Musical Notes--Rock'n Roll Jane

This week I read Jane by April Lindner, which is a twist Jane Eyre.  The twist?  Mr. Rochester is a ROCK STAR!  Well, naturally I have to do a musical notes for this.

(If you don't know, musical notes is a feature on my blog where I talk about music inspired by the book I've read.)

First off, do you have any idea how many songs are about someone named Jane?  A lot.  There's Hurricane Jane:

Lazy Line Painter Jane:

And Sweet Jane (the band in this one is really awesome; love the pornstaches!):

There's also Queen Jane Approximately, but apparently Bob Dylan doesn't allow videos of himself on the intrawebz, so you'll have to look that one up yourself.

To my mind, Mr. Rockstar is obviously inspired by Bruce Springsteen (at least musically), so the Boss worked its way into my playlists a lot this week:

You know Mr. Rockstar just has to write songs this romantic. Enjoy! And if you want to keep up with musical notes (including the ones I never post here), subscribe to me on YouTube.

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Musical Notes--Comes In Three

It's been a while since I've done a Musical Notes, so I have several songs to share!  In case you don't know (or remember), Musical Notes is a semi-regular feature where I talk about songs I listened to that were inspired by my reading.  Let's get to it!

Leaving Paradise

Touch is a big deal in this novel, and Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" fits several themes in Leaving Paradise, including the theme of wanting to be touched.

The Maltese Falcon

This novel is just begging for a torch song like "Your Heart is as Black as Night."

Dracula In Love

This song is completely not keeping in with the mood of this novel, but whenever I see the title, "Accidentally In Love" starts running through my head.

Don't you just hate it when a goateed and dread-locked rabbit steals your girlfriend?

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Musical Notes--Short!

Musical Notes is my semi-regular feature, where I talk about what music my reading inspired me to listen to this week.  This week's is pretty short and only includes two books!

What Alice Knew

One of the characters encountered in this Victorian-set novel is a Marxist, who began talking about "children of the revolution."  I was like, Hmmmm, where have I heard that before?

Cornered Tigress

I was flipping through this book to make sure I didn't still want to keep it (I didn't), and the hero's name is Jonas.

THE WORKERS ARE GOING HOOOOOOOOME!



That's all for this week!  What have you been listening and reading lately?

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Musical Notes: Twice Bitten Edition!

Musical Notes is a semi-regular feature here at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books, where I talk about how my reading inspired what I listened to.  This last week I read Twice Bitten, and there was a lot of music I listened to that related to that book.  So let's get to it!

My Man

For some reason, this song kept running through my head during the first half of the book.  I don't think Merit is quite this bad when it comes to her relationship decisions... close, but then that's just me.

Hungry Eyes

This is for the lauded Chapter Eight.

Stalker stalkery stalk.

So What

Possibly one of the greatest break-up songs ever.  Merit definitely needed a dose of this in the middle of the book.

Caroline, No

I can't tell you why I picked out this song because it would be spoilerage, but I think it fits the end of the book for both the mood and the lyrics.

What have you been reading and listening to this week?

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Musical Notes

Musical Notes is my semi-regular feature where I share what kind of music books have reminded me of lately.

The Wild Irish Sea

The hero in this book is an alcoholic who compares the heroine's love to his desire for booze.  Which made me think of this song--too bad, because I actually find it pretty annoying.

Is this video trying to make some snarky comment about the search for Osama Bin Laden or Jesus or what?

Wicked Becomes You

Unfortunately there was no Beyoncé in the Edwardian Era--Gwen could have used some Single Ladies to cheer her up after being jilted by her fiances.

What have you been listening to and reading this week?

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Musical Notes

Hello, everyone!  I hope you had a good week.  I was in Oklahoma looking for an apartment for when I start grad school in the fall, which is why I've been MIA this week.  Not to mention, my laptop was at Staples because I wanted to get a larger hard drive for it--which failed.  Oh well.  Anyway, I'm back and have a lot of posts planned for the next few days.  In the meantime, here's an overdue edition of Musical Notes, my semi-regular feature where I combine my love of books with music by sharing some songs that I think fit in with my reading.

Faces Under Water

This is the perfect song for this book.  I can't tell you why, because that would be major spoilerage, but trust me.  It's perfect!

Something else I felt fit in perfectly with this novel was the Art of Noise's Seduction of Claude Debussy, which I heard about from someone on Twitter. I think it was Binnsy. Anyway, there is a ton of color symbolism in this book, especially of the color blue, and the album is all about making color with music.

Supposedly if you stare at the blue screen long enough, it moves.

In Mike We Trust

Mike has a very sketchy, yet likable uncle.  I, too, had a sketchy but charismatic uncle.  He wasn't as bad as Mike, but he had his moments.  Whenever I hear this song, I think of him.

What have you been listening to and reading this week?

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Musical Notes

After another loooong break, Musical Notes is back!  This is a weekly (or semi-weekly, as the case may be) feature on my blog where I share the music that provided a soundtrack for the books I've read recently.  It's been a few weeks, so there are several songs to discuss!

Cry Wolf

For some reason this song kept running through my head while I was reading Cry Wolf, a book about werewolves that takes place largely in the forest.  Can't you just see Bran singing this song?

Lonesome Dove

A western novel requires Western music, and I Ride an Old Paint is a classic!  This version isn't the best (that would be Michael Martin Murphy's), but you gotta love the video for the retroness.

The Making of a Duchess

Julien's family motto is "Ne Quittez Pas," never give up, which of course made me think of Ne Me Quitte Pas, don't leave me.  Okay, so they don't mean the same thing, but it's still a good song.

Meridian

The Teeth do a lot of angsty songs about isolation and wanting to kill themselves (their words, not mine), and that seemed very appropriate to Meridian.  Well, perhaps very appropriate is stretching it....

Dreamfever

I think Mac would like nothing better than a one-way ticket back to Georgia where everything could return to the way she knew it before.

What have you been reading and listening to lately?

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Musical Notes: The many weeks' worth edition

It's been a while since I did a Musical Notes post, mainly because I've been working 50+ hours a week.  This not only slowed down my blogging, but my reading--meaning I didn't have many books to talk about.  But now I've managed to collect several songs to go with my reading, so enjoy a few week's worth of musical notes!

The House on Tradd Street

This book takes place in Charleston, and when the characters went out to eat I kept imagining this being played by a band in the restaurant:

Was Pocahontas really Southern? I don't think so, Tim!  Moving on...

FaeFever

This song immediately started running through my head when I picked up Faefever.  Bonus reason to post this: I found this video where Bob Dylan looks like Adam Sandler!

Perchance To Dream

The lovely Pam from Bookalicio.us let me borrow this book.  I think the drama of Arcade Fire goes perfectly with Beatrice's troupe of players.

Archangel's Kiss

Maybe it's just because I downloaded OK GO's new album this week, but I think this is a very good soundtrack to this book.  It's a little too perky, admittedly, but it seems to capture the same themes... right?  Hmmm.

Priceless line from this song: "Nothing ever doesn't change, but nothing changes much."  Deep, man, deeeep.

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Musical Notes: Nana and The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

You may have noticed last week that there was no edition of Musical Notes, due to the Readathon.  This actually worked out pretty well, since I haven't been in much of a listening mood and don't have any songs relating to books from this week.  But here they are from week the last:

Nana

What could be more perfect for Nana than one of the creepiest sexy songs ever?

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

This song kept running through my head because if there's one thing the Alcott women could use, it's a vacation:

And with Abba mentioning being a beast of burden, how could not think of this song?  This video with Bette Midler and Mick Jagger is TOO FUNNY:

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Musical Notes: Bloodfever & Eyes Like Stars

Musical Notes is a weekly feature where I talk about the music that's accompanied my reading this week.  It was inspired by a post from Memory at Stella Matutina.

Bloodfever

You know what makes the perfect soundtrack to these books?  The Rolling Stones!  Paint it Black, Sympathy for the Devil, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Jumpin' Jack Flash, and this song:

Eyes Like Stars

The charming world of Eyes Like Stars makes me think of Romeo + Juliet, which makes me think of the most memorable part of that movie--the soundtrack.

What have you been reading and listening to this week?

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Musical Notes: Little Vampire Women and Rupert of Hentzau

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Musical Notes is a weekly feature where I talk about the music that accompanied my reading.  It was inspired by the lovely Memory from Stella Matutina.

Little Vampire Women

David Bowie goes perfectly with Little Women.  Yes, he does!  Especially when the little women are vampires.  I think Jo would sympathize with this song:

Rupert of Hentzau

Fleet Foxes is really the perfect band to listen to while reading this book (and probably Prisoner of Zenda as well)--romantic, mysterious and timeless.

What have you been listening to and reading this week?

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Musical Notes--Darkly Luminous and The Prisoner of Zenda

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Musical Notes is a weekly feature where I talk about the music that accompanied my reading.  It was inspired by the lovely Memory from Stella Matutina.

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker

Have you heard of Melody Gardot?  Well, you have now.



This is the song I thought of when Alix and Percy were dancing:



As you can tell, this book put me in very romantic mood.

The Prisoner of Zenda

I love this song for Prisoner of Zenda because, one, it makes no sense. Straight-up. And two, if anyone would understand being burdened with other people's problems, it would be the hero of this story.



Also, the whole time I was reading Prisoner, I had this song stuck in my head. Could be because it's catchy, could be because of the castle & Taylor Swift looks like a princess. Who knows!



So that makes two romantic books this week!


What have you been reading and listening to the past week?

Musical Notes: Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Lorna Doone

Image by suchitra prints

Musical Notes is a new feature on my blog where I talk about the soundtrack I've been setting to books this week.  It was inspired by the lovely Memory of Stella Matutina.

Sir Gawain & the Green Knight

I think combining Bad Romance with this story would make an awesome video... oh, wait, they already did that?!

Lorna Doone

Yes, I'm still plugging away at Lorna.  Some day when I'm eighty I might finish it.  Anyway, this is a nice song--a nice album, really--to accompany the book: The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists.

That's it for this week! What music have you been listening to lately?

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Musical Notes: The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Persuasion, & Lorna Doone

Image by suchitra prints

Musical Notes is a new feature on my blog where I talk about the soundtrack I've been setting to books this week.  It was inspired by the lovely Memory of Stella Matutina.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Jenna's sad isolation reminded me of Emma Pollock's Paper and Glue.  Here is the radio single version, but I actually perfer the haunting quality of her performing it accoustically at Daytrotter.

Persuasion

I like this song as an accompaniment to Persuasion by Jane Austen.  Don't ask me why, because I have no idea:

The band sounds like typwriters!!!

Lorna Doone

I think of this song when I think of Lorna Doone, because John is very much a child of nature--although the video sends a completely different message from the book.  It is good, though.

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Musical Notes: Darkfever & Flat-Out Sexy

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After reading Memory's post about music and reading the other day, I realized that while I do love to set books to soundtracks, I rarely remember what music I pick out to accompany them. That gave me the idea to add a "musical notes" section to my blog.

Here's the music that has been accompanying my reading this week:

Darkfever

One would think I'd go for Irish music with this one, since it's set in Dublin, but I actually found the mix of sexuality, cynicism, romanticism, and good vs. evil that populates Leonard Cohen's music to be more appropriate. Here are two of my faves:

Wow, Leonard Cohen is really old!

Flat-Out Sexy

I'm also reading Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy (review forthcoming). With a NASCAR-set book and a Southern hero, how could I resist listening to some country music?

Do you like to listen to music while you read? What songs have you been setting to books this week?

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