Books and Beats: The Soundtrack of a Fall Reading Session

Afterglow provides music and book recommendations that go together like pumpkin spice for this fall.

Written by Kaci Pelias
Illustrated by Paige Giordano

2019 has become the year of reading. This isn’t to say that prior to 2019, nobody was reading, but many people in the public eye have started openly talking about the books they love.Some are even following Oprah’s trend of starting celebrity book clubs, including indie rap queen Noname. Since reading is “hot” now, we decided to curate a few author-music recommendations, so you can listen while reading. Or, if you’re like most people and can’t do both at once, you can keep the “magic” of the books alive even after you’ve finished.

Nora Ephron

Ephron’s works range from humorous personal essays to the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for “When Harry Met Sally.” We recommend the last book published before her death, “I Remember Nothing,” penned while concealing her late-stage cancer diagnosis. In the spirit of bad-ss female powerhouses, Ephron pairs best with Sara Bareilles. Specifically, her 2007 album, Little Voice; an album that, we believe, perfectly captured Bareilles’ voice and role in the music industry as That Girl. You know — the one that won’t take no for an answer. And, of course, the soundtrack to “When Harry Met Sally” will satisfy the jazzy New York City buzz that Ephron’s writing is sure to spark.

James Baldwin

What feeling could possibly be better than the absolute bliss of reading “If Beale Street Could Talk” while listening to the blues? Baldwin’s books are romantic, tender, and sexy, so to create the perfect Baldwin-esque mood, we suggest lighting a candle and gazing longingly at some cute strangers. Put on some B.B. King and Etta James, calling back to the tunes that inspired Baldwin’s aforementioned masterpiece, which was recently adapted into an Oscar-winning film. As with “When Harry Met Sally,” we also suggest adding in a few songs from the “If Beale Street Could Talk” score, specifically “Eros.”

Becky Albertalli

Author of the well-known “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” Albertalli’s young adult books about crushes and friendship are not to be missed. Check out “The Upside of Unrequited” for your dose of gay moms, blushes, and cute Jewish boys. In the interest of immersing yourself in the teenage “mood”, we recommend pop queens Carly Rae Jepsen and Lizzo. And a healthy side of Lorde’s “Ribs” as you drive home from a late-night I-HOP run with your close-knit friend group. Actually, go ahead and add the entirety of Pure Heroine; you’ll be spiraling into an existential mess.

Liane Moriarty

How could we forget the author of the source material for Twitter’s favorite show, “Big Little Lies?” Summer may be over, but it’s never too late to crack open Moriarty’s perfect-for-the-beach reads and play “Cold Little Heart” on repeat. Okay, we’ll also suggest both Vance Joy and Alabama Shakes. You know, the kind of music you could listen to with sunglasses on, while gazing out at the waves for hours on end, thinking about how you may or may not have pushed someone’s husband down the stairs. This is a completely hypothetical scenario, of course.

Alexander Chee

Chee’s delicate and haunting prose is on full display in his most recent publication, “How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.” Through a collection of essays on both writing processes and the line between fiction and the personal, Chee discusses in detail the trauma resulting from his time in a boys’ choir. For full emotional effect, be sure to listen to choral arrangements of Latin church songs (“Da Pacem Domine,” “Amor Volat Undique,” anything that sounds very sad for reasons you can’t explain) and Chopin’s “Etude in E Minor,” famously his most melancholy composition. Something about those slow chords and subtle note changes, not to mention the minor key, just tugs at your heartstrings.

Happy reading, Afterglow bibliophiles!

Afterglow ATXOctober 8, 2019