Just like some authors like to listen to music to set their mood while writing, and sometimes there's nothing like the perfect soundtrack for reading a book. I was never that great at creating mix tapes or CDs...or playlists these days. If I'm looking for a good playlist of hand-selected, individual songs, I go to my friends Nicole, Doc, or Scott. But I'm pretty good at setting a mood. Here are a few of my favorite genre/mood pairings:
Anne of Green Gables, contemporary romance novels, -- Upbeat coffee shop. James Taylor's Greatest Hits, The Carpenters, The Weepies, Shawn Mullins
High fantasy, historical fiction -- something interesting, but instrumental. classical guitar, movie soundtracks, cello solos.
Jane Austen -- classical piano
British detective fiction -- Celtic music (of course! I never said I was all that original), minor-key coffee shop.