Do you ever listen to themed music or soundtracks when reading a book based on a franchise?

So a couple months ago I was on a Bioshock tip where I played all the games, read the prequel novel, then proceeded to replay the first game again for context. Now I've started reading Halo: Fall of Reach for some comparisons(or not) to the show I just finished and have been posting about. During my time reading the Bioshock prequel novel I found some great youtube videos of Bioshock music I could let run in the background while I read. I gotta say, it really helped set the mood. Now I'm doing this with the Halo novel and having an equally satisfying time.

Anyone else do this and find it rather enjoyable?

*I'll be posting my thoughts about Fall of Reach at some point in the Halo Impressions thread I've been regularly updating the last several weeks. I'm looking forward(unto dawn--I'll see myself out) to it.

EDIT: I have also done this with video games. I was super into the ship combat in AC Black Flag and found a 15 minute loop of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, while on the beers one night, and what a blast that was.

I find it rather hard to read when music is playing. I end up paying more attention to the music than the book. Just the way I am. So I usually read in silence.

@wollywoo: I can see that being a thing. I kind of start out that way as well. Then I seem to hit this almost symbiotic state where the music just pushes me deeper in and suddenly I'm reading faster and absorbing everything. I don't try to match scenes to the music playing, however sometimes it hits just right and its superb.

This is kind of funny but I was actually listening to the warcraft 1 ost the other day while reading a developer blog on the making of it, to get in the mood.

It tends to work if the music is instrumental and not too intense, otherwise I'll start focusing on the music instead.

Yes, sometimes.

Music from Star Citizen while reading Star Citizen eBooks

Also music from Pathfinder games while reading related books.

The Bioshock prequel novel is better than it has any right to be. Gets kinda weird when they start talking about adam and plasmids, makes you realize just how videogamey those things are, but overall it was a well written and compelling story.

I remember when Shadow of the Empire came out and they actually put out a soundtrack for it. For a book!

But no, other than that: I usually like to read in silence.

The only book I've read based on a game franchise was fall of reach a long time ago and I didn't then. These days if I'm reading with my computer close to hand I'll maybe put some low key thematic music or ambient sounds on and it can help set the mood.

I read most of the witcher series whilst travelling in a van with the radio on and now I'll forever associate certain awful pop songs with parts of the series and they do not fit at all.

@spacegg I find it amusing that Star Citizen books exist considering the state of the game. I guess at least someone's completing something in that universe. I'm actually kind of intrigued lol.

@judaspete I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was especially fun to replay the game right after. It makes some of the audio logs really hit. I wouldn't even say its video gamey when all the plasmid talk starts. I wouldn't consider it much different to reading any fantasy or sci fi novel where things get out there. Though I guess I felt a certain video game like quality when I read the Mass Effect books years ago. I wonder if that's more the headspace having trouble separating the two.

@rorie Ha that's pretty great. I can definitely see myself listening to Star Wars music if I read a Star Wars book. Dammit maybe I should read a Star Wars book....

@someoneproud I'm just imagining what songs were playing haha. Like your in some heavy scene while 'Barbie Girl' or 'All Star' is pumping lmao. Yes I suspect those songs date me.

@spacemanspiff00: Those "books" are actually just fan made collections of the lore posts and short stories CIG has been releasing in their website for years. I prefer to read those posts in EPUB format on my e-book reader.

A good way to know what other teams has done is to follow their roadmap, monthly reports, videos and of course testing PU alpha versions.

@spacemanspiff00: You are right that Bioshock plazmids are not too much different from other sci-fi/fantasy augmentations, but all the scenes where they brought them up in the book were hard for me to take seriously for some reason.

I usually don't read official books on franchises, but I do read my share of fanfiction based on many franchises, and I sometimes listen to music related to said fiction, but it's mostly by accident, because I listen to all kinds of music while reading.