Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Share and discuss book ideas for
Task 7: Read a book about a piece of media you love (a TV show, a movie, a band, etc)

This is obviously subjective but I have it narrowed down to

I'm thinking this one is a book about X, not necessarily like the book for a TV show . . . like 'read a book that was made into a movie/series'. Right?

More like a biography of or making of kinda thing?

This is a bit of a push for me, since if I read a book about media it usually has a broader subject (like being about a genre/category of books or film, rather than a specific one). I appreciate the bit of a stretch.

I'm thinking about reading Extra Salty: Jennifer's Body (11) by Frederick Blichert, Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning by David J. Skal (which is technically about a director not a specific piece of media, but it's more specific than I would usually go and I've never seen anything from him I didn't love), or finally reading As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes.

I want to see the new Bob Dylan movie in 2025 so I'm reading the memoir that it is maybe based upon: A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties by Suze Rotolo.

Also, I grew up with the Sonny and Cher Show, so : Cher: The Memoir, Part 1

Paperback Crush by Gabrielle Moss (about 80s/90s teen books)
I’ll Be There for You by Kelsey Miller ( about Friends)

Both of those are fun, quick reads

I'm on a Stranger Things kick, so I'll probably reach for one of the YA character focused books like Lucas on the Line. Although I've had Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008 on my list all year...

Two books I bought recently:
Rock Me on the Water: 1974—The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics
Waiting for the Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes, and The Sound Of Los Angeles

Going with Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way into Our Hearts

I'm considering Born to Run, Cher: The Memoir, Part 1, or Beastie Boys Book.

I'm going with Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.

I'm going with "My Effin Life" by Geddy Lee from the band Rush. It is a memoir.

I think, for this one I am goona pick Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After. It is written by Chloé Hayden; the person who played Quinni in the Heartbreak High. I hope this qualifies.

Will ......Finding Me by Viola Davis.... fit this challenge?

After multiple Amazon, Goodreads, and Google searches, I found Backstreet Boys: 30th Anniversary Celebration, wondered how I was just now discovering this existed, and immediately decided I had to read it

Becky wrote: "Will ......Finding Me by Viola Davis.... fit this challenge?"
I think so. I haven't read it yet, but it looks like she talks about How to Get Away with Murder and how it impacted her. I'm considering Matriarch: A Memoir

I'm thinking I Am Not Spock or I Am Spock. I'm also intrigued by Star Trek Psychology: The Mental Frontier (Volume 7) and Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind (Volume 2)

I've got an advance copy of Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live that I want to have finished in time for the 50th anniversary episode of SNL.

I'm considering Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art or Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation

I will be reading The Art of Turning Red

Elizabeth wrote: "This is a bit of a push for me, since if I read a book about media it usually has a broader subject (like being about a genre/category of books or film, rather than a specific one). I appreciate th..."

I ended up reading Extra Salty: Jennifer's Body (11) by Frederick Blichert, which is an excellent read for fans of the movie. Glad I went with this one. I'm hoping to still get to the other two I mentioned though.

[* nods sagely *] ... okay, so then Doctor Who.

I just got an ebook perfect for this task from Kindle the other day! Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

I loved reading Dolly and Cleo magazines when I was a young teen, so I am reading Queens of Print: Interviews with Australia's Iconic Magazine Editors.

I read Shot With Crimson by Nicola Upson, the latest installment in the Josephine Tey mystery series. This story centers around the making of the movie Rebecca in Hollywood.

Andi-Roo wrote: "[* nods sagely *] ... okay, so then Doctor Who."

haha I thought the same immediately. Are you thinking a novel, or a non-fiction? I'd love to read some interesting essays or something on this!

I read The Lord of the Rings: The Art of The Two Towers for this one.

I'm going to read Unity. It takes place after the Star Trek :DS9 show ended. I also want to read the new non-fiction book by Nana Visitor.

Betty wrote: "Going with Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way into Our Hearts"

I loved this book when I read it last year. It felt a bit like Trent Crimm had written it, but maybe that's just me.

Probably going to read Down with the System: A Memoir by Serj Tankien. I know he'll be talking about the band a lot, so I thought it fit here.

I just started OPPOSABLE THUMBS: HOW SISKEL AND EBERY CHANGED MOVIES FOREVER by Matt Singer.

I saw a cute series in my school's library and decided to read School of Rock: The Classic Illustrated Storybook by Kim Smith for this challenge.

Twilight

I read Wicked

Rebecca wrote: "I'm considering Born to Run, Cher: The Memoir, Part 1, or Beastie Boys Book."

I read Born to Run. I enjoyed it! Springsteen recorded an album specifically for the book. I listened to it on Spotify as I read it. It really added to the experience!

I thought I was really going to struggle with this one, but I was at a motorway services on the M1 on Sunday and there was a charity booksale table which had a copy of Four Weddings and a Funeral on it. Bought for the princely sum of £1! It was fun reading the scripts and finding extra little nuggets in the stage directions, as well as the deleted scenes.

I read From Here to the Great Unknown.I was going to read Cinema Speculationbecause my husband has the book. One day I heard Elizabeth Cook on Outlaw Country say she was up late listening to the Lisa Marie Presley book & thought I would like that book too. The book is good but the story is sad & tragic.

Does this have to be nonfiction? As a huge Golden Girls fan, I was thinking about reading Murder by Cheesecake

First Films by Philip Powers

I read Once Upon a Boyband by Jenny Proctor

I'm going to indulge in the nostalgia of one of my favourite franchises and read Dinobots Strike Back by Casey Todd, the first book in the The Transformers: Find Your Fate Series.

I read 60 Songs That Explain the '90s Rob Harvilla (music is the media)