With curation from the International Booker Prize, Deezer’s new playlists have been handcrafted to thematically partner up with the reading of some of 2020’s best books.

Do you ever feel like you wish there were a perfect playlist to match up with the book you were reading? Like the experience could be enhanced with music specially themed to further elicit the emotions and atmospheres which books create? If so, then Deezer have you covered.

Their new ‘Sounds of…’ series of playlists sees the streaming service team up with the Booker Prize to find the perfect match of music and literature. Their six new playlists of music have been curated to match with six of 2020’s shortlisted books to align with the feel and theme of each one.

The full ‘Sounds of…’ series contains:

  1. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar. Playlist here
  2. The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (translated by Iona Macintye and Fiona Mackintosh). Playlist here
  3. Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin). Playlist here
  4. Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (translated by Sophie Hughes). Playlist here
  5. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder). Playlist here
  6. The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated by Michele Hutchison). Playlist here

Deezer’s UK & Ireland Music Editor, Adam Read says: “Every playlist changes tone, beat and mood to complement the different narratives, from the magic in The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, to the satire of Tyll. Pairing the disturbing and tragic themes of The Discomfort of Evening with dark and mysterious sounds sent shivers down my spine.

“I had so many of those surreal moments creating these playlists. For the readers, I’m sure it will keep intensifying as they get further engrossed in the book. They took me on six exciting journeys; now let’s see where they take you!””

They’ve also launched a ‘Summer Reads’ playlist that is a more general fit to match with new books to read this year. The International Booker Prize’s chair, Ted Hodgkinson has selected a series of books he recommends you read this summer with the approval of Deezer’s playlist to accompany it.

  • Afropean by Johny Piits
  • Square Haunting by Francesca Wade
  • Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
  • My Darling from the Lions by Rachel Long
  • Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
  • Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd)
  • Low by Jeet Thayil
  • The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
  • Little Eyes by Samantha Schweblin (translated by Megan McDowell) 

Ted Hodgkinson added: “Over the past year of reading I’ve been tuned into some brilliant translated fiction. Now I’m excited to hear some sounds selected by the experts at Deezer, who have curated playlists tailored to this year’s shortlist. I hope this will inspire more readers to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of our International Booker Prize shortlist.”

If you’re wondering which book is best for you, you can take a new quiz by Deezer to find out. If that feels a bit too Buzzfeed for you, why not pick one at random – they have all had a fantastic response.