive my copy of “Solved! How Other Countries Have Cracked the World’s Biggest Problems and We Can, Too” by Andrew Wear. SO GREAT to read a political book that’s about both pragmatic action *and* hope. Squee! #auspol https://t.co/jIYgr36kZO [source]

72

The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968

Andrew Sarris

4.1

"The American Cinema is the Citizen Kane of film criticism, a brilliant book that elevated American directors from craftsmen to artists, launched the careers of numerous film critics, and shaped the aesthetics of a whole generation of viewers by providing new ways of looking at movies."--Emanuel Levy, author of George Cukor, Master of Elegance

The auteur theory, of which film critic Andrew Sarris w

Recommended by Barry Forshaw.

Barry Forshaw

Film noir is a genre that had no definition in its own day other than ‘crime film’. All of those who were making films noirs, such as Robert Mitchum and similar great stars and directors of that era, wouldn’t have called what they were working on film noir. They were making crime movies and dramas. So, the title ‘film noir’ defines the moment when we started to take such films seriously and it was given a French moniker because that nation was the first to grant it serious academic attention. [source]

73

Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War

Mark Harris

4.1

In Pictures at a Revolution, Mark Harris turned the story of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 into a landmark work of cultural history, a book about the transformation of an art form and the larger social shift it signified. In Five Came Back, he achieves something larger and even more remarkable, giving us the untold story of how Hollywood changed World War II, and how World War

74

The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex: What's Wrong With Modern Movies?

Mark Kermode

4.1

In It's Only a Movie, the incomparable Mark Kermode showed us the weird world of a film critic's life lived in widescreen. Now, in The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex, he takes us into the belly of the beast to ask: 'What's wrong with modern movies?'

If blockbusters make money no matter how bad they are, then why not make a good one for a change? How can 3-D be the future of cinema when it's been g

Cover unavailable

75

Final Cut Dreams and Disasters In The

Steven Bach

4.1

Recommended by Marina Hyde.

Marina Hyde

Heaven’s Gate was not just a flop, it collapsed United Artists – the studio that was founded by DW Griffiths, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, and it’s ridiculous that one man and one movie could do that. For its faults, the studio system wouldn’t have let that happen. Steven Bach, the author of this book, was the head of production at United Artists and he writes just beautifully: you can’t believe he was a movie executive. It’s a forensic account of how they take a gamble on this one guy director Michael Cimino on a movie that was originally budgeted at six million dollars and ended up costing 39 million dollars. Shooting went over schedule by at least a year and the final cut of the movie was four hours long. [source]

76

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)

J. K. Rowling

4.1

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione

Recommended by Shami Chakrabarti.

Shami Chakrabarti

It’s all about the War on Terror as far as I’m concerned. [source]

77

The Parade's Gone By...

Kevin Brownlow

4.1

The magic of the silent screen, illuminated by the recollections of those who created it.
A narrative and photographic history of the early days of the movies, combining fact, anecdote, and reminiscence in a critical survey of films, actors, directors, producers, writers, editors, technicians, and other participants and hangers-on.

78

Cinema 2: The Time-Image

Gilles Deleuze

4.1

Cinema 2: The Time-Image brings to completion Gilles Deleuze's work on the theoretical implications of the cinematographic image. In Cinema 1: The Movement-Image, Deleuze proposed a new way to understand narrative cinema, based on Henri Bergson's notion of the movement-image and C.S. Pierce's classification of images and signs. In Cinema 2, he explains why, since World War II, time has come to dom

Cover unavailable

79

The Filmmaker's Eye: Learning (and Breaking) the Rules of Cinematic Composition

Gustavo Mercado

4.1

This is the only book that combines conceptual and practical instruction on creating polished and eloquent images for film and video with the technical know-how to achieve them.

Loaded with hundreds of full-color examples, The Filmmaker's Eye is a focused, easy-to-reference guide that shows you how to become a strong visual storyteller through smart, effective choices for your shots. This book has

80

The Films of Akira Kurosawa

Donald Richie

4.1

In an epilogue provided for his incomparable study of Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), Donald Richie reflects on Kurosawa's life work of thirty feature films and describes his last, unfinished project, a film set in the Edo period to be called The Ocean Was Watching.

Kurosawa remains unchallenged as one of the century's greatest film directors. Through his long and distinguished career he managed, like

81

Images: My Life in Film

Ingmar Bergman, Marianne Ruuth

4.1

Following the success of his bestselling autobiography The Magic Lantern, the most influential film director of our time shares his wisdom and insights about himself and his cinematic work. Bergman's career spanned 40 years and produced over 50 films, many of which are considered classics. Over 200 photos.

82

The Help

Kathryn Stockett

4.0

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and

Recommended by Twin Mummy And Daddy.

Twin Mummy And Daddy

I love a good book and The Help is exactly that! In fact it’s an amazing book! Read my review over on the blog today! https://t.co/efaf9aRGOK #TheHelp #KathrynStockett #bookreview #bookblogger #mummybloggers #daddybloggers #pbloggers #mbloggers @UKpbloggers @UKBloggers1 #books [source]

83

Room to Dream

David Lynch

4.0

The extraordinary, highly anticipated memoir from visionary filmmaker David Lynch

In this memoir, David Lynch, co-creator of Twin Peaks and writer and director of groundbreaking films like Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, opens up about a lifetime of extraordinary creativity, the friendships he has made along the way and the struggles he has faced--sometimes successfu

84

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

4.0

A young man, newly rich, tries to recapture the past and win back his former love, despite the fact that she has married.

Recommended by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Ev Williams, and 4 others.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

When he got to high school, the president said, his tastes changed and he learned to enjoy classics like “Of Mice and Men” and “The Great Gatsby.” [source]

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

Melinda and I really like this book. When we were first dating, she had a green light that she would turn on when her office was empty and it made sense for me to come over. [source]

Marvin Liao

Partner/500 Startups

For Non-Business, I'd have to say Dune (Herbert), Emergency (Strauss), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) or Flint (L'Amour). I re-read these books every year because they are just so well written & great stories that I get new perspective & details every time I read them. [source]

85

Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece

Michael Benson

4.0

The definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, and of director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke—“a tremendous explication of a tremendous film….Breathtaking” (The Washington Post).

Fifty years ago a strikingly original film had its premiere. Still acclaimed as one of the most remarkable and important motion pictures ev

86

The Haunted Screen: Expressionism in the German Cinema and the Influence of Max Reinhardt

Lotte Eisner

4.0

The Golden Age of German cinema began at the end of the First World War and ended shortly after the coming of sound. From The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari onwards the principal films of this period were characterized by two influences: literary Expressionism, and the innovations of the theatre directors of this period, in particular Max Reinhardt. This book demonstrates the connection between German Ro

Cover unavailable

87

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques

Joseph V Mascelli

4.0

With the aid of photographs and diagrams, this text concisely presents concepts and techniques of motion picture camerawork and the allied areas of film-making with which they interact with and impact. Included are discussions on: cinematic time and space; compositional rules; and types of editing.

88

Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors

Peter Bogdanovich

4.0

Peter Bogdanovich, director, screenwriter, actor and critic, interviews sixteen legendary directors of the first hundred years of film - from Allan Dwan and Raoul Walsh to Leo McCarey, Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Lumet. The conversations brought together in this book give us a history of the movies. They are the stories of pioneers who came to the picture business from many worlds. Some were adven

89

Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood

MICK LASALLE

4.0

In the pre-Code Hollywood era, between 1929 and 1934, women in American cinema took lovers, had babies out of wedlock, got rid of cheating husbands, enjoyed their sexuality, led unapologetic careers, and, in general, acted the way many think women only acted after 1968.

Before then, women on screen had come in two varieties-sweet ingenue or vamp. Then two stars came along: Greta Garbo, who turned t

Cover unavailable

90

Cinematic Storytelling

Jennifer Van Sijll

4.0

What the industry's most succcessful writers and directors have in common is that they have mastered the cinematic conventions specific to the medium.

Recommended by Andi Dumitrescu.

Andi Dumitrescu

My career path is made of several components, all of them main ones: sound engineering, film montage, movie directing, composition and vocal singing. That’s what I want to do in life and this is what makes me happy. For each of these, I’ve had book to help me along the way: The Eye is Quicker, by Richard D. Pepperman, Cut by Cut by Gael Chandler, The Technique of Film and Video Editing by Ken Dancyger, Directing by Mike Goodridge, Cinematic Storytelling by Jennifer Van Sijll, Sound for Picture by Tom Kenny and The Rock'n'Roll Singer's Survival Manual by Mark Baxter. [source]

91

The Great Movies II

Roger Ebert

4.0

Continuing the pitch-perfect critiques begun in The Great Movies, Roger Ebert's The Great Movies II collects 100 additional essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm—or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. Neither a snob nor a shill, Ebert manages in th

92

Scorsese on Scorsese

David Thompson, Ian Christie, Michael Powell

4.0

The interviews with the director Martin Scorsese which make up this book reveal a man with an unbridled passion for film. This revised edition contains material on GoodFellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, and other projects up to Casino.

93

The Stanley Kubrick Archives

Alison Castle

4.0

The first book to explore Stanley Kubrick's archives is also the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date Part 1: The films In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick was asked to comment on the metaphysical significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: ?It's not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience?. I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses

94

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Anthony Bourdain

4.0

A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material.

New York Chef Tony Bourdain gives away secrets of the trade in his wickedly funny, inspiring memoir/expose. Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bo

Recommended by Eric Ripert, Jon Favreau, Catalina Penciu, and 2 others.

Eric Ripert

I love that Tony’s world in the kitchen was filled with pirate-like renegades when mine was peopled with regimented professionals. How eye-opening and entertaining to read about the other side! [source]

Jon Favreau

Great book. [source]

Catalina Penciu

I'm a huge fan of personal stories and biographies with a touch of gastronomy like this one. [source]

95

My Autobiography

Charlie Chaplin

4.0

Chaplin’s heartfelt and hilarious autobiography tells the story of his childhood, the challenge of identifying and perfecting his talent, his subsequent film career and worldwide celebrity. In this, one of the very first celebrity memoirs, Chaplin displays all the charms, peculiarities and deeply-held beliefs that made him such an endearing and lasting character.

Re-issued as part of Melville House

96

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)

J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré

4.0

Harry Potter is leaving Privet Drive for the last time. But as he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorbike and they take to the skies, he knows Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters will not be far behind.

The protective charm that has kept him safe until now is broken. But the Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything he loves. And he knows he can’t keep hiding.

To stop Voldemort, Harry knows

97

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

J.K. Rowling

4.0

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and

98

Lulu in Hollywood

Louise Brooks

4.0

Louise Brooks (1906-1985) is one of the most famous actresses of the silent era, renowned as much for her rebellion against the Hollywood system as for her performances in such influential films as Pandora’s Box and Diary of a Lost Girl. Eight autobiographical essays by Brooks, on topics ranging from her childhood in Kansas and her early days as a Denishawn and Ziegfeld Follies dancer to her frien

99

The Princess Diarist

Carrie Fisher

4.0

The last book from beloved Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist is an intimate, hilarious, and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film sets of all time, the first Star Wars movie.

When Carrie Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved--plain

100

Open Book

Jessica Simpson

4.0

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age fifteen, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. Sh

Recommended by Yashar Ali.

Yashar Ali

I love @JessicaSimpson and I love her new book It’s an honest and earnest memoir Lots of juicy tidbits of course, but she’s also heartbreakingly honest about the impact alcohol had on her life See the screenshot for my favorite part 🐘 https://t.co/6O8tOX0SEt https://t.co/LJ8vh6Ms46 [source]