Once upon a time I was falling apart. Now I'm always falling in love. Pick up the microphone. When Rob Sheffield moved to New York City in the summer of 2001, he was a young widower trying to start a new life in a new town. Behind, in the past, was his life as a happily married rock critic, with a wife he adored, and a massive collection of mix tapes that captured their life together. And then, in a flash, all he had left were the tapes. Beyoncé , Bowie, Bon Jovi, Benatar . . . One night, some friends dragged him to a karaoke bar in the West Village. A night out was a rare occasion for Rob back then. Turn around Somehow, that night in a karaoke bar turned into many nights, in many karaoke bars. Karaoke became a way out, a way to escape the past, a way to be someone else if only for the span of a three-minute song. Discovering the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, despite the fact that he couldn't carry a tune, he began to find his voice. Turn around And then the unexpected happened. A voice on the radio got Rob's attention. The voice came attached to a woman who was unlike anyone he'd ever met before. A woman who could name every constellation in the sky, and every Depeche Mode B side. A woman who could belt out a mean Bonnie Tyler. Bright Eyes Turn Around Bright Eyes is an emotional journey of hilarity and heartbreak with a karaoke soundtrack. It's a story about finding the courage to move on, clearing your throat, and letting it rip. It's a story about navi- gating your way through adult romance. And it's a story about how songs get tangled up in our deepest emotions, evoking memories of the past while inspiring hope for the future.

'A lovely novel, delicately drawn, with characters that really linger in the mind . . . I got really swept up in it.' Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us You never forget the one that got away. Daniel was the first boy to make Alison a mix tape. But that was years ago and Ali hasn't thought about him in a very long time. Even if she had, she might not have called him 'the one that got away'; after all, she'd been the one to run. Then Dan's name pops up on her phone, with a link to a song from their shared past. For two blissful minutes, Alison is no longer an adult in Adelaide with temperamental daughters; she is sixteen in Sheffield, dancing in her skin-tight jeans. She cannot help but respond in kind. And so begins a new mix tape. Ali and Dan exchange songs - some new, some old - across oceans and time zones, across a lifetime of different experiences, until one of them breaks the rules and sends a message that will change everything... __________ PRAISE FOR MIX TAPE: 'Gorgeous novel about first love . . . guaranteed to make you think of your first love - and perhaps what might have been' Nina Pottell, Prima 'This grown-up love story is gorgeously written and romantic without being sentimental' Good Housekeeping 'Deftly written romantic novel' Red 'Touching, peppily nostalgic love story' Sainsbury's Magazine 'Funny, moving, relatable' Heat 'Fantastic, moving, beautiful novel' Daily Mail 'This tender tale of second chances...is a nostalgic delight' Sunday Mirror 'A brilliantly nostalgic story, with a great sound track' Best Magazine

Mixtape Nostalgia: Culture, Memory, and Representation tells the story of the mixtape from its history in 1970s bootlegging to its resurgence as an icon of nostalgic analog technology. Burns looks at the history of the mixtape from the early 1980s and the rise of the cassette as a fundamental aspect of the music industry. Stories from music fans collecting hip hop mixtapes in the Bronx or recording songs off the radio permeate the book. She discusses the continued contemporary appeal of the mixtape as musicians, novelists, memoirists, playwrights, and even podcasters have used it as a metaphor for connection and identity. From Rob Sheffield’s Love is a Mix Tape to Questlove’s Mixtape Potluck Cookbook, Burns analyzes how the mixtape can function as a plot point, a stand-in for emotional connection, or an organizing structure. The book shows how creators use the iconography of the mixtape cassette to create ephemera, from coffee subscriptions to board games, which speaks to the appreciation of the tangible and the analog. The desire to find connection through sharing a physical artifact permeates the various creative uses of the mixtape. From blockbuster films like Guardians of the Galaxy to mixtape throw pillows, Burns highlights the mixtape as a site of collective memory tied to youth culture, community identity, and sharing music.

From the bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape and Turn Around Bright Eyes, "a funny, insightful look at the sublime torture of adolescence".—Entertainment Weekly The 1980s meant MTV and John Hughes movies, big dreams and bigger shoulder pads, and millions of teen girls who nursed crushes on the members of Duran Duran. As a solitary teenager stranded in the suburbs, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music, and himself. And he was sure his radio had all the answers. As evidenced by the bestselling sales of Sheffield's first book, Love Is a Mix Tape, the connection between music and memory strikes a chord with readers. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran strikes that chord all over again, and is a pitch-perfect trip through '80s music-from Bowie to Bobby Brown, from hair metal to hip-hop. But this book is not just about music. It's about growing up and how every song is a snapshot of a moment that you'll remember the rest of your life.

This memoir is “an emotional journey that will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between” (Wanda Sykes) as it explores comedian, writer, and producer Cristela Alonzo’s childhood as a first-generation Mexican American in Texas and her dreams to pursue a career in comedy. When Cristela Alonzo and her family lived as squatters in an abandoned diner, they only had two luxuries: a television and a radio. These became her pop cultural touchstones and a guiding light that ushered her forward. In Music to My Years, Cristela shares her experiences and struggles of being a first-generation American, her dreams of becoming a comedian, and how it feels to be a creator in a world that often minimizes people of color and women. Her stories range from the ridiculous—like the time she made her own tap shoes out of bottle caps or how the theme song of The Golden Girls landed her in the principal’s office—to the sobering moments, like how she turned to stand-up comedy to grieve the heartbreaking loss of her mother and how, years later, she’s committed to giving back to the community. Each significant moment of the book relates to a song, and the resulting playlist is deeply moving, resonant, and unforgettable. Music to My Years is “a timely reminder that regardless of economic status, race, or gender, love is the connection that ties together all humanity” (Booklist).

Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture is the first book to focus on the unique confluence of cassette culture, featuring stories, essays and images from tapes compiled by and for friends, family and lovers over the last twenty years.

When we hear a lie from someone we trust, their words became our recordings of truth.They become the music we dance to - or don't dance to. Someone has told you you're not good enough, or maybe they've said you're too much. They've said you're too fat or too thin, too manly or too girly. Too short or too tall. Too whatever-else. You may have had a recording trapped in your head. You've tried to change the song, but no matter what you do, somehow that loop is stuck on repeat.I get it. I get you. Right now, you're holding my story, my recording, my mixtape.My mission, sweet friend, is to help you silence that recording you've had playing on repeat.With some careful crafting, choosing, and recording, we get to change the mixtape. And starting here, I'm going to take you through my journey of remixing those ugly recordings into words and songs of truth, growth, and bad-assery. It's not easy, but it's worth it. And I suspect you're here because you're ready for change. It's time to choose carefully the truths you hear.Let's walk together through our recordings to find the courage and the strength that has been in you all along.I'll honor your story as I share mine, and I'll help you become the DJ of your own life. It's time to change the music. Let's create your own mixtape.

the BLK love mixtape is an anthology of contemporary literature dedicated to the BLK woman.We created this body of work to uplift HER and to teach young BLK men how to identify love based on our examples so that they may love her most carefully.

The perfect gift for music lovers, The Mixtape of My Life is a guided journal that offers prompts and questions to get everyone recalling the pivotal songs that have shaped our lives. No matter which musical generation you belong to, or whether your musical tastes range from doo-wop to Daft Punk, The Mixtape of My Life can be an instant conversation starter among friends and family--and a great way to rediscover the special tunes that played during key moments of your life. Everyone has those songs that take them back--to their first love, their favorite concert, or a memorable Saturday morning cartoon. The Mixtape of My Life provides more than 200 questions and prompts to help readers chronicle their lives through music and explore their personal soundtrack. Evoking memories, stories, and long-forgotten mix tapes, this guided journal includes questions like "What was the first record you owned?" and "What song did you later realize was smutty?" and provides room to draw a favorite album cover or create the perfect road trip playlist. With dozens of quirky illustrations throughout, The Mixtape of My Life can be a great tool for your next dinner party, or simply something any music lover can enjoy for themselves.