A necessarily short list of summer reading titles related to music of varying kinds, and, in several instances, with connections to upcoming Cleveland Orchestra concerts. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. Procure for yourself or borrow from a library or friend. 224 pages. 2017, Vintage.
F ICT IO N First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami. 256 pages. 2021, Knopf. “You could imagine Murakami’s process as an extension of catching stories via musical thinking, whether it’s jazz in ‘Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova,’ pop in ‘With the Beatles,’ or classical in ‘Carnaval,’ all included in this collection.” —New York Times The Ensemble by Aja Gabel. 352 pages. 2019, Riverhead Books. This debut novel follows sixteen years of the fictitious Van Ness Quartet and its members — Brit, Henry, Daniel, and Jana — from the launch of their careers to romantic entanglements and family tragedies, and their ability to make beautiful music through it all. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. 415 pages. 2012, Ecco. “You don’t need to be familiar with Homer’s The Iliad (or Brad Pitt’s Troy, for that matter) to find Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles spellbinding. . . . Her explorations of ego, grief, and love’s many permutations are both familiar and new. . . . A timeless love story.” —O magazine
Summer 2021
The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee. 576 pages. 2016, Mariner Books.
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A historical novel depicting the dreams and inside struggles of a 19th-century American woman who travels to Europe as a circus performer, and then becomes a star at the Paris Opera. Chee weaves together a sure ability for evocatively telling details into a captivating story about life and love, adventure and music.
“This is an imagining of Shostakovich’s inner life and struggles, resulting in a condensed masterpiece that traces the lifelong battle of his conscience and art with the insupportable exigencies of totalitarianism.” —The Guardian Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music by Kazuo Ishiguro. 240 pages. 2009, Knopf. “In this volume of short stories, Kazuo Ishiguro, author of Remains of the Day, blends musical concepts with their literary counterparts, taking on the . . . quality of a song cycle with recurring themes and motifs developed in different prose keys.” —Bookmarks magazine
PO ET RY Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life by Ruth Padel. 144 pages. 2021, Knopf. “Balancing a historian’s fidelity to archives and a musician’s passion for composition, Padel offers a lavish poetic biography of Beethoven. . . . Aficionados of classical music may draw inspiration from this ambitiously conceived reconsideration of Beethoven’s genius.” —Publishers Weekly
N o n - F I CT I O N Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw. 320 pages. 2019, Random House. A fascinating exploration of songs that have helped shape America’s history, from “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “We Shall Overcome” and “Age of Aquarius.” Historian Jon Meacham teams up with country singersongwriter Tim McGraw for a blending of art and power, words and storytelling.
