West Hollywood, CA

Book Soup

Book Soup was founded in 1975 on the world-famous Sunset Strip by Glenn Goldman.

Upcoming Events

Nov14

Book SigningMusicWest Hollywood, CA

TICKETED BOOK SIGNING: Rikki Rockett signs Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison

5:00 PM • Saturday, November 14, 2026Book Soup$38.39

From the suburbs of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to the neon glare of Los Angeles, Rikki Rockett's journey is as raw and relentless as the beat of his drums. Before becoming the flamboyant, fire-breathing drummer of Poison, Rockett was a restless kid with a taste for rebellion and an obsession with music that refused to let him go. In Ghost Notes, Rockett pulls no punches as he recounts the wild ride from basement bands and dishwashing jobs to forming one of the most iconic glam-metal acts of the 1980s. Beyond the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, he also confronts the shadows: fractured family ties, addiction, betrayal, cancer, brushes with death, and a lifelong search for meaning beyond the stage. Brutally honest, darkly funny, and packed with never-before-told stories, Ghost Notes is both confession and celebration - a backstage pass to a life lived loud, fast, and without apology. Rikki Rockett is a founding member and drummer of the multi-platinum rock band Poison, one of the most iconic acts of the 1980s and beyond. With over forty-five million albums sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rockett's high-energy playing and flamboyant style have left an indelible mark on rock history. Beyond music, he is an entrepreneur, martial artist, cancer survivor, and storyteller whose journey from small-town Pennsylvania to global superstardom embodies both grit and reinvention. Ghost Notes is his first memoir. Each ticket entitles the ticketholder to one copy of Ghost Notes which will be available for collection on the day. Please note: Rikki Rockett will sign copies of the book only; please do not bring additional merchandise with the expectation this will be signed.You will be required to show your ticket on the day of the event, to gain entry, and as proof of purchase.The queue will be formed on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to those who require accessibility supportThere will be queueing required before you meet the author. We will aim to keep you updated on your waiting time, but please come prepared to queue. There will be an element of outside queuing; please come dressed appropriately for the weatherTicketholders must be present at the event to receive their signed copy of the book. If you are unable to attend, please contact info@booksoup.com. Refunds can only be accepted before the day of the event.Tickets are strictly non-transferable; do not buy tickets from any resale sites or external vendors. If you have any access requests please do let us know how we can support your visit by emailing info@booksoup.com

Nov16

Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, & Will Friedle, in conversation with Emily Longeretta, discuss & sign Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World

Book SigningMemoirWest Hollywood, CA

TICKETED EVENT: Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, & Will Friedle, in conversation with Emily Longeretta, discuss & sign Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World

7:00 PM • Monday, November 16, 2026Book Soup$43.06

The actors who played Topanga, Shawn, and Eric on Boy Meets World expand on their hit podcast, Pod Meets World, in a nostalgic behind-the-scenes history of the much-loved 90s sitcom, featuring untold stories and never-before-seen photos."I know Mr. Feeny would've given this book an A+. Good job, kids. Class dismissed!" --William Daniels, Mr. FeenyBoy Meets World ran from 1993 to 2000, ushering its audience of tweens and teens into the new millennium. Over the course of its seven seasons, viewers fell in love with Cory Matthews and his friends and family--rooting for Topanga and Cory, brooding with Shawn, learning from Mr. Feeny, and laughing at the increasingly over-the-top character that was Eric. Today, the show continues to evoke warm feelings of nostalgia over a quarter of a century after it ended.Building on their incredibly successful podcast, Pod Meets World, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle are here to share what it was like behind the scenes of the hit sitcom. The three podcast co-hosts and former cast members revisited the show they grew up on by watching the episodes (most of them for the first time ever) and interviewing dozens of the people who worked on Boy Meets World. And now they've written down all the memories--from hidden lobsters to prank wars to on-set notes sessions to castings that almost happened, and so much more.Reading Book Meets World is a glimpse behind the curtain from three friends who were there when it all happened, just as warm and funny an experience as watching the show for the very first time.Behind-the-Scenes Stories: From inside jokes that showed up on screen to epic notes sessions to laughter and tears on set, rediscover this fan-favorite sitcom with inside stories pulled from Pod Meets World interviews of the cast and crew, as well as brand-new interviews exclusive to this book.Never-Before-Seen Photos: Through dozens of personal photos from the set, including some that have never been shared before, get a nostalgic and candid look behind the scenes.Heartwarming Nostalgia: These three friends starred on Boy Meets World but only recently watched every episode for the first time. Their journey through the series they helped make is one of laughter, sweet memories, and even some tears. Join them as they rediscover and embrace the 90s sitcom so many love.DANIELLE FISHEL is best known for her iconic role as Topanga on the '90s TGIF staple, Boy Meets World. She'd later reprise the role for Girl Meets World, a millennial reboot that ran for 3 seasons on the Disney Channel. Since 2017, Danielle has moved behind the camera, directing over fifty episodes of multi-camera television including Disney Channel's Wizards Beyond Waverly Place & Raven's Home (for which she was nominated for 2 Emmy's), ABC's Shifting Gears and NBC's Lopez vs Lopez. She co-hosts the hit iHeart Podcast, Pod Meets World, alongside her best friends and former costars, Will Friedle and Rider Strong - and hosts her own interview show, Teen Beat with Danielle Fishel. She most recently competed in the 34th season of Dancing with the Stars and it changed her life. No biggie.After being cast as Gavroche in Les Miserables at nine years old, RIDER STRONG began his career as an actor, becoming best known for his roles on Boy Meets World and the cult horror film, Cabin Fever. Moving behind the camera, Rider wrote and directed short films that have played over 60 festivals worldwide. He returned to his roots, this time as a director, for three seasons of the Emmy-nominated Girl Meets World. In addition to his screenwriting, Rider's writing has appeared in The Believer, Bullet Magazine, Shondaland, and more. His play Never Ever Land premiered at Theatre Unleashed in the fall of 2019. He is the creator and co-host of the podcasts Literary Disco and Pod Meet World. In 2026, iHeart released The Red Weather, an eight-part audio crime series written, directed, and starring Rider.WILL FRIEDLE's extensive career has spanned three decades in sitcoms, movies, animated series and video games. He is best known as the underachieving older brother Eric Matthews on the classic TGIF staple Boy Meets World. Will also starred in classic movies such as Trojan War, My Date with the President's Daughter and H.E. Double Hockey Sticks. Will is also a prolific VO actor having done hundreds of animated projects, starting in the mid-nineties as Batman for a new generation in the now iconic Batman Beyond. Other roles include Bumblebee in Transformers: Prime, Deadpool in Ultimate Spider-Man and Star-Lord in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. But to a generation of Disney fans, he'll always be Ron Stoppable, sidekick to hero Kim Possible. Will can currently be heard as the co-host of the iHeart podcasts Pod Meets World, with Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong, and Magical Rewind with Sabrina Bryan. Emily Longeretta is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles. She serves as the Director of Features at Variety, co-hosts the Variety "Awards Circuit" podcast and has a weekly segment on CBS LA. Her cover stories include a powerful sit-down with Carol Burnett, an intimate career reflection with Mariska Hargitay and an exclusive discussion with Jennifer Aniston, her first following the death of Matthew Perry. Emily has co-hosted Variety's live "Power of Women" event and can be seen regularly on “Good Morning America,” "Today," “Access Hollywood,” “Entertainment Tonight" and "Extra." This is a ticketed event through Eventbrite and will take place at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, located at 540 S. Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020Your ticket includes a copy of Book Meets World, to be handed out at check-in. A public book signing will follow the conversation.In order to keep the signing line moving and to make it possible for all attendees to meet the authors, we kindly request no memorabilia and no posed photos.Check-in begins at 6pm and the show begins promptly at 7pm. There is limited free on-site parking at the church.No refunds on the day of the event.Questions? Please email info@booksoup.com

Nov17

Author EventArtWest Hollywood, CA

James Cahill discusses & signs The Beverly Hills Housewife: Hockney's Californian Muse and the World Beyond the Pool

7:00 PM • Tuesday, November 17, 2026Book SoupFree

In the summer of 1966, David Hockney paid a visit to a wealthy Los Angeles art collector. Her name was Betty Freeman. He had intended to paint her swimming pool, but was rapidly entranced by Freeman herself.Hockney, soon to embark on a series of Los Angeles paintings that would become icons of their time and place, immortalized Freeman in Beverly Hills Housewife (1966-67), a sunlit vision of the collector on the terrace of her modernist home. Evoking the light and easy glamour of 1960s Los Angeles, the painting is one of the artist's most seductive works, but it has always carried an air of mystery. Who was the woman in pink?Like Hockney driving through the Hollywood Hills, James Cahill meanders--interweaving the artist's discovery of Los Angeles with Freeman's own evolution from aspiring pianist to photographer, philanthropist, and collector--but never loses focus on the art. Oscillating between art history and anecdote, this is an eclectic study of an artist, his enigmatic muse, and the beginning of a friendship that would shape the course of each of their lives.James Cahill is a British art critic, curator, and author. He has written for Apollo, CURA, Elephant, Frieze, The Burlington Magazine, Times Literary Supplement, and others, and is the author of Tiepolo Blue, Lives of the Artists: David Hockney, and Ways of Being: Advice for Artists by Artists.

Nov18

Author EventMusicWest Hollywood, CA

Tomás Mier discusses & signs Madonna: Into the Groove: An Intimate Portrait of the Queen of Pop

7:00 PM • Wednesday, November 18, 2026Book SoupFree

See the Material Girl up close and personal as she exploded to superstardom. In 1985, the world finally took notice of Madonna, and she met Ken Regan, one of the most versatile professional photographers of the 20th century. This trove of his beautiful, timeless images, most never before published, follows her through an array of unforgettable moments—studio poses, bedroom positions, fitness routines, onstage performances—highlighting her raw, magnetic sexuality. The accompanying text by Rolling Stone writer Tomás Mier brilliantly traces the development of her signature style. He shares exclusive new interviews with producer Nile Rodgers, choreographer Brad Jefferies, stylist Maripol, and others. He offers fresh insights into Madonna’s whirlwind romance with Sean Penn, why the Mondrian session became the most successful shoot of Regan’s career, and even how the infamous Penthouse and Playboy photos affected her performance at Live Aid, where, behind the scenes, Regan shot her at the center of one of the most remarkable group photos of all time. This definitive collection of their work together captures in detail exactly how the Queen of Pop grabbed the world’s attention and never let go.

Nov19

Author EventHistoryWest Hollywood, CA

Saskia Wilson-Brown, in conversation with Steve Gontarski, discusses & signs The Cultures of Perfume: Scents That Shaped History

7:00 PM • Thursday, November 19, 2026Book SoupFree

A people's history of perfume--what the art of olfaction can teach us about ourselves and our common humanity. How do Las Vegas casinos convey the sensation of fresh water in the middle of a desert? What is the connection between unripe produce and the new popularity of green-smelling perfumes? And why do we love putting these scents and more on our skin?This illustrated field guide to 36 distinct scent notes tells the story of smell and humanity's fascination with perfume through anecdotes, historical research and folk knowledge. With a smart and politically savvy style, author Saskia Wilson-Brown argues for scent as an art on a par with all other forms of art, and demonstrates how its appreciation and creation can be enjoyed by everyone. Nine thematic sections--Among the Elements; In Sickness and in Health; Seduction; Magic and the Supernatural; Religion; Power; Trade Paths; The Golden Age of Consumerism; and The Stories We Tell--move from the ancient origins of scent-making to the birth of the perfume industry and beyond to the speculative scents of outer space. Readers learn of the economic, chemical, political and psychological components of the dreamy florals, sparkling aldehydes, animalic musks and other materials behind some of the world's most recognizable scents. Designed by Brian Paul Lamotte, The Cultures of Perfume features a "Smell More" section after each chapter, in which readers can follow their interests (and their noses) to find recommendations for scents by independent brands. Saskia Wilson-Brown founded the Los Angeles-based Institute for Art and Olfaction as a nonprofit advancing access and experimentation in perfumery. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, W, Paper, the Hollywood Reporter, Art in America and more. Steven Gontarski is an artist, musician and perfume aficionado. He sees perfumery as an art form that both mirrors and shapes culture. Through his YouTube channel and work with niche perfume retailer Luckyscent, including hosting their podcast 'It's Just Perfume,' Steven presents fragrances in a broad context pulling from perfume history, entertainment, fine art and personal memories.

Nov20

Author EventLiterary FictionWest Hollywood, CA

Chip Jacobs discusses & signs Later Days

7:00 PM • Friday, November 20, 2026Book SoupFree

USA Today Bestseller and winner of the 2025 American Writing Awards Prize for General Fiction! In an evocative follow-up to his Los Angeles Times bestselling Arroyo, Chip Jacobs returns with a gripping tale of brotherhood, recklessness, and footloose souls in the anything goes of late-seventies Southern California.As their elite, all-boys prep school turns coed, transforming from suburban Lord of the Flies to gender-roiled soap opera, two unlikely friends--Luke Burnett and Denny Drummond--alternate rescuing each other from self-destruction amid troubled home lives. Eager to maximize their era as invincible seniors at Stone Canyon Prep, they and their pals commandeer Bob's Big Boy, explore the secret world beneath Caltech, stumble into a possibly supernatural lab animal, and grapple with near-ODs at a playoff game. Just as our heroes manage to graduate, their bond is shattered by a wild gunshot that'll haunt them for decades.Twenty years later, Luke is a high-powered journalist with a nosediving career, while Denny, a visionary software engineer with plenty of explaining to do, is socked with devastating news. Desperate to make amends for that misbegotten bullet while he can, Denny enlists his estranged friend's help, culminating in an unforgettable meeting with Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross that helps them decode what existence means while reconnecting with what matters most.Later Days is a powerful exploration of the ties that bind and break us. Perfect for readers drawn to rollercoaster friendships, forgiveness, and the raw beauty of life skimming its edges to Near-Death Experience. With insight into Pasadena's buried histories and the psychological baggage of growing up in the shadows of "Great Men" fathers, Jacobs' second novel is as emotionally resonant as it is intellectually sharp.Chip Jacobs is a genre-crossing author and prize-winning journalist. His first novel, Arroyo, about Pasadena, California's mysterious Colorado Street Bridge, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller, CrimeReads most anticipated book and Independent Book Publisher Award honoree. Among his other books are the international bestselling Smogtown, which he co-wrote with William J. Kelly and is under development for a streaming series, the acclaimed black-comedy, true-crime story, The Darkest Glare, and the Indies Book of the Year Finalist, Strange As It Seems. Jacobs' reporting and subjects have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Marketplace, CNN, LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Daily News, and elsewhere. Learn more at chipjacobs.com.

Nov30

Author EventComicsWest Hollywood, CA

Jordan Morris, in conversation with Richard Chaves, and Alonso Duralde, discusses the original Predator film, and Predator: Bloodshed

7:00 PM • Monday, November 30, 2026Book SoupFree

A Predator battles in a bloody tournament unlike any other!In the near future, Earth's fiercest fighters have gathered for an underground martial-arts tournament organized by a shadowy corporation. But all hell breaks loose when an unexpected combatant enters the ring: an alien Predator! Now the champions are battling not just for the grand prize but also for their very lives! Can a disparate group of competitors band together in time to survive the extraterrestrial hunter?! Maybe not as more than one of the combatants is concealing deadly secrets. Who can be trusted, how can they escape and who will survive? Choose your fighter and place your bets -- smart money's on the Yautja!COLLECTING: Predator: Bloodshed (2026) #1-5

Dec1

ReadingHistoryWest Hollywood, CA

Michael Gross, in conversation with Matt Tyrnauer, discusses & signs Treasured Island: The Story of St. Barth . . . and Its Barbarians, Billionaires, and Beauties

7:00 PM • Tuesday, December 1, 2026Book SoupFree

"A smart page turner that reminds us paradise isn't always what it appears to be." ⎯ Town & CountryA hugely entertaining social history of the elite and exclusive Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy from the New York Times bestselling author of Model and 740 Park.St. Barthelemy is revered for its luxury, its stunning beaches and its VIP fans. Those who've either been there or hope to go, know St. Bart's--or St. Barth, depending on your level of Francophilia--as the place for the beautiful people, the ultimate see-and-be-seen scene.Over three decades, acclaimed social chronicler Michael Gross has taken dozens of extended trips to this gorgeous, sultry paradise and knows it almost as a local. In his captivating and detailed history, this "premier chronicler of the rich" (Gay Talese) reveals how the island grew from a barren volcanic island with sometimes in-bred, impoverished residents and no creature comforts to an elite port of call where entertainment, tech, and fashion celebrities, old money, nouveau riche, and international oligarchs vie for tables in chic, expensive restaurants; where pristine beaches, superyachts, and spectacular hotels and lavish private villas are playgrounds for the American, European, and Asian upper class. And some locals have gotten rich off them all.This is an enticing and entertaining work that combines impeccable reporting and delicious commentary. It is essential reading for everybody who is anybody--or wants to be.

Dec2

Author EventPhotographyWest Hollywood, CA

Victoria Smith discusses & signs Coldplay One Lens: 25 Years of Photographs by Victoria Smith

7:00 PM • Wednesday, December 2, 2026Book SoupFree

COLDPLAY: ONE LENS — 25 Years of Photographs by Victoria Smith For 25 years, photographer Victoria Smith has documented Coldplay's remarkable journey, from intimate club performances in 2001 to sold-out stadiums around the world. Featuring nearly 400 photographs, never before seen, Coldplay: One Lens is a deeply personal visual chronicle of one of the world's most celebrated bands. The coffee table book captures not only the electricity of live performances but also quieter, candid moments, intimate portraits, and the evolution of four musicians whose music has connected millions. Spanning 2001 to 2025, this 256-page photographic collection offers a rare perspective shaped by Smith's enduring relationship with the band and her unique access across a quarter century of music history. Join Victoria Smith at Book Soup for a special evening celebrating the release of Coldplay: One Lens, published by DK/Penguin Random House, as she shares stories and photographs from 25 years behind the camera, with beautiful cocktails provided by Laurel Canyon Spirits.

Dec3

Catherine Townsend in conversation with Shelbi Glover, discusses & signs How to Survive a Murder Investigation: A True Story of Death and Danger in the Ozarks

Author EventTrue CrimeWest Hollywood, CA

Catherine Townsend discusses & signs How to Survive a Murder Investigation: A True Story of Death and Danger in the Ozarks

7:00 PM • Thursday, December 3, 2026Book SoupFree

A searing account of the personal cold case that plunged journalist, private investigator, and podcast host Catherine Townsend (Hell and Gone and Red Collar) into the world of true crime, exposing the hidden rules that govern murder investigations--and the ones you must break to get to the truth.What does it really take to solve a murder . . . and come out alive?In 2004, Catherine Townsend was working as a journalist in London when college student Rebekah Gould vanished near Townsend's childhood Ozarks retreat. Rebekah's body was found a week later, leaving behind a blood-soaked trailer, a devastated family, and rumors that refused to die. To local police, Rebekah was just another "high-risk victim" who dated a lot of men and made a lot of women jealous. As time passed, the investigation stalled.Thirteen years later, Townsend left her home base in New York for Arkansas, determined to crack the cold case, force the police to finally pay attention, and reckon with the place that had made her. In the process, she discovered that the truth about cold case investigations is a long way from what we see on TV--and that the roles people play in a murder case are rarely as simple as they seem.As an investigative journalist, Townsend has faced danger from the potential murder suspects she's trying to hunt down--and resistance from police who tell her that "investigations are grownup stuff" and to mind her own business. With How to Survive a Murder Investigation, she calls them all out as she recounts the audacious true story of her relentless search for the truth.

Dec8

Author EventWest Hollywood, CA

Clarisse Monahan, in conversation with Aqsa, discusses & signs Rise & Align: Your Weekly Guide to Channelling the Power of the Planets

7:00 PM • Tuesday, December 8, 2026Book SoupFree

Cosmically supercharge your week with the power of the planets.In astrology, each day of the week is ruled by a different planet (some are even named after them!). Guided by expert astrologer Clarisse Monahan, discover the astrological significance of each planet, and learn how to plan your week with their unique energies to boost your daily actions and live your most cosmically supported life.Through simple rituals and activities, channel the powers of: The Moon on Monday for intuition and dreams; Mars on Tuesday for courage and passion; Mercury on Wednesday for communication and planning; Jupiter on Thursday for manifesting growth and wealth; Venus on Friday for love, and relationships; Saturn on Saturday for structure and boundaries; and The Sun on Sunday for confidence, vitality, and purpose. Whether you're new to astrology, are a more experienced modern mystic, or are simply looking for a few quick wellness rituals to give a busy day a spiritual boost, this book is for you.

Dec9

Author EventQueerWest Hollywood, CA

Morty Diamond discusses & signs To the End: Queer Writers on Divorce and Liberation

7:00 PM • Wednesday, December 9, 2026Book SoupFree

24 stories of queer divorce--a groundbreaking book of essays that unflinchingly explores love, loss, and liberation beyond the confines of cishet marriage. To the End, edited by Morty Diamond, is a raw and fearless book of essays that delves into the messy realities, impossible heartbreaks, and profound liberations inherent to queerly uncoupling in the 21st century. Across 24 essays, queer, trans, nonbinary, and intersex writers share their firsthand accounts of divorce, separation, and transformation, giving readers an intimate look at the stories that are often elided in straight, mainstream narratives--or in basically every divorce book out there. This collection uplifts each writer's lived truth, pushing back against respectability power plays that say: But we fought so hard for this. Don't give people the wrong idea. Think about the damage that speaking out could do. Instead, Diamond and contributors foreground real stories of what happens when love ends, through specific queer lenses: When your partner won't accept your transition. When covert narcissistic abuse destabilizes your world. When your Daddy bails in an email after 20 years. When you trade "legitimacy" for a part of yourself. The essays highlight, too, the unexpected joys, profound liberations, and necessary transformations we discover when we find our way back to ourselves. Each richly textured, deeply evocative reclamation--whether through spiritual growth, euphoric embodiment, deepened connections, the right kind of sex, or community aftercare--affirms that divorce can be devastating--but it can also be a catalyst for freedom.

Dec11

Author EventScience FictionWest Hollywood, CA

Kyle Newman & Jeff Bond discuss & sign Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History

7:00 PM • Friday, December 11, 2026Book SoupFree

Boldly celebrate 60 years of Star Trek(TM) with this official visual history of the original series, documenting how its iconic characters and storylines reshaped the science fiction genre.It began as a "five-year mission," but for sixty years Star Trek has captivated the world. When the original Star Trek series burst onto the screen in 1966, few could have anticipated the enduring legacy it would create. Although it lasted just three seasons and 79 episodes, Star Trek left an indelible mark on popular culture, and it soon spawned an animated television series, a blockbuster major motion picture franchise, and for its most dedicated fans, a way of life.The story of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew--James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)--as well as the behind-the-scenes story of its creators, The Great Bird of the Galaxy Gene Roddenberry and his many collaborators, is extraordinary.The story of the brand itself is every bit as remarkable and, in many ways, even stranger than the fiction. Featuring hundreds of quintessential and rarely seen images, Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History is a cultural history of and tribute to the brand's sixty-year journey through television, film, novels, comic books, video games, merchandise, and more.Timed for Star Trek's 60-year anniversary, Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History will be a must-have for every fan: a document of its impact on pop culture and commemoration of how Star Trek's original cast have touched our lives and changed our culture. New fans will discover a comprehensive history of original-cast Star Trek (from 1966 through 1991), and longtime fans will cherish fresh insights from original interviews and previously unpublished images.

Dec14

Author EventBiographyWest Hollywood, CA

Sam Wasson discusses & signs Frank Capra: A Life

7:00 PM • Monday, December 14, 2026Book SoupFree

"Sam Wasson's brilliant book is about the founding of the film industry as well as the story of how America discovered itself through the movies. But at its core, it is the seminal - and the best - book about Frank Capra I've ever read." - Steven Spielberg From the author of the beloved Fifth Avenue, Five A.M. and The Big Goodbye comes the definitive account of one of the quintessential American artists, Frank Capra, visionary behind the iconic and timeless It's a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra, the director of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It Happened One Night, and, supremely, It's a Wonderful Life remains one of the great chroniclers of the American heart, how we love, lead, dream, hope, and fight for our individuality. But Frank Capra was a more complex artist than is usually reckoned and a more complicated man than anyone knows. As his most famous collaborator Jimmy Stewart put it, "the best Frank Capra story is the story of his own life. It's got more highs and lows than a roller coaster. It's heartwarming. It's kind of hard to believe, really. And it could only happen in America." Like many great American stories, this story begins in Ellis Island where a penniless family of Sicilian immigrants arrives in 1903. Frank Capra's life goes on to take in the explosive growth of Southern California and the film industry, the depths of the Depression, the enormity of the Second World War, and America's uneasy post-war as an empire riven by a loss of unity. It is a life as shot through with both "moonbeams" and melancholy as that of his greatest creation, George Bailey. Capra is both the exemplar of American ideals, as in his truly vital work for Roosevelt's war effort, and of American failings, as in his informing during the McCarthy period. This extraordinary book, making full use for the first time of Capra's own archives, including deeply personal writings from his later years, has brought this seminal artist into urgent life. At the same time, in its epic richness, it offers a dazzling portrait of both a lost America and an enduring one.

Jan7

Author EventBiographyWest Hollywood, CA

Robyn Hitchcock discusses & signs Stranded in the Future

7:00 PM • Thursday, January 7, 2027Book SoupFree

"British singer-songwriter Hitchcock wistfully reflects on boarding school and the music that shaped him in this captivating chronicle of the year he credits with sculpting his artistic sensibility . . . Readers need not be fans of Hitchcock's music to find this enchanting." --Publishers Weekly, on 1967 "Memoirists rarely begin their work with a stroke of genuine inspiration, and Robyn Hitchcock's ingenious idea to limit his account of his life to the titular year gives this sharp, funny, finely written book an unusually keen, wistful intensity without sacrificing its sense of the breathtaking sweep of time. I absolutely adored every line of 1967 and every moment I spent reading it." --Michael Chabon, author of Telegraph Avenue, on 1967 STRANDED IN THE FUTURE s a kind of dystopian self-portrait. It's about obsession, and obsessive behavior. Spanning from 1968 to 1978, it takes in the mythology that teenagers weave around their musical heroes and their early loves: in this case, one specific hero and one specific love. The book explores the way that Hitchcock, in his own head, linked these two figures to each other, although they never actually met. On the way, the story mines the incremental hangover of the 1970s as Hitchcock begins to play live, teaches himself to write songs, and eventually forms the Soft Boys. There's a side order of trolleybuses too! Hitchcock's beautiful prose will resonate far beyond the fans of his music, and build on the literary following he established with his first book, 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. Robyn Hitchcock is a rock 'n' roll surrealist. Born in London in 1953, he describes his songs as "paintings you can listen to." As much a child of Dalí, de Chirico, and J. G. Ballard as of his 1960s musical heroes, he is a master of the absurd, reveling in the beauty of the unexpected. His first band, the Soft Boys (1976-81), has remained an influential art-rock touchstone for generations of musicians. Hitchcock has floated at a tangent to the mainstream for five decades, and his songs have been performed by R.E.M., the Replacements, Neko Case, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lou Barlow, Uncle Tupelo, Vic Chesnutt, Grant-Lee Phillips, Sparklehorse, and Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead, among others. He came of age in the 1960s while he attended Winchester College, an eccentric hothouse boarding school in the south of England. Hitchcock is the author of 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, and lives in Nashville with his wife Emma Swift and their two cats, Ringo and Tubby.

Jan13

Author EventMysteryWest Hollywood, CA

Josh Berman discusses & signs Dead Matters: A Forensic Thriller

7:00 PM • Wednesday, January 13, 2027Book SoupFree

Ella Penrose takes the cases science can't solve--and works to separate myths from monsters--in this gripping thriller from CSI writer/producer Josh Berman.At 3:02 a.m. in Savannah's historic district, a hideous, shuffling figure crosses the town square under the eye of a bank security camera. The next morning, FBI agent Ella Penrose is summoned to a nearby house where a man lies dead and partially devoured. Her partner reminds her that zombies aren't real, but as head of the Paranormal Crimes Unit, tasked with cases that seemingly defy scientific explanation, Ella knows to keep her mind as open as the victim's chest cavity.With the security footage already leaked online and racking up views, the pressure to explain the inexplicable is mounting. But each new piece of evidence only deepens the mystery: beetles found on the victim belonging to a species long-thought extinct, the decaying arm recovered near the victim's home from an entirely different body, and a scrap of fabric at the murder scene linking back to the Civil War. As the contradictions pile up, Ella is forced to confront the possibility that the case may lie beyond the limits of conventional investigation.Zombie lore stretches back centuries, but in an age of deepfakes and drug-induced psychosis, separating myth from reality has never been more difficult. If something real is hiding beneath the noise, Ella will uncover it. She came to the FBI for justice. She stayed for cases like this . . .Taut, character-driven, and steeped in atmosphere, Dead Matters delivers the intensity of CSI with the psychological edge of Mindhunter and southern tension of True Detective.

Jan14

Author EventHorrorWest Hollywood, CA

Joshua Pruett discusses & signs Nightmare Burger

7:00 PM • Thursday, January 14, 2027Book SoupFree

Bring an appetite and your body armor and prepare yourself for Nightmare Burger , the burger that bites you back! Because losing your best friend can feel a lot like fighting a malevolent fast-food franchise from hell. For fans of Five Nights at Freddy's and My Best Friend's Exorcism !When Gary Fletcher's BFF disappears from their favorite burger joint, solving the heartbreaking mystery forces him to team up with his older sister and a grade school frenemy. Together, they'll uncover the gruesome secrets behind their beloved restaurant, learning too late that you can't outrun this fast food.For Gary, life doesn't get much better than watching horror movies with his best friend, Matty, staying up late, and eating Nightmare Burgers from their favorite local fast-food joint, All-Night Burger. But after a brutal brush with unrequited love, Matty heads to the restaurant to drown his sorrows, only to vanish without a trace.Struggling with the loss of Matty, and the creeping, existential dead end of his own life, Gary takes a job at All-Night Burger to get to the bottom of his friend's strange disappearance. As he wrestles with the day-to-day horrors of customer service, Gary comes to suspect that there may be deadly creatures, and worse, writhing behind the walls of the restaurant.Teaming up with his older sister, Rachel, and Matty's crush, Linda, Gary must face his own grief, the terrible monsters who can impersonate those closest to him, and their French-fried liminal middle manager whose hunger for human flesh has global franchise ambitions. New York Times bestselling author Joshua Pruett ( Mystery Science Theater 3000, Phineas and Ferb) delivers his signature wit, heart, and off-the-wall humor to this out-of-this-world horror-coaster ride! Place your order now for Nightmare Burger, and eat it before it eats you.

Jan21

Book SigningFictionWest Hollywood, CA

Jon Robin Baitz discusses & signs Yes/Maybe/Never

7:00 PM • Thursday, January 21, 2027Book SoupFree

A brilliant, AI-skeptical, dystopian debut novel by the award-winning playwright Jon Robin Baitz. In the near future, America has not so much collapsed as frayed. Cities empty out by degrees. Systems falter, and people learn to live with what they once would have found intolerable. At the center of Yes/Maybe/Never is Timmy, a gifted, unstable young man living alone in a cabin near the Canadian border, surrounded by antique toy robots, homemade devices, and the relics of a vanishing world. Convinced that the great crisis of the age is the human willingness to surrender judgment, memory, desire, and free will to a powerful new technological regime known as Animas, Timmy is determined to resist--even if his acts of resistance are as strange, theatrical, and dangerous as he is. Around Timmy moves a small, wounded family: Simon, his uncle, a poet altered in ways he can barely name after an experimental neurological procedure; Barrie, Timmy's mother, a former State Department official turned dangerous pragmatist, unblinking in her realpolitik view of the world, burnt out by years of crisis management and bitter about what diplomacy has become; and Ganju, a civil servant charged with finding Timmy before the young man's gestures of protest harden into something more serious, though he is no longer entirely sure what, exactly, he serves. Funny, melancholy, and sharply observant, Jon Robin Baitz's Yes/Maybe/Never imagines a world of ecological strangeness, political exhaustion, technological seduction, and private ferocity. When the future arrives, he asks, what will be left of us? Amid the wreckage of damaged souls and cherished objects, there is something that may still be worth defending--if we can only remember how. Jon Robin Baitz was born in Los Angeles in 1961, and grew up there, in Rio de Janeiro, and in South Africa. His plays have been extensively produced on and off Broadway and throughout the world. He is the author of The Film Society, The Substance of Fire, Three Hotels, A Fair Country, The Paris Letter, and Other Desert Cities. He created the ABC TV show Brothers & Sisters, which ran for five seasons from 2007 to 2012, and the miniseries The Slap. He is a Tony nominee for the Broadway production of Other Desert Cities, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Guggenheim fellow, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters award winner.

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