The Best New Pop Culture Books to Read Now

If one of your resolutions was to read more this year, we’ve picked a number of the best new pop culture books to keep you going throughout this dreary winter.

From long-awaited autobiographies from the likes of Al Pacino to deep dives into music legends like Shania Twain and The Jesus and Mary Chain and a look at the wild life of wrestling hero Macho Man Randy Savage, here are five highly recommended new pop culture books available at your favourite booksellers now.

Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions by Ed Zwick (Gallery)

Director Ed Zwick holds little back in this insightful and compulsively readable memoir of his four+ decades in Hollywood. 

The director of films including Glory, Legends of the Fall, and Blood Diamond, and the creator of thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, Zwick has worked with some of the biggest names in the business and he lays it all out on the table in Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions.

From creative scarps with studios, writers, and stars like Brad Pitt and Leonardo Dicaprio, Zwick lays out everything that can go wrong on a film or TV production, while also highlighting the intense work and luck that goes into creating a hit. 

With an openness that one rarely encounters in these types of show business memoirs, Zwick’s breezy and conversational prose makes readers feel like an insider at the most exclusive Hollywood party. 

Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage by Jon Finkel (ECW Press)

Oooohhh yeahhhh!

Sports writer Jon Finkel goes deep on the life and career of wrestling great “Macho Man” Randy Savage in this revealing and highly entertaining biography. 

From his time atop the wrestling heap in the ‘80s with his flamboyant outfits and catch-phrases to his less-documented time as a minor-league baseball player, Finkel presents a wide-ranging portrait of Randy Savage, one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time.

Never Understood: The Jesus and Mary Chain by William and Jim Reid (Hachette)

William and Jim Reid, brothers and founding members of the Scottish noise-pop legends The Jesus and Mary Chain, have finally come together to release new music (2024’s Glasgow Eyes), as well as this co-authored oral history of the band and their upbringing. 

With their patented brand of Glaswegian humour and self-deprecation, the Reid brothers delve into their time growing up in East Kilbride, Scotland, and their love of classic rock n’ roll that they would then turn on its head with their feedback-drenched early years in the Mary Chain. 

From their chaos and violent-filled early shows to the genre-hopping experimentations over the years, Never Understood details the thrilling highs and lows of the band’s career, as well as William and Reid’s combative relationship that would give the Gallagher brothers a run for their money. 

Finally on civil-enough terms that allows the band to continue to record and tour some four decades into the career, Never Understood is a testament to one of the most influential rock bands of our time.

Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino (Penguin)

At 84-years-young, celebrated actor Al Pacino has finally penned his memoir. 

Instead of a stereotypical run-through of his entire career, Sonny Boy is mostly focused on Pacino’s tough upbringing in the Bronx, and his pivotal roles in films like The Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, and Heat. (Thankfully, he also touches on his work in Jack and Jill, for all the Sandman fans out there.)

Pacino seems most passionate about detailing his early years running through New York City with his tight group of friends, and his time working in the avant-garde theatre world before his eventual mainstream Hollywood success. 

A thoughtful and honest look at one of the most extraordinary actors of our time, Sonny Boy is also a cautious lesson about just how improbable it is to be able to live one’s dreams. 

For the best all-encompassing Pacino experience, be sure to check out the audio book which Pacino reads in his inimitable manner, laughing at his own recollections and delivering some of the best line readings you will ever hear.

Hoo-ah!

We Oughta Know: How Céline, Shania, Alanis, and Sarah Ruled the ’90s and Changed Music by Andrea Warner (ECW Press)

In this collection of reflective and poignant essays, music journalist Andrea Warner traces the legacy of how Céline Dion, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah McLachlan transformed the culture of mainstream music forever. 

Expanding on her 2015 book of the same name, Warner delves into the unprecedented fame these four Canadian performers experienced in the ‘90s and how that success transformed the music business and culture at large.

Intertwined in these essays is Warner’s own experiences growing up with this pervasive music in the ‘90s, and how these songs originally affected her and have continued to shape her understanding of these powerhouse women in unexpected ways ever since.

We Oughta Know re-contextualizes what the success of these performers has meant in the decades since their initial rise to fame, and what our fandom (or even dislike) of these acts says about ourselves. If you lived on a steady diet of Much Music in the ‘90s, this is essential reading.