Hello, I’m back! Happy Halloween! I’m afraid this post has nothing to do with the Halloween season.

Though I’ve been writing, I haven’t been writing much that I wanted to share with the Internet. I’ve mostly been writing different iterations of the same story over and over, because I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by life. Basically, life turned itself into a cartoon anvil and fell on my head a couple times.

Lately, however, I’ve found a new hyperfixation to bring me some joy, and I want to share that joy with you. I recently paid to be a member of Dropout’s YouTube channel (formerly CollegeHumor) because of one show in particular: Play It by Ear (PIBE). I’m a huge fan of musical improv—Wayne Brady, Bo Burnham, etc—and that is exactly what Play It by Ear is. (Although, Wayne Brady did not appear on PIBE; he instead made his guest appearance on a karaoke episode of Dropout’s Make Some Noise, which also involves musical improv.)

So for my comeback to the blog, I thought I would ease my way back into writing for the world by mixing one of my favorite As Cool As Mint Ice Cream installments with one of my new obsessions. It’s a bit of a stretch to call this a playlist, but the Play It by Ear improv musicals have brought me so much joy that I just wanna talk about them all day long! 

Here is my Play It by Ear TBR playlist, in which I pair episodes of Dropout’s Play It by Ear with books I want to read. Please enjoy!

Season 1

“Humpty Dumpty”: Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman

Of course, to go with this somewhat communist retelling of “Humpty Dumpty,” I had to pick a book of progressive fairytale remixes. Both focus on characters we don’t always think of complexly and tell their stories with surprising but happy endings. And just like Dropout, this book makes it a point to have a diverse cast of characters. 

“The Muck of Merkmere”: The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

I’ve also always found Dickens’s stories to feel fairytale-ish, which was why I thought of pairing this musical with a Dickens book in the first place. Both of these stories are set in the Victorian era and highlight the differences between the rich and the poor classes. They point out societal issues with humor and involve a bunch of random, quirky characters whose stories are sort of intertwined. 

“Whimsy on Wheels”: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

If you want light fantasy that’s meaningful but not too deep, I encourage you to read Travis Baldree’s books. “Whimsy on Wheels” has the same vibe. The lesson that what we need isn’t always what we want runs through both of these stories, as well as characters who are mythical creatures with a twist. 

“Skyline Flight 314”: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I actually had a lot of trouble with this episode, but Lord of the Flies seems to fit the bill; it’s trippy, involves a plane crash, highlights the best and worst of the human condition, and explores the emotions surrounding an emergency situation. “Skyline Flight 314” is obviously lighter and wackier, but the ideas are similar enough. (Also, yes, I still haven’t read Lord of the Flies… can you believe it?)

“Space Rocks!”: The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers writes the perfect stories to go with this Play It By Ear episode. In her sci-fi books, she often explores connections between different species, highlighting the differences of alien and human societies while showing how they can coexist. There’s also usually some sort of non-heteronormative romance in the books, too, which definitely exists in “Space Rocks!” A fun time in outer space for everyone!

Season 2

“Mallapalooza”: The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino & translated by Sam Brett

Though I was tempted to pick a book set in the 1990s just like “Mallapalooza,” I went for more of a thematically similar story. Both of these stories are about staying overnight in a store/mall, a group of friends on the precipice of the rest of their lives, and some time funkiness (or “wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff,” as the 10th Doctor so succinctly put it). Plus, the character of the janitor in “Mallapalooza” is like a humorous echo of the former owner of the Namiya General Store in that they’re both wise, magical keepers of their small domains. 

“Animal Style”: Punk Rock Mouse and Country Mouse: A Graphic Novel by Brandon Terrell & illustrated by Alex Lopez

Listen, who doesn’t like stories that involve unlikely animal friends who make music? Certainly not me. Not only do these stories both center around animal characters, they also both explore the idea of animals wanting to live the lives of other animals before realizing their own lives can be just as fulfilling. Or, in simpler words, not everyone follows the same path. 

“Heartbeat Hospital”: Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan 

Because it’s supposed to be a medical soap opera parody, “Heartbeat Hospital” was another one that was hard to pair with a book on my TBR. So even though Exciting Times involves a banker, lawyer, and teacher—not doctors—the melodrama, the messy romances, the characters who make a sudden return, all of these can be found in “Heartbeat Hospital”—and probably any soap opera.

“Trade School Musical 2”: My Education by Susan Choi

This pair would’ve been better if I’d picked a book in a series, because “Trade School Musical 2” is supposed to be a sequel “for some reason,” but I focused more on trying to find a book that takes place in a school with adult characters. My Education is set in a graduate school, not a trade school, but involves people with life-altering secrets and at least a one sexy/erotic moment—just like “Trade School Musical 2.”

“The Missing Member”: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

“The Missing Member” is a 1940s noir mystery, so I was looking for a classic whodunit to pair with it. What is more of a classic whodunit than Agatha Christie’s first book? Christie’s suspect list always includes a cast of quirky characters, as do pretty much all of the Play It By Ear episodes. And, of course, PIBE’s Darren Vapes is an eccentric “ahead of his time” detective, just like Hercule Poirot is an eccentric “stuck in his ways” detective. Gotta love an eccentric detective. 

“Cornhole in One”: Fence series by C.S. Pacat (reread)

I’m cheating a little on this one because I’ve already read the Fence series, but it just fits so perfectly with a musical about cornhole that I thought it would be okay to include a series I want to reread. Plus, I make the rules, so as long as I say it’s okay, then it’s okay! Fence is, of course, about fencing, a fairly niche sport, while “Cornhole in One” is about cornhole, a somewhat niche party game. Plus, both involve a wholesome gay romance, and I’m always down for that. 

“Backwards Compatible”: The Daydreams by Laura Hankin

There are many books told in reverse chronological order just like “Backwards Compatible,” but I, again, went more with thematic similarities than narrative similarities. Both involve a friend group that reunites publicly after a big explosion of their friendship in the past. Friendship is complicated whether it’s centered around super healthy mushrooms or a classic 2000s TV show. 

“Joust Because”: Saffron and Honey: How Should I Know You? by Aphy Ray

A Renaissance Faire, which is the setting of “Joust Because,” basically takes historical fantasy and plops it into the present, so I picked a book that includes fantasy in the modern day. Journeys of self-discovery, queer romance, exploration of boundaries, and life-or-death stakes—what more could you ask for?

“Elevator Pitch”: Everything and Nothing by Jorge Luis Borges (translated by Donald A. Yates)

“Elevator Pitch” is bonkers. There is nothing like it on my TBR, so I literally picked this book because one of the repeated lines in “Elevator Pitch” is “Nothing, everything, children, glass.” (It doesn’t make much more sense in context, trust me…) However, one could argue that the metaphysical technology-based moments, the blurred line between reality and fiction, and things being out of their proper timeline are all things that this episode has, as well. Borges’s ideas are bonkers in the best way possible, just like Play It By Ear episodes. 

“Heebie Jeebies”: Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

I love a good found family story, and I love a good ghost story, which is why I wanted to read Ravenfall in the first place. Although it’s not quite as fitting for “Heebie Jeebies” as perhaps a creepy short story collection, a middle grade ghost story seems like a pretty good vibe match. Both involve a creepy old location, a supernatural creature, orphans, and the border between life and death. 

BONUS: “Legend of the Lake (Dress Rehearsal)”: Wicked Fox/Gumiho by Kat Cho

“Legend of the Lake” is more or less about the Loch Ness Monster, and Wicked Fox (sometimes published as Gumiho) is about another mythical creature—the nine-tailed fox from Korean folktales. These local legends are both, naturally, entwined in generations-old feuds, as well. 

Conclusion

And there it is! My comeback post! I hope that, even if you don’t particularly care for musical comedy, you’ve found a few titles you might be interested in. 

Play It By Ear is definitely not the only musical comedy out there, so fair warning, I may bring back this kind of TBR Playlist in the future. (Side note: Zach Reino and Jess McKenna, the main performers on Play It by Ear, started with a musical improv podcast first, so if you like PIBE, you’ll probably like Off Book, too!)

Happy laughing, happy listening, and happy reading!

-Ryn PB