Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them by Tom Gatti

In this very entertaining anthology, 50 writers describe their relationship with the album that has most influenced their life. The great diversity among those included—Marlon James, Rachel Kushner, David Mitchell, Esi Edugyan, George Saunders, etc.—yields an equally diverse collection of albums. Rachmaninov, Miles Davis, the Beatles, Warren G, Kraftwerk, and Lizzo are all represented. As fun as it is to follow along as your favorite author geeks out on their favorite band or musician, the book offers surprising insights on the ways artists from one genre take inspiration from artists of another.—Rico