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Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Books About Music

"Have you ever been asked, on a first date or by someone who is trying to carry a conversation with you, but can't, "Do you like music?" How do you answer that? "What kind of monster doesn't like music?" No? Too much? Makes sense. Much better to launch into a story about one of these 50 must-read books about music. Here's the thing, though: everyone does like music! That's why we compiled this list of 50 must-read books about music."
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from bookriot.com · made by AnnaBoots
avg. score: 3 of 50 (6%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

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1
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
2
Jazz (Toni Morrison)
Jazz (Toni Morrison)
3
The Commitments (Roddy Doyle)
The Commitments (Roddy Doyle)
4
Coming Through Slaughter (Michael Ondaatje)
Coming Through Slaughter (Michael Ondaatje)
5
Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson (Alan Greenberg)
Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson (Alan Greenberg)
6
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
7
Bel Canto (Ann Pratchett)
Bel Canto (Ann Pratchett)
8
Nocturnes (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Nocturnes (Kazuo Ishiguro)
9
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
10
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
11
An Equal Music (Vikram Seth)
An Equal Music (Vikram Seth)
12
Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel)
Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel)
13
The Fortress of Solitude (Jonathan Lethem)
The Fortress of Solitude (Jonathan Lethem)
14
Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus
15
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (Oscar Hijuelos)
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (Oscar Hijuelos)
16
Dancer (Colum McCann)
Dancer (Colum McCann)
17
The Vampire Lestat (Anne Rice)
The Vampire Lestat (Anne Rice)
18
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
19
The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Salman Rushdie)
The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Salman Rushdie)
20
Cavedweller (Dorothy Allison)
Cavedweller (Dorothy Allison)
21
Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (Lloyd Bradley)
Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (Lloyd Bradley)
22
The Force of Listening (Lucia Farinati & Claudia Firth)
The Force of Listening (Lucia Farinati & Claudia Firth)
23
Personal Stereo (Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow)
Personal Stereo (Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow)
24
Autobiography of Gucci Mane (Mane)
Autobiography of Gucci Mane (Mane)
25
Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music (Ann Powers)
Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music (Ann Powers)
26
How Music Works (David Byrne)
How Music Works (David Byrne)
27
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Oliver Sacks)
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Oliver Sacks)
28
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)
29
Miles: The Autobiography (Miles Davis With Quincy Troupe)
Miles: The Autobiography (Miles Davis With Quincy Troupe)
30
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation (Jeff Chang)
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation (Jeff Chang)
31
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (Richard Cook and Brian Morton)
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (Richard Cook and Brian Morton)
32
Decoded (Jay-Z and Dream Hampton)
Decoded (Jay-Z and Dream Hampton)
33
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
34
Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop, and Rap (Evelyn Mcdonnell and Ann Powers)
Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop, and Rap (Evelyn Mcdonnell and Ann Powers)
35
Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye (David Ritz)
Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye (David Ritz)
36
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us (Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib)
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us (Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib)
37
The Art of Asking (Amanda Palmer)
The Art of Asking (Amanda Palmer)
38
The Music of Black Americans: A History (Eileen Southern)
The Music of Black Americans: A History (Eileen Southern)
39
Blues People: Negro Music in White America (Leroi Jones)
Blues People: Negro Music in White America (Leroi Jones)
40
How Music Got Free (Stephen Witt)
How Music Got Free (Stephen Witt)
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