My fictional band ShapeShifter is merely the result of what happens when you mix a writer with a music lover, a woman who almost went to work full-time in the music business. To me, combining these elements is the most natural thing in the world; I can’t get enough of bands, music, and books.
I’m not the only writer who feels compelled to write about this subject. But finding a comprehensive list can be difficult.
Like my fictional character Trevor Wolff, I’m not one to shy away from tackling such a job. I’m not naive enough to believe this is an all-inclusive list; if you see anything I’ve missed, drop me an e-mail.
I haven’t read all the books listed here, although I aspire to. Thus, inclusion here shouldn’t indicate an endorsement on my end. Also, while the links go to Powells.com, that’s so I can make a few pennies — which will be turned over to contest goodies for you. If I ever make those pennies.
Here you go. Rock and Roll Fiction. If it’s not a genre already, it should be.
Sherman Alexie — Reservation Blues
Andrew Foster Altschul — Lady Lazarus
Alan Arlt — The Carpet Frogs: Music After Tomorrow
Jake Arnott — Johnny Come Home
Melanie Atkins –Darkness on the Edge of Town
James Robert Baker — Fuel-Injected Dreams
Iain Banks — Espedair Street
Gerry Bartlett — Real Vampires Don’t Diet
Gael Baudino — Gossamer Axe
Paul Beatty — Slumberland
Madison Smartt Bell — Anything Goes
Magnolia Belle — Black Wolf: Rosebud
Magnolia Belle — Black Wolf: Lakota Man
Magnolia Belle — Miko and Lil Onda Bus
Magnolia Belle — Miko And Lil “Onda” Bus (again)
Magnolia Belle — Black Wolf on Tour
* Read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Raymond Benson — A Hard Day’s Death
Raymond Benson — Dark Side of the Morgue
*Read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Nick Blinko — The Primal Screamer
Karina Bliss — What the Librarian Did
Poppy Z. Brite — Lost Souls
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn with Bill Fitzhugh — The Adventures of Slim and Howdy
Don Bruns — Jamaica Blue
Don Bruns — Barbados Heat
Don Bruns — South Beach Shakedown
Don Bruns — St. Barts Breakdown
* read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Don Bruns — Bahama Burnout
* Read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Olivia Brynn — Falling Star
Jason Burhmester — Black Dogs: The Possibly True Story of Classic Rock’s Greatest Robbery
Johnny Byrne — Groupie
Tom Carson — Twisted Kicks
Cecil Castellucci — Beige
Jim Cherry — The Last Stage
* Read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Farai Chideya — Kiss the Sky
Mark Childress — Tender
Carol Clewlow — One for the Money
Jeannette Clinkunbroomer — Life Without Music
Liza Cody — Under Contract
Liza Cody — Gimme More
Jonathan Coe — The Rotters’ Club
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan — Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist
Jackie Collins — Rock Star
Lynne Connolly — Sunfire
Liza Conrad — Rock My World
Sheila Copeland — Diamond Revelation
Douglas Cowie — Owen Noone and the Marauder
JR Creech — Music and Crime
* read a journal entry from BookCrossing.com
Lauren Dane — Laid Bare
Helena Danyluk — Rock ‘n’ Roll Confessions: Book 1
Mike Dawson — Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age
Don DeLillo — Great Jones Street
Teri Denine — Lovers and Liars
Roddy Doyle — The Commitments
Stella Duffy Beneath the Blonde
Sean Egan — Sick of Being Me
Peggy Ehrhart — Sweet Man is Gone
* read my review at Front Street Reviews.
Harlan Ellison — Spider Kiss
Jenny Fabian — Groupie
Ray Fawkes & Cameron Stewart — The Apocalipstix
Caridad Ferrer — Adios to my Old Life
Bill Flanagan — A&R
* Read my review at Rocks ‘n Reads
Paul Ford — Gary Benchley, Rock Star
Debra Garfinkle — Finding Love
Jeff Gelb, Ed — Shock Rock
Jeff Gelb, Ed — Shock Rock 2
William Gibson — Idoru
Joey Goebel — The Anomalies
KL Going — Fat Kid Rules the World
* read a review from Megan at Leafing Through Life
Kathi Kamen Goldmark — And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You
Linda Gould — The Rock Star’s Homecoming
Deborah Grabien — Rock and Roll Never Forgets
Andy Greenwald — Miss Misery
Jane Haddam — Cheating at Solitaire: A Gregor Demarkian Novel
Jessica Hagedorn — The Gangster of Love
Barbara Hall — Tempo Change
Brendan Halpin — I Can See Clearly Now
Kristin Harmel — The Art of French Kissing
Candice Havens — Charmed & Ready
Richard Hell — Go Now
Roccie Hill — Three Minutes on Love
David Hiltbrand — Killer Solo
David Hiltbrand — Dying to be Famous
David Hiltbrand — Deader than Disco
Abram Shalom Himelstein and Jamie Schweser — Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing
Ann Hood — Three-Legged Horse
Nick Hornby — High Fidelity
Nick Hornby — Juliet, Naked
Barney Hoskyns — The Lonely Planet Boy
Kazuo Ishiguro — Nocturnes
Lisa Jewell — One Hit Wonder
Camden Joy — The Last Rock Star Book Or: Liz Phair, a Rant
Camden Joy — Boy Island
Elise Juska — Getting Over Jack Wagner
Erica Kennedy — Bling
Pagan Kennedy — The Exes
Wylie Kinson — Law of Averages
Gordon Korman — Born to Rock
Stephanie Kuehnert — I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone
Lorna Landvik — Oh My Stars
Robert S. Levinson — In the Key of Death
Diane Wei Liang — Paper Butterfly: A Mei Wang Mystery
Mark Lindquist — Never Mind Nirvana
Kathy Love — Any Way You Want It
Kathy Love — I Want You to Want Me
Louis Maistros — The Sound of Building Coffins
Sarra Manning — Guitar Girl
Creston Mapes — Dark Star : Confessions of a Rock Idol
Creston Mapes — Full Tilt
George R.R. Martin — The Armageddon Rag
Val McDermid — Blue Genes
Jay McInerney — The Last of the Savages
David Menconi — Off the Record
Mary Monroe — The Company We Keep
Blake Nelson — Girl
Blake Nelson — User
Blake Nelson — Rock Star Superstar
John Niven — The Band’s Music from Big Pink
Matt O’Keefe — You Think You Hear
Tony O’Neill — Down and Out on Murder Mile
Michael Parker — If You Want Me to Stay
Tony Parsons — Platinum Logic
Tom Perotta — The Wishbones
Adrian Phoenix — A Rush of Wings
Adrian Phoenix — In the Blood
Adrian Phoenix — Beneath the Skin
Neal Pollack — Never Mind the Pollacks
Frank Portma — King Dork
Zathyn Priest — The Curtis Reincarnation
Katie Reus — Trust No One
Ann Rice — The Vampire Lestat
Jamie S. Rich — Cut My Hair
Brieanna Robertson — Better than Chocolate
Elisabeth Rose — Outback Hero
Victoria Routledge — Swan Song
* Read my review at Rocks ‘n Reads
Salman Rushdie — The Ground Beneath Her Feet
J. J. Salem — Tan Lines
Kevin Sampson — Powder
Dylan Schaffer — Misdemeanor Man
Dylan Schaffer — I Right the Wrongs
Maria Semple — This One is Mine
Michael Shilling — Rock Bottom
*Read my Review at Breeni Books
Lewis Shiner — Glimpses
Lewis Shiner — Say Goodbye: The Laurie Moss Story
Sylvie Simmons — Too Weird for Ziggy
Jen Sincero — Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer
* Read my review at Rocks ‘n Reads
Paul Sizer — B.P.M.
Anthony Neil Smith — The Drummer
Jeri Smith-Ready — Wicked Game
Jeri Smith-Ready — Bad to the Bone
Scott Spencer — The Rich Man's Table
Norman Spinrad — Passing Through the Flame
Nancy Springer — Metal Angel
Marc Spitz — How Soon is Never?
Marc Spitz — Too Much Too Late
Michol Strow — So Punk Rock
Marian Thomas — Color Me Jazzmyne
Gaby Triana — Backstage Pass
Lisa Tucker — The Song Reader
Michael Turner — Hard Core Lingo
Cathi Unsworth — The Singer
Melissa Walker — Lovestruck Summer
Christine Weiser — Broad Street
Louise Wener — Goodnight Steve McQueen
