For your family road trip:
To Kill a Mockingbird read by Sissy Spacek

The Spotify service sounds very interesting. I did a little research and it seems it has a great selection of classical music too, which would be my favourite genre.

Anyway I would like soundtracks for the books of Alexander Mccall Smith about the Ladies Detective Agency. I don’t know much about the music of Botswana, so I end up listening to Toumani Diabate when a new one of these books arrives. I know he is from Mali, but listening to him play the Kora in songs like Kita Kaira really get me in the mood for Mma Ramotswe’s latest case!

I read Whutering Heights last year listening to Mahler. Symphony #3 is good for Gothic, Bach keyboard music is good for a Regency romance.
Reading The Last Werewolf now. I can’t concentrate unless music is instrumental. I’m curious about the playlist mentioned but I can’t access it.

I would love to have a playlist for War and Peace- the book has so many dances, ballets, and just music in general that I think a soundtrack would lend itself well to it.

If I hadn’t heard your review of Dawn Tripp’s Game of Secrets, I would never have given the book a second glance. The cover art is everything that we’ve recently mentioned that is wrong with book covers these days: blurry, non-descript shots of the back of people and bland landscapes. It kind of looks like an Anita Shreve book (sorry). But Michael’s comment about how the novel unfolds in the same way that a Scrabble board fills up intrigued me, as did the rest of the segment. I’ve added it to my To Read list!

I like to listen to classical music while I read though I have never thought to make playlists for specific books. I prefer classic with nature sounds mixed in because I love to curl up in my favorite chair during a rainstorm, or sit on the porch in the summertime with birdsong in the background.

I’ll offer a playlist for one of the books (I think) you recently recommended: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. I was kind of luke warm about the novel but the setting for the beach house in Maine is in an area I used to go on vacation with my friends during my teen years in the mid 70′s. Every time we drove there and back the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty was playing. I so associate that album with that area that 30+ years later, as I was reading the book Maine, American Beauty was flowing through my head. A perfect match in my opinion.

A playlist for the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins would be interesting. One song i would suggest is “Powerful Stuff” by Sean Hayes Surviving & Life was all important for Katniss.

Hi there! I would recommend Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade while reading any Patrick O’Brian novel (Master and Commander, etc.). If you have other recommendations for what to listen to while reading O’Brian, please let me know! Happy Reading!

Interesting–I would have never thought to ask what people listen to when they read because for me those two activities are exclusive of each other. I could see listening to instrumental music while reading, but songs with words (especially words I know!) makes reading nearly impossible for me . I do like the idea of a referential playlist though, something to augment the story when you’re not actually reading.

While reading “Life” by Keith Richards, I realized that I don’t know the song titles to lots of Rolling Stones songs (even though I recognize the songs when I hear them). So I’d love a playlist to accompany the book. Also — he mentions a lot of other artists and the songs he loves, and I’d throw those in, too.

for the family road trip I don’t think you can beat the BBC version of Lord of the Rings. Wonderfully done.
For the spotify spot I would like to nominate Midnight Children by Rushdie with the music of Bollywood. It is in a different language so you don’t have that confusing factor of too many words or stories in your head but the music can be very mellow or dramatic or upbeat, just like the book has so many different moods and attitudes.

Hi guys:

I’ve got a recommendation that may satisfy criteria for both “road trip” and “soundtrack” books… TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION by The Alan Parsons Project. First released by the Brit-prog-rock group in 1976, the album has taken some of Poe’s best known works and set them to music. One of the tracks, “Dream Within A Dream” features a recitation by Orson Welles. There’s enough rock music to keep the kids happy, and the beautiful/haunting/chilling re-interpretations of Poe’s classics should keep the parents engaged as well.

On a side note, just wanted to say a public thank you to the two of you for such a wonderful podcast. I truly appreciate and acknowledge the time and effort it must require to assemble such a consistently informative, entertaining program. Some of your recommendations have been revelatory to say the least… for example, THE LAST WEREWOLF, a book I never would have picked up (no doubt due to genre snobism on my part) just blew me away. I’ve since scooped up a couple more of Duncan’s books and moved them to the top of my TBR tower. Ditto with SOMETHING MISSING and BEE LOUD GLADE.

In a wasteland of two-angry-guys-in-a-basement podcasts you two are an oasis of intelligence and inspiration. Thanks so much, and please keep it up!

Strangely enough, I listen to podcasts, including yours, while I read my books. Seems I can absorb both information on the page and through listening to podcasts.

Love the soundtrack/book topic, as I love soundtracks and of course books. Here are mine:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – anything jazzy, especially from the 1940′s, as as big part of the book is the Seattle Jazz scene in the 1940′s

The Wave, by Susan Casey – anything by the Beach Boys, especially Let’s Go Surfing!

The Tiger, by John Vaillant – of course, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (

Wilderness Warrior, Douglas Brinkely – this is a book about Theodore Roosevelt and his role in the conservation movement, so Mallard Island, the theme song from Ken Burns beatiful National Parks series from a couple of years ago

Cutting for Stone – no song in particular, but lots of violins playing slow and somber music, almost with an eerie feeling, and when Italian music when the book turns to the Italian side of Ethiopa, and maybe Neil Diamond’s America when Marion comes to New York City

The Bookmobile was my life line as a child. I live in a rural (less now than 20 years ago) area and the closest anything – including a library was 20 minutes away. We had one car – I could beg an older sister to take me to the library, but mostly I had to rely the bookmobile. It parked a little more than a mile from our house. My friends in the neighborhood would all meet each other there and tell each other about our favorite books. Unfortunately, by the time I was in the 5th grade, I had read almost everything somewhat age appropriate in the bookmobile. They did change out the books, but only once a month. Luckily, by then, my mother got a car and my sister was in college – I would read all her books (she had great big short story anthologies all sorts of books that I had not seen) and my mom would take me to the “big” library in town twice a month.

So, I am very thankful for the Bookmobile. My children have no clue about the Bookmobile. I live in the same small town, but their schools have book fairs 2 or 3 times a year and if they want a book, they buy it.

I would like a playlist for “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Lee Harper. I think a mixture of Southern Gospel and bluegrass would be great. For some reason, I have always associated the song “His Eye is on the Sparrow” with this novel. I will be teaching the book in the fall, and I think a playlist would be a great way to get the kids involved. I may even give them the assignment of developing their own playlists! Thanks for the idea, Ann!

For the road, I would suggest “Bossypants” by Tina Fey. Road trips are long and laughter make it so much more enjoyable.

As for the ideal soundtrack, while reading “Please Look After Mom” by Kyung-Sook Shin, I listened to an indie Korean band called Standing Egg. They are similar in sound to people like Jason Mraz. What better way to enjoy a beautiful Korean novel than immersing myself in k-pop?

I rarely listen to music while I’m reading, and when I do it’s something classical or jazzy without lyrics in the background.

I’ve honestly never given much thought to a book playlist even after listening to the podcast, but then this weekend I started reading REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly (another great Ann pick!) and all I can think about is the music. I’m not musical enough myself to imagine melodies, so I’m dying to check out some classical guitar music and French hip-hop. Oh and The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” is a classic.

Suzanne- you are SO RIGHT about Revolution. Definitely needs a soundtrack!

I have always loved the idea of playlists for books, but I rarely re-read a book and it’s not until after I’m done that I know what would have worked best for it. How cool would it be to have the playlist available before I read a book!

I would love to have a playlist for The Cellist of Sarajevo (already a good start on its wikipedia page) and The Book Thief. My suggestion for Book Thief is “Walking Away” by Lifehouse. I think it sums up the feeling of the narrator Death and has that somber tone the book needs. It would also be cool to have some piano accordion music for Hans, like “Yeh Raat Yeh Chand” by Y.S. Moolky.

I know I’m too late for the contest, but I immediately thought of The Passage when
I was listening to the podcast. It has such a wide range of themes and time.
Would love to hear anything by The Doors or Grace Slick in the beginning and
end with anything by The Fleet Foxes. Am eagerly awaiting the second installment of this triolgy.
Thanks for the best podcast ever! I recommend you to everyone I know.

If you like the idea of playlists for books you might want to check out the “largehearted boy” blog–he has a “Book Notes” series where “authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.” There are lots and lots of them and they are fun to read.

Would love a playlist for Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.

[...] BOTNS #139: Press Play While Reading [...]

I just want to Work at the Bookmobile…How FUN that would be!

Michael mentioned a book once about a husband who left his wife notes and she wrote them in a book, there was an accident and he died and she left the book to someone. I can’t remember more than that and can’t remember the title of this book. Can you let me know what the name of this book is?

Thank you

While I don’t usually listen to music while reading, I do listen to podcasts while I am reading and it usually means that I miss something either in the podcast or in the book that I am reading, as both require the same sort of concentration to focus on either.