The Summer Reading Challenge is not just for kids - adults can join in too!
We challenge you to read three books that link to the theme ‘Read to the Beat’. They can be fiction, non-fiction, eBooks or audiobooks.
Collect a Summer Reading Challenge (For Grown-Ups) card from the Library to keep track of what you read. Then return that card to the Library by Saturday 12 September for the chance to win a £50 voucher from The Lexicon!
To help inspire your choice of books, we’ve collated a list of 10 reads that we think are a good fit for this musical theme.
Famous: Ego, Envy and Ambition in Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop by Matt Thorne
Matt Thorne’s Famous focuses on seven moments in music when pop, rock and hip-hop stars have come together. Thorne investigates the consequences of those meetings and their impact on the cultural landscape.
The book explores the interconnected stories between the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Lou Reed and Paul Simon, as well as Madonna and Tupac (to name a few).
Professor Toby Litt says, ‘Famous is nothing less than a new path through pop cultural history’ - which makes it the perfect read to kickstart an interest in the history of musical pop-culture.
Jazz by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a world-renowned author best known for her novel Beloved, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. Jazz is her sixth novel. It’s a dark story that depicts the aftermath of protagonist, Joe Trace, shooting his eighteen-year-old lover, Dorcas.
The novel jumps back and forth in time capturing the ‘hope, fears and realities of black urban life’. The prose is poetic and intense, leaving readers feeling caught up in the rhythm of a blues tune themselves.
This makes Jazz a great choice for readers who enjoy a deep and soulful read.
The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan offers a masterclass on the art and craft of songwriting in his latest book; The Philosophy of Modern Song. It’s been described as ‘a momentous artistic achievement’ which is unsurprising after his Nobel Prize win in 2016.
The book is comprised of a collection of essays that focus on the nature of songs, by various artists from Elvis Costello to Nina Simone. It’s been said that although Dylan is ultimately analysing the make-up of songs, the writing is also a comment on the human condition, making it an interesting read for music lovers.
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
‘Two girls dream of being dancers - but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either.
Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is a story about friendship, music and stubborn roots. It’s about how people are shaped by these things and how they survive them’. Therefore, it’s another thoughtful addition to our music-related book list.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Hornby’s High Fidelity is a modern classic and was even turned into a film in 2000. It follows the story of record store owner Rob Fleming, after he's dumped by his long-term girlfriend Laura.
To try and win her back he revisits his top five break-ups modelled on the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs, where a "castaway” share the ‘soundtrack of their life’.
Hornby explores romantic relationships, male neurosis and music obsession in a light-hearted but revolutionary way, redefining pop-culture in the 90s and making it a great fit for our theme of ‘Read to the Beat’.
David Bowie: a life by Dylan Jones
Dylan Jones's ‘engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike any Bowie story ever written’. Jones draws from over 180 interviews with the singer’s ‘friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie’.
‘This oral history weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled artistic path. Tracing Bowie's life from the English suburbs to London to New York to Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond’.
This is an enlightening read for Bowie lovers.
Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker takes us on a journey through his life by assessing the inventory of a loft he's been meaning to clear out. The items he finds in this loft, like a packet of Wrigley’s Extra or the Sexy Laughs Fantastic Joke Book, jog Cocker’s memory and allow him to delve into his past and share it with us.
Written in Cocker's quirky and unique style, he uses the objects in the loft to pinpoint the pitfalls of wanting to start a band but not quite knowing how to get there. This book is captivating for lovers of Pulp and the punk movement, giving readers a new appreciation for Jarvis and his eccentric ways of life. An enjoyable read and a feat of musical storytelling, this book deserves a shining spot on our list.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
No reading list is complete without a gothic novel. The Phantom of the Opera was written between 1909-1910 by French author Gaston Leroux. It’s a tale about a young girl, Christine, who’s taught to sing by Erik, a man with the ‘voice of an angel but the face of a monster’.
After helping Christine, Erik demands her heart in return. This leaves her ‘torn between gratitude and pity for her strange benefactor, and love for her childhood sweetheart, Raoul’. Famously, the novel has also been adapted into a musical, but it’s said that the novel itself is ‘deeper and darker than any version that follows’. This is a dark but memorable addition to our list.
Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music & Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro’s Nocturnes is a moving quintet of stories, all focusing heavily on the theme of music. The five stories are ‘brilliantly etched, interconnected stories in which music is a vivid and essential character’, making this short story cycle an interesting addition to our list.
The five stories explore love, ambition and the human condition through music. Song often has a revelatory purpose within the stories and helps to deliver the characters to ‘a moment of reckoning: sometimes comic, sometimes tragic’. This shorter read is poignant and beautiful. Ishiguro uses music to bring these stories to life, tying in nicely with the theme of ‘Read to the Beat’.
Travelling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers
To finalise this list, we’ve chosen one last biography: Travelling, written by, ‘celebrated music critic’ Ann Powers. Travelling explores the life and loves of Joni Mitchell. Powers interviewed Mitchell’s peers in addition to ‘deep archival research’ to present readers with a guide to understanding the musician’s ‘elusive and inviting’ nature.
One Goodreads user, Maxwell, comments: ‘Powers brings to the table [the] eye of a seasoned music journalist who can synthesize vast amounts of information with a deep knowledge of music history into something that brings a new side to Joni's story’. This new side of Mitchell is worth exploring, making this biography a great place to end our list.
Hopefully, these suggestions will be enjoyable, music-related reads. Let us know how you get on and don’t forget to return the card by Saturday 12 September!
Good luck, rock on & read this summer!
For more information go to https://www.library.gg/summerreading.