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briaraq's review against another edition
2.0
this man really just wrote every random thought he had about the songs he likes and put it in a book
voilalauren's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't even get halfway through this "book." It felt like the author scrolled through their iPod and decided to describe songs they liked and why they like them with only one or two paragraphs of actual story per chapter. Not worth it.
trangham283's review against another edition
3.0
OK book. I got the audio upgrade with the Kindle First version so the narrator's style made it more interesting. There were good/funny parts and others not as memorable.
purelynicole's review against another edition
I should give this more of a try, but I'm just not enjoying it. So I did what I so rarely do...I checked the reviews before finishing the book. It seems others are not into it either.
carroq's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
As the title indicates, this book is centered around music and how it relates to aspects of our lives. I like the setup for the chapters. Each one starts with a heading page introducing the topic(s), the next page lists music selections the writer associates with the topic, and then there is an essay about it. Sometimes the topics seemed loosely connected to the music selected, although I was not familiar with many of the songs. That didn't stop me from enjoying the writing because the pertinent details of the music are discussed.
I ended up reading this book on my phone, which is the first time I've used it in that capacity. This book lent itself really well to doing so. Each chapter is relatively short, taking about 5 or 6 minutes to read. So it was pretty easy to open it up and read a small chunk when I had an opportunity without dropping out in the middle of a chapter. I could digest it in smaller chunks rather than trying to sit down and read the whole thing in one go. This gave me some time to reflect back on what Greenman was trying to say at times, which may have made it more enjoyable for me.
His writing reminds me a bit of Chuck Klosterman without being quite so cynical. There are times where his stories put me off, but the honesty behind them kept me reading. He talks quite a bit about how he relates to music. It really is about relationships though. Whether it is something that he experienced directly, or just something he noticed through song or from watching others, there is insight here that should resonate with readers. It is a very personal journey and I'm glad to have had a chance to tag along.
As the title indicates, this book is centered around music and how it relates to aspects of our lives. I like the setup for the chapters. Each one starts with a heading page introducing the topic(s), the next page lists music selections the writer associates with the topic, and then there is an essay about it. Sometimes the topics seemed loosely connected to the music selected, although I was not familiar with many of the songs. That didn't stop me from enjoying the writing because the pertinent details of the music are discussed.
I ended up reading this book on my phone, which is the first time I've used it in that capacity. This book lent itself really well to doing so. Each chapter is relatively short, taking about 5 or 6 minutes to read. So it was pretty easy to open it up and read a small chunk when I had an opportunity without dropping out in the middle of a chapter. I could digest it in smaller chunks rather than trying to sit down and read the whole thing in one go. This gave me some time to reflect back on what Greenman was trying to say at times, which may have made it more enjoyable for me.
His writing reminds me a bit of Chuck Klosterman without being quite so cynical. There are times where his stories put me off, but the honesty behind them kept me reading. He talks quite a bit about how he relates to music. It really is about relationships though. Whether it is something that he experienced directly, or just something he noticed through song or from watching others, there is insight here that should resonate with readers. It is a very personal journey and I'm glad to have had a chance to tag along.
rouge_reads386's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick read, but I enjoyed it. Mostly because he applies the songs he discusses to events and conversations he has in his life the same way I do. I saw that a lot of the negative reviews were about the songs being obscure or ones readers had never heard of, but the essays are about life, not about the songs. So I don't think the fact I hadn't heard most of these songs had a negative effect on my reading experience. If you listen to music because the lyrics speak to you and help you understand that others are experiencing the same life events that you are, I think you'll enjoy this book.
parisabell's review against another edition
2.0
Music is very big to me and the idea of a book that talks about the emotional importance of music seemed like such a good fit for me. I don't know if it was the songs he chose or the stories he told, but I couldn't connect with this book like I'd hoped to do.
mdabernig's review against another edition
2.0
I thought I would enjoy this more than I did - I think the idea was good and some of the essays struck a cord with me, but for whatever reason, I just didn't seem to get any sort of connection with this book. Perhaps if I go back to it at another time, I will feel differently, but right now, all I really got out this was some pretty great song recs.