music

Sounds Like Love

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by Ashley Poston
First sentence: “Most summer nights in the small beach town of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, there was music at the Revelry.”
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Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some off-page sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Joni grew up surrounded by two things: the ocean and music. Her parents owned the Revelry, a music hall in a town in the Outer Banks. She was happy, but she had big dreams: she wanted to be a songwriter, so after college (and a heartbreak), she headed west. She worked, and finally hit it (relatively) big, but over the past year, she’s had writer’s block. Mostly because her mother has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and Joni is afraid she’s going to miss, well, everything.

Then, as she heads back to Vienna Shores for a month-long break, she starts hearing voices in her head. It turns out that it’s Sebastian Fellows, a former boyband member, and who is trying to resurrect his career. Can the two of them work together long enough to get out of each other’s heads? (And do they even want to?)

After the mediocre reaction of Novel Love story (I think I’m one of the few who liked it), I didn’t know what to expect with Poston’s next one. But, she’s back on her game. This was fun, full of music and heart, with enough conflict and tension to keep the book interesting. I liked all the characters and the setting of a beach town in the summer. I liked the relationship between Joni and her parents, and the heartache of her mother’s memory fading. It not as good as Seven Year Slip, but it’s up there.

And it’s a perfect summer novel.

Audiobook: Every Valley

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by Charles King
Read by Juliet Stevenson
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: October 29, 2024
Content: There’s talk of slavery, colonialism, affairs, and general debauchery. It will be in the History section of the bookstore.

Much like anyone who grew up involved in music, I’m very familiar with Handel’s Messiah. But, until I saw this book in the November IndieNext, I never really gave much thought to how Handel came to compose the work. I probably assumed it was just something he composed at one point in his life. What I didn’t realize was the political and social circumstances that surrounded the piece. I never stopped to consider who wrote the libretto – I suppose I just assumed Handel adapted it from scripture – or the role it might have played in 18th-century England.

All this to say, I found this book fascinating. Stevenson is an excellent narrator for this journey. I learned a lot about Handel, but also the political circumstances in England and Europe and the eccentrics surrounding the piece of music. It sounds outlandish because it’s just an oratorio, but there is a pretty remarkable story about how a random oratorio in Handel’s repertoire became The Messiah.

All this to say: this book is excellent.

There Was Nothing You Could Do

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Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U. S. A.” and the End of the Heartland
by Steven Hyden
First sentence: “My story opens like a Bruce Springsteen song – with a car, my father, a life-changing moment, and an indeterminate mix of autobiography and myth.”
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Content: There is some swearing, including a few well-placed f-bombs. It’s in the Music section of the bookstore.

Some context: I was 12 when Born in the U.S.A. came out, and not quite 13 when it hit big. I remember the album, I have a vivid memory about the first time I saw the Dancing in the Dark video, and I’ve listened to it on and off over the years. (My favorite song is the very pedantic Glory Days.) While I’ve listened to Springsteen’s music, I would, in no way call myself a fan. However, my daughter, A, has recently discovered The Boss and has become a massive fan of his music. And when I saw this one come in at the store, I immediately thought of her. But I decided to read it before sending it along.

In it, Hyden takes an interesting journey with the album, detailing the role it played (and has continued to play) in both pop culture and Springsteen’s life and music. It’s an interesting look at the album – Hyden gets into the weeds a bit with the music and the making of the album, but not so much that I couldn’t follow along. He details how Springsteen reacted to his fame following the record, as well as the influences it has had on the bands of the era as well as ones that have followed.

I enjoyed reading it, though I’m not sure it’s meant for those who aren’t Springsteen Fans. I don’t know the albums he talks about or the songs he details, but I still found the book interesting. Hyden’s a good writer, and he made a good case for the influence Springsteen had in the mid-80s, his reaction to it, and how he fits in the fragmented culture we have today.

Canto Contigo

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by Jonny Garza Villa
First sentence: “I want to grab this guitar by the neck and smash it on the floor.”
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Release date: April 9, 2024
Review copy sent by the publisher.
Content: There is a lot of swearing, in both English and Spanish, and a number of f-bombs. There is also fade-to-black sex and some teenage drinking. It will be in the Teen (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

Rafie was raised to be a Mariachi singer. His father was one, and his beloved grandfather was one. He’s been the star of the North Amistad High School’s award-winning Mariachi band for three years. And then his life fell apart: his abuelo died and his parents uprooted and moved to San Antonio. Rafie is upset and devastated, especially when the school he’s being sent to is the perpetual Number two to his Number one. He’s grieving, he’s alone, and then the absolute kicker: he’s no longer the lead singer of a Mariachi band.

This is the story of how Rafie finds his way, finds love, and learns to trust other people.

I really liked this one. I love the way Villa is writing about LGBTQ people inside of Mexican culture and challenging the hyper-masculinity of it. The perpetual Number two – Todos Colores – is a very gay Mariachi band: they have trans men and women and proudly gay people in the band, and they embrace it. They are pushing against the cultural stereotypes that Mariachi’s a man’s world. I also appreciated following Rafie’s grieving process. There was a bit of magical realism which was done incredibly well. I also appreciated that the conflict was all internal: Rafie’s parents were incredibly supportive and loving.

Villa is definitely quickly becoming one of those authors whose books I will read, no matter what.

Beyond the Story: 10-year Record of BTS

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by Myeongseok Kang, translated by Anton Hur, Slin Jung, and Clare Richards
First sentence: “Korea’s busiest crossroads is in Seoul’s district of Gangnam, near Sinsa station.”
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Content: There’s some talk of drinking and depression. It’s in the Music section of the bookstore.

At some point, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, one of my daughters got into BTS. She wanted to share with me, showed me tons of videos, and tried to get me to remember their names (I still get Jung-kook and Jin mixed up), and wanted to share her love of this K-pop group with me. I was more than happy to listen to and appreciate her enthusiasm. I think it’s faded over the past couple of years as she’s found other things to be enthused about (futbol, figure skating, Formula 1), but BTS has a special place in my heart because of all the time I spent with my daughter, who was gushing over them.

And, while I’m not sure you’d call me a fan, I can appreciate the work that these young men have put into their group. So, when this book came out, I thought why not see what the “official record” had to say.

First: it’s not an elegantly written book. I’m not sure if it’s the translation or if it’s the way it was originally written, but the sentences themselves are often clunky (and sometimes super fan-girly). But there’s a lot of interesting information there. It charts BTS from the beginning when all seven were in training to debut, and how Big Hit Entertainment struggled with their launch. It charted the rise of BTS and the role their fans played (they are very grateful to their and!). The coolest thing was the QR codes as footnotes, linking to videos, many of which you wouldn’t have seen unless you were a super die-hard fan. I watched a ton of them and was fascinated with the growth of the group.

So, why get this book? Well, for someone interested in learning their history, it’s honest and revealing, especially about the mechanics of a K-pop group. For the die-hard fan, it’s got interviews with the members of BTS (I’m not entirely sure if the interviews are original, but I suspect so), lots of photos, and is a lovely collectors edition. So, it’s a win for everyone.

Audiobook: Darkhearts

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by James L. Sutter
Read by Ramon de Ocampo
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: June 6, 2023
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including quite a few f-bombs, talk of sex, and some tasteful on-screen sex. It will be in the Teen section of the bookstore.

In middle school, David started a band – Darkhearts – with his friends Eli and Chance. They had some success playing gigs in the Seattle area, where they lived, but after a while, David got annoyed with Eli and Chance hogging the spotlight and so quit the band. However, after he left, Darkhearts got huge. Like super huge. And David’s held a grudge ever since because he feels he missed out. 

But, Chance is back in town – Eli died of an overdose, and Chance came for the funeral and to regroup – and wants to reconnect with David. At first, David goes along with it grudgingly, but after a while he realizes something: he really likes Chance. Like really likes Chance. Is he going to be able to get past everything else – Chance’s fame, his own resentment, his father’s concern – and be able to throw himself into this relationship? Does he even want to? 

This was so incredibly delightful. The characters, the depection of a teenage boy band, the cool things they went. David’s best freind, Rachel. The fluidity of his sexuality, and the total non-issue that it was. The romance – and while it kind of followed the beats of a romance novel, I appreciated David’s growth over the whole thing. De Ocampo was a fabulous narrator as well; pulling me into a story that I may have dismissed in print. 

Highly recommended.

Audiobook: Daisy Jones & the Six

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by Taylor Jenkins Reed
Read by a full cast
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of drug use, some on-screen sex, and a lot of swearing including many f-bombs. It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

This book has been on my radar since it came out, one of those I’ve been meaning to get to it for ages books. But then my daughter started watching the series on Prime, and talking about it and I remembered that I had the audiobook, and so… why not listen to it?

The basic plot: it’s a book told entirely through interviews, the six members of the band The Six and Daisy Jones telling their story of how they formed and the one album that they made together. It was an absolutely perfect way to tell this type of story, of music and creation, of egos and drugs, of Rock and the 1970s. Oh, and it’s loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. That’s really all you need to know.

Listening to on audio was a blast. I loved that it was a full cast, and everyone did amazing. You could just hear their personalities (Daisy was a DIVA) come through, and it made what I think might have been a good, if somewhat tedious, reading experience FUN. It was an audiobook I wanted to keep listening to. And even when the story turned saccharine at the end, I had fun with it. You can’t get much better than that. I might check out the show, but am quite tickled that they put out a few songs (which are actually pretty good).

Not sure it’s a great work of literature, but I definitely had fun with this one.

Audiobook: Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story

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by Bono
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including a few f-bombs. it’s in the Music section of the bookstore.

I was never a super huge U2 fan, but I liked them quite a bit, in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. War, Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum, and Actung Baby were the albums that I really liked, and listened to a lot. I never did see them live, a nagging regret I have, and one that was definintley made greater after listening to this book. At any rate, when I heard that Bono had written a memoior, I was absolutely in: I adore celebrity memoirs, he’s reading the book himself, what’s not to like? (I even snagged a signed copy at work, yay!)

And I was not wrong. Listening to this book is an experience. Not only does Bono read the book, he sings the lyrics, and they got the rights to the U2 songs to play snippets at the beginning of each chapter. There are sound effects (bells ding, crowds yell, and they put echos on his voice sometimes). The book is loosely chronological, though he does jump around telling stories as they fit in. It’s also loosely thematic, as he chooses the U2 song that best fits the theme of the chapter. He ranges through evertyhing, from the forming of U2, to his relationship wih his wife, to his work in activism, to the many different directions fthe band has gone. He’s introspective and often hard on himself – every time the ban nearly broke up, he says that it’s his fault – and often brings up his faith and doubts. It was absolutely worth the 20 hours listening to it, as I fell into a reawaking of the affection I hd for U2 as a teenager, and rediscovered so many of their songs that I rememberd loving.

If you can’t tell, I absolutely loved this one. Yes, it’s a celebrity memoir, but it’s also so much more than that. Highly, highly recommended.

Jukebox

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by Nidhi Chanani
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Content: There are some intense moments. It’s in the middle grade graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Shaheen’s dad is always going on about musicians and records, and she just wants to tune him out. But when he goes missing, she and her cousin, Tannaz, go looking for him and discover a time-transporting jukebox in a record store that Shaheen’s dad was always frequenting.

From there, it’s traveling through time trying to figure out what the jukebox is doing and where Shaeheen’s dad is. Full of historical facts and bits of music, this is a delightful graphic novel! Shaheen starts the book out hesitant and withdrawn, but the idea of finding her dad helps give her courage. it’s fun, it’s a smartly drawn book — I loved the historical bits — and full of music facts. Perfect for anyone who enjoys music.

Audio book: The Storyteller

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by Dave Grohl
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s very sweary. Very. Sweary. It’s in the Music section of the bookstore.

I listened to this in part because it has been getting lots and lots of good buzz, making end-of-year best-of books. I remember Nirvana (yeah, he’s the guy from Nirvana) getting big when I was in college, and listening to them a lot; I was into anything I could throw my body around on a dance floor too, and Nirvana fit the bill. But I wasn’t into them enough to know who the band members were. And yeah, I know about the Foo Fighters but I didn’t realize that their frontman was the same guy. But there’s also the pull of a celebrity memoir as read by the celebrity. I seriously love those.

This one completely lives up to the hype. Grohl is engaging as a, well, storyteller, giving the book a feeling of him sitting next to you, telling you the remarkable stories of his life. He has often been in the right places at the right times, and willing to take the chances he needs to take in rder to make the most of things. That’s not to say he doesn’t work for it as well: he is completely self-taught, practicing and practicing until he get thing “right” (the story of him playing Blackbird at the Ocsars demonstartes his work ethic really well).

But more than just being an enegaging storyteller, he’s telling really cool stories.It’s roughly chronologial, though it also bounces around, if he’s got a story to underline whatever point he’s trying to make at the time. Therewere many times when I went and watched videos on YouTube, just to see the story he was telling (like how the Come as You Are video was filmed washed out and hazy partially becase Cobain was tripped out on heroin, and how Grohl still can’t watch it to this day becuase it reminds him too much of the dark times and loss; or on a more upbeat note, the hilarious Fresh Pots). Grohl mostly keeps the book upbeat, but he does talk about Nirvana’s metoric rise to fame and how that affected everyone in the band, and the loss of Cobain, as well as Grohl’s best friend Jimmy. But, he recognizes he’s had a good life, and just wants to hare the good tiems and music with you.

In other words: I really quite loved this one.