What To Read

2022 was a good year in books for music lovers. Just in the past few weeks, new releases have included Bono’s memoir, Bob Dylan’s excavation of the modern song and Patti Smith's compilation of inspirational daily notations. But for the truly obsessed music fan, one must consult another music-obsessed reader for some more unique recommendations.

We called on journalist and novelist Dawnie Walton, most well-known for her acclaimed novel The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, a fictional oral history that follows the lives of a famous rock-and-roll duo from the 1970s. “It captivates you like one long, blissful marathon of VH1’s Behind the Music," said Rolling Stone recently. "There’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll, with larger-than-life characters and a politically charged plot that sticks in your brain like a provocative pop song.”

From jazz novels to pop histories to SNL tributes, Dawnie has picked a few truly thoughtful gifts for the music lover this holiday.

For anyone who Googled “Opal Jewel”:

Walton: Many of the artists who inspired my fictional heroine get their flowers in Black Diamond Queens, Maureen Mahon’s lively study of Black American women (including Willie Mae Thornton, Betty Davis, and Tina Turner) who’ve made massive contributions to rock & roll.

Especially riveting: the chapter on the Rolling Stones’ side-eye-worthy “Brown Sugar,” including the true stories of three talented women fetishized and then tossed aside by 1970s rock culture.

For anyone who cried watching Joni’s return to Newport:

Jane Quinn, heroine of the novel Songs in Ursa Major, is loosely based on the glorious Joni Mitchell. And in painting lush scenes of romance — Jane falling in love not only with Jesse Reid (based on James Taylor) but also with the beauty of songwriting itself — debut author Emma Brodie rises to the tough challenge of evoking an icon.

For those who love comedy AND music:

Whether they’re partial to the eras of John Belushi, Eddie Murphy, or Tina Fey, SNL fans will get a kick out of Live From New York.

Compiled by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales in the oral-history form that inspired Opal & Nev, this juicy book tells the stories behind the show’s funniest sketches and game-changing musical moments (including whatever happened to that Beatles reunion). 

For anyone who’s sworn off dating musicians:

Each of the chapters in Laura Warrell’s novel is a riff on the messy life of jazzman Circus Palmer and the women in his orbit.

The drama wanders down several fascinating paths, and Warrell keeps them all in tune with gorgeous prose and cutting insight about the foibles and fears of aging, wayward men. 

For fans of “Black Girl Songbook”:

The podcast host and journalist Danyel Smith understands the soul-deep connection between music and memory, and with Shine Bright, equal parts cultural history and memoir, she shares the soundtrack to her own stories of joy and pain.

Bonus: The book also boasts a ton of insider-y tidbits, as Smith, former editor of Vibe, recounts her years covering the vanguard of pop, hip-hop, and R&B.

For your favorite indie snob:

Before the movie starring John Cusack, before the Hulu series starring Zoe Kravitz, this was Nick Hornby’s great rock & roll novel, about a record-shop owner who has questionable romantic prospects but excellent musical taste.

It’ll strike a chord with anyone who knows their “desert island” list is way cooler than yours.

For the angsty teen in your life:

Nearly 20 years after directing Afro-Punk, the documentary that galvanized a subculture, James Spooner wrote and drew every panel of this graphic memoir, exploring his complex coming-of-age as a Black punk in a “nowhere” California town.

Come for the lavish and beautiful art; stay for a refreshingly honest portrait of a young person wrestling with politics and identity. 

Tertulia Recommends

Dawnie's first novel, which is a larger-than-life narrative of music, race and family secrets, was one of the long-listed nominees for the Women's Prize for Fiction last year. It was picked by President Obama as a best book of 2021 and has been acclaimed by critics across the board.

"Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It's a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite." —The New York Times Book Review