Author Jane Smiley Reveals the Best Music To Beat the Blues

TRENDING NEWS ENTERTAINME NT FOOD & DRINK PETS SHOPPING HEAL THY NOW HOME BEST READS ON PARADE NEWS SEE MOREJane Sm iley–Author of Rock Novel 'Lucky'–on How Great M usic Can Li You Up Jane Smiley on Her Latest Book “Lucky,” Banjos and the Danger of Reading in a Hot Tub.</p><p> MICHAEL GILTZ • APR 25, 2024 Best-selling writer Jane Smiley’s latest novel Lucky ($29; Knopf) captures the rise of a singer-songwriter named Jodie during the era of all those “J” singers–Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and the like.</p><p> So it’s no surprise she loves music and has since she was a little girl.</p><p> Smiley reveals the music that will cheer you up and why paperbacks maybe aren’t the best choice when reading in a hot tub.</p><p> Plus, check out our feature on Jane Smiley's favorite books! Nothing Smiley writes should be a surprise anymore.</p><p> She’s delivered everything from a Norse saga (The Greenlande rs) to a Pulitzer Prize- winning rewrite of Shakespeare’s King Lear (that would be A Thousand Acres) to a brilliant three-novel cycle charting one hundred years of US history (Some Luck, Early Warning, Golden Age).</p><p> Did we mention her young adult novels centering on a love of horses? Lucky by Jane Sm iley Lucky by Jane Smiley ($29; Knopf) Buy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org But every book has its source in some passion and Lucky’s look at the twists in a music career covering the 1960s/1970s began with a record player. “I always loved music, and I grew up with it, not only because my mother bought a record player when I was ve, but also because my grandp arents loved to gather around the piano and sing,” said Smiley in an email exchange. “My grandfather had a lovely baritone voice, and he taught us a lot of songs.</p><p> I took piano lessons but I wasn't good at practicing.</p><p> Later, I bought a banjo, and I still play that from time to time, but the skills you have to have to be a real musician (persistence, for one) were ones I didn't have.” Related: Th e One Book Author Lisa Grunwa ld Can't Wait For Her Kids To *Finally* Read Smiley doesn’t play music when she writes–not even when writing a rock and roll novel–but music is part of her daily routine. “Music has always lled me with pleasure, and even hope,” said Smiley. “I listen to it everyday, and I've noticed that when I am a little blue, if I get in the car and drive o listening to someone (lately Chuck Berry, Dolly Parton, and [the Donizetti opera] Lucia di Lammermoor, I perk up instantly, and often sing along.” She spent her high school years falling in love with all the “Js,” as well as the Beatles (of course) and others. “I got a record player of my own when I was a teenager, and I listened to rock music and folk music all the time, especially late at night,” said Smiley. “I prefer silence when I'm writing, though. “I think now that that period set up the love that I still have for music from the Sixties and Seventies–rst, the Beatles, of course, but then Judy, and Joni, and Joan Baez.</p><p> I also loved James Taylor, Tom Rush, and Simon & Garfunkel.” The men in her life also had an impact. “My third husband was a musician, who played locally in Iowa City, and we sang a lot together (though never on stage) when we rst met,” said Smiley. “My second husband was a rock and roll fanatic who knew all about the band s of the Seventies and the Eighties, and he introduced me to bands like Foreigner, Wham! and The Cars.</p><p> When our kids were little, we listened to rock music all the time.</p><p> Later on, I got obsessed with operas and classical music on my own.</p><p> I especially loved "The 1812 Overture" and Donizetti's operas.</p><p> And her favorites? “My responses shift around, but I don't think in terms of ‘who's the best,’ just about ‘who do I want to listen to now?’” Related: Stacy Schi–The Historian Behind TV's "Franklin"–Shares Seven Favorite Books Despite admiring the greats, Smiley wasn’t daunted when it came to writing her own lyrics for an artist she hopes readers accept as a marvelous talent. “I wanted to imagine what was hardest and what was easiest for Jodie,” said Smiley. “I gave her a good voice and a natural sense of rhythm.</p><p> I wanted it to be easy enough so that she keeps going.</p><p> I enjoyed writing the lyrics in the book, and I thought of asking a friend to write some songs that would go with them (then include a cd with the book), but that didn't come to fruition.” You’ll nd Lucky in libraries and indie bookstores and Smiley loves them both, including her local favorite Olivia & Daisy Books in Carmel Valley Village, California.</p><p> And while she insists print or e-book is ne by her, certain reading habits–and lengthy novels–might give e-books an edge at times. “Either is ne,” said Smiley. “I read a lot in the hot tub and if you drop your Kindle in the hot tub it survives, but your book might not.</p><p> The other thing is that long books are getting a little too heavy for me.” Best New Book Releases is W eek: April 23-29, 2024 Read M oreBook cover courtesy Knopf and author photo courtesy of and copyright by Derek Shapton Content continues below Courtesy of Knopf Content continues below Content continues below Content continues below Courtesy of Elektra, Reprise and Vanguard Content continues below Content continues below Content continues below Sponsored Stories Here Are 37 Of The Coolest Gifts In 2024 Tech Finds | SponsoredDermatologist Says Do Not Buy Regular Bedsheets, Here's Why After testing dozens of bedsheets, these are #1. thegrannyblog.com | Sponsored Is Grounding the Se cret to Beating Neuropathy? 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