Books and music go together like wine and cheese — you can consume them separately, but when consumed together, they can complement each other and enhance the experience by miles. Reading and listening to songs are my two favorite activities, so combining the two feels euphoric and is an experience I look forward to every day. Don’t think it’s possible to do both at the same time? I dare you to try!
What Genre To Pick?
If you find it difficult to focus on the book itself while listening to music, chances are you’re listening to the wrong music. I will admit, heavy metal, rap, and much of pop are hard to concentrate with. Often, I find myself more focused on the beat and the lyrics than the plot or characters of whatever I am reading. Start with classical. A go-to for many is Mozart, especially after the Mozart Effect of 1993 claimed that listening to his sonatas while reading significantly improved comprehension compared to silence.
I expanded my reading and studying repertoire to also include ambient and instrumental tunes. Check out this playlist for more songs without lyrics that I find are perfect to play in the background, with artists ranging from Aphex Twin to Jon Brion to Tchaikovsky. I often find that having this large, tried-and-true collection of music allows me to focus on the book in my hand rather than floating away into my own thoughts.
It can also be useful to listen to music with lyrics in languages that you don’t know. Personally, I love Gregorian Chants or Brazilian Bossa Nova, depending on the mood of the story. If I don’t know the words, I am less likely to get distracted by singing along.
Curating a Vibe
If the vibe of the music is chosen correctly, it can enhance the experience of the events in your book a million times over. Whenever I open a new book for the first time, I immediately search for the book title on Spotify. Nine times out of ten, another bookish user has made a public playlist based on the general book, setting, or specific character. If not, I will choose the music based on the specific energy of the scene I am reading.
There’s truly nothing worse than when you are really into a moment and the song ruins the vibe, like when one of your favorite characters is dying and Fetty Wap starts blasting in the background. To avoid this conundrum, I will look up specific mixes Spotify auto-creates for me, like Sad Mix, Sci-Fi Mix, or Lovecore Mix.
If I am lucky enough to be reading a book that has already been adapted into a movie, I will play the movie soundtrack. For example, I can’t imagine reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen without Dario Marianelli and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Dune without Hans Zimmer, or even Harry Potter without John Williams. If movies can have soundtracks, why can’t books have them too?
Additionally, I will search for music based on the period and location of whatever I am reading. I like to pair James Baldwin, who has roots in both Harlem and Paris, with some 20th-century jazz.
Romanticize Your Read
A book hits differently when I am fully absorbed in it, and sometimes that process requires that the book is so good I think about it even when I am not reading it. Therefore, I often listen to these same playlists throughout my day — cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. — so that the plot and characters stay living in my mind rent-free. If I’m enjoying the vibes of the book, why not use it to help romanticize my life? The point of much literature and music is escapism, after all.
As much as I believe in the power of pairing music with books, it’s all up to what works best for you. The next time you open your book, I dare you to also open up your desired music-streaming platform of choice.
Want to hear more bookish opinions? Check out this guide to beating writer’s block.
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