Cornflakes With John Lennon: And Other Tales From a Rock N’ Roll Life By Robert Hilburn, Out now

This book of essays by the former L.A. Times rock critic looks over his career at the musicians and music that shaped rock ‘n’ roll.

To Sound in the Know: Hilburn was the only journalist to witness Johnny Cash’s legendary Folsom Prison concert.

Lucinella By Lore Segal, Out now The release of the cult classic (first released in the 1970s) gently mocks the New York literary scene (Oh,Yaddo…) through the eyes of poet Lucinella.

To Sound in the Know: The re-release is part of Melville House’s series “Art of the Contemporary Novella” and will give you some great pointers on skewering your own pals in writing.

Eating Animals By Jonathon Safran Foer, Out now In this book of non-fiction, Brooklyn’s boy wonder looks at the practical, philosophical and sociological factors behind our human habit of eating meat.

To Sound in the Know: Foer has now written about the Holocaust, September 11th and carnivores in his three books.The man sure is drawn to a slaughter.

Changing My Mind, Occasional Essays By Zadie Smith, Out Nov. 12 Arranged in four sections (titled: “Reading,” “Being,” “Seeing” and “Feeling”), the novelist pens a series of essays about a wide range of subjects from literature and feminism to Obama and Hepburn.

To Sound in the Know: Smith, who teaches writing at Columbia, will be heading downtown in 2010 to become a professor of writing at NYU. She also has been known to rock a fierce fashion turban.

Going Rouge: Sarah Palin—An American Nightmare Edited by Richard Kim and Betsy Reed, Out Nov. 16 A collection of essays edited by two staffers from The Nation, this book looks at the staringat-the-sun-duringan-eclipse, so-bad-it’s-good rise of the Alaskan governor turned VP candidate turned whatever she is now. To Sound in the Know: The fact that the book comes out the same day as Palin’s own Going Rogue is pure coincidence.You betcha!

Cookin’ With Coolio: 5 Star Meals at 1 Star Prices By Coolio, Out Nov. 17 The title says it all, folks.

To Sound in the Know: The book is derived from Coolio’s cooking show on the website My Damn Channel.

Last Words By George Carlin, Out Nov. 17 The posthumously published autobiography by the iconoclastic comedian that he spent ten years compiling the material for with co-author Tony Hendra.

To Sound in the Know: The book details Carlin’s drug and alcohol addictions, his 20 year fight with the IRS and his run-ins with the law. How come when it happens to us, it doesn’t feel as funny?