2024 April Reading Challenge

[Elizabeth]

Hello all,

April is International Guitar Month. So your reading challenge is to read a book that involves music. You can read a biography of a favorite musician like Set the Night on Fire or Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. You can read other nonfiction titles like Brave New Bass: Interviews & Lessons With The Innovators, Trendsetters & Visionaries or Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps. You can also read fictional titles where the main character is a musician, or involved in the music industry like The Breakup Tour or Symphony of Secrets.

There's a lot of books that use the keyword musician in the catalog. Let me know if you need help finding something more specific to your tastes.

Good luck!

[Teresa]

Woo! Thanks. Um, I think it's 2024, not 2025.

[Elizabeth]

Teresa wrote: "Woo! Thanks. Um, I think it's 2024, not 2025."

Good catch! I fixed it. Thanks Teresa. lol

[Elizabeth]

We also have a playlist up for International Guitar Month on our Spotify Profile. You can find that here:
thecountylibrary.org/Spotify

[Julien]

Ironically, I started "Me" by Elton John today!

[Clancy]

The Elton John bio is terrific.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Interesting....hmmm.

[Clancy]

I think I'll read Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Song

[Carolyn]

Another interesting challenge. I will have to see what I come up with.

[Debbie]

Clancy wrote: "I think I'll read Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Song"

I think this is my next to favorite of her Pern series. My actual favorite is Dragon-Drums which is also part of the Harper sub-series.

[Teresa]

The Dragonriders of Pern is one of my favorite series.

[Teresa]

Murder In G Major by Alexia Gordon is a good cozy mystery about a classical musician.

[Em]

I will be reading More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys. Completed April 9.

[Deborah]

I am thinking of reading A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt. The main character plays the guitar.

[Audrey]

Deborah wrote: "I am thinking of reading A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt. The main character plays the guitar."

That is such a good book! So well done.

[Audrey]

The Violin Conspiracy is pretty good.

I edited Runaway Blues, which was pretty good.

In nonfiction, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain was fascinating.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I read Wings in the Wild. It's a verse novel and music/guitar/songwriting features heavily.
If anyone's looking for a really quick read, the audiobook is just under 2 hours.

[Darin]

Since I already read Violin Conspiracy, I will try his next book Symphony of Secrets. In case I don’t get it in time (waiting for eaudio), I will read a couple of picture books: One Sweet Song and Bravo Little Bird.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I also read The Last Holiday Concert which was cute.
(Both were part of our Spring Break road trip audioiobook list)

[Greg]

I read Killing the Legends by Bill O'Reilly.

I'm generally apolitical, but this was about celebrities, so it was alright. 3 stars.

[Audrey]

I wouldn't think so.

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "I'm going to read
Killing the Legends
by Bill O'Reilly.

I'm generally apolitical, but this is about musicians, so maybe it won't be too political."
Good theory. I look forward to you telling us whether it is true.

[Audrey]

I just might try that book; could be an easy audio to squeeze in.

[Greg]

Debbie wrote: "Good theory. I look forward to you telling us whether it is true."

It wasn't bad. Interesting, and I learned some things I didn't know. It was not political.

[Darin]

I finished reading my two picture books, “One Sweet Song” and “Bravo, Little Bird!”

“Bravo, Little Bird!” Reminded me of my dad. He passed away last month, and rather than holding a funeral, we had a celebration of life. I grew up in a musical home. My dad got his first masters degree in music. He taught Jr. high band for a short time, and then realized he didn’t like doing that because the kids didn’t appreciate music. Then he got his second masters in library science, which got me into library work.

For the celebration of life, my siblings and I sang 4 songs (there are 6 of us) and shared memories of Dad. It was sad, funny, memorable. Mom taught all of us kids how to play the piano. Dad organized a family jug fife and bottle band - great fun!

Anyway, I loved this topic this month - it was timely, and the picture book I read was perfect! Thanks!

[Audrey]

I teach orchestra to elementary school kids, and only a few appreciate music.

[Darin]

Yeah, I admire teachers in general - I don’t think I could do it! Thank YOU for doing it, Audrey!

My dad, when he was 19, had the opportunity to teach music at a church high school in Tonga. He did that for 3 years, came back to the states, met my mom, got married, had a kid, and then went back to Tonga for 3 more years to teach. The Pacific Islanders DID appreciate music, which is why I think my dad thought he could do it as a career.

[Audrey]

I get some "my mom is making me do it" attitudes but mostly it's after school and they just can't sit still for a lesson anymore.

[Linda]

I read by Rita Williams-Garcia. It was a pretty good book. It deals with a lot of hard things. It is labeled as JF, but I would probably recommend it for middle school and older.

[Debbie]

I read Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and Me by David Gutnick, illustrated by Mathilde Cinq-Mars and Let's Dance by David Bowie, illustrated by Hannah Marks.

[Audrey]

I also read Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity. Not political at all. Learned a lot.

[Deborah]

I finished reading A Solitary Blue this afternoon.

[Audrey]

Deborah wrote: "I finished reading A Solitary Blue this afternoon."

How did you like it? I thought it was brilliant.

[Deborah]

Audrey wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I finished reading A Solitary Blue this afternoon."

How did you like it? I thought it was brilliant."

I liked it a lot, but it is a bit of a hard read. Definitely makes you think.

[Audrey]

For sure.

[Teresa]

I struggled with this one, dnf-ing a handful. I ended up reading Ho'onani Hula Warrior, a children's book based on a true story.

[Michelle]

I just found out about these reading challenges. I am listening to Home Work: a memoir of my Hollywood days by Julie Andrew's.
I love her and love that she reads her own book.

[Michelle]

Just finished Home Work by Julie Andrews. Listening to the ups and downs that she went through during her Hollywood years remind me that actors, actresses and musicians are all real people just like us and they have real world issues just like we do. I am so glad so was willing to share her life with us. Her voice in songs, plays and movies always encourages me to continue on with a happy tune in my heart.

[Deborah]

Michelle wrote: "Just finished Home Work by Julie Andrews. Listening to the ups and downs that she went through during her Hollywood years remind me that actors, actresses and musicians are all real people just lik..."

I just started this, so far I like it a lot.

[Elizabeth]

How is it in the end of of April already???

Make sure you let me know before Midnight if you've read a book for this month!

[Darin]

I read the picture books, but I did get the audio of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb and just finished it tonight - loved it! What a great story!

[Carolyn]

Got something with music in it at the last minute. I read Shine! by J.J. Grabenstein and Chris Grabenstein. The father of the main character is a choir teacher and a new job takes both of them to a new school. Her late mother was a talented musician also.

[Patsy]

I read A solitary Blue

[Elizabeth]

Michelle is our prize drawing winner for April’s reading challenge for reading Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews Edwards.

Congratulations!

[Audrey]

Congrats!