Sometimes I have to work in total silence; other times I rely on the driving bass of dance music to keep me motivated to finish a particular piece of writing. 

I was interested in hearing other writers talking about their working soundtrack this week, and this week's Nibby Award is a bit unusual, going not to a single author blog, but to a specific category within a niche blog run by a major national newspaper.

This week's Nibby Award goes to the Living with Music section of the Papercuts blog.  If you aren't already familiar with it, Papercuts is the New York Times' blog about books, covering reviews, interviews and other miscellaneous literary topics. 

The Living with Music section is handed over each week to celebrity, author or other person of note who lists their favourite songs on a theme.  Not your standard desert island disc round up of their all time favourite hits, the guest bloggers must carefully put together a soundtrack for a setting.  

The blog caught my eye this week because singer/songwriter turned author, Suzanne Vega had recently posted her list of songs that she relies on to beat the procrastination that writers often experience.

The articles are interesting, both to see how different music affects people and also because of the variety of voices on the blog.

I love reading talented writers express their thoughts about sensory experiences.  From travel to food to music reviews, the use of language in these types of articles is unique and somehow reading other people's thoughts on their favorite music seems personal in a way that is almost voyeuristic.

A blog to enjoy exploring on a Sunday afternoon with iTunes, your credit card and your mp3 player.