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Modern Singer Book Club: May

Book club members, we meet again! 2020 is the year to read more books, and we've been on the lookout for the best of the best! We've cultivated a list of books in three categories: For Thought— books that have been turned into operas, For Music— books about music and the industry, and For Learning— to learn something outside of the music industry. This month, we're focusing on the art of being a well-rounded person while traveling as a singer.

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For Thought

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter reaches to America's historical and moral roots for the material of great tragedy, creating the perfect setting for Lori Laitman's operatic drama. Set in colonial New England, Hawthorne shows how one passionate yet terrible act can affect many. It focuses on the defiant Hester Prynne, the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale, and the obsessed and vengeful Chillingworth. With this book, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to use Puritan heritage to create a universally classic and masterful exploration of humanity's unending struggle with sin, guilt, and pride.

 

For Music

How to Travel Light: My Memories of Madness and Melancholia by Shreevatsa Nevatia

Musicians and journalists lead quite similar lives of high highs and low lows in conjunction with a nomad-like lifestyle. Diagnosed as bipolar at twenty-three, journalist Shreevatsa Nevata struggled for a decade fighting a cycle of depression and euphoria. In this unique journey, we visit former loves, eccentric fellow sufferers, and mental health institutions. Part confession, part joyride, and wholly enjoyable, Nevatia is a master storyteller: empathetic, intelligent, and witty. Here is the story of owning your narrative, no matter how difficult and complicated it is, and "how to travel light" in more ways than just your luggage.

 

For Learning

Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get it Together (Sort Of) by Arden Rose

Almost Adulting is perfect for budding adults, failing adults, and eaters of microwave mug brownies. Let Arden Rose explain how to survive your future "adulthood." By the end of the book, which is a mash-up of essays, lists, and artwork, you'll learn not only how to dress, how to travel alone, how to talk to strangers online, and how to date strangers (in person no less), but also how to pass as a real, functioning, appropriately socialized adult. Topics include the following:

  • How to make internet friends who are cool and not murderers
  • Flirting with someone in a way to make them think you are cool and not a murderer
  • Being in an actual relationship where you talk about your feelings in a healthy manner? To the other person?
  • How sex is supposed to feel, but like, actually, though
  • Eating enough protein to function like a human
  • Assembling a somewhat acceptable adult wardrobe when you have zero dollars
  • Going on adventures without starting to smell while still enjoying the moment

 

Want to see your picks in next month's book club? Tag us on social media @modernsingermag!

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