RouteNote Blog

Britney Spears has had a rollercoaster life of success and struggles. She has had to live through both the highs and the extreme lows in the scrutinous eye of the public. Her astonishing memoir sheds more light on the hardships she has endured as one of the world’s most notable celebrities and the conflict with her father.

Despite the traumatic candour of some of the book’s content there is a humour that shines through. The book goes into astonishingly personal detail, so much so that Spears felt herself unable to narrate the full audiobook personally due to the “heart-wrenching and emotional” content contained within. It is an astonishing account of one of the world’s biggest superstars.

Barbra Streisand is one of the most significant celebrities the USA has ever produced. She is a singer, actress, director, and producer – and has found success in every one of these avenues. In her long-awaited memoir she tells of her humble and at-times difficult beginnings, chronicling her subsequent rise to stardom all from her own efforts.

Streisand’s autobiography covers her illustrious musical career alongside her journey into the heart of the acting world in American cinema. The 46-time Grammy nominated auteur’s book gives a deep glimpse into her story.

The 90s were weird; the fashion was strange, colourful, and immediately fell out of style. The music tapered between the harsh grittiness of grunge and the plush pop of boy/girl bands. The internet and it’s influence on the future was just beginning to be seen.

Whether you were there for it or not, it’s an interesting decade to look back. Now it’s nearly been 24 years, it’s also become historical (the 90s are now what the 70s were then!). Harvilla’s book explores the decade through its musical contributions, utilising stories and analysis to look back at the 90s. The stream of consciousness approach may put some people off but for those whom it works, they’ll get a great read.

Punk is such a broad genre and has been so well studied at this point that there is a plethora of literature to rifle through for the interested. However, Black Punk shines a spotlight specifically on the black players in punk.

With iconic bands like Bad Brains, influential writers and critics like Mars Dixon and Hanif Abdurraqib, and many more from the scene there is a new perspective of the iconic world-changing genre to explore in this book.

One of the world’s most prolific and acclaimed music producers in the world, here we get to dive inside the mind of the man who has worked with so many of the world’s most famous artists of the last 40 years.

Rubin says himself: “I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” It’s not so much a memoir as it is a book of musings on creativity and how to unlock that within yourself.

Dolly Parton has released her fair share of autobiographies looking back at her career – and a collaborative book with James Patterson for whatever reason. This is not another book looking back at the life of country music’s longstanding sweetheart.

This book instead looks at the fashion of this icon. With behind-the-scene stories and gorgeous photography of Dolly Parton’s style history from the 1960s to now, this is a fantastic exploration of something so vital to so many musicians: their image.

This is a book that covers the tide of iconic girl groups from the 1960s. These groups went on define so much of the music we hear today with their distinct sounds, harmonies, and hit songs.

Groups such as The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas feature in this extensive collection of anecdotes and stories. It features over 300 hours of new interviews with hundreds of icons and those around them.

One of rock’s, the underground’s, music in general’s most celebrated and influential figures, this book is a biography of Lou Reed with more extensive detail than any content of the man ever seen before.

Will Hermes used the New York Public Library’s archive on Lou Reed to compile the first detailed history using the information contained within those records. It explores Reed’s progressive sexuality, gender identity, and his place as one of the world’s most iconic artists.

This is a collection of “photographs and reflections” taken by Paul McCartney himself. They give a new, intimate look at life for the world’s biggest band at the outset of their explosion into the world’s eyes and hearts.

This collection of photographs explores what it was like to be scrutinized so closely by the general public. It’s a visual look at what it’s like to have hordes of people vying for your attention everywhere you go. It’s also a close look at four boys and close friends who made music together and enjoyed spending time with each other behind closed doors.

Another look back at one of history’s most influential genres. This book looks at the acts who took over radio and had teenagers around the world painting their nails black. My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, and so many more feature in this chronicling of emo’s musical takeover.

Chris Payne speaks to more than 150 people from the scene and beyond, including the biggest bands, managers, and the fans who made it all happen to compile an extensive history of this massive cultural era.

New York City is one of the world’s most famous cultural hubs. So much of the world’s most beloved music has come from the city, and so much more lies hidden within the streets of that sprawling metropolis.

This is a story of those smaller cultural hotspots that lie throughout the city and are defined by poverty, gentrification, and the communities who face the challenges of these – often with their art. It features exclusive interviews from over a hundred artists large and small to draw from their experiences.