Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form

New Book Alert: February 1-5, 2021

Posted on February 6, 2021August 14, 2023 By Sammy Younan No Comments on New Book Alert: February 1-5, 2021

My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
by Avi Loeb
Non-Fiction & Space Is The Place / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: January 26, 2021

The Truth Is Out There! Actually the truth now comes in book form via Avi Loeb’s Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. “Harvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.” Is this the proof we seek? Is there something more than stars up there? Cheers to the irony of finding “Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” when we struggle to find it here on Earth.

Best sellers in the last 24H!!

#7: Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
Avi Loeb
publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
USD 20.99https://t.co/YHuDl2BWEy

— Top10Books (@top10books_us) January 31, 2021

A Bright Ray of Darkness
by Ethan Hawke
Novel? / Knopf Publishing Group
Published: February 2, 2021

Ethan Hawke’s (yes: that Ethan Hawke) latest novel (he’s turning into a fine writer) is a meditation about art and love, fame and heartbreak. If you dig this then check out his 2015 book: Rules for a Knight.

Did you see? 👀

Today, our friends at @EW revealed the cover for Ethan Hawke’s forthcoming novel, A BRIGHT RAY OF DARKNESS!

🔥✨

For more information on this Spring 2021 release, visit:https://t.co/HRWWtnSkqc pic.twitter.com/FueSPL9z92

— Alfred A. Knopf (@AAKnopf) October 5, 2020

Fast Forward, Play, and Rewind
by Michael Oberman
Non-Fiction & Music / Backbeat Books
Published: October 15, 2020

Here’s the thing: if we call the individuals who make great music Artists…then why wouldn’t their interviews also be part of their art? This book is filled with more than 100 interviews: The Doors, James Brown, the Grateful Dead, the Sir Douglas Quintet, David Bowie plus many more!

Fast forward, play, and rewind (Backbeat) https://t.co/Giq3zUULqy pic.twitter.com/0RyHgoG7id

— New history books in the UK (@ukhistorybooks) October 10, 2020

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
by Adam M. Grant
Non-Fiction / Viking Books
Published: February 2, 2021

Adam Grant is back! If you dig Malcolm Gladwell then you’ll be Glad and Well you’re also reading Adam Grant. “For too many of us, our ways of thinking become habits that we don’t bother to question, and mental laziness leads us to prefer the ease of old routines to the difficulty of new ones. We fail to update the beliefs we formed in the past for the challenges we face in the present.” Certainty (especially with celebrities: “I KNOW he did it!”) is a major red flag. I’m certain I don’t trust your certainty. I certainly don’t trust your thinking.

What does it take to rethink our own opinions, open other people’s minds, and create cultures of learning?

Announcing the #thinkagain virtual tour.

Join us here: https://t.co/gHkMmxMctd pic.twitter.com/5iqGriZwJB

— Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) January 17, 2021

Mike Nichols: A Life
by Mark Harris
Non-Fiction & Movies / Penguin Press
Published: February 2, 2021

And now some “Carnal Knowledge” about director Mike Nichols. After reading Mark Harris’ “playful” biography Mike Nichols: A Life you’ll Graduate with strange fun facts like Nichols turned down The Exorcist?!

Today’s the day! Happy pub day to #MikeNichols by @MarkHarrisNYC! Learn more about this “superbly well-written” (@latimes) biography of one of the most influential creative forces in American entertainment history here: https://t.co/9dM3HJ2Hgd pic.twitter.com/3e6HYKjOG7

— penguinpress (@penguinpress) February 2, 2021

-28-

Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

New Book Alert Tags:Books, Music, Reading is FUNdamental, Science-Fiction, Space Is The Place

Post navigation

Previous Post: New Book Alert: January 25-29, 2021
Next Post: New Book Alert: February 8-12, 2021

More Related Articles

New Book Alert: April 5-9, 2021 New Book Alert
New Book Alert: January 11-15, 2021 New Book Alert
New Book Alert: Fantastic Four by Ryan North Volume 2 My Pal Sammy
New Book Alert: January 18-22, 2021 New Book Alert
New Book Alert: February 10-14, 2020 New Book Alert
New Book Alert: February 8-12, 2021 New Book Alert

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • #SetTheVCR: July 21-27, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    OPEN Happy Gilmore 2 is the TV Pick. TEXT This week’s TV Recommendations range from a Holy War to a Code of Silence. And Happy Gilmore is back…with a (golf) range like that it can only be #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 14-20, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Welcome To The Summer I Turned on The TV enjoying an Apocalypse and many Home Runs. With these recommendations #SetTheVCR is for TV Rif Raf and Amateurs.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 7-13, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    #SetTheVCR is your Institute for TV Recommendations: from Trainwrecks to Jaws I drop it like it's hot!
  • #SetTheVCR: June 30 – July 6, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    New Sandman means new TV dreams for this week to let your Old Guard down and enjoy TV Recommendations just like Sinners. It’s #SetTheVCR so let’s get Lost Together.
  • #SetTheVCR: June 23-29, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Here's a Countdown of TV Recommendations. For those who're Young Werther or those with an Ironheart this is #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: June 16-22, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    TV Recommendations for a Magic Lover you can watch week down by The Waterfront just watch out for Sharks. I'm not a Liar...look it's #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: June 09-15, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Without a TV Guide TV Recommendations can quickly go FUBAR quickly like checking into a Hell Motel. To avoid that Trainwreck #SetTheVCR is your TV Revival.
  • #SetTheVCR June 2–8, 2025 TV recommendations image from My Summer Lair, featuring a retro-style television graphic promoting a weekly pop culture column by podcast host Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: June 02-08, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Your Presence is required for these TV Recommendations which range from Power Moves to a Resident Alien. #SetTheVCR for Good Night, and Good Luck.
  • #SetTheVCR TV recommendations cover for May 26 – June 1, 2025, from My Summer Lair podcast, highlighting curated weekly streaming and television picks by Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: May 26 – June 01, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Here stories from Birbiglia to Bono: it’s a Brave New World filled with TV Recommendations. Wanna Live The Good Life? Enjoy this week’s #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR cover for May 19–25, 2025 from My Summer Lair podcast, featuring weekly streaming and TV recommendations curated by host Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: May 19-25, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    From Pee-wee Herman to Sherlock Holmes this week’s TV Recommendations are loaded with comedy, angst and drama. Plus for this week’s #SetTheVCR you get to shake it like a Polaroid picture.
  • Morning Tea: Happy UFO Day 2025!July 2, 2025
    What's popping in popular culture? My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan steeps some seriously serious tea which prompts reflections.
  • Trial By Trailer: The Running Man (A Remake…)July 1, 2025
    Trail By Trailer is judging a book by its cover or in this case...a movie by its trailer. Are you 100% IN or is it a Hard Pass?
  • #CouchWorthy: Barbara Walters: Tell Me EverythingJune 22, 2025
    Exploring the pioneering career of Barbara Walters. Delving into her influential role in broadcast journalism and the challenges women face in achieving success.
  • #CouchWorthy: Bono: Stories of SurrenderMay 29, 2025
    Bono: Stories of Surrender is a vivid reimagining of his one-man stage show Stories of Surrender now streaming on Apple TV.
  • #CouchWorthy: Super Team CanadaMay 16, 2025
    Super Team Canada follows six lesser known and underrated Canadian superheroes, tasked with saving the world.
  • #CouchWorthy: Murderbot: Season 1 May 15, 2025
    Murderbot a private security cyborg hides its acquired autonomy, while completing dangerous assignments is simultaneously drawn to humans.

  • Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    Under-Review: Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Batman - Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: OvertureL Volume 1,
  • New Book Alert: California Bear
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Music Was Just Getting Good
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Ascent
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: Fantastic Four by Ryan North Volume 2
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?

Copyright © 2025 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme