CHECK IT OUT:

Rock ’n’ roll music’s in the air with a whiff of nostalgia.

Take a trip down memory lane with the tunes you remember and the groups that produced albums full of music in between bouts of live in concert, stadium-filled shows and lives lived large. Hey, miniskirts, flower power and tie dye are back in style or not. On second thought, maybe it’s better just to read these recently published books, listen to the newly remastered CDs or watch the many “hell freezes over” reunion concerts on DVDs. They’re all available at the library.

“Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends” by Barney Hoskyns: America went “California dreaming,” while the newly imagined country rock music scene explored the natural life “back to the garden.” Read about the exploits of the “new kids in town,” with “a little help from our friends,” in the chronicles about the famous and infamous in Los Angeles.

“Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Legendary Neighborhood” by Michael Walker: Get the juicy inside scoop on the ultimate Southern Californian, ultra-hip community composed of rock musicians, music industry types and wannabes. This title details the popularized rock ’n’ roll lifestyle at its zenith.

“Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles” by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey; forward by Elvis Costello: Emerick worked as an engineer with the Beatles and devised innovative musical techniques for “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and other albums.

“Lennon Revealed” by Larry Kane: This combined book and DVD pack contains the last Lennon and McCartney interview and other filmed material as well as newly published, biographical research concerning John Lennon and the Beatles. Beatlemaniacs will put this at the top of their list.

“Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer” by Chris Salewicz: The Clash’s songwriter, lyricist, rhythm guitar player and lead singer (real name John Graham Mellor) was an influential and inspirational musician whose most important album, “London Calling” was a smash in the U.K. and the U.S. Read the true story and discover the man behind the legend of the infamous punk music scene.

“The Show I’ll Never Forget: 50 Writers Relive Their Most Memorable Concertgoing Experience” edited by Sean Manning: Talk about a mixed bag! This anthology includes such disparate musicians as Miles Davis and the Pogues, from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. There is something for everyone here, along with the incredible insights and personal opinions that music seems to foster in people, especially writers with a bent toward expressing the inexpressible.

“The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics: The Collected Lyrics by Robert Hunter and John Barlow: Lyrics to All Original Songs, and Selected Traditional and Cover Songs forward by Robert Hunter; annotated by David Dodd; illustrated by Jim Carpenter; edited by Alan Trist and David Dodd: Published to coincide with their 40th anniversary, this is the collected, literal last words on the cultural references for every song sung by the Dead. Finally, separate the mumbled from the unintelligible. Deadheads need this book.

“Led Zeppelin Crashed Here: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Landmarks of North America” by Chris Epting: Go on a vicarious rock ’n’ roll tour and skip the hotel-thrashing and road trip bills that accompanied the original musicians. For serious rock travelers, this book suggests various rock ’n’ roll museums, restaurants, hotels and other places to spend freely in this century while viewing the past.

“Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with The Rolling Stones” by Robert Greenfield: Where would this list be without the last hold-outs, the grandpas of rock, Mick and Keith? How they’ve lasted this long is a mystery that may be solved in this book or maybe, as some have suggested, they’re vampires.

CHECK IT OUT is written by Newport Beach Public Library reference librarian Mary Ellen Bowman. Use your Newport Beach Public Library card to reserve these titles at www.newportbeachlibrary.org or call (949) 717-3800 and press 2.