Claire's Book List 2015

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy your book, Claire ! I have Labyrinth on my TBR.

[Inver]

I too started Labyrinth ( I saw it on the telly) but I gave up on it.

[chesilbeach]

Wow, quite a few of you gave up on Labyrinth.  I'm surprised, I remember it being a pretty easy book to read, and the pages flying by.  Started Citadel today, and I'm really enjoying it.  I'm about 100 pages in already.

[Kylie]

I checked my shelves earlier, and I've actually taken it off and added it to my pile of 'books I no longer want to read'. 

[chesilbeach]

I checked my shelves earlier, and I've actually taken it off and added it to my pile of 'books I no longer want to read'. 

 

I guess I'm on my own then! 

 

Read some more of Citadel today, and I really like it.  It's set mostly during the war in 1944, with some short occasional chapters set in the fourth century.

[chesilbeach]

Just realised I've got a batch of YA books I'd pre-ordered that are coming up for publication soon, so I should have a nice little batch to indulge in when I have some time off work.  It'll be very tempting to start them as soon as they arrive on my Kindle, but I do like having a YA session when I've got some spare time, so will try and save them for some days off work, so that I can find a corner in a café with a pot of tea and a slice of cake to enjoy them with.

[Alexi]

Sounds like the perfect day off work  

[Athena]

Just realised I've got a batch of YA books I'd pre-ordered that are coming up for publication soon, so I should have a nice little batch to indulge in when I have some time off work.  It'll be very tempting to start them as soon as they arrive on my Kindle, but I do like having a YA session when I've got some spare time, so will try and save them for some days off work, so that I can find a corner in a café with a pot of tea and a slice of cake to enjoy them with.

I hope you enjoy your books !

[poppyshake]

Just realised I've got a batch of YA books I'd pre-ordered that are coming up for publication soon, so I should have a nice little batch to indulge in when I have some time off work.  It'll be very tempting to start them as soon as they arrive on my Kindle, but I do like having a YA session when I've got some spare time, so will try and save them for some days off work, so that I can find a corner in a café with a pot of tea and a slice of cake to enjoy them with.

That sounds so idyllic .. I am more than envious (especially about the cake ) Can we know what titles are in the batch? Perhaps a little sneak preview

I can't do the cafe reading thing very easily .. there are always some noisy ******'s (like us ) chattering away and I just can't block them out. End up reading one page   

[chesilbeach]

That sounds so idyllic .. I am more than envious (especially about the cake ) Can we know what titles are in the batch? Perhaps a little sneak preview

Of course, although I doubt most people would be interested! Misty Falls by Joss Stirling, is the fourth in her series about the Benedict brothers; All Fall Down which is the first in a new series by Ally Carter, who wrote the Gallagher Girls and Heist series that I really enjoyed; The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead which is the sixth and final book in her Bloodlines series.

 

I can't do the cafe reading thing very easily .. there are always some noisy ******'s (like us ) chattering away and I just can't block them out. End up reading one page   

My favourite local cafe is usually pretty quiet, but if not, I'm quite happy to put my earbuds in and listen to something like a classical, soundtrack or jazz album, hopefully that sort of matches the book I'm reading! At the moment I'm listening to the Amelie soundtrack while reading Citadel which is set in the south of France, so it fits beautifully! Otherwise, it'd probably be Mozart, Beethoven or Chopin, or the soundtrack of the film, The Hours or something from my jazz collection, which is quite extensive, so I can usually find something suitable!

[poppyshake]

Of course, although I doubt most people would be interested! Misty Falls by Joss Stirling, is the fourth in her series about the Benedict brothers; All Fall Down which is the first in a new series by Ally Carter, who wrote the Gallagher Girls and Heist series that I really enjoyed; The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead which is the sixth and final book in her Bloodlines series.

I haven't heard of the books or their authors .. well I have heard of Joss Stirling because she has some phenomenal book covers but I am very interested indeed Hope you enjoy reading them Claire .. should keep you out of mischief

My favourite local cafe is usually pretty quiet, but if not, I'm quite happy to put my earbuds in and listen to something like a classical, soundtrack or jazz album, hopefully that sort of matches the book I'm reading! At the moment I'm listening to the Amelie soundtrack while reading Citadel which is set in the south of France, so it fits beautifully! Otherwise, it'd probably be Mozart, Beethoven or Chopin, or the soundtrack of the film, The Hours or something from my jazz collection, which is quite extensive, so I can usually find something suitable!

Ah .. now I can do this as long as there's no singing .. just music. Pref something classical and soothing. If it's instrumental but the songs normally have words then that's no good either because my head fills in the blanks

You've reminded me I need to watch The Hours again .. and Amelie for that matter

[chesilbeach]

Ah .. now I can do this as long as there's no singing .. just music. Pref something classical and soothing. If it's instrumental but the songs normally have words then that's no good either because my head fills in the blanks

You've reminded me I need to watch The Hours again .. and Amelie for that matter

My choices are all songs and music with no words. The Hours is probably the one I listen to most often while reading, it's absolutely lovely. Other than that, it's often Chopin Noctures or Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

[Melodious]

My favourite local cafe is usually pretty quiet, but if not, I'm quite happy to put my earbuds in and listen to something like a classical, soundtrack or jazz album, hopefully that sort of matches the book I'm reading! At the moment I'm listening to the Amelie soundtrack while reading Citadel which is set in the south of France, so it fits beautifully! Otherwise, it'd probably be Mozart, Beethoven or Chopin, or the soundtrack of the film, The Hours or something from my jazz collection, which is quite extensive, so I can usually find something suitable!

 

I'm the same. I like to listen to jazz or classical (Einaudi, Beethoven and Chopin especially) if my local cafe is quite noisy. Something that blocks out the external noise but isn't too intrusive on my thoughts. 

[woolf woolf]

There are also some earbuds whose purpose is to block the external sounds. I never used them, but I want to; either way, I think they allow someone to read in silence. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/28/six-of-the-best-noise-cancelling-headphones-to-silence-the-commute

[poppyshake]

I will have to check out the soundtrack for The Hours  Love the other two .. and Beethoven's Pastoral .. and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and lots of others. At Christmas I like Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and also Sleeping Beauty (both of these would be hopeless .. as bits of them feature in Disney films and my mind would wander to that ) but they can be a bit strident  

[chesilbeach]

I remember coming out of the cinema after watching The Hours and saying how brilliant the score was, and it suited the film so well, and it's remained one of my favourite reading pieces ever since … I'm sure you'll love it, Kay.

[Athena]

There are also some earbuds whose purpose is to block the external sounds. I never used them, but I want to; either way, I think they allow someone to read in silence. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/28/six-of-the-best-noise-cancelling-headphones-to-silence-the-commute

I have some noise cancelling headphones though they're not the ones from that site. Mine are a bit big, I don't wear them when I'm out, but if I'm at home and something is too noisy that my earplugs can't filter out, I put them on. It helps .

[poppyshake]

I remember coming out of the cinema after watching The Hours and saying how brilliant the score was, and it suited the film so well, and it's remained one of my favourite reading pieces ever since … I'm sure you'll love it, Kay.

I've been listening to it this morning on YouTube ... absolutely lovely Thanks for pointing me in its direction Claire

 

Edit: Now listening to the Amelie soundtrack .. excellent (any more recommendations Claire?)

Edited February 6, 2015 by poppyshake

[chesilbeach]

Difficult to recommend, as everyone's musical tastes are different, but I knew you liked the films so that's why I mentioned them.  I haven't actually got many soundtracks that work for reading, as most are proper songs, and like you, I can't read with someone singing … at least not in English anyway!  I can read with someone singing in a foreign language I can't understand, and it just become more musical notes. 

 

Here's my favourites from my various reading playlists and the ones I listen to most often:

 

Reading - Jazz:

Harry Connick Jr. - Lofty's Roach Souffle

Matthew Halsall - Colour Yes

Matthew Halsall - On The Go

Matthew Halsall - Fletcher Moss Park

Portico Quartet - Isla

 

Reading - Latin:

Stan Getz & Luis Bonfa - Jazz Samba Encore

Gotan Project - La Revancha del Tango

 

Reading - Soundtracks:

Richard Robbins - A Room With A View

 

Reading - World:

Titi Robin - Kali Sultana

Paco Peña - His Essential Recordings

 

I know I've picked Matthew Halsall three times, but I only came across him a couple of years ago, and I adore listening to him.  He's a jazz trumpeter, so if you don't like jazz, it's probably not going to interest you.  The two on the World list are both flamenco, so again, an acquired taste, but something I find works well with reading.

[willoyd]

You've reminded me I need to watch The Hours again .. and Amelie for that matter

They have to be my two favourite film soundtracks of all time (and two of my top five films) - I can only agree that they make great background reading music!

 

Having been reading about how the mind's attentional filter works, I think that for music to make good background for reading, it needs to be sufficiently familiar that one can switch away from paying it attention, and without changes that are too abrupt or too big to avoid our attention being forced to switch back to it. I think that's why we find singing too distracting - it forces its way back into our mind. I suspect that a lot of film scores are too varied - swinging from quieter moments to moments of high drama, and back again. The Hours and Amelie are somewhat more contemplative than most??

 

I find that a lot of Mozart (including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik!) fits this role really well, as well as other classical and later baroque music. Classical guitar really works for me too, as does Sibelius, and a lot of Renaissance polyphony (I've got an album called Utopia Triumphans that I am completely addicted to). I'm not a jazz fan, but can see it fitting the role brilliantly if you are. As a result of enjoying The Hours music so much, I've recently started to explore some of Philip Glass's music, and some of it is starting to shape up as good reading music!

 

I'm sure there's a market for music CDs for reading, or maybe that's all a bit yesterday?

Edited February 7, 2015 by willoyd

[chesilbeach]

... it needs to be sufficiently familiar that one can switch away from paying it attention, and without changes that are too abrupt or too big to avoid our attention being forced to switch back to it.

 

I think that sums up my reading music perfectly. I generally prefer my classical music to be piano pieces or choral works, but choral works don't mix well with reading on the whole. The only one I can sometimes listen to while reading is Byrd: Mass for 5 Voices with Propers for The Feast of All Saints - the version I have is by Harry Christophers The Sixteen.

[willoyd]

 

I think that sums up my reading music perfectly. I generally prefer my classical music to be piano pieces or choral works, but choral works don't mix well with reading on the whole. The only one I can sometimes listen to while reading is Byrd: Mass for 5 Voices with Propers for The Feast of All Saints - the version I have is by Harry Christophers The Sixteen.

 

I'd agree - I love choral work, but can't read to it, except that polyphony (which would include the Byrd).  Again, I think it's because the voices merge to form what almost sounds like instrumental music.  At least, I can't make out the individual words without a score!

 

I've just sampled the Byrd - it sounds great; I must explore further. If that is a favourite, I think you would enjoy the Utopia Triumphans album I mention above.  It includes what, for me, are two amazing pieces, both with 40 parts!  Tallis's Spem in Alium  is well enough known, but the piece that inspired it, Striggio's 40-part Ecce beatam lucem is, I think, a unique recording, as are most of the others on the album - there isn't a duff piece on the album, which would have to be one of my Desert Island discs; it's one of the few complete albums that transport me off the planet when I listen.  You can listen to it on You Tube

Edited February 7, 2015 by willoyd

[chesilbeach]

I've got Spem in Alium on a collection, Tallis Scholars Sing Thomas Tallis which was recommended to me because I loved Byrd, so I'll definitely look up Utopia Triumphans as it sounds like the sort of thing I enjoy.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[Melodious]

Reading - Jazz:

Harry Connick Jr. - Lofty's Roach Souffle

Matthew Halsall - Colour Yes

Matthew Halsall - On The Go

Matthew Halsall - Fletcher Moss Park

Portico Quartet - Isla

 

I know I've picked Matthew Halsall three times, but I only came across him a couple of years ago, and I adore listening to him.  He's a jazz trumpeter, so if you don't like jazz, it's probably not going to interest you.  The two on the World list are both flamenco, so again, an acquired taste, but something I find works well with reading.

 

I may give him a go. Always looking for new jazz suggestions. I love Coltrane and Ellington's album for reading.

 

I find that a lot of Mozart (including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik!) fits this role really well, as well as other classical and later baroque music. Classical guitar really works for me too, as does Sibelius, and a lot of Renaissance polyphony (I've got an album called Utopia Triumphans that I am completely addicted to). I'm not a jazz fan, but can see it fitting the role brilliantly if you are. As a result of enjoying The Hours music so much, I've recently started to explore some of Philip Glass's music, and some of it is starting to shape up as good reading music!

 

I'm sure there's a market for music CDs for reading, or maybe that's all a bit yesterday?

 

I had the pleasure of seeing Philip Glass in concert a few years ago. Sublime. His solo piano works is great as is his work with Violinist Tim Fein.

 

I don't really enjoy much Baroque music as I can't stand the Harpsichord. Terrible tinging device such as it is

[chesilbeach]

I may give him a go. Always looking for new jazz suggestions. I love Coltrane and Ellington's album for reading.

 

If you do, let me know how you get on. On The Go was the first time I heard his work, so it has a special place in my heart, but Fletcher Moss Park is beautiful.  Who am I kidding … I love all his albums!