Top image: David Bowie by Denis O’Regan

“My dad was a beast of a reader,” says director Duncan Jones, son of the late (and oh, so great) David Bowie. A voracious reader throughout his entire life, the musician’s love of literature often filtered into his sonic output, whether through direct references or imaginative narratives.

In celebration of his dad’s thirst for reading, Jones has launched the “David Bowie Book Club”. Taking its cues from a 2013 list of Bowie’s favourite books on his official website, the book club will take place via Jones’ Twitter feed for the discussions. Spanning multiple genres and periods, the selection includes Anthony Burgess, Vladimir Nabokov, Fran Lebowitz, Jack Kerouac, and ranges from classical fiction to comics through historical biographies. 

My dad was a beast of a reader. One of his true loves was Peter Ackroyd’s sojourns into the history of Britain & its cities. I’ve been feeling a building sense of duty to go on the same literary marathon in tribute to dad. Time allowing…#Read-ItBig’nsTheBrain

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) December 27, 2017

Over the holiday, Jones tweeted that he has been “feeling a building sense of duty to go on the same literary marathon in tribute to dad, ” calling anyone who wants to join along to read Peter Ackroyd’s 1985 classic Hawksmoor, “an amuse cerveau before we get into the heavy stuff.”

If you wish to join the discussion board, you need to complete the 300-page mystery novel by 1st February. 

View the list in its entirety here.