I'd love to hear some recommendations of stringy-type books. I'm currently reading Milstein's "From Russia to the West", which is a great book and well-written. It got me wondering how much other good stuff there is out there - not just biographies, but anything related to string playing. Recommendations please!

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

'Michael plays second violin in an up-and-coming Maggiore Quartet, lives on the north side of Hyde Park, takes early morning dips in the Serpentine, has a French girlfriend named Virginie. But his mind is constantly drawn to his first and only love, Julia, whom he knew in Vienna many years earlier. When he catches sight of Julia on a London bus, he cannot help but pursue her'

LOVELY book, beautiful insights into the magic of quartet music making

and

Music and Silence by Rose Tremain

'King Christian IV of Denmark is, in the year of 1630, living in a limbo of fear and rage for his life, his country's ruin, and his wife's not-so-secret adultery. He consoles himself with the weaving of impossible dreams and with music--played by his Royal Orchestra in the freezing cellar at Rosenborg while he listens in his cosy Vinterstue above. Music, he hopes, will create the sublime order he craves. Kirsten, his devious wife, is a continual maker of Beautiful Plans to outwit, avenge, feed her greed. And she detests music. The awkward duty of assuaging the King's miseries falls to his English lutenist, Peter Claire, his "Angel"...'

written with such careful attention to detail, really enjoyed it

I have just bought 'The Cellist of Sarajevo' by Steven Galloway following good reviews (even Richard and Judy show recommended it). Not started it yet though.
I agree with last poster that 'An Equal Music' is an excellent read.
Have just finished and enjoyed 'Between Each Breath' by Adam Thorpe. Plenty of music content but not specifically strings.

The Soloist is a great read and I also liked The Man Who Loved A Cello. Toby Faber's Stradivarius is pretty hard to beat too if you haven't already read it.

I've waxed lyrical about this book in another thread somewhere, so I'll not do it again - but it is a compelling read.

I agree with Miss Sooky - 'Stradivarius' by Toby Faber is a brilliant book.. and very easy to read for something so informative.

Rose Tremain's 'Music and Silence' is also a really good novel but I didn't enjoy Anne Rice's 'Violin'.

On a wider musical subject I'm reading Oliver Sacks 'Musicophilia' just now. It's quite fascinating - lots of case-studies of people with neurological phenomenon based around music.. including synaesthesia (which I'm studying).

I'd really like to read the Vikram Seth book...