Hi, it’s been a while since there was a BookChat, so I threw this together literally this afternoon. It’s barely better than a rough draft, but it’s a BookChat.
Seeing lots of talk about Eurovision, and it made me think of books about that and other song contests. The first I thought of is Cat Valente’s Space Opera. A washed-up glam rock singer is selected to be Earth’s representative in an intergalactic music contest. The consequences could be dire — this is Earth’s chance to be declared sentient rather than be eradicated. But it’s a funny book, often described as “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Eurovision”.
Next up is Year Zero by Rob Reid. Humanity is the only species in the galaxy that can produce music — and all the others are deeply addicted to it. They’ve been listening to all our music obsessively since 1977. Unfortunately, according to intergalactic law, everyone who has been listening to our music owes royalties. Some lawyers show up on Earth to talk to an entertainment lawyer, and it turns out that they owe earthlings so much money that it might be better if our planet met with an unfortunate accident. Our entertainment lawyer has to find a way to balance their laws, our laws, who gets paid the royalties and how to save the world. I really loved this book, it was optioned for filming but that was a while ago, so sadly I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Some books about other music contests:
Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum. An African American man gets into a violin contest, finding out shortly before it starts that his great-great grandfather’s fiddle is actually a Stradivarius. Then it is stolen on the eve of the competition, and he has to find it.
Music Wars by Gordon Pape: A Jewish American man enters the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in the mid-1980s. He has to decide whether to assist dissidents or just concentrate on the competition. There are also KGB agents, journalists doing their thing, and the competition.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. Not really about a contest, but: A woman made a deal with the devil for music success. She has to deliver him seven souls, and thinks she’s found her final candidate. Then she meets a retired starship captain….
Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
Set in a New Orleans where magic is real, our main character Perilous Graves (Perry) knows something is off. The Great Magician is seen in odd places, nine songs of power are missing and without them, the city my fall apart. And the Haint of Haints is awake (which sounds bad).
Some for young adults and children:
I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee. A young woman enters a music contest, hoping to become a K-Pop star She encounters fat phobia, deals with fame from being on the show, and her attraction to one of the contestants. But she must persevere if she wants to achieve her goal.
Another one centered around K-Pop: K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee. A Korean-American teenager secretly enters a global competition to be in a girl group. She has to navigate getting permission from her strict parents to go, the strict rules of the contest, learn Korean fluently, and all the usual teenage angst and drama.
Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley. I haven’t read this one but wow it sounds interesting. A girl loses a music contest and sets out to prove her rival cheated by using magic. What she finds out changes everything she thought she knew about music, magic and her rival.
Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban: Zoe longs to play the piano, which she views as elegant and dignified. Instead she plays a wheezy old organ for her parents. Then she starts practicing for the Perform-a-Rama organ competition.
and not about competitions, but really interesting:
This Is What It Sounds Like — What The Music You Love Says About You by Susan Rogers. She says that we each have a listener profile based on our response to seven dimensions of music. I have got to read this and find out if my U2 obsession is from my mind or my brain.
Most of my U2 books:
I don’t see Bono’s memoir, Surrender, there and the fan club just sent out volume 1 of their lyrics book earlier this year, so that’s 2 more that I have.
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