The Next Best Book Club discussion

I couldn't find a similar topic so I hope this is the first. :)

I love to walk to my local library and read. There is a comfortable chair with a foot rest that is perfect for reading. Unfortunately, its at the front of the library and it gets really loud.

I was wondering if anybody had any music they would recommend for reading. I can't listen to anything with words because then I get distracted.

The only thing that I have to listen too now is the score's for Braveheart and Lady in the Water. I love classical music but I'm not really familiar with alot of composers so when I buy a cd blind I usually don't like it.

Thanks everybody!

Try Vivaldi, or sale bin cds that are things like "romantic guitar" or baroque music...Those are light, lovely and comfortable. I have a set of CDs (OLD) that are compilations of "dinner music" One is Spanish dinner music, one is Sunday Brunch, another is Sunday breakfast in bed (check Amazon?) They are all good background.

Check out the CDs they sell at Starbucks, some good backtround music there, too.

I've seen several CDs called Music for Book Lovers. Mostly they're classical music or jazz, but they don't usually have words.

Sounds like you want something relaxing and not distracting. Those many bogus "classical chillout" cds that line bargain bins are the way go for mellow unarresting guff.

Mozart and bach are pretty good bets but Beethoven is pretty striking (distracting).
Minimalism would be a good bet. Try steve reich's music for 18 musicians and arvo part's "passio".
Pre-baroque choral music would be a good bet too. Thomas tallis... hildegard von bingen, guillame de machaut, Carlo Gesualdo...

Actually the baroque period in general is pretty good for unarresting music that can sit in the background without you noticing it. Bach, Purcell, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Handel...

Really if you dont know anything then just look for classical chillout albums. That'll suffice.

Fiona wrote: "Depends on the book.

I read Shogun to The Last Samurai and Memoirs of a Geisha soundtracks - appropriately.

I read The Counte of Monte Cristo to Karl Kenkins ' The Armed Man'

I LOVE the fact that you choose sountracks that match your reading--we've got quite a soundtrack collection, so I think I'll try that too.

Right now I stick with classical music (usually on Sirius), but I also have a few records that I bought on a whim which are of the "Music to Read By" ilk, mostly elevator music, but actually pretty good to read to.

I like classical -..."

I strongly recommedn anything by Joshua Bell (the violinist). I for one like the LotR soundtracks as wella s the Harry Potter soundtracks!

I generally like silence when I read but I sometimes used to read/study to Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Holst's The Planets, Respighi's Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome - all classical. Some Native American flute also sometimes works for me such as that by R. Carlos Nakai. Definitely nothing with words or even a story such as The Nutcracker or Swan Lake.

I'd love to find of some those "music for book lovers" CDs.

My reading music:
Debussy
Chopin (if you listen to a couple songs on Utube and you like it you'll be pretty safe buying a "best of" cd is they're have fairly uniform styles)
Enya (yes there are words but often you can't understand them so:-)