Did you watch the Grammy’s last night? Did you sit in anticipation, rap every word of Kendrick Lamar’s performance under your breath, and feel a previously unknown pop alter-ego consume you when Taylor Swift won Album of the Year? Yeah, us too. But being a music buff doesn’t have to undermine your dual knowledge of books. Rather than cutting into your reading time, let your favorite artists enlighten it! Diving deep into the interwebs, navigating interviews and bios unending, we found a hefty supply of books that inspired, provided lyrical fodder, and captured the hearts of some of the year’s best. Here are a few good reads to add to your book list, courtesy of the winners.
Kendrick Lamar
Image courtesy of Bet.
Winner of Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Collaboration
Favorite Book: The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
Taylor Swift
Image courtesy of Spin
Winner of Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album
Favorite Books: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Ed Sheeran
Image courtesy of EW
Winner of Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance
Favorite Books: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Meghan Trainor
Image courtesy of Boston Common
Winner of Best New Artist
Favorite Book: On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Bruno Mars
Image courtesy of E! Online
Winner of Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo
Favorite Book: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Justin Bieber
Image courtesy of US Magazine
Winner of Best Dance Recording
Favorite Book: Fledgling: Jason Steed by Mark A. Cooper
Brittany Howard, lead singer and guitarist of the Alabama Shakes
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Image courtesy of Spin
Winner of Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song
Favorite Book: Shout, Sister, Shout! by Gayle Wald
Muse
Image courtesy of Matter of Sound
Winner of Best Rock Album
Believe it or not there’s an entire Wiki-Page dedicated to the band’s favorite reads. Some of those include The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 1984 by George Orwell, and Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control by Kathleen Taylor. We’re sensing a theme here…
Skrillex and Diplo
Image courtesy of This Song Slaps
Winners of Best Dance/Electronic Album
Diplo cites Faulkner as a long-loved favorite, as well as Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko, according to an interview with Pitchfork. The other member of the duo, Skrillex, calls Watership Down by Richard Adams a best read, and an inspiration for the name of his imprint label, Owsla.
Jimmy Carter
Image courtesy of PRI
Winner of Best Spoken Work Album
Favorite Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – only after the Bible, of course.
For the entire list of winners, check out the Grammy recap.
