The joy of reading: Warm up this winter with a great book

It can hardly be argued that the world lost one of its great technological innovators when Steve Jobs passed away in October.

Hitting bookstore shelves a few weeks later, "Steve Jobs" has been one of the biggest selling nonfiction books to come out over the course of the last year.

For those looking to use that holiday gift card or warm up to some winter reading, listed below is a look at "Jobs" as well as a handful of other recently released bios and oral histories of note.

All book prices are non-sale prices listed on AMAZON.COM. Additionally, all of the books are available via Kindle.

"Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster, 627 pages. $35.

The innovations Steve Jobs helped bring to the masses — MacIntosh, Pixar, Notebook, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad — are undisputable in terms of their impact on its users, but Jobs, as revealed here, was as much a bully, both in and out of the office, as he was a technological groundbreaker.

The book is thoroughly researched and culled from hundreds of interviews of Jobs admirers and those thrown under his bus. Isaacson paints a terrific portrait of a pioneer whom many would deem complex. To others, "Jobs" is the brilliant story of a social miscreant who, had he not been Steve Jobs, would be nothing more than a human resource nightmare at work and the guest best avoided on gatherings on the home front.

"The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun," by Robert Greenfield. Simon & Schuster, 464 pages. $30

The Turkish-born co-founder of Atlantic Records, Ertegun's reign over the airwaves and charts stretched from Stick McGhee's "Drinkin' Wine, Sop-Dee-O-Dee" in 1949 to Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba" a half decade later. In between, he nurtured icons such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, to name just two notables, and served as a mentor to boardroom renegades from David Geffen to Lyor Cohen.

"Sultan" depicts a maverick who had his share of personal and professional flaws to contend with over his 83 years, which Greenfield chronicles along with his triumphs.

"Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks," by Ronin Ro. St. Martin's Press, 384 pages. $26.

In "Prince," Ro chronicles a prolific songwriter, producer and musician whose musical flights of fancy are reminiscent of another iconic musical Minnesotian, Bob Dylan, and a personal life as mysterious as the symbol he took to identifying himself as for the better part of the 90s.

"I Want My MTV: The Uncensored History of the Music Video Revolution," by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum. Dutton Adult, 608 pages. $29.95.

A behemoth of a book, seasoned music journos/authors Marks and Tannenbaum interviewed more than 400 artists from both sides of the camera for this examination of the culture-shifting cable station's pioneering days in the 80s through the early 90s. The end result is one of the most thorough and enjoyable examinations of any pop culture pillar ever.

"Everybody Loves our Town: An Oral History of Grunge," by Mark Yarn. Crown Publishing, 592 pages. $25.

The ghost of Kurt Cobain looms large over this detailed chronicle of three decades of Seattle rock, its impact on and beyond the musical realm, and the varying costs paid by its hometown heroes.

The era's most notable figures — Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains — share equal space with musical counterparts who, despite failing to sell albums by the millions, are as influential and respected by their peers and fans in the know.

"Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN," by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. Back Bay Books, 832 pages. $17.99.

With "Guys," and its subject, cable sports trailblazer ESPN, Miller and Shales outdo their most notable past triumph: "Live from New York," a thorough oral history of "Saturday Night Live." The duo conducted more than 500 interviews with anchors, athletes and execs, to chronicle the network's emergence, growth, and impact in and beyond the sports, network and journalism stratas. While fans of ESPN will surely enjoy the behind-the-scenes tales, the book's greatest accomplishment is its ability to intrigue readers unfamiliar with sports and/or the channel, thus making the tome one of the best non-fiction reads of the year.

"Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns)?" by Mindy Kaling. Crown Publishing, 240 pages, $25.

Best known to the masses as Kelly Kapoor, the Chatty Cathy customer service rep on NBC's "The Office," Kaling is, upon deeper investigation, a force to be reckoned with; along with penning and producing many an "Office" episode, Kaling co-wrote and co-starred in "Matt & Ben," 2003's acclaimed theatrical satire of Hollywood super-duo Damon and Affleck. The lone caveat with "Hanging" is that Kaling writes with women as her target audience in spots. This shouldn't, however, discourage male readers from giving this clever tome time and attention.