“Songbook,” the latest release from Nick Hornby, is the literary equivalent of the mix tapes that Hornby takes so much pride in. Hornby, author of “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy” among others, has taken his obsession with music and turned it into one of the most enjoyable reads on the market. Written with passion and humor, “Songbook” is a remarkable collection of musings from a man who knows what it means to truly love music. Nick Hornby sums up “Songbook” in one brilliant sentence. Hornby states in his opening chapter that “All I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them and get cross when these other people don’t like them as much as I do.” What is remarkable about “Songbook” is that is not a critique of music. On the contrary, Hornby has basically written on a collection of songs that mean something to him and by extension, should mean something to the reader as well. Hornby has discovered through years of music obsession that all of his best and more important memories are connected to a song in some way. Half of the choices on his 31 song list remind him of a time in his life when music defined who he was. Pieces by Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Santana and J. Geils Band are all featured. Most of the other songs mentioned are important to Hornby because they remind him of what music is really about. Choices from Nelly Furtado, Ben Folds Five, Ani DiFranco and Teenage Fanclub are all considered to be exemplary by Hornby’s standards. The combination of old classics, new modern rock and unknown discoveries is better than any Top 100 list ever created by Rolling Stone. What is truly brilliant about “Songbook” is that it manages to encapsulate the feelings of every true musical fanatic. Hornby becomes more than just an author, he slowly becomes a peer and trusted friend, one that understands why “Rain” is the best Beatles song and willingly admits that Rod Stewart really is pretty awesome. In addition to five bonus essays of various musical subjects, Hornby includes information on locating every song he writes of, just in case the reader should feel inclined to discover them and they most definitely will. Honest, funny and enjoyable enough to read in one sitting, “Songbook” will become a fast favorite of anyone who understands that music, as much as anything, can affect the most precious of memories.