“Everybody’s Scene: The Story of Connecticut’s Anthrax Club,” by Chris Daily (Butter Goose Press, $18): This fall, I was both surprised and proud when I heard that a book about the Anthrax club was being published. My hometown punk/hardcore scene – which happened to coincide with my own formative years - merits a book? Maybe the music and atmosphere were really as great as I remembered them – and my memories weren’t just growing fonder as I grew older.

Sound of the Beast, The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal by Ian Christe was released a few years back but its main focus is the bygone era of metal's infancy and the legacy it left.

My knee-jerk reaction to this question was 'yes, yes, YES!' However, I have not seen the musical, yet. But the great people of Berkeley, California seem to love it — as the musical broke attendance records at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Of course, the band is from Berkeley, so, I'm sure that was certainly a factor.