Beatles Fiction - Summer Reading Ideas

We know there are hundreds of fact based Beatles books out there and many of them are interesting and wonderful to read and learn about the Beatles. We review new releases every quarter in our club magazine.  However, as summer approaches, perhaps you are looking for something entertaining to read that isn't just the story of the Beatles. Perhaps you are looking for something with a plot, some adventure or even a bit of science fiction that includes the Beatles as part of the story.

Well if that interests you, below is a list of books you might want to investigate.  All are available via Amazon.  Some are also in Kindle format if you want to read them in ebook format (handy for lounging on the beach).

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She's Leaving Home by William Shaw This murder mystery takes place in the Beatles heyday in the neighborhood around Abbey Road.  The Beatles figure predominately in the backdrop of the story through as real life events such as John and Yoko's arrest at the same police station where the detective works. When the murder victim turns out to be an Apple Scruff, the detective finds himself visiting the Beatles Fan Club, George and Patti's house and more trying to identify her and her murderer.  The book is a gritty mystery on its own but I found it even more interesting with the expert weaving of real Beatles events, locals and facts into the plot.

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Strawberry Fields For Evan by Wilson Quick Even if you are not a science fiction fan, if you're a Beatles fan, you will enjoy this well written story about a drummer from the the current day USA. Through a strange serious of events, Evan finds himself transported suddenly, not just back in the 1960's, but across the pond in Liverpool.  His timing couldn't be better for a drummer when he realizes that he knows the Beatles are about to replace Pete Best.  Could he possibly use this knowledge to get in first and get the job instead of Ringo?

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Compline by Gladys Pagendam Nan is a grandmother with a mysterious past and a deep connection with George Harrison whose spirit visits her at critical crossroads in her life.  To her daughter and granddaughters she is just Nan and they and as she nears death from an illness, her granddaughters become interested in Nan's early years.  No one could have guessed that in the 1960's she had been a hip Liverpool lass who chose to alter her life by entering a convent to give her life to God. Obviously with granddaughters, she didn't stay in the convent, but what happened and how was George involved? The book tells Nan's story over the years in flashbacks via letters and poems and dreams.

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[Still Just] Four Liverpool Lads by Michele S. Copp What if the Beatles had secretly reunited in the 70’s and recorded an album of their best work in complete secrecy, but hid the work away after another break up? And what if you discovered this information 40 years later? Follow the action and adventure in this fictional account of a group of Beatles fans who stumble upon a clue and set out to find this unreleased music. Their hunt takes them from Scotland to the Isle of Wight and it appears that someone else is determined to get to the music before them. Beatles fans around the world will enjoy the exploits this group of die-hard fans experience in their efforts to follow clues left by Paul 40 years ago as they set out to prove that this music really existed.

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Charmed and Dangerous by Michele S. Copp The Mad Day Out Gang from 'Still [Just] 4 Liverpool Lads' is back again and this time they are just off to have some summer fun in Liverpool during Beatle Week. The trip is plagued with a series of mishaps that starts with train delays caused by a jewelry theft in Wales and grows steadily worse. It appears someone is targeting the group and means business. But why, and how can they make it stop before someone gets hurt? Just as in their first outing in London, this group of Beatles fans are quick witted and resourceful and once they figure out why they are being hunted down, they set out to turn the tables and set a trap to snare the bandits and save the day.

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Ask Ron & Eddie by E. Langley De Montfort This book starts out as a series of letters answered by Ron who responds to letters sent to him from strangers asking questions similar to an agony aunt column.  Ron's replies tend to ramble on beyond the original question and over time reveal his and Eddie's history through stories and reminiscences. Technically this book isn't about the Beatles but it is interesting and two of the chapters do tell an interesting story about the time these two characters managed to sneak (twice!) onto the roof of Apple offices in Saville Row and into Apple itself during the days that the Beatles were still a band.

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