Here are 100 books that Guitar Zero fans have personally recommended if you like Guitar Zero. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains

Eva Amsen Author Of Hey, There's Science In This: Essays about science in unexpected places

From my list on notice science in surprising places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I enjoy finding science in places where you might not expect it. Science really is everywhere. It's tempting to think of it as its own category of news or its own shelf in the bookstore. But science is a way of thinking about every aspect of the world, including our passions and daily lives. I love finding the spaces where these lines are blurred, and these books are such great examples of finding science in surprising places.

Eva's book list on notice science in surprising places

Eva Amsen Why Eva loves this book

I love animals, so I was fascinated to learn from this book that some of my favorites are considered pests by others. In this book, Bethany Brookshire talks to experts who study rats, mice, bears, pigeons, and many other animals.

It's especially interesting to see the same animals from different points of view: elephants are amazing to people who live far away from them but quite annoying to farmers who need to protect their crops from these large, destructive creatures.

In other chapters, we meet biologists who study bears, deer, or cane toads to help manage the way people and animals continue to coexist. The book made me look at animals in a new way, but I still love them.

By Bethany Brookshire ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pests as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals "pests" and others not-from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons-and what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs, and actions, as well as our place in the natural world

A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It's no longer an animal. It's a…


If you love Guitar Zero...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

Eva Amsen Author Of Hey, There's Science In This: Essays about science in unexpected places

From my list on notice science in surprising places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I enjoy finding science in places where you might not expect it. Science really is everywhere. It's tempting to think of it as its own category of news or its own shelf in the bookstore. But science is a way of thinking about every aspect of the world, including our passions and daily lives. I love finding the spaces where these lines are blurred, and these books are such great examples of finding science in surprising places.

Eva's book list on notice science in surprising places

Eva Amsen Why Eva loves this book

I spent much of the past few decades online, in different online communities that each have their own special way of communicating. With how fast the internet evolved, it should be no surprise that language rapidly changed with it.

In Because Internet, Gretchen McCulloch takes the reader through a linguistic analysis of the internet, from leetspeak to doge memes. It’s already missing more recent internet language a few years after publication. Still, I love the book for a casual yet academic look at the silly side of the internet's teenage years. 

By Gretchen McCulloch ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Because Internet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!!

Named a Best Book of 2019 by TIME, Amazon, and The Washington Post

A Wired Must-Read Book of Summer  

“Gretchen McCulloch is the internet’s favorite linguist, and this book is essential reading. Reading her work is like suddenly being able to see the matrix.” —Jonny Sun, author of everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too  

Because Internet is for anyone who's ever puzzled over how to punctuate a text message or wondered where memes come from. It's the perfect book for understanding how the internet is changing the English language, why…


Book cover of Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed

Eva Amsen Author Of Hey, There's Science In This: Essays about science in unexpected places

From my list on notice science in surprising places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I enjoy finding science in places where you might not expect it. Science really is everywhere. It's tempting to think of it as its own category of news or its own shelf in the bookstore. But science is a way of thinking about every aspect of the world, including our passions and daily lives. I love finding the spaces where these lines are blurred, and these books are such great examples of finding science in surprising places.

Eva's book list on notice science in surprising places

Eva Amsen Why Eva loves this book

All scientists are different, and this book brings that home in a very fun way. It's on the shelf with art coffee table books in my house because that's essentially what it is. The book collects photos of science tattoos and descriptions of the science behind the tattoos.

Some are small, simple line drawings of molecules; others are colorful sleeves or back tattoos with intricate scenes of plants, animals, or famous textbook images. As a science writer, I meet a lot of scientists and people who love (and live) science, and this book has had me keeping an eye out for DNA molecules and other science tattoos. 

By Carl Zimmer ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Science Ink as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this book, each tattoo is accompanied by a reflection on the science in question by bestselling essayist and lecturer Zimmer. Body art meets popular science in this elegant, mind-blowing collection, written by renowned science writer Carl Zimmer. Showcasing hundreds of eye-catching tattoos that pay tribute to various scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and neuroscience to mathematics and astrophysics, Science Ink reveals the stories of the individuals who chose to inscribe their obsessions in their skin. Best of all, each tattoo provides a leaping-off point for bestselling essayist and lecturer Zimmer to reflect on the science in question, whether it's…


If you love Gary Marcus...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright's Universe

Eva Amsen Author Of Hey, There's Science In This: Essays about science in unexpected places

From my list on notice science in surprising places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I enjoy finding science in places where you might not expect it. Science really is everywhere. It's tempting to think of it as its own category of news or its own shelf in the bookstore. But science is a way of thinking about every aspect of the world, including our passions and daily lives. I love finding the spaces where these lines are blurred, and these books are such great examples of finding science in surprising places.

Eva's book list on notice science in surprising places

Eva Amsen Why Eva loves this book

This next book takes a historical approach and explores what Shakespeare would likely have known about science in his lifetime and how that shows up in his works. If the premise sounds contrived, don't worry: the book emphasizes many ongoing debates about connections between Shakespeare and scientists of his era.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the Shakespeare Scholars' Conference and how different it was from the science conferences I knew! Overall, the book taught me much about 16th-century astronomy and Shakespeare. As a student, I would have loved this and always felt I had to choose between science and literature.

By Dan Falk ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Science of Shakespeare as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

William Shakespeare lived at a remarkable time―a period we now recognize as the first phase of the Scientific Revolution. New ideas were transforming Western thought, the medieval was giving way to the modern, and the work of a few key figures hinted at the brave new world to come: the methodical and rational Galileo, the skeptical Montaigne, and―as Falk convincingly argues―Shakespeare, who observed human nature just as intently as the astronomers who studied the night sky.
In The Science of Shakespeare, we meet a colorful cast of Renaissance thinkers, including Thomas Digges, who published the first English account of the…


Book cover of Zen Guitar

Tobias Hurwitz Author Of The Total Rock Guitarist: A Fun and Comprehensive Overview of Rock Guitar Playing, Book & CD

From my list on for rock guitar philosophers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been immersed in playing and teaching guitar and in rock culture all my life. Since graduating from The Guitar Institute of Technology in 1987, I’ve been a full-time guitar professional. So, I’m known in my hometown of Baltimore as the go to guy for rock guitar chores of all kinds. I play for companies like Johns Hopkins, Center Stage and The Baltimore Ravens. I taught Guitar at The Gilman School for thirteen years. I’ve played every venue from the biggest stadiums to the smallest clubs. My publications include fifteen guitar books internationally distributed by Alfred Publications and features in most major trade journals. Endorsements: Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Ernie Ball Strings and Fractal Audio.

Tobias' book list on for rock guitar philosophers

Tobias Hurwitz Why Tobias loves this book

This book hit me hard and fast. It validated what I previously thought were my private ideas. I’d never met the author, but it seemed to be written about me… for me… or was it written for and about the other 100k plus readers who must have felt the same? I don’t know. Maybe you’re next.

By Philip Toshio Sudo ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Zen Guitar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Each of us carries a song inside us, the song that makes us human. ZEN GUITAR provides the key to unlocking this song - a series of life lessons presented through the metaphor of music. Philip Sudo offers his own experiences with music to enable us to rediscover the harmony in each of our lives and open ourselves to Zen awareness uniquely suited to the Western Mind. Through fifty-eight lessons that provide focus and a guide, the reader is led through to Zen awareness. This harmony is further illuminated through quotes from sources ranging from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix…


Book cover of Asturias: 55 Classical Masterpieces from 5 Centuries Guitar

Jamie Akers Author Of Christmas Carols for Guitar

From my list on to help you be great at guitar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing the guitar since I was ten years old. From then until now it has been my life’s focus, my friend and delight, my consolation, companion, and frustration. While I am reconciled to never being the world’s most famous guitarist, I still have a career, make a living, and, hopefully, contribute positively to the Universe. I have recorded albums of previously unheard music, performed throughout the world, and edited and published books for guitar. In spite of decades of study and practice, I find my enthusiasm undimmed and enjoy nothing more than sharing my expertise and guiding those less experienced to discover the delights of playing music.

Jamie's book list on to help you be great at guitar

Jamie Akers Why Jamie loves this book

Classical music is often seen as being unapproachable, demanding, and difficult, the domain of geniuses and prodigies not for ordinary mortals. This delightful book makes available some of the greatest guitar music ever written in a form that is accessible yet recognisable. It enables the intermediate-level guitarist to advance their abilities while playing pieces that will transfix any audience, impress friends and family and render great satisfaction to the performer. 

By Martin Hegel (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Asturias as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

(Guitar). This collection of 55 well-known masterpieces of classical music offers arrangements that are well suited to the guitar, while remaining as faithful as possible to the original setting. This includes widely known classical melodies through to South American tangos - music for entertainment that suits the guitar particularly well. Some historical arrangements by prominent musicians of their time such as Mertz, Coste and Tarrega are a valuable addition to this collection. This collection is a treasure trove for tuition purposes, concert performance and just for fun, with pieces presented in order of increasing difficulty.


If you love Guitar Zero...

Book cover of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

Big Ideas... For Small Businesses by John Lamerton,

Big Ideas… for Small Businesses is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide to growing a small business without sacrificing your lifestyle. Written by a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, the book challenges hustle culture and instead champions the idea of an "ambitious lifestyle business" - one that provides freedom and financial stability,…

Book cover of The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body

Dave Camlin Author Of Music Making and Civic Imagination: A Holistic Philosophy

From my list on how being musical helps us be more human.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a musician – singer/composer/educator/researcher – based in Northern England, and I’ve become fascinated through my community music work to see how music can change people’s experience – of themselves, of other people, of their community and their relationship to the world around them. With all of the complex challenges we currently face as a species, I’m interested in the potential of music-making as a resource to help us navigate toward a more hopeful future. Making music is an important part of our unique collective history as humans – and we need to draw on it now to help us evolve into a species that can live more harmoniously and sustainably on our fragile planet.

Dave's book list on how being musical helps us be more human

Dave Camlin Why Dave loves this book

There are lots of great books about music in human evolution, but this one conjures up such beautiful images and makes such a strong argument that it’s still my favourite.

The human species is over 230,000 years old, and we’ve probably been using singing as a form of social bonding for that whole time, and previous hominid species probably were as well. The book makes the point really well that singing is something we take for granted, but is really quite a remarkable human evolutionary adaptation.

By Steven Mithen ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Singing Neanderthals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The propensity to make music is the most mysterious, wonderful, and neglected feature of humankind: this is where Steven Mithen began, drawing together strands from archaeology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience--and, of course, musicology--to explain why we are so compelled to make and hear music. But music could not be explained without addressing language, and could not be accounted for without understanding the evolution of the human body and mind. Thus Mithen arrived at the wildly ambitious project that unfolds in this book: an exploration of music as a fundamental aspect of the human condition, encoded into the human genome during the…


Book cover of Rythm Oil: A Journey Through The Music Of The American South

Franz Douskey Author Of Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years

From my list on the roots of social change through popular music.

Why am I passionate about this?

More has been accomplished by music to wake us up that any marches, speeches, injustice, and/or wealth. In the beginning, music and its many forms I followed were an accident. Now I see that music is vital for social expression, intimacy, solitude. The walls in my writing room are covered with photos, CDs, 78s, and most certainly live recordings and books. I feel sorry for the soul(s) who will have to pick through this history when I’ve gone to that Upper Room.

Franz's book list on the roots of social change through popular music

Franz Douskey Why Franz loves this book

Yes, the title is spelled correctly. I’ve known Stanley Booth from our days in Memphis. He has written about The Rolling Stones, B. B. King, Al Green, and Keith Richards. Keith wrote that “The interesting thing about music to me is that music has always seemed streaks ahead of any other Art form or any other form of social expression.” It has never been said any better.

Stanley Booth’s Rythm Oil contains studies of numerous, forgotten musicians and singers. It is a study of remote history. Stanley Booth doesn’t write with ink. He writes with grit.

By Stanley Booth ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rythm Oil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A collection of 20 essays centred on Memphis, Tennessee, and comprising a fusion of fact, essays and fiction in which the author describes his encounters with major figures of American blues and soul music. Stanley Booth also wrote "The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones".


Book cover of Rockonomics

Paul Saintilan Author Of Managing Organizations in the Creative Economy

From my list on management in the creative industries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve spent my life in music and the creative industries, having worked in major record companies in London (among other places), and have loved every minute of it. Over the past 20 years, I've also studied it academically and run courses on entertainment management in colleges and Universities. It is rewarding to work with people who want to make a career in the creative industries. A colleague once said to me, “If you can give me a graduate who can have a conversation with a Chief Financial Officer and not freak them out, and then have a conversation with an artist and not freak them out, then you will be doing the world a great favor, because this is comparatively rare.” 

Paul's book list on management in the creative industries

Paul Saintilan Why Paul loves this book

I loved this book because it shows how economic forces are pushing us in the direction of a ‘winner takes all’ economy, both in the creative industries and more generally.

The scalability of digital creations, the impact of algorithms, bandwagon effects, network effects, and economies of scale are resulting in 1 percent of artists owning the majority of the pie. This has big implications for those working in the creative industries.

By Alan B. Krueger ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rockonomics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Alan Krueger, a former chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, uses the music industry, from superstar artists to music executives, from managers to promoters, as a way in to explain key principles of economics, and the forces shaping our economic lives.

The music industry is a leading indicator of today's economy; it is among the first to be disrupted by the latest wave of technology, and examining the ins and outs of how musicians create and sell new songs and plan concert tours offers valuable lessons for what is in store for businesses and employees in other industries…


If you love Gary Marcus...

Book cover of Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture

Sexy Selfie Nation by Leora Tanenbaum,

The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.

Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…

Book cover of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

David Sonnenschein Author Of Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema

From my list on power of music and sound on the brain.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mom was an excellent artist, and my father was an accomplished scientist, so I grew up with a passion and mission to combine these in my life’s work. I have played clarinet since 8, in classical, jazz, world, experimental, and sound healing, and have mastered a variety of visual storytelling arts (painting, sculpture, filmmaking, game development). My fascination with mind/body led me to neuroscience research and developing edtech for autism. These all integrated into writing my book and offering this inspiration to others. This book list has nurtured my deepest interests and propelled me to discover more of our human potential to experience sound, storytelling, and well-being.

David's book list on power of music and sound on the brain

David Sonnenschein Why David loves this book

This book is one of the biggest influences in my life as a sound designer, musician, neuroscientist, and super curious researcher/creator. Dan’s personal life trajectory mirrors my own love of music and science, and his writing style is so accessible and engaging.

He and I have met personally, signed each other’s books, and are literally and figuratively on the same page. I also love his book, The World in Six Songs, a deep dive into how and why music affects us emotionally, culturally, and socially, which is very pertinent to sound design storytelling and portraying human nature from prehistoric to current pop culture.

By Daniel J. Levitin ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked This Is Your Brain on Music as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music-its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it-and the human brain.

Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin poses that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, he reveals:

* How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way…


Book cover of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains
Book cover of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
Book cover of Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

181

readers submitted
so far, will you?