Charles Spearin is a musician with Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think. He also makes music on his own, most recently the experimental album The Happiness Project, a sonic collage of interviews he did with his Toronto neighbours on the topic of happiness. Not only is it a fascinating listen, it is nominated for a Juno for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.

When Charles Spearin heads to St. John's, Nfld., this weekend, chances are he'll have a book in hand. An avid reader, he has many book recommendations for the CBC Book Club and for Music Month, starting with a book that he recommends for the road.

"The Third Man Factor by John Geiger is an excellent book to take on tour because no matter how gruelling your tour schedule is, it will never come close to these tales of survival in extreme environments," Charles says. "A six a.m. flight with a hangover doesn't feel like the end of the world after reading about the 1915 Shackleton expedition to the South Pole."

Charles Spearin's full list of book recommendations is posted on CBC Books.