Play(list) by the Book - Nocturnes, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Hello everyone! 

How have you been as of late? 

It's certainly been a long time writing here, but I am still reading like crazy! And upon reading, I'm always happy to discover books that mention many songs in them, and therefore give me the chance of creating another Play(list) by the Book. This year has been one of change, and one thing that I have begun is a radio show called Play(list) by the Book. The playlist that you'll discover today, was first presented in the radio (I'll put a link at the end of the post for those who want to discover the show). 

So, this Play(list) by  the Book comes from the book Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a collection of five short stories, all around music. I have to admit that this is one of my favourite playlists, as it consists of many jazz songs. Sit back and enjoy - ideally in the darkness with a glass of wine.

As per usual, the playlist consists of songs mentioned in the book. I have also included songs of the artists and albums mentioned in the text. In those cases I have chosen a song that I really like. In Nocturnes finding the songs was fairly easy, and I didn't face any problem.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Radio Show: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: The Woman who Wouldn't, by Gene Wilder

Hello, everyone! I've recently came upon The Woman who Wouldn't, by Gene Wilder and I loved it. So, I was more than happy when I realised there were enough references for a Play(list) by the Book. You see, the main protagonist in this book is a violinist, so he refers to plenty of musical pieces. Naturally, all of them are classical, so sit back, relax, and enjoy!  

This Play(list) by the Book is actually filled with masterpieces. The majority are Violin Concertos and String Quartets. I didn't include the pieces in their entirety because the playlist would have been too lengthy. Instead I chose a movement from each, so that you could get a taste of what they are like. Feel free to search for the whole pieces as well! Or, of you need any help, leave a comment below and I'll help you find the piece you're looking for.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Romancing the Beat, by Gwen Hayes

Hello, everyone! By now you know well enough that when I read a book that qualifies for a Play(list) by the  Book, I'm thrilled! I really love composing those playlists, no matter if they contain songs that I already like, hate, or I haven't heard before. So, when earlier today I picked up Romancing the Beat: Story Structures for Romance Novels, by Gwen Hayes, I was more than happy to discover that the author offered me a great playlist. This one it's sort of an '80s mix, and if you listen closely to the songs you do realise that they progress the same way as a romance story does. Anyway, sit back (or dance) and enjoy!

As I've said above, this playlist was an easy one to compose (thank you so much Gwen Hayes), because the author mentioned both the song and the title. The one song that I couldn't find anywhere was Be Near Me by the Thompson Twins. Instead, I included Hold me Now. Does any of you know this song? 

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Hello, everyone! We 're just a week before the movie release of Ready Player One, and I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!!! So, what would be more fitting than digging onto the OASIS? And what a world that was! Luckily for this Play(list) by the Book, the book offered a great number of references to songs and artist, most of them from the 80's. But, this time I'm not going to advise you to sit back and relax - just GET UP AND DANCE!

As per usual, in this playlist I included every song and artist that was mentioned in the book. I have to especially mention Rush's album 2112, which I couldn't include in its entirety (although it was close), but it's really important to the story. Anyway, this was a very straightforward case, so there weren't any reference where I couldn't find anything to include. Enjoy!

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Revival - Stephen King

Hello, everyone! I'm so glad that many of the books that I've recently read have their own Play(list) by the Book. Of course, when I pick up a Stephen King novel I expect that there will be a lot of songs montioned. So, here is Revival with one of the biggest playlists that I have created for this segment. Enjoy!

In this playlist, as you already know, I include all the songs mentioned in the novel, as well as all the albums, artists, and lyrics mentioned. In such a lengthy playlist, it's only natural that I didn't know some songs, and artists that Stephen King included in his text. The first song that I couldn't find was called Sugarland. Another song that was a mystery to me was called Aloona Ana Kaya, by the Excellent-Board Brothers. An unknown artist to me was George Damon with his album Damon Does Gershwin, although I have a hint that he might be fictional. Lastly, two groups that I couldn't find any infomation were Vo-Lites and the Staples Sisters. If any of you know anything about any of these gaps in my playlist, please let me know!

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Watchmen - Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons

Hello, everyone! So, as I've promised you here is another Play(list) by the Book. This is one from -probably- THE BEST graphic novel ever, Watchment by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons! This is a great playlist, with songs that fit the mood of the story. Sit back, and enjoy!

As per usual, I included in this playlist all the songs that were mentioned in the graphic novel, as well as songs from the artists, albums and lyrics mentioned. From all of the names included in the graphic novel I couldn't find any composer named Andrew Lang, just the Scottish author. In the graphic novel, the albun Are We Not Men? by Devo was mentioned. Although I chose one song (as I always do), the title of the album was so suitable for the story, that I couldn't leave it out, without a special mention. Lastly, jamaican dub was mentioned by Doctor Manhattan, and since I didn't have any true knoweledge of this genre, I found a random song by Johnny Clarke. If you happen to know a better representing song of this genre, please let me know!

  Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: The Gunslinger

Hello, everyone! 

My long break from The Reading Armchair is officially over, and I'm coming back with my most favourite segment (probably), the Play(list) by the book! The truth is that this Play(list) by the Book had been created on my Youtube channel since summer, and it was available there for some, as are some other playlists that I'll be posting the following weeks.

This playlist is from the first instalment of The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, called The Gunslinger. It's a fairly small one, so sit back and enjoy!

The rules for a Play(list) by the Book are the same: every song, artist, album, or lyric that is mentioned in a book is included. In the more general cases, like mention of just an artist's name, I choose a song that I feel that it fits the story the best, or simply the song by this artist that I like the most. In The Gunslinger I didn't really expect to find enough songs, but the master, indeed, found a way to mention some even in this post-apocalyptic world!

                                          Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) By the Book: American Gods

Hello, everyone! When I picked up American Gods I was certain that a playlist would be needed. Indeed, there are so many song and artist references in this novel that I didn't face any trouble to fill it. The edition of American Gods I own also includes an interview with Neil Gaiman, an essay by the author himself called How Dare You?, and an American Gods novella, named The Monarch of the Glenn. These three bonus materials added some songs of their own to the playlist. The result is quite lengthy, so sit back and enjoy!

The rules are, as usual, simple. Songs and artists mentioned in the text belong to the playlist. Also, when an album is mentioned I pick a song from it. Sometimes, when there are lyrics in the novel, I try to find to which song they belong.

Nottamun Town, the song that begins the playlist, is a town that Shadow visits, and since there is a well-known song I couldn't leave it out. San Francisco was included because Wednesday used it in order to describe their visit to this particular city ("The flowers in your hair are optional"). Lastly, Glass by Bat for Lashes was included because of its opening lines: Bilquis is reciting verses from the Song of Solomon, and this particular song begins with the same particular verses (I will rise now/And go about the city/In the street's/Broadways I seek/Him whom my soul loveth).


In the beginning of the second chapter, there are some lyrics of an "old song" that I don't recognise. My research didn't bear fruit, so if you happen to know which song this is I'd really love to know! The lyrics are:

They took her to the cemet'ry

In a big ol' Cadillac

They took her to the cemet'ry

But they didn't bring her back

If you want to dig in a little deeper you can also listen to the albums that are mentioned. Those are the following three: Dream Cafe, by Greg Brown, 69 Love Songs, by Magnetic Field, and King of America, by Elvis Costello.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) By the Book: Heart-shaped Box

Hello, everyone! Another novel, another playlist. This time the novel is none other than Heart-shaped Box, written by Joe Hill. Its protagonist is an aging rock star, so don't be surprised that the vast majority of the songs that are included belong to this particular genre. If, by any chance, you are a fan of rock music, like myself, then you are sure to enjoy it. 

As per usual, the rules for this Play(list) by the Book were simple: songs and artists mentioned in the novel were in. But Heart-shaped Box had its own difficulties, because the protagonist was a rock star. As it would be expected many songs that were mentioned were imaginary, written by himself. Nevertheless, the playlist turned out to be quite lengthy even without those imaginary songs. 

Another thing that troubled me, while creating the playlist was the fact that many band members, from groups that were already included in the list, were mentioned. Some of them, in fact, have their own solo careers. Names like Kurt Cobain, Trent Reznor, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Bonham, Joey Ramone, and David Grohl. For this one I need your suggestions: Should I include them or not?

Finally, the names of some music publishers, record companies, and generally types of music appeared in Heart-shaped Box. This was exceptionally hard for me, as on the one hand I didn't have extensive knowledge on any of them, and on the other hand they include many artists, records and song. If you want to dig a little deeper, you can search for Folkway Records, Tin Pan Alley, and music of the Ozarks.

P.S. When I found out that Ramones would be one of the bands that I would be the one to pick the song for the playlist, I couldn't resist the temptation to include Pet Sematary. What more fitting than to include a song inspired by the book written by Joe Hill's dad, Stephen King?

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: The Handmaid's Tale

Hello, everyone! By now it's no secret that Play(list) by the Book is one of my favourite things to create. I just love finding out all those musical, and sometimes lyrical, references in the novel that I read. And it's even more delightful when I do find such references in books that I didn't really expect to find some in them, like The Handmaid's Tale. Let's face it: when you read Haruki Murakami, Nick Hornby, or David Mitchell, you know that there will be a lot of songs mentioned in the book. But when I started reading The Handmaid's Tale, I never expected to find familiar songs and lyrics in this dystopian setting. But there it is! It might not be a lengthy playlist, but it still is. I hope you'll enjoy it!

As usual the rules are the same. Every song and artist that is mentioned in the book goes in the playlist. Every lyric that is mentioned, qualifies the song for the playlist. In this one, I added the Lithuanian folk song (Kalėdų rytu rožė inžydo), not because it was mentioned but because there was a tape found with the title Folk Songs from Lithuania. I thought that it would be fit for such a song to be included here.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Deadpool v Gambit

Hello, everyone! Long time, no see! But what a better comeback than with a Play(list) by the Book, one of my favourite segments of the blog. So, today we have a playlist based on all the songs and artists that were mentioned in Deadpool v Gambit. It's a really small playlist, so you'll be able to listen to it in just one sitting. Enjoy!

As usual, the rules for the playlist were the same. If a song was mentioned, it was in. If an artist was mentioned then I picked a song that I personally like. If there were certain lyrics mentioned, then I tried to find the song that they came from. Deadpool v Gambit didn't have a tricky song, so everything is included.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Play(list) by the Book: Summer Days & Summer Nights, edited by Stephanie Perkins

Hello, everyone! What a better way to welcome summer than listening to the Play(list) by the Book of the short story collection edited by Stephanie Perkins, Summer Days & Summer Nights! Plus, I always have so much fun compiling and listening to all those literary playlists. So, turn up your volume and enjoy!

As usual, I've included all the songs and artists mentioned in the short stories. Some of them didn't mention even one, others featured many. This playlist turned out to be more punk than I expected. When only an artist was named I chose the song thay I liked the most. The same applied to the case where only the album was mentioned. In the short story Inertia by Veronica Roth a band called Chase Wolcott plays an important role, and especially their song with the same title as the story. Also, another song is mentiones called Traditional Panic. I couldn't find anything about this band, so I figured that it was a fictional one. In case you know that this is a real music group, please let me know, for I'd like to listen to their songs!

Find previous Play(list) by the Book here.

Play(list) by the Book: Bioshock - Rapture

Hello, everybody! Another book, another literary playlist. This time, get ready to be immersed in the melodies of Bioshock: Rapture. Most of the songs originate before 1950, so sit back and enjoy!

In the Play(list) by the Book, I included all the songs and artists mentioned in the novel Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley. Since it's a prequel to the well-known game Bioshock many of the songs listed here were also featured on the soundtrack of the game. When only an artist was mentioned I used either a song that I personally liked or a song that can be found in the soundtracks of Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock: Infinite.

Find previous Play(list) by the Book here.  

Play(list) by the Book: 11/22/63

Hello, everybody! I'm so happy that yet another novel has offered me the opportunity to create a literary playlist. This time, the list is based on 11/22/63 by Stephen King. The book is rich in music references, both songs and artists. The playlist is quite long, but if you like the late '50s and early '60s, you'll love it. So, sit back and enjoy!

As usual, in the playlist, I included all the songs and artists mentioned throughout the novel. When a specific song wasn't mentioned, I tried to choose one that fit the time that the story was taking place. In this case, the story takes place from 1958 to 1963. Silent Night is mentioned in the novel with the alternative "Silent Mike, holy Mike". Another special case is The Battle Hymn of the Republic. In 11/22/63 was stated that Johnny Horton was singing it, but I was unable to find this version. Because of this, I included the version sung by Johnny Cash and another Johnny Horton's song.

Find previous Play(list) by the Book here.

Play(list) by the Book: The Slade House

Hello, everyone! I'm so so happy that I finally got the chance to create another literary playlist. And what's making it even better is that it's a playlist based on David Mitchell's new novel The Slade House. For such a short novel (only 238 pages long) the playlist is quite long, so sit back and enjoy!

As usual, in the playlist I've included all the songs and artists mentioned in the novel. When a specific song isn't mentioned I picked one that I liked. Special case in this Play(list) by the Book is the song Here Comes the Bride which is mentioned as  a parody with lyrics 

"Here comes the bride

a million miles wide"

Previous Play(list) by the Book here.

Play(list) by the Book: Funny Girl (Comedy Edition)

Hello, everyone! I'm so happy to be able to do another Play(list) by the Book. This one is unique, as the playlist includes comedians, comedy series and radio shows. Naturally, the videos are longer, but they are really funny. Most of them are from the 1960's and I learnt many things while researching for the creation of the playlist. Enjoy the comedy edition of Play(list) by the Book! 

Similarly to the previous playlists I included every comedian, comedy series, radio shows and talk shows mentioned in the novel Funny Girl by Nick Hornby. Some series were named in the novel, such as I Love Lucy, Lucy in London and Till Death Us Do Part. But other series I have chosen are because they star one of the actors/actresses mentioned by the author. I tried to include series from the 1960's, in order to remain true to the time of the novel. You will excuse my decision to include Robin Williams' interview in Parkinson talk show, he's much missed. 

This playlist is ideal for all the comedy lovers. Enjoy!

Previous Play(list) by the Book here. 

Play(list) by the Book: Good Omens

I always enjoy creating Play(list) by the Book. So, when I come across a novel that gives me the chance to compile another playlist I'm very happy. Good Omen: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a book that was perfect for this kind of post. It's actually one of the longest playlists I've created so far, with a lot of classical pieces of music. I hope you'll enjoy it! 

As usual, I included all the music tracks mentioned in the novel. In the cases where just a single artist was named I just picked a song that I liked. You will find that in this list there are a lot of tracks by Queen. This is because Crowley liked them a lot and turned every other piece of music into a random song by this group. Many of the artists were included in previous playlists as well, so I tried to put different songs. The exception in this rule is Born to Run, which was mentioned in the novel.

Other Play(list) by the Book

The Bone Clocks

Battle Royale

Kafka on the Shore

You Don't Say

Play(list) by the Book: You Don't Say

I'm so happy that yet another book offers me the chance to create and share with you a playlist. This is short, but the songs are all great. I hope you'll enjoy it!

As usual, I included all the songs that are mentioned in the graphic novel You Don't Say by Nate Powell. The only case where only an artist was mentioned, was Captain Beefheart and so I just chose a song that I like. In the graphic novel is also mentioned the song Say H, by the author's "one-piece band" Wait. There is also a mention to a band named Smut, which I haven't heard of and I didn't find anything on my research, so if you guys know something please let me know.

Enjoy!

Play(list) by the Book: Kafka on the Shore

I'm so excited to have come across another book that lets me this kind of post, which I enjoy creating immensely! So without many words this is the playlists with all the songs and artists mentioned in Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

In this list, I included many pieces of classical music, which actually feel important to the novel in some way or another. When a song was named by its title I put it on the list right away, if an artist was only mentioned then I chose one of my favourite songs by this artist and if an album was the case then I chose a song from that particular album. **In Prince's Sexy MF change the speed of the video to x1.5**

The only exception in the playlist is the last song. Kafka on the Shore refers to a song and a painting with the same title. Murakami has the lyrics to this fictional song in the book and this is a version by Strummer. It's not exactly as I had imagined it, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Previous playlists:

The Bone Clocks

Battle Royale

Play(list) by the Book: Battle Royale

After the playlist I had created for The Bone Clocks (which you can listen here) I've been wanting to make a new one. Battle Royale offered me another chance to share with you all the song mentioned in the novel. Shuya, one of the main characters, is into rock music which is a forbidden genre for the fictional country he lives. All the song are mostly classics, well-known and beloved. It's a smaller playlist than the previous one, but nonetheless enjoyable.

As in The Bone Clocks, some artists were just mentioned by their name and not a particular song. In those cases, I simply chose one that I like. In this particular playlist are the songs by The Blues Brothers and Lou Reed.

Born to Run is an extremely important song for this book, so I would advise taking a good listen to it especially if you are interested in reading it!

Enjoy!