18 books for the music fan this holiday season

Here are a few gift ideas for lovers of books about music that hit the right note.

Enya: A Treatise on Unguilty Pleasures by Chilly Gonzales

In Enya, Canadian musician and producer Chilly Gonzales looks atthe music and artistry of mysterious Irish musician and singer-songwriter Enyaand explores the power of fame, success and musical achievement in the process. Enya is a bestselling artist and this book dissects the magic behind the music.

• Stop calling it guilty pleasure: Chilly Gonzales wants us to embrace our tastes without the fear of judgement

Jason Charles Beck, professionally known as Chilly Gonzales, is a Grammy-winning Canadian musician, producer and author.

Q19:55How an early photo shoot changed Alicia Keys's career, and her life, forever

Fifteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, producer and activist Alicia Keys joined Tom Power to talk about her new autobiography, More Myself, in which she reflects on music, family, relationships and her struggles with self-worth.

If I Knew Then by Jann Arden

Jann Arden is one of Canada's best known singer-songwriters. But when she reached her 50s, her life changed in unexpected ways: she became the caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, she became the star of the sitcomJannand she realized that getting older doesn't mean shecan't grow, change and celebrate.If I Knew Thenis Arden's memoir looking back on this journey, and how she learned to free herself from expectations and not only live her life, but revel in it.

• Jann Arden on her lifelong attraction to music

Arden is amulti-platinum recording artist and has won eightJuno Awards over her celebrated career. She recently starred in the fictional television seriesJannon CTV. She is also the author ofFeeding My Mother,a memoir of caring for her mother after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Unreserved38:16'Piecing things together': Christa Couture on how writing about loss helped her move forward

Christa Couture has distilled the layers of loss she's experienced into what she calls her grief bio: "Cancer, death, death, divorce, more cancer." Her new memoir, How to Lose Everything, details how she's writing herself a new chapter.

The Subtweetby Vivek Shraya

InTheSubtweet, Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini. Whenthe two musicians meet,a transformative friendship begins. But, as Rukmini's star rises, jealousy creeps in, and Neelasends out a highly-destructive tweet thatblows up theirfriendship.

• Vivek Shraya on the power of unpacking pain and writing with urgency

Vivek Shraya is a writer, artist and musicianfrom Alberta. Her booksinclude the novelShe of the Mountains, the poetry collectioneven this page is white,the essayI'm Afraid of Menand the comic bookDeath Threat.

Love Her Madlyby Bill Cosgrave

In 1965, Bill Cosgravefollowed his friend Mary to Los Angeles. There, Mary introduced Bill to her boyfriend, and the two men spent the summer hanging out, smoking pot and enjoying being young and free. That friend was Jim Morrison, who would laterfind fame as the leadsingerfor the Doors. Bill lost touch with both Mary and Jim. His bookLove Her Madlychronicles that unforgettable summer, and Bill's quest to track Mary down after more than 40 years of wondering where she ended up.

• 47 works of Canadian nonfiction to check out in 2020

Cosgraveis the founder of the travel company Fun Seekers. He currently lives inKelowna, B.C.Love Her Madlyis his first book.

More Myself by Alicia Keys

American musician and vocalistAlicia Keys talks about her life and career in the memoir More Myself. The book is a look at identity, family, realizing one's worth and the oppressive expectations of female perfection. More Myselfis structured aspart autobiography, part narrative documentary as it delves into Alicia's journey for truth.

• 'I just was so devastated': How an early photo shoot changed Alicia Keys's career, and her life, forever

Alicia Keys is a Grammy-winning musician, singer-songwriter and producer from New York City.

Q18:14Steven Hyden on why we can't resist a good pop music rivalry

Beatles vs Stones? Oasis vs Blur? Biggie vs Tupac? Whichever your defining musical rivalry is, it may be more about you and less about the bands.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis

The Meaning of Mariah Careyby superstar American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey is a memoir of her life, in her own words. Working with writer Michaela Angela Davis, the book looks at emotional highs and lows of Carey's life and career. It looks at her triumphs and her traumas and recounts stories about the challenges and successes she has endured.

• Mariah Carey reveals battle with bipolar disorder

Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter and actress.

Any Night of the Week by Jonny Dovercourt

Any Night of the Weekdelves into the Toronto music scene across its many diverse neighbourhoods. It looks at various musicians, music bands and music venues in the city to offer a historical look ata vibrant and thriving independent scene. It features acts such asRough Trade, Martha and the Muffins,Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Rheostatics, Ghetto Concept, LAL, Broken Social Sceneand more.

Jonny Dovercourt (aka Jonathan Bunce) is a veteran Toronto indie musician/writer and the co-founder and Artistic Director of Wavelength Music, a Toronto-basednon-profit independent music organization and concert series.

How to Lose Everything by Christa Couture

Christa Couture has lost a lot over the course of her life: her leg was amputated, her first child died when he was one-day old, her second child died as a baby after a heart transplant, her marriage ended in divorce and athyroidectomythreatened her music career. But through it all, she has found hope, joy and love and maintains a perspective filled with compassion and understanding. She shares her journey, and what she's learned along the way, in her memoir,How to Lose Everything.

• Christa Couture's memoir about loss, strength, music, hope and more loss

ChristaCouture is a writer, musician and broadcaster who is currently based in Toronto. Her work has appeared inCBC ArtsandCBC Parentsand she has been a columnist on CBC Radio'sThe Next Chapter.How to Lose Everythingis her first book.

Day 613:50New book, She Comes By It Natural, celebrates Dolly Parton as an 'examplar' of working-class feminism

In her new book, She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs, author Sarah Smarsh writes about the women who have inspired Dolly Parton's career and the look is key to staying connected with her rural, American upbringing.

Music Lessons by Bob Wiseman

InMusic Lessons, musician Bob Wiseman writes about finding the link between music and daily life. Each entry in the book explores improvisational music, life lessons and conflict.

Wiseman is a Canadian film composer, songwriter and music teacher. He is one of thefounding members of Juno Award-winning band Blue Rodeo.Music Lessonsis Wiseman's first book.

Leonard Cohen by George Walker andLeonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years by Michael Posner

These two books are a look at the life of the late musician and poet Leonard Cohen.Leonard Cohenby master engraver and writer Geirge Walker is a biography that features woodcut engravings as it exploresthe life and artistic accomplishments of theQuebec-born poet, musician and novelist.Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Yearsby Michael Posneruseshundreds of interviews to provide a holistic perspective of the complex artist.

• Randy Boyagoda reviews Leonard Cohen's final poetry collection, The Flame

Posner is a Canadian journalist and biographer.

Walkeris a Canadian artist and writer best known for hiswood engravingsandwordless novels.

Music for Tigers by Michelle Kadarusman

Music for Tigersis a middle-grade novel and coming-of-age story about a young violinist who finds out that her mother's family secretly has a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers the island's most beloved and lost, creature in the remote Australian rainforest.

Michelle Kadarusman is a Canadian Australian Indonesian author of novels for children and teens. She is the author ofThe Theory of HummingbirdsandGirl of the Southern Sea, which wasa finalist for the2019 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

Not for You: Pearl Jam and the Present Tenseby Ronen Givony

Not for You is a critical look at the career of bestselling Americanrock band Pearl Jam.The Seattle quintet sold more than85 million records and this full-length biography looks at the impact the group has had on history andpopular culture.

• North Vancouver Pearl Jam mega fan goes to New York for their induction into Hall of Fame

Ronen Givonyis an American author and critic.

This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's "Kid A" and the Beginning of the 21st Century by Steven Hyden

Radiohead is aseminalEnglish rock band and their 1999 album Kid A redefined the genre when it was released in 1999.This Isn't Happeningis a look at how forward-thinking the record was and still is and how the band navigated industry issues andintra-band squabbles to create an enduring album that changed the genre forever.

• Steven Hyden on why we can't resist a good pop music rivalry

Steven Hydenis an American rock critic and author.

Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz

This memoir is a reflective look at the early life and career of American rock star Lenny Kravitz. Let Love Ruleexplores his biracial heritage, his early marriage to actress Lisa Bonet and his journey to becoming a hugely successful and respected musician.

Lenny Kravitz is an American musician, producer and actor.

She Come By It Naturalby Sarah Smarsh

She Come By It Naturalis a biography of the country music icon Dolly Parton. The book looks at her working-class upbringing in Kansas and her rise to become a cultural and music legend that crossed genres and musical sounds.She Come By It Naturalis a tribute to Parton's life as a feminist and a socially conscious human being.

• The best international nonfiction of 2018

Sarah Smarsh is an American journalist and writer. Her books include the bestselling 2018 nonfiction book Heartland, which exploredsocioeconomic class, politics and public policy.

The Butterfly Effect by Marcus J. Moore

The Butterfly Effect is a nonfiction book that looks at the life and career of American hip-hop artistKendrick Lamar. Known as a rapsuperstar and a master of storytelling, the book is abiography that explores the life, career, racial politics and cultural legacy of the 13-timeGrammy Award-winning rapper and artist who became the first hip-hop artist to win aPulitzer Prize.

• Kendrick Lamar makes history with Pulitzer win

Marcus J. Moore is an Americanjournalist and music critic.

We Still Here edited by Charity Marsh & Mark V. Campbell

We Still Hereis a nonfiction essay anthology looking at the cultural phenomenon that is rap and hip-hop and its impact in the Canadian music scene. Curated by Canadian editors Charity Marsh and Mark V. Campbell, the book's contributors place a spotlight on the power of the popular music genre and how Canadian hip-hop artists have created and engaged with the music across the country.

• Mark Campbell gets critical with his gateway to Canadian hip-hop playlist

Mark V.Campbellis a DJ, scholar and curator based in Toronto.

Charity Marsh is theassociate professor in Interdisciplinary Studies and Creative Technologies in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance at the University of Regina.