If you haven’t yet seen the first Pitch Perfect film, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Part goofy comedy, part musical spectacular, part love-and-friendship journey, and full of snarky, feel-good moments, this is a perfect film to lift you out of a bad day (and give you a song to hum at the same time!).
With the action-flicks and special-effects spectaculars that typically fill screens in the summertime, it was gratifying to see a long line of people waiting to get into see Pitch Perfect 2 last night (a few of them bursting into song when the mood took them). So, for this first weekend installment of the Free-For-All, we thought we’d offer some suggestions for those of you who found the two Pitch Perfect films aca-awesome.
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itch Perfect: If you happened to notice in the credits, both films were “Inspired by the book by Mickey Rapkin”. An editor for GQ, Rapkin spent a year chronicling three a cappella groups in their quest for glory–as well as their brushes with fame, and run-ins with the law. Told with a journalist’s quick pacing and an eye for detail, this book emphasizes just how real the competition depicted in the films are, and just how (surprisingly) popular a cappella as a form has grown in the past decade or so.
The Lumberjanes: Though neither about college nor about music, this graphic novel features the same quirky, off-beat comedy as the Pitch Perfect films, with heaps of ‘girl power’, by which we mean positive female relationship between characters who are far more concerned about facing down a three-eyed fox than they are about finding a boyfriend. The five friends at the center of these books are sensational heroines, and the increasingly wild adventures that occur at their less-than-ordinary summer camp are sure to keep readers enthralled.
How to Build a Girl: A marvelous and surprising novel about self-invention and re-invention, Caitlin Moran’s book features an outside much like Beca, who finds her salvation through music. After being publicly shamed on local television, Johanna Morgan reinvents herself as the flamboyant Dolly Wilde, music critic and all-around-bon vivant. But after two years as Dolly, Johanna is suddenly forced to realize that she may have given her alter-ego a fatal flaw.
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auty Queens: Another book that doesn’t hesitate to question why women can’t be whatever they want–and do it together. In fact, when their plane crashes on a desert island, these beauty queen contestants band together in order to survive, all while keeping up their dance practices, just in case they get rescued in time to show off their choreography. Libba Bray’s writing is always fun, unexpected, and engaging, and this book is especially fun as it blends the ridiculous and the sublime, as well as a few timely observations about women’s power and society.
Starter for Ten: This book by David Nicholls follows another oft-stereotyped, but seldom-explored student group: the college quiz team. Told through the eyes of the charmingly hapless Brian during his first year at Bristol University, this is a wonderfully funny, occasionally heart-breaking story about fitting in, finding yourself, and knowing the right answers. As a bonus to music-lovers, Brian’s penchant for mix tapes is sure to please any one with a fond nostalgia for the ’80’s. We also have the film version of the book, starring the younger versions of the great James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch.
And, naturally, you can find the soundtracks to both Pitch Perfect films in our catalog, as well!