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Great works of fiction and memoir from the singer's bookshelf.
Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan first made a name for herself as the musical partner of Damien Rice, lending her sultry vocals to the albums O and 9. After the two parted ways, Hannigan began releasing music as a solo artist, including the eclectic Sea Sew and, more recently, Passenger, an album as disarmingly sweet as it is defiant. This week she points us to three favorite books that pained her to put down.
By Colum McCann
"I read this book a few years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. It is one of those that makes you wish you had nothing else to do but read it and, as you near the end, makes you wish that it would last a bit longer. The story is vast in scale and the characters numerous and seemingly unconnected. He weaves them all together with such heartbreaking grace and beautiful prose that it seems strangely effortless and true."
By Paul Murray
"I was reading this book while writing my second record, Passenger, and one of the songs in particular, 'Home', was heavily influenced by it. Set in a boys boarding school in South County Dublin, it tells the story of a group of 14-year-old boys as they negotiate their way through teenage life. It is both beautifully written and uproariously funny, and, like the book above, I hated when it came to an end."
By Patti Smith
"This stunning memoir is an elegy to a life lived in the service of art."
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With dates announced for his upcoming Old Ideas concert tour, we celebrate the inimitable Leonard Cohen: bard, survivor, legend. His most recent album is a return to form for the balladeer, exploring signature themes of lust and longing, spirituality and struggle, all overlaid with a droll sense of humor as familiar as Cohen's prophetic voice.
When Jack Luxton hears that his estranged brother has been killed in combat, long-buried memories begin to well up like groundwater, and difficult choices Jack thought he reconciled himself to years ago turn out to be close at hand. Man Booker Prize-winner Graham Swift's novel plumbs timeless themes of regret, renewal, and the bonds of love.
The opening story in Matthew Battles's electric collection, "The Dogs in the Trees", documents the inexplicable appearance of arboreal canines. Further gorgeous fantastika follows, producing a volume sure to draw comparisons to Borges and George Saunders.
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