Review: Turn around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield

Turn Around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield
Expected Publication: August 6, 2013
Source: ARC via publisher
Publisher: It Books
Rating 4/5

Summary via Goodreads

An emotional journey of hilarity and heartbreak with a karaoke soundtrack, in the spirit of Rob Sheffield's bestselling Love Is a Mix Tape.

Turn around Bright Eyes picks up Sheffield's story right after Love Is a Mix Tape. He is a young widower devastated by grief, trying to build a new life in a new town after his wife's death. As a writer for Rolling Stone, he naturally takes solace in music. But that's when he discovers the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, and despite the fact that he can't carry a tune, he begins to find his voice. His karaoke obsession takes him to some strange places, whether that means singing a Frank Sinatra song in a senior-citizen community in Florida, attempting a Merle Haggard classic at a cowboy saloon in the Mojave desert, or clearing the room at an after-hours dive in Chinatown. But he finds the music leads him to the most surprising place of all--a new life and a new love.

Turn around Bright Eyes is a story about finding the courage to start over, move on, and rock the mike. It's about falling in love and navigating your way through adult romance. It's about how you can learn the weirdest things about yourself just by butchering a Hall & Oates song at 2 A.M. under fluorescent lights in a room full of strangers. It's about how songs get tangled up in our deepest emotions, evoking memories of the past while inspiring hope for the future. But most of all, it's a book about all the strange ways music brings people together.

My Thoughts

Turn around Bright Eyes is yet again another fabulous read by Rob Sheffield. I truly enjoy the way Rob writes about his love of music and how a single song can always bring you back to certain moment in one’s life. In this novel he explores his love for karaoke and the songs, good or bad, that have become intertwined into his life. He speaks of friends, his family and how he found love again after his wife’s death.

I’ve been a huge fan of Rob Sheffield’s ever since I read his articles in Rolling Stone magazine and especially after his first novel, Love is a Mix Tape. This man’s knowledge of music amazes me. Every song isn’t just a song to him. It’s a memory, a story or most importantly a slice of life.

While my heart will always have a special place for Love is a Mix Tape, Turn around Bright Eyes doesn’t disappoint by far. His novels make me so aware of why I love music.  Music to me isn’t just noise in the background; it’s so much more than that. It’s the thing I live for, besides books. It’s the thing that picks me up when I’m having a bad day and it’s also the one thing that can make a good day even better. Music to me is simply embedded in my soul. It’s a part of me, just like the blood that runs through my veins. It’s the one thing I begin and end my day with each and every single day.

So this is why I love this book. I simply GET IT. I get how someone can take something as simple as a single song or music and see how everything in this world can somehow always come back to it. I highly encourage any music lover to put up Rob Sheffield’s books, you won’t be disappointed. You will discover some great tracks and stories that you can relate to and some that will indeed touch your soul.

Review: Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Published: June 15, 2010
Format: purchased paperback
Publisher: Dutton
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads

In Talking to Girls about Duran Duran, Sheffield shares the soundtrack to his eighties adolescence. When he turned 13 in 1980, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music and himself, and in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran we get a glimpse into his transformation from pasty, geeky "hermit boy" into a young man with his first girlfriend, his first apartment, and a sense of the world. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies; the era of big dreams and bigger shoulder pads; and, like any all-American boy, this one was searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut. It's all here: Inept flirtations. Dumb crushes. Deplorable fashion choices. Members Only jackets. Girls, every last one of whom seems to be madly in love with the bassist of Duran Duran. Sheffield's coming-of-age story is one that we all know, with a playlist that any child of the eighties or anyone who just loves music will sing along with. These songs-and Sheffield's writing-will remind readers of that first kiss, that first car, and the moments that shaped their lives.

My Thoughts

I must admit I was a tad disappointed with this after reading the wonderfully written Love is a Mix Tape. While his first novel was more of a love story this book focuses more of him growing up in the 80’s. Being a child of the 80’s I can totally relate every pop culture references and music that he talked about. It was definitely like traveling back in time. Rob Sheffield takes us back basically to the beginning of his love for music. I love how he can identify moments in his life with a simple song. I mean, can’t we all do that? I know I can hear a certain song and be instantly transmitted to single point in my life. I love that about music, it's the soundtrack to our lives.

That's why my favorite parts about his books are the playlists. While I knew most of the songs, it was a nice surprise to see some songs I didn’t know or completely forgot about. I love researching and tracking down new songs. So I love that he puts all these “mix tapes” together for us to search out.

While I didn’t have that emotional pull like I did to his first novel, this one was good nevertheless. It’s funny and has stories that we can relate to. It will surely make you think about your past for good or bad. It shows us that coming of age we all go through the heartaches, embarrassments, and the “firsts”. While it may seems like no one “understands” us we are more alike that we can ever imagine.

WoW [26]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Ritual of Love and Karaoke by Rob Sheffield

Expected Publication: August 6, 2013

Publisher: It Books

Summary via Edelweiss...

The bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape and Talking to Girls about Duran Duran returns with his newest, funniest, most moving book about the intersection of love, music and memories in our lives. An emotional journey of hilarity and heartbreak with a karaoke soundtrack, in the spirit of Rob Sheffield's bestselling Love Is a Mix Tape.

Turn Around Bright Eyes picks up Sheffield's story right after Love Is a Mix Tape. He is a young widower devastated by grief, trying to build a new life in a new town after his wife's death. As a writer for Rolling Stone, he naturally takes solace in music. But that's when he discovers the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, and despite the fact that he can't carry a tune, he begins to find his voice. His karaoke obsession takes him to some strange places, whether that means singing a Frank Sinatra song in a senior-citizen community in Florida, attempting a Merle Haggard classic at a cowboy saloon in the Mojave desert, or clearing the room at an after-hours dive in Chinatown. But he finds the music leads him to the most surprising place of all--a new life and a new love.

Turn Around Bright Eyes is a story about finding the courage to start over, move on, and rock the mike. It's about falling in love and navigating your way through adult romance. It's about how you can learn the weirdest things about yourself just by butchering a Hall & Oates song at 2 A.M. under fluorescent lights in a room full of strangers. It's about how songs get tangled up in our deepest emotions, evoking memories of the past while inspiring hope for the future. But most of all, it's a book about all the strange ways music brings people together.

Why I Can’t Wait....

So I’ve been checking like every day waiting and waiting to see if it was available on Edelweiss. Then last week it was there and I was pre-approved…YES!!!!!!!!!! I nearly died! I love Rob Sheffield. He is an amazing writer and if you haven’t read Love is a Mix Tape or Talking to Girls about Duran Duran you are missing out people. Maybe it’s the music nerd in me but I love the way he intertwines music in everything he writes. His books are both heart touching and funny at the same time. I’m pretty sure…no I know I will LOVE this book just as much as the others. I can’t wait to read it and share my thoughts with you.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books.

        My Pick this week...

Love is a Mixtape: Love and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
Published: January 2, 2007
Publisher: Crown

Synopsis
Do you remember the song that was playing when you fell in love for the first time (Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are") or when you suffered your first breakup (Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer")? How about that song from the perfect summer at the beach (Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight")? Memories and music are inextricably linked -- which is why Sheffield's memoir struck such a chord with us.

Before becoming the acclaimed rock critic that he is today, Sheffield was a grad student in Charlottesville, Virginia. There, too, lived Renee, a fellow student with whom he began conversing about (what else?) a song. Before long, they were a pair, eating cheap food, renting an inexpensive apartment, devouring books, and sharing their mix tapes with each other. Marriage soon followed.

With his bond to Renee as the cornerstone, Sheffield's unique memoir (complete with playlists) is built upon the music that affected both of their lives. Tragically, Sheffield's life with Renee ended much too soon, though one can't help feeling that he will survive -- with the aid of his beloved music. And once readers finish this bittersweet book, they'll compare their own playlists with Sheffield's. Even now, we can almost hear the sound of computers whirring as the downloading begins.

Why I Love It...

HELLO!! It features my other love.... music! Enough said!
Honestly it's a lovely and wonderful story about love and loss. Anyone who grew up in the 80's know how much a mix tape means. The careful art of it all not just random songs slapped together meanlessly. It's all in the order of the songs. Not to mention the songs themselves. What they mean and how they are taken. What I also enjoyed were the lists of mixtapes he shared. As a music lover I went out and searched some of the songs I didn't know and in returned found some awesome finds.
While this story has a very personal tone the author balances it out wonderfully with music, pop references and laughter. All in all you can't helped to be moved by this awesome read.