I could’ve sworn I answered this last week, but apparently not. Hrm.
Anyway: I can’t listen to music when I write. It bleeds into my head and ruins my concentration. Even if I’m writing outside the house and there’s ambient noise, I’m nowhere near as focused as I am when at home in the quiet. It’s annoying, because I like music so much and feel limited in my time to enjoy it, but it’s the way it is.
As to the second question – let’s cheat and say I’m downloading three books to the Kindle so I don’t have to worry about weight/storage issues. Given that: Alec: The Years Have Pants by Eddie Campbell, a Kirby Fourth World collection – maybe the second of the DC HCs from the other year? – and All Star Superman, off the top of my head.