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talon1010's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
I can't say I'd have gone for this without being given it by a pretty girl, but that's not to say it wasn't worth the time. I found that, as my life gets more defined by and my thoughts tend so often now toward romance, it's not unhelpful to have a cache of an essayist's beautiful prose in your back pocket. Plus, it encouraged me to call playlists mixtapes. Pretty cool shit, even if I haven't heard of any but six of the bands
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny
joysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
started and finished in one sitting, and boy did it take me through a journey! I recognize rob sheffield’s name through the many times he’s raved about my personal favorite artists through his writing in rolling stone, so it was just lovely to read something so personal in an impactful way
mooncrab's review against another edition
4.0
Super sweet and sad. Renée would love this book and the way her husband immortalizes her in these pages. The author writes with vulnerability & paints his love as a fun, sensitive, honest, smart, deeply interesting ray of sunshine. He made it easy to really feel love for her too, and subsequently the loss of her. Sheffield uses humour at just the right time which helped to sustain emotional energy for me lol. Anchoring the story through mixtapes from Sheffield’s life is a really engaging aspect of the book, and it’s relatable to anyone who intuitively connects music to memories. Music is so powerful and this is a book that reminds us of the sheer magic of it. I also loved how technology grew with time, and how much of a real period piece this book is. It’s a special story and a very telling part of history.
emmule's review against another edition
4.0
“i had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language…now, we had a whole different language to learn, a new grammar of loss to conjugate..”
listening along to the mixtapes while reading was such an immersive and unique reading experience! on top of that, rob sheffield describes grief with such raw honesty - the second half of the book really spoke to me. great, now my pages are all soggy
listening along to the mixtapes while reading was such an immersive and unique reading experience! on top of that, rob sheffield describes grief with such raw honesty - the second half of the book really spoke to me. great, now my pages are all soggy
jenmooremo's review against another edition
3.0
You can tell a whole lot about a person by the mix tapes or the music they have on their shelf, or I guess in these days what is in their iPod. In finishing this book, I not only got to know what type of person Rob is, but also that this book is essentially a final love letter to his wife, who will always be a large portion of who he is now as a person.
Very easy to read, interesting and very real. Gave me some ideas of new music to look up--I had never heard of the band Pavement, although other mix tapes certainly brought me back to some musical memories of my own.
Very easy to read, interesting and very real. Gave me some ideas of new music to look up--I had never heard of the band Pavement, although other mix tapes certainly brought me back to some musical memories of my own.
darastar's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this - it's a love letter (or rather, a mixed tape) to Charlottesville, a city I know and love. It's also heartbreaking, and makes me want to snuggle up close to those I love...and maybe make a mix tape.
enzopilarta's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Simple but insightful. Funny but gut wrenching. Rob Sheffield weaves a beautiful love story set amidst a crystal clear backdrop of 90s optimism and possibilities and of course music
ericthec's review against another edition
4.0
Sheffield is a strong writer if he does seem to be a big wimp. I don't read a lot of sad stories but his angle on grief is unforgettable. A great idea for a memoir and the music really tells a story. Highly recommended. And a quick read.