The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart

Time for another feature on one of my favourite books! This debut novel from M Glenn Taylor introduces us to Trenchmouth Taggart, a man born in West Virginia in 1903 with a lifelong oral affliction and raised on moonshine, snakes, women and the Appalacian foothills. An unforgettable and totally original novel spanning the twentienth century and touching with great energy and sensitivity on issues of race, class, history, exile and the erosion of people, places and traditions by modernity. I guarantee this is a book you'll want to recommend to everyone you know if you read it!

Reading Music

On the New York Times books blog I recently came across their 'Living with Music' series, where authors provide playlists for their works - songs which either evoke their stories or inspired their writing. This got me thinking - how can music enhance or change our reading experience? The idea of soundtracks for books isn't a new one - in 2006 James Patterson produced 100,000 copies of a CD to accompany one of his 'Maximum Ride' titles. But, in 2010 advanced e-book technology offers new opportunities for combining literary and audio experiences. Publishing as a genre is increasingly influenced by other forms of media, and readers are adapting to new ways of reading - could music become a part of our reading practices? And how much can music add to the reading experience?