Susan’s Book Talk: Top Ten Rock Books

Ahh, we’ve got to blame this one on Steven Beeber, author of The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s. It’s a really cool book tracing the history of Jews and the punk rock movement. Steven asked us to list our top 10 rock books, so I decided to do it here rather than there.

This is in no real order. And, of course, I can’t limit myself to ten. Hello? Me? The self-proclaimed expert on rock and roll fiction?

I don’t think so.

Anyway, here’s the list:

1. I’ll be crass and start this list off with my own books. Because I can. If you haven’t read them yet, shame on you for six weeks!

2. If you haven’t heard me rave about KL Going’s Fat Kid Rules the Earth, you haven’t spent a lot of time with me.

3. Don Bruns writes a great mystery series about a dude named Mick Severs. Don’t miss them.

4. Don DeLillo — Great Jones Street. I read this in college and it’s stayed with me all these years. It’s also the only DeLillo book I could finish.

5. Peggy Ehrhart — Sweet Man is Gone

6. Bill Flanagan — A&R

7. Kathi Kamen Goldmark — And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You

8. Mark Childress — Tender

9. Sylvie Simmons — Too Weird for Ziggy

10. Michael Shilling — Rock Bottom

And of course there are a few honorable mentions, as well:

Roddy Doyle — The Commitments
Jeanette Clinkunbroomer — Life Without Music
Joe Meno — Hairstyles of the Damned
Cecil Castellucci — Beige
David Hiltbrand — Killer Solo

Got any of your own? I’ll link ’em here and/or add them to my rock books page. And yes, YOU can include non-fiction. I won’t tell.

**reminder of the disclaimer garbage: most of these links will take you to Powells.com, where I’m an affiliate. If I ever make money from it, I’ll buy books to give to you guys, my readers. If not, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I love you anyway. And really, I’d rather have the royalties from you buying MY books, when all is said and done…