Beatle books I’ve read or want to read

I wonder what they’re reading…

One of my favorite things to do in my spare time, besides listen to the Beatles, is read. I wish I had more time to read for pleasure, but unfortunately, during the school year I rarely have time to read what I want. I find that most of my reading for the year happens while relaxing on the beach in the summer. And of course, what better book to read than one about the Beatles?
Now, despite what you might think, I actually haven’t read that many books about the Beatles. Only 4, by my count. Beatle biographies don’t really interest me that much because I already know their story inside and out, and I don’t necessarily care to read a book written by someone who got John Lennon’s autograph once. I’m very selective with Beatle books because I don’t want to waste my time on a book about my favorite band that isn’t good, but in my Beatlemaniacism, I have read a few great books related to the Beatles that I’d highly recommend. Here they are:

A Date With A Beatle by Judith Kristen

A Date with a Beatle

This book is an autobiographical account of one 16-year old girl’s obsession with the Beatles, George Harrison in particular, during their heyday in 1964, and her determined attempts to meet them. I won’t spoil the end, but it does involve George! As a diehard Beatlemaniac and a devoted George girl, I absolutely loved this book! It’s so entertaining and shows a perspective of Beatlemania that I hadn’t really read about previously, the perspective of the teenage fan. I felt like I was really there, in the book, cheering for the Beatles at the Washington Coliseum. I’ve reread this book several times, which in my opinion is the mark of a great book. I’d recommend it to any Beatle fan, but a female fan of the Beatles would PROBABLY appreciate it the most. 🙂

I Me Mine by George Harrison with Derek Taylor

I Me Mine

George Harrison, the “Quiet Beatle,” is ironically the only Beatle to date with an autobiography. When I saw this book in the library, I knew I HAD to read it. I absolutely ate this book up, reading it whenever and wherever I had a spare moment to read. It’s not a typical tell-all rock autobiography, but in the end, it’s basically exactly what I’d expect a book written by George to be like: funny, witty, not overly sentimental, and insightful. The large majority of the book is George’s comments about many of his songs, and though these were lovely to read, I kind of wished that the actual narrative about George’s life was a little longer. Still, I wouldn’t expect George to write about all his life’s secrets in some book, because he was noted for being a very private man. In the end, if you like the Beatles or George Harrison, you’d like this book.

The Beatles Anthology by the Beatles

The Beatles Anthology

This, my friends, is THE ultimate Beatle book. If you ever needed to know anything about any period of the Beatles, it’s all here. This book was written in the mid 1990s, which of course is after John’s death, but he isn’t overlooked in this book at all. There are quotes from the many interviews that he did over the years that are pieced together here and interspersed with Paul, George, and Ringo’s comments, so that it almost runs like a natural conversation would. This book took me about 2 months to read from cover to cover, because it’s HUGE! There are many beautiful pictures throughout it that I’d never seen before, and sometimes I just take it out to look at the pictures. The reason why I’ve never bothered to read an account of the Beatles’ history besides this book is because I don’t want to hear some other person’s objective opinion on the Beatles. I want to read their honest account of themselves, and that’s exactly what this book is. If you only read one Beatle book in your life, this should be it.

Beatleology by Adam and Roger Jaquette

Beatleology

I got this for Christmas last year, and ever since, I’ve been hooked. Basically, it’s all about finding your “inner Beatle,” and you take a quiz to see if it’s John, Paul, George, or Ringo. Then, you read all about the four Beatle personality types and how to watch out for your Yoko in life. I love this book! It’s funny, entertaining, and best of all, it confirmed for me what I knew all along: my inner Beatle is GEORGE!!! Yes!!!! I knew we were a lot alike! The quiz part takes a while to complete, but it’s definitely worth doing if you’re interested in finding out which Beatle you’re most like. Based on the quiz questions, I think this book is more geared for adults than people my age, but I was still able to make up answers to the questions I really couldn’t answer. Still, any Beatle fan will enjoy this book!

Here is a list of Beatle books that I’d like to read at some point:
Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd
Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald
The Beatles by Bob Spitz
The John Lennon Letters by Hunter Davies
In His Own Write by John Lennon
A Spaniard In The Works by John Lennon
George Harrison: Living In The Material World by Olivia Harrison
John by Cynthia Lennon

If you’ve read any of the above-mentioned books, and you have something to say about it, please comment so I know whether it’s worth reading or not. Thanks!