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Franzen Comes Alive: Songs About Books and Reading

Liberty Hardy

Senior Contributing Editor

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

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What’s the best thing in the world? READING BOOKS. And the second-best thing? All things pertaining to books. Here’s an eclectic playlist of songs about our spiny little friends to brighten up your ears.

 

“Books Written For Girls” by Camera Obscura “He likes to read books written for girls,” she sings. Spoiler: He will disappoint you. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCjgagZoQsI[/youtube]

 

“They Write Books About This Sort Of Thing” by Say Hi To Your Mom “Because we can play some Pac-Man, or go to the library. We can order some pad thai without the MSG.” [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOe7TfNYjxc[/youtube]

 

“Wrapped Up In Books” by Belle and Sebastian [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YetG6_4qJiY[/youtube]

 

“Bookstore” by Chris and Tad A tailshaker, for sure. Sorry, no video available.

 

“The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields Simply one of the most gorgeous songs ever recorded. Bonus video: Peter Gabriel’s amazing cover. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkjXr9SrzQE[/youtube] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtjgdZQS5SI[/youtube]

 

“I Could Write a Book” by Harry Connick, Jr. “If they asked me I could write a book about the way you walk and whisper and look. I could write the preface on how we met so the world would never forget.” From When Harry Met Sally. Don’t let yourself think about how old that movie is now. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aI7-BIzqFM[/youtube]

 

“A To Z” by Darren Hanlon Super sweet love story about the alphabet! [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E5_uP1t9oQ[/youtube]

 

“Pressed In a Book” by The Shins Okay, this barely has anything to do with books, but it’s a great song. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tdr4L43eac[/youtube]

 

“Open Book” by Cake “She’s writing, she’s writing, she’s writing a novel. She’s writing, she’s weaving,
conceiving a plot.” [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWAPTteV9k0[/youtube]

 

“Every Day I Write the Book” by Elvis Costello & The Attractions [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFunjzyIsE[/youtube]

 

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“Your Library” by Ludwig Von Drake “Hoo hoo, look at all the books!” Sorry, no video available.

 

 

 

“Read, Eat, Sleep” by The Books The Books automatically win everything, because they have the best name. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjVC6BdnKxo[/youtube]

 

“The Accident” by Barry Louis Polisar This is a hilarious little warning about the dangers of reading. If you’ve never heard Barry Louis Polisar, you’re missing out. He writes delightfully twisted songs for children, plus he is the singer of the wonderful song “All I Want Is You,” featured in the movie Juno. Sorry, no video available.

 

“My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors” by Moxy Fruvous “Who brought the cat? Margaret Atwood!” This kinda rules. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9F_XHb81N0[/youtube]

 

You can check out most of the songs on Spotify – here’s the Franzen Comes Alive playlist.