Riffs

Glimpses (1993) by Lewis Shiner A rock music aficionado finds a way to time travel and record some of the greatest moments in the history of the genre. “A pop-music fairy tale linking the Beatles to Bruno Bettelheim.” — The Village Voice “The outcome of Ray’s double quests is deftly handled and satisfying. He learns …continue…

High Fidelity (1995) by Nick Hornby A record store owner obsesses over his collection and uses it as therapy to deal with his recent heartbreak. “Hornby’s amazingly accomplished debut should definitely appeal to music fans (and snobs), but it’s his literate, painfully honest riffs on romantic humiliation and heartbreak that make the book so special.” …continue…

Telegraph Avenue (2012) by Michael Chabon Longtime friends and bandmates worry about the impending doom a megastore may cause for their record store, while navigating the trails and tribulations of their individual lives and struggling to keep their friendship in tact. “The novel’s central metaphor is jazz, soul and funk music: how it saturates the …continue…

A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) by Jennifer Egan The story of a former punk musician/record executive and the troubled young woman that he employs. “Although shredded with loss, “A Visit From the Goon Squad” is often darkly, rippingly funny. Egan possesses a satirist’s eye and a romance novelist’s heart.” – Will Blythe for …continue…

The Commitments (1987) by Roddy Doyle A Dublin musician uses James Brown as an inspiration to form his own band to describe the sorrows of his countrymen. “This cheeky first novel by a Dublin native, punctuated with Irish obscenities and quotes from soul classics, informed by righteous working-class anger and youthful alienation, offers the entertaining …continue…