Nick Hornby is a serious music geek. This was obvious from reading High Fidelity (gah, has it been nine years already since I read that!), but this collection of essays on music makes it explicit. My music taste overlaps substantially with Hornby's, but that's not at all a prerequisite for enjoying his musings on 31 songs and 15 albums. The enjoyment comes from listening to a gifted writer convey his enthusiasm for a subject he deeply loves.

Coincidentally, the cover artwork features headphones made by my employer.