Book Post: Love Is a Mix Tape

I realize that I have been doing a lot of fashion centered posts, and that is not all that I want to share. I have decided to start posting my recommendations for reading. I am an avid reader, and I fall in love with books. When I really love a book, I can't wait to share it. I am going to post a new recommendation every now and then with a little of info on each book and some good quotes so that you will be able to get a feel for the story and the writing style.

So, for my first book post...

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
by Rob Sheffield.
*this story is non-fiction. It is a memoir, and one of the most original I have ever read.*

Music critic Rob Sheffield's memoir uses 22 mix tapes, one at the beginning of each chapter, to tell the story of his wife, Renee, "a real cool hell-raising Appalachian punk-rock girl", from the time they met in 1989 to her sudden death in 1997.

Love is a mix tape, a collection of moments. Rob uses a song on a mix tape (maybe one they made for making out, or doing the dishes, or sleeping) to tell his story of meeting, loving and losing Renee. His writing is honest and I love that he uses everyday language that makes you feel like he is talking directly to you.

You will laugh as he tells about how he fell hard, and awkwardly, for his punk rock Appalachian girl. You will cry when he writes so frankly about the emotions following the death of a loved one, and as he begins his journey to continue without her.

I also listened to it on Audio book while driving on a long trip.
If you like audio books at all, this is a WONDERFUL one to buy. Rob Sheffield narrates it himself and you can totally hear his geeky-ness, passion and pain in his voice. This is a wonderful, honest love story. And, it's set where i grew up! I'm just a real cool hell-raising Appalachia girl too!

Quotes:
"It’s the same with people who say, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Even people who say this must realize that the exact opposite is true. What doesn’t kill you maims you, cripples you, leaves you weak, makes you whiny and full of yourself at the same time. The more pain, the more pompous you get. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you incredibly annoying."

"For two weeks, I lay awake at night and said Hail Marys over and over to stop my heart from beating too fast. I suddenly realized how much being a husband was about fear: fear of not being able to keep somebody safe, of not being able to protect somebody from all the bad stuff you want to protect them from. Knowing they have more tears in them than you will be able to keep them from crying. I realized that Renee had seen me fail, and that she was the person I was going to be failing in front for the rest of my life. It was just a little failure, but it promised bigger failures to come. Additional ones, anyway. But that's who your wife is, the person you fail in front of. Love is so confusing; there's no peace of mind."

"But for me, if we're talking about romance, cassettes wipe the floor with MP3s. This has nothing to do with superstition, or nostalgia. MP3s buzz straight to your brain. That's part of what I love about them. But the rhythm of the mix tape is the rhythm of romance, the analog hum of a physical connection between two sloppy human bodies."

Rob and Renee.

Have you read this?
Does it sound like something you would like to read?
Any book suggestions for me?
I would love to hear from you!

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