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Like a lot of kids, I used to hate reading because I thought it was boring, didn’t see the purpose of it, and didn’t like being forced to read in elementary school. When I got to high school, I forced myself to read more because it seemed like the smart thing to do, but I grew tired of forcing myself to find new books to read after finishing the old ones. You see, I used to read fiction books, where once you know the ending, the element of surprise is gone, and there’s no point in revisiting the books because you already know what’s going to happen next. However, that all changed in 2022, when I was getting deeper into my love for rock music. To save myself from going deaf, I decided to take on reading again as a quiet hobby. But instead of fiction books, I made the switch to nonfiction books because I love reading celebrity Wikipedia pages, so it seemed like that was the right direction for me to go into. I’d also have an excuse to revisit certain books for facts I might’ve missed the first time reading them.
I don’t have a huge book collection, but I have enough books that are worth praising because they are that good. This post will solely focus on the music books because they’re the ones that take up the majority of my book collection. The types of music books in my collection range from autobiographies to coffee table picture books. Technically, not all of them were read in 2025 as some of them were read in 2024. So, the blog post title is misleading, but these are my favorite music books as of December 2025, which is good enough for me. If you’re interested in any of these books, I’ve included the Amazon links where available. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!
10. Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter (2023) by Lucy O’Brien
Before taking on Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter, I never read any books about eating disorders, except for psychology textbooks in college, so this book was quite a learning experience. One commonality about eating disorders is there are multiple factors that can trigger them. For Karen, her family life was rough, she was forced to give up drumming in favor of being the frontwoman for the Carpenters, she received demanding pressure from the music industry, and her marriage was a failure. The thing that pisses me off the most about Karen’s story is that everyone around her was trying to steer her away from playing drums, even though that was her happy place. For goodness sakes, what’s so bad about a girl drummer anyways? In the ’70s and ’80s, not much info was known about eating disorders and body dysmorphia; it was Karen’s death that brought attention to those issues.
9. Last Rites (2025) by Ozzy Osbourne; co-written by Chris Ayres
If you’re going to go in order, read I Am Ozzy (2009) first and then Last Rites. However, if I had to pick between the two Ozzy Osbourne autobiographies, I would go with the latter. Last Rites really feels like a memoir of a madman because Ozzy reflects on his life and questions his true purpose in the world. Whether he found his true purpose or not, I think he did because he got to spread joy to other people through his music. Plus, as weird as it sounds, I like that I was actually alive and remember when some of these events took place. I remember when Ozzy “performed” with Post Malone at the 2019 American Music Awards, and hearing about Ozzy and Tony Iommi performing together at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in 2022, but now, I look at those events with an entirely new perspective because of Ozzy’s health issues. I also like that Ozzy tells new stories I never heard before, like Lemmy Kilmister writing the lyrics for one of Ozzy’s best ballads, “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
8. My Effin’ Life (2023) by Geddy Lee
I’m ashamed to admit that I was one of those individuals who couldn’t stand Geddy Lee’s voice. It wasn’t like I thought he sounded like Mickey Mouse on helium; it just wasn’t my thing. However, that all changed with Lee’s My Effin’ Life book, especially the part where Lee talks about guitarist Alex Lifeson’s “blah blah blah” speech at the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Lee won me over with his wicked sense of humor and amazing storytelling. There are a lot of fascinating Rush stories, from the early days to late drummer Neil Peart’s death, but because I wasn’t a Rush fan, I got to judge the three band members as people rather than famous musicians. That mindset made me more sympathetic and understanding towards them when Lee and his wife were suffering in their marriage, when Peart lost his daughter and wife, and when Lifeson was having trouble adjusting to the band’s increasing reliance on keyboards in the ’80s.
7. AC/DC at 50 (2023) by Martin Popoff
AC/DC are one of my favorite bands of all time, so it was a no-brainer for me to get AC/DC at 50 and it was absolutely worth it! Martin Popoff is an author I truly respect and I believe he knows his rock ‘n’ roll stuff. Therefore, whenever I purchase a book of his, I know I will not be disappointed. For this book, in particular, he named each chapter after an AC/DC song, which was absolutely genius! The photographs are gorgeous and there are stories about the band I never heard before. One of them being the troubling recording sessions for Flick of the Switch (1983), where vocalist Brian Johnson’s vocals were suffering and drummer Phil Rudd was being very naughty. For those who want a good detailed overview of AC/DC’s career from the beginning to the end, minus the 2023 Power Trip festival performance and their current Power Up tour, check out AC/DC at 50!
6. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023) by Def Leppard
Def Leppard had many different eras to the point where if you play their first studio album, On Through the Night (1980), and their most recent studio album, Diamond Star Halos (2022), back to back, they sound like two different bands. Because of that, Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard is worth it for the photographs alone. There’s enough details in this book to make a diehard Def Leppard fan weep. A couple of examples are old sketches of Flynn, the cartoon character for the “Let’s Get Rocked” music video, and the different drafts of the Euphoria (1999) album cover. I really admire the band’s honesty, and it made me view certain albums and events from the band’s career in a different light. I don’t agree with guitarist Phil Collen saying X (2002) was a natural successor to Hysteria (1987), but whatever! Former guitarist Pete Willis should’ve gotten more quotes in the book, but other than that, Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard is perfect!
Ever since The Black Crowes got back together in 2019, the Robinson brothers and former drummer Steve Gorman have been hurling insults at each other, and there’s no doubt it’s because of Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes. Do I believe that guitarist Rich Robinson turned down Jimmy Page’s offer to help the band write songs for their Lions (2001) album? Do I believe that Gorman was the real toxic devil in the band? I don’t know, but to be honest, I don’t care. Besides, I’m not going to make assumptions because he said this and that guy said that. The book is wildly entertaining because of Gorman’s brutal honesty and the drama behind the scenes made me admire The Black Crowes’ work ethic because they always managed to put the music first.
4. Over the Influence: A Memoir (2024) by Joanna “JoJo” Levesque
What’s inspiring about JoJo’s story is that she’s around my age; there’s an eight year age gap, but that’s close enough. We come from two different worlds, of course, but we both love music, both have been unlucky in love, and both battled inner demons for years. Still, JoJo kept her head up high and fought for her voice, despite the drugs and music labels trying to tear her down. She could’ve easily quit music after her first two studio albums, her 2004 self-titled debut album and The High Road (2006), but she didn’t. Her third studio album, Mad Love (2016), kept getting delayed because her former record label, Blackground Records, was in a financial crisis and she couldn’t get out of her record contract. Now, JoJo releases music on her own terms through her own record label, Clover Music, while also making a career on Broadway, something that takes her back to her theater roots.
3. Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones (2022) by Paul Sexton
You know how Barney the Dinosaur always sings, “everyone is special, everyone in his or her own way”? Well, late drummer Charlie Watts embraced that to the fullest because for starters, he had a massive car collection, despite not having a driver’s license. To add to the bizarreness, he was the drummer for one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands ever, despite not liking rock music. Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones tells the story of a man who was unapologetically himself and didn’t give a f*ck what anyone thought of him. One of my favorite parts of the book revolves around Watts being hooked on drugs and alcohol because he was gutsy enough to admit his faults, and determined enough to end his addictions once and for all. Rest in peace, Charlie Watts, you are dearly missed everyday.
2. Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography (2011) by Glenn Hughes; co-written by Joel McIver
I truly believe that music saved Glenn Hughes’ life. He put his body through so much hell because of the drugs and alcohol that it’s a miracle he survived the ‘70s, yet alone, the following years leading to his sobriety. This dude even dated Linda Blair, which is another story in itself because she was messed up on drugs, as well. But when it comes to music, he lights up like a Christmas tree. He talks very fondly about his work with Pat Thrall, Gary Moore, and Tony Iommi, and his solo albums, especially Soul Mover (2005). He loves different music genres like rock, funk, soul, and blues. Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography gives a detailed perspective of a musician who’s drug usage got in the way of his love for music; spoiler alert, there is a happy ending.
1. Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide to World Tour Domination (2012) by Zakk Wylde; co-written by Eric Hendrix
From the first page of dialogue all the way to the very end, this book is just a wacky hell of a good time! Guitarist Zakk Wylde is a dude that says whatever comes to his mind and doesn’t leave out any details, no matter how weird or gross they may be. Please refer to him talking about making love to his wife Barbaranne Wylde to know what I’m talking about. Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide to World Tour Domination gives helpful tips of what to do and what not to do while touring in a rock band. Some of the lessons are obvious like not taking a dump on the bus and others not so obvious like avoiding a big meal hours before a show. He looks like a viking, who used to be a hot chick, but he seems like a cool dude that would be great to chill and talk stories with. Wylde also gets bonus points for being a fan of The Exorcist (1973).
There you have it, people! Those are my favorite music books as of December 2025. I am always on the hunt for new and exciting books, so we’ll see what 2026 has in store for my collection. Probably not as many books because I really need to watch my spending, but for sure, my collection will continue to grow going forward. So remember, reading doesn’t have to be boring. You just have to pick the right books based on your hobbies and interests!
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Take care and see ya real soon!
Lana
Lana Teramae | Me, Myself and Time 
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