What is the relationship between music and those with Williams syndrome, or Tourette’s? What happens when a formerly musical person is no longer able to relate to music? These are some of the questions addressed in Musicophilia. Oliver Sacks, author of “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat”, writes in a style reminiscent of Norman Vincent Peale. The easy reading style masks some disturbing details. Hypochondriacs would do well to avoid this one!

Progress so far: 15 Days, 3 Books, 587 Pages.

ABC refers to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This little gem is well worth a read if you happen to see it in a second hand bookstore. For something so small, it packs a heap of useful information. Some of the line-art drawings look stereotypical (especially the bongo player), however they are actually based on photos. Apparently people actually looked like that in the 80s. Some of the info is out of date, but the majority of it is very readable, especially concerning non-Western instruments.

Progress so far: 2 Days, 2 Books, 187 Pages.

The Fireside Book, a anthology of poems and illustrations, is collected by David Hope annually. Conservative in nature, it harks back to a time when cars were a novelty and decimal currency was just an idea (at least in England, where this is published). You don’t need a fireplace nor a cold afternoon to enjoy this one. A thing that I learned was that David Hope is near untraceable on the internet. I couldn’t find anything about him. I know that he’s been collating his Fireside Books since at least 1974, as I have one from that year.

Progress so far: 1 Day, 1 Book, 99 Pages.