I can spend many happy hours reading song lyrics. It's better to have the music, too, but having just the words will do, especially if I am familiar with the tune.

Cole Porter was a genius, no doubt about it. His songs reflect the age in which they were written. Underneath some of the sophisticated sounding melodies were songs that were bawdy, risque, sometimes even rather rude, but also witty, charming and humorous! I highly recommend the Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter, edited by Robert Kimball for any fan of, ahem, older music.

Easy to Remember the Great American Songwriters and Their Songs, by William Zinsser was another happy (mostly) stroll down memory lane. Naturally not all the songs are happy songs and there were many that made me tear up, but the book itself was excellent, with short biographies, photographs, and images of sheet music covers.

While The American Songbook: the Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs, by Ken Bloom covers more than the book above, there were also a lot of typographical errors which I found distracting. Still, learning about some of the Big Bands, celebrity "singers" (chuckle) and so on was fun, and the pictures were worth it.

It started as a song sung by slaves. It is now known world wide as a song for freedom, and civil rights. We Shall Overcome: the Story of a Song, by Debbie Levy and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a beautifully done tribute of this simple but powerful song.

'Amazing Grace' is a song I've both played and sung but my favorite version has to be the one with bagpipes. Linda Granfield (author) and Janet Wilson (illustrator) have put together a nice book about John Newton, who wrote the lyrics. It's also a short history of slavery. Amazing Grace: the Story of the Hymn is a beautifully done and thought provoking book. Riding Reader recently told me 'Amazing Grace' can be played all on the black keys. It's true!

Reading Hermit With Dog