Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
So this book took me two weeks to read and probably shouldn’t have.
Rob Sheffield and his wife Renee loved music. All kinds. They had tons of mix tapes with so many different types of music on them. Every event of their lives could be associated with a song or a band in some way. Then, Renee suddenly passes away, leaving Rob to re-examine his relationship with all of their beloved music and reckon with all their memories together. This book tells their story and interweaves all the music within it.
If you like different kinds of music, especially Motown, classic rock & roll, grunge, or New Wave, this book will have a ton of references you will love. I’m not as up on some of these genres as someone else may be, but there was plenty for me here. This book is not only a love letter to Renee and her legacy, but a love letter to music. I enjoyed reading it, even if I did have trouble prioritizing it.
Rob Sheffield and his wife Renee loved music. All kinds. They had tons of mix tapes with so many different types of music on them. Every event of their lives could be associated with a song or a band in some way. Then, Renee suddenly passes away, leaving Rob to re-examine his relationship with all of their beloved music and reckon with all their memories together. This book tells their story and interweaves all the music within it.
If you like different kinds of music, especially Motown, classic rock & roll, grunge, or New Wave, this book will have a ton of references you will love. I’m not as up on some of these genres as someone else may be, but there was plenty for me here. This book is not only a love letter to Renee and her legacy, but a love letter to music. I enjoyed reading it, even if I did have trouble prioritizing it.
I'd give this 5 stars, except I'm too liberal with my 5-stars and need to hold back. But I was instantly drawn into Rob's true story of falling in love with Renee, their few years together, and her unexpected death, all tracked by music and mixes: the falling-in-love tape, the falling asleep tape, the dish-washing tape. Although the music was a wonderful lens, and just about everyone will recognize at least one song on Rob's lists, for me the depiction of the relationship was the best part. It described falling in love without any cliched angels or butterflies, even mentioning fear, as one reviewer said, "of losing oneself, of not being able to keep the other safe enough, of recognizing the other will be on hand to witness your inevitable worst."
By reading the descriptions of the author's grief, I feel like I can better understand such a loss, even though I have not experienced it. "I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language. Without her to talk to, there was nothing to say" (p. 156). And yet, when Rob has a "divine revelation" that it's time to get out of the apartment more, it's one of the funniest moments of the book. Just like in real life, you can't always separate the funny from the sad.
By reading the descriptions of the author's grief, I feel like I can better understand such a loss, even though I have not experienced it. "I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language. Without her to talk to, there was nothing to say" (p. 156). And yet, when Rob has a "divine revelation" that it's time to get out of the apartment more, it's one of the funniest moments of the book. Just like in real life, you can't always separate the funny from the sad.
I have read and re-read this book, and it still makes me cry as hard as I cried the first time. I made best friend, her sister, and their mother read this book. It's fantastic.
This is a beautiful story and a true tale of love in modern times. Rob Sheffield looks at music as more than just his soundtrack - it's another part of his life. Music brings has the power to bring us back to different memories and Sheffield tells us the story about how he met, married and ultimately lost the love of his life through the music of the times. Sheffield describes his love for music and Renée with such ease that it makes your heart hurt that people have to go through any sort of loss. He has the most beautiful way with words and you can feel his heartbeat jump off the page, one emotion filled sentence after another. Sheffield reminds us how easy it is to tie a song to a memory - a first kiss, a car ride or even an afternoon in a garage. If you've ever made a mix tape or if music always brings you back to a different time or place, this book is for you.
I first read this book at least ten years ago.
I loved it then, I can confirm I love it now.
Every now and then you read a book that truly makes you sad when it ends, where you didn’t feel like you absorbed it’s contents enough and you kind of want to start from the beginning again.
I love this couple. I’m so sad they couldn’t be together forever. I love Renee and feel she can’t be dead because she’s so alive in this book.
I love Rob and his description of listening to married couples or how he realised he needed to get out more.
I will re-visit this again. I described this book to someone and i think they thought it sounded gloomy but it’s not at all. It’s a celebration of a love story.
I loved it then, I can confirm I love it now.
Every now and then you read a book that truly makes you sad when it ends, where you didn’t feel like you absorbed it’s contents enough and you kind of want to start from the beginning again.
I love this couple. I’m so sad they couldn’t be together forever. I love Renee and feel she can’t be dead because she’s so alive in this book.
I love Rob and his description of listening to married couples or how he realised he needed to get out more.
I will re-visit this again. I described this book to someone and i think they thought it sounded gloomy but it’s not at all. It’s a celebration of a love story.
I don't want to disparage this book, only because I didn't finish it. It wasn't what I was expecting, although what was I expecting? (not sure). I couldn't connect with the characters and I dropped it soon after I started it. That's all...
This is a fabulous book about love, music and...I won't spoil it for you. Please read and cherish this excellent memoir.
This memoir of love and loss is set against the backdrop of mix tapes which were an integral part of Rob and Renee's relationship. Through the tapes and the stories behind when they were made we get a look into their courtship, marriage, Renee's sudden death and Rob's pain as he goes on without her. Much like any good mix tape, there are gaps and silences, stories you like better than others. It inspired me to dig out my stash of mix tapes from the 90s to provide my own soundtrack while reading. Also brought back the memories of how you could spend hours creating your list of songs, carefully recordinging them, trying so hard to get the timing just right per side and writing the song titles on the cassette sleeve. Music is a balm for the soul and while life will never be the same for Rob it has provided some comfort there.