Music to read books by

I can't really listen to music while reading. I used to study while listening to The Album Leaf, that worked pretty well since its instrumental.

I wouldn't say I actively listen to music while reading or writing, but it's good to have as a sort of background noise. And yeah, I have to have just musical pieces also. I've used a lot of violin stuff in the past; lot of stuff by Paganini, lot of stuff performed by hilary hahn.

i'm an instrumental/experimental jazz girl myself

if its low and mellow words don't seem to bother me when i'm reading

i end up rereading pages a lot of times anyway because a sentence or even just a word in the book send my brain flying off into other thoughts.

Heh, I was going to say late Coltrane, something like Ascension or Interstellar Space. But, you know, as a joke. More traditional stuff is easy enough to listen to when I read, either that or the long jam Miles Davis stuff from the early '70's.

Other than that, sometime I like post-rock/electronic/IDM type stuff to read to. When I work I often put on music, but I've been finding recently that even though I think it's not effecting my work I'm a lot more productive without it.

I can't listen to music when I'm reading, 'cause I'll be distracted. I'll either start humming along, singing along, whatever.

I need silence.

I love Clint Mansell for his instrumental stuff when reading/writing. Tho when The Fountain soundtrack gets to Death is the Road to Awe I have to stop to listen to that one.

I like having background noise too. Gentle music, usually. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Angus & Julia Stone while reading. Despite being lyrical, it's good accompaniment.

You guys are not human. I need complete silence when I read something or else my brain tries too hard and breaks itself over a cinder block.

Instrumentals are possible, but then you're influenced by the music while reading, and it could change your perception of the book. The environment you read in is equally important.

music actually helps me stay more focused when it comes to the tasks at hand with silence i just get way too distracted. especially when i clean out my room. i start reading or looking through books i haven't seen in a while.

music during reading can either be soothing or just difficult.

i think if each book was made with a soundtrack that would be awesome.

like perks of being a wallflower mentions mixtapes that he makes and i would have loved to be listening to all those songs he mentioned while reading the book.

I'm a silence freak when it comes to reading. The exception is when I'm on a train/plane, I just can't stand the inane conversation of strangers. So I'd listen to music then, but it'd be whatever I have with me at the time, just to drown out other noise so nothing specific.

Yeah, I've thought the same thing about High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I wonder if it would be possible to write a book with a soundtrack, a list of songs at the start of each chapter to listen to while reading. I guess it might be hard to account for different reading speeds.

Incidentally, I've been listening to a really good new jazz album called Double Booked by Robert Glasper, if you haven't already you should check it out.

I'm a silence person in general, but mike just reminded me of something. Jeff Noon wrote a book called Needle in the Groove. Its all about the music and living in the music and all that and it came with a soundtrack. Sadly the copy I read didn't have it and the book is out of print. I'd imagine it would ahve been a pretty neat experience.

Hey I read that a few weeks back! I was going to mention it. I don't think my copy has the soundtrack in it either, although at the start in the dedications it has a list of artist in the dedications section, do you have that?

autechre/derek bailey/dj premier/king tubby
microstoria/evan parker/plastikman/pole
the smiths/sonic youth research/david toop

each issue of Scud the Disposable Assassin had a soundtrack list in the credits, going page by page which songs to listen to.

Sadly I don't have a copy of the book. I read a friend's copy about 7 years ago. Jeff Noon is one of my favorites, I have read all of his books minus the two most recent, but I only have copies of a few of them. I would kill for a copy of Pixel Juice, but they are all hard to find and generally expensive.

Like others here, I need silence and absolute minimal distractions. I love music too much, and whenever good music is playing, I want to listen. Whenever bad music is playing, I get angry. Either way, it distracts from the book.

i don't usually listen to music while reading but it is interesting to experiment with. when i do, usually it's on my ipod while in public on the bus or something. all death metal. meshuggah is really good for listening because most of their stuff is groove-oriented and you do a sorta bio-feedback loop with it. i don't look at it as having a "soundtrack" to the book, more as helping focus my attention more on what i'm reading. if you start trying to "listen" to the music it can be distracting.

I was listening to Goldmund whilst reading Maus earlier.