So it’s summertime in Nashville. And what happens during summertime in Nashville? That’s right - music concerts. We just finished up the popular CMA Fest last week and Bonnaroo starts today. That’s not even counting all the great concerts on tap for Nissan Stadium, Ascend, and Bridgestone. I’m also planning to make a pilgrimage or two to Franklin for concerts. That is a new venue for me, so I’m excited. I’ve maxed out my concert fund and there are still shows I wish I could see. If this is you and you simply can’t get enough music this summer, allow me to offer you some great musical fiction to help fill your time until the next concert. There’s a lot of good choices, so get comfy.

What do you do when you had a great summer with a cute guy, but then he leaves and becomes a huge rock star? And maybe you forgot to tell him something important. That’s where Kira finds herself when Jonas (name is a little on the nose, but I’ll accept it…) shows up back in her small town after five years. After introducing him to her - their - daughter, she starts to have hope that maybe this can work out. Overall, I enjoyed this. I thought the beginning was maybe a little slow, but it definitely picked up as we got farther in. Right now this is a trilogy, with each installment written by a different author. The next one is Rifts and Refrains by Devney Perry and the third is Muses and Melodies by Rebecca Yarros (yes…that Fourth Wing writer). NPL has these are ebooks for easy access, but you could also ILL the print version. This is a fun series that rocks.

I’ve been with Jennifer Weiner for a while now. Since her first book, Good in Bed, came out in 200, in fact. In that one, plus-sized Cannie thinks she’s in a great relationship, until she realizes her boyfriend was just using her for byline. In this latest release, plus-sized Cassie has the voice of angels, but it is her sister Zoe who wants to be the pop star. There is a fella that kind of becomes a love triangle, but this one is more about the relationship between the sisters and eventually Zoe’s daughter. If you haven’t read and Jennifer Weiner books, I highly recommend these two. You could also add In Her Shoes, which was the follow-up to Good in Bed. You may remember that it was a movie starring Cameron Diaz. I really enjoyed the Griffin Sisters and if anybody wanted to make that into a movie, I’d watch that too. 

This is definitely a book that you want to read with your favorite music streaming service nearby. Each chapter is inspired by a deep cut track from an artist that you probably know. Or maybe the chapter inspired the pick of the track. Either way, they make a good pair to tell the story of Percy and Joe. They meet in college. Joe is a wannabe musician with a decent amount of talent. Percy loves music but does not have any talent for it, except for helping Joe fix his songs. I enjoyed this one. My only complaint is that it took me a minute to get into it. Also, I might argue that not all of these tracks are deep cuts (looking at you “Hey Ya”.). If you aren’t in the know, a deep cut is that track that is awesome but is buried on the album and only “real” fans know it. In other words, not a single. Looks like this is going to be made into a movie, so get your copy and getting reading now so you are ready.

I enjoyed my wedding, but it was a lot of work. I’ve never wanted to go back and do it over. Until now. This book starts with a song-themed wedding. All the guests have to come in dressed as their favorite song. That is brilliant. I want it! The precious! I guarantee that my family would not have let this fly, if I had tried but it’s fun to think about it nonetheless. Basic premise here: J is a wedding singer. Just like Adam Sandler, but he writes each couple their own song. That is also amazing and I would love to have my own wedding song. I really wasn’t expecting much, but I feel in love with this book. I highly recommend the audio book, because the production team actually recorded the original songs for each wedding and we get to hear them. June is the most popular month for weddings, after all. What are you waiting for?

This one took me a minute to get into. There’s a lot of drama. That’s good because it makes good songs, but you’ve just got to give this one a little time before it hits. August had a rough life. She got picked on in high school, her mother was a famous country singer who left her to be raised with her grandmother, who got sick. Then the only guy she loved, who had problems of his own, left and ended up stealing her song. See what I mean? This book is a country song. But once I got into it and figured everything out, it grew on me. I chose the audio version, but NPL has print too if you’d rather. If you don’t want to deal with all the traffic to come downtown, just read this instead. All the drama with none of the crowds.

I love Ashley Poston books. She writes what I guess would be called Magical Realism. The books are normal, except for one detail that throws things for a loop. In this case, Joni has a voice in her head. No, it’s not her conscience, it’s a real person. A boy named Sasha. And he’s real and can hear her too. They both keep hearing the same song, so naturally they get together to try and finish it. I really enjoyed this one. I can’t say it wasn’t a little predictable with the ending, but this is also a romcom, so I would have been less that thrilled without my HEA. If you haven’t read Ashley Poston yet, you need to. Start with The Dead Romantics. These are all standalones, but that will give you a good idea of what she’s about. Then who knows? Maybe you’ll go down the Ashley Poston rabbit hole of fun.

If you aren’t reading Clare Gilmore, you should be. This one especially because it is set in Tennessee - Bristol, Knoxville, and Nashville (of course). Main character Paige, grew up in Bristol but through the help of her sisters and now-ex boyfriend, she ended up at Belmont to study songwriting. She’s got some interest from publishing companies, but her lyrics need more depth and heart. So she comes up with this plan for her ex - who is working as a tour manager in Nashville, to break her heart again for inspiration. I know it sounds a little convoluted (her ex thinks so too), but I really enjoyed this one. Once I started I polished this one off in less than 24 hrs. I hope all Belmont students are as lucky as Paige was when they graduate.

I am not a cruise person. I’m just too claustrophobic to really enjoy it. Plus I’ve seen Titanic. I mean…right? But when I saw the premise for this one, I was intrigued. ElectricOh! had one big hit when they played the prom scene in a cult classic TV show. Now that show is having a reunion cruise and they want ElectricOh! to play. Unfortunately, the band hasn’t spoken since they broke up six years ago. Micah went solo to less-than-hoped-for acclaim. John just gigs around Orlando. I have read and enjoyed Alicia Thompson’s previous book Love in the Time of Serial Killers and this is also a good read. Even if you don’t like cruises, this was still a fun friends to lovers.

We've got a surprise guest author to add to our summer music festival. This is the debut title from local author, Jessa Hart. I haven't had a chance to read this yet because it just came out. Put your hold on this today and let's give our local authors some love. Can't wait for my copy to come in. You read yours and I'll read mine and we'll chat.

Nashville is a great city for music - it’s even in our name. I hope you see a great show (or four) this summer and I hope you don’t get rained on. (Too late - already did at Bruno Mars.) I also hope that you find your next great music read.

Happy Summer of Music - ing!
:) Amanda