Bert Murray's Blog - Posts Tagged "classic-rock"

Please send me your email address so I can gift you the Kindle version of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled. I will only gift the first five Goodreads members who write to me today. (May 17, 2011)

Bert Murray

Author, Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled

(Free Kindle copy for first 10 Goodreads members to respond!)

Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled

Write to me (Bert Murray) on Goodreads or send me an email to bertmurray2@gmail.com

Please provide your email address so I can send you a free Kindle gift copy from Amazon

I only ask that you rate the novel on Goodreads & write a short review (just a couple of sentences is fine)

Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled

Update: June 9, 2011

Hi Goodreads members,

I sent out a number of free Kindle copies to Goodreads members yesterday! But I still have some more to give away!

Write to me (Bert Murray) on Goodreads or send me an email to bertmurray2@gmail.com

Please provide your first name and email address so I can send you a free Kindle gift copy from Amazon.

I only ask that you rate the novel on Goodreads & write a short review (just a couple of sentences is fine).

Thanks,

Bert Murray

Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled

I am looking for reviewers for Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled.

(14 five stars ratings on Goodreads so far!)

Title: Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled

Genre: Romantic Comedy/General Fiction

Blurb:

Meet Colin Preston.
19 years old and a student at Elerby University in upstate New York.
He drinks too much.
Lives for the Beatles, John Lennon and classic rock.
Falls for the most beautiful sophomore on campus.
His life is about to change forever.
Funny. Moving. Honest. Raw.
An entertaining coming of age novel about friendship,
music, first love and betrayal.

Contact Link:

Write to me on Goodreads or at bertmurray2@gmail.com

I can provide a gift Kindle review copy if you send me your name and email address.

Thanks,

Bert Murray

Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled

Colin Preston is a quick read. Everything happens so fast that sometimes I was wondering what exactly was going on, and I had to go back a couple of pages to get the full gist of the situation. That being said, once I got used to the writing style, I fully enjoyed this novel. It definitely reminded me of the college experience, where drama was abound and events such as stealing someone else's boyfriend were common but still devastating to all parties involved. When you're in college, you have the task of finding yourself, and some people can do it easier than others. Sometimes, it takes a good long while, especially if there are many bumps in the path, like there seemed to be for Colin.

I thought the novel ended fairly abruptly, however, it made me want to break out all my Beatles cds and listen to them over and over. Once I did, I gained a new appreciation for the music, all thanks to Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled. Having it set in the 80s was a brilliant choice, and it was almost like I could smell the Aquanet and feel the sizzle of a crimper while I read about Colin's life away at school. Pick this up if you want to get a glimpse of college life from as far away from the Gossip Girl point of view as possible.

(From Brenna's Goodreads review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled)

Update: June 11, 2011

Hi Goodreads members,

I sent out a number of free Kindle copies to Goodreads members yesterday! But I still have some more to give away!

Write to me (Bert Murray) on Goodreads or send me an email to bertmurray2@gmail.com

Please provide your first name and email address so I can send you a free Kindle gift copy from Amazon.

I only ask that you rate the novel on Goodreads & write a short review (just a couple of sentences is fine).

Thanks,

Bert Murray

Colin Preston, a 19 year old college student, falls fast in love with a girl named Jasmine. He feels like he can talk to her about anything, that she is his soul mate, that they are meant for each other.
He fails to see that maybe she doesn't feel the same way back. Jasmine is his first love and becomes obsessed with her in the way that lovers sometimes do, refusing to see faults, and wearing rose colored glasses. Jasmine is defensive, moody, self absorbed, and most likely confused as to what she really wants.
The book was a quick read that shows how foolish love can be. I could relate to some of what Colin was going through; being wrapped up in love, sex, and the drama that can come with it. A first love is never really forgotten. And falling in love for the first time can make you blind.
I liked the book. It brought back a few memories, some good, some not so good. Colin's love for the Beatles was something I probably could have done without, but it wasn't too distracting. I like the Beatles, but I feel like I have been overexposed to them in my lifetime and I am only 23. I would have gone for more mentions of Bowie, but that is just because he is more my cup of tea :)

(from Amandaj's Goodreads review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled (Read from June 13 to 15, 2011)

From Kirkus Reviews (March 2011)

Murray charts a lustily tormented story of first love and heartbreak.

It's September 1985 in the bosky precincts of Elerby University (though it conveys the intimacy of a small liberal arts college) in upstate New York. Colin is entering his sophomore year with a lousy love life and a lousy relationship with his father, but he does have a good friend in Karl (a handsome natural athlete who has a way with women) and in the Beatles—"when you love a band so much that its songs fill the empty spaces inside your head and heart." But along comes Jasmine, a serious dish with lips like butter, who really gets inside Colin's head and steals his heart. Murray's writing is phonetic; Colin's voice lifts from the page—young and inexperienced, star-crossed and love-lost, which will come true soon enough as Jasmine drops him like a load of bricks and proceeds, that very afternoon, to have sex with Karl, into whose room Colin charges without knocking, looking for commiseration and finding betrayal: "'Yes! Yes! Don't stop'…the girl demanded loudly. Her voice sounded familiar." Murray draws Colin with immediate emotional pungency, and he doesn't lose the beat even when the situations turn slapstick. Nor does he tidy Colin up, rather letting him sink into a great morass of self-pity from which he must drag his own sorry butt toward whatever measure of salvation a decent, immature young man can find. Yes, the Beatles do offer the solace of shared experience, of meaning and even a little direction, but it is Colin's slowly gathering circle of friends—a very human society of odd fellows, including a dorm-cellar-dwelling delusional, a dark and mysterious Spanish professor on the run from her demons, big-hearted Big Ty and sweet Liz—who help illuminate the road ahead. Some of the sex scenes carry informational overload, but even then it is more humorous than cringing, perhaps even another epiphany that Colin collects: "There was no disappointment with Twinkies. You knew exactly what you were getting. Unlike Jasmine. Unlike love. Unlike life."

A coming-of-age story with plenty of sting, where love is not only blind, but it blindsides.

—Kirkus Reviews

This book was a pretty quick read. What actually slowed me down a bit was stopping to listen to the referenced songs. I'll admit I am not the biggest Beatles fan but taking the time to listen as I went through the book did help to get me more into Colin's head. That did a lot to increase my enjoyment of the book. If you're not familiar with music from the '60s, the frequent references may prove to be a bit of a stumbling block.

The characterizations are well thought out (love the cat on the leash) and if you've been to college or just around a lot of college kids, you're pretty much guaranteed to know your own version of Colin, Jasmine, Karl, and Liz. Maybe a Chester and, if you're lucky, a Mrs. Vesquez too.

My biggest litmus test usually ends up being whether or not I actually care about the characters by the end of the book (I usually don't) and I did. Is this book going to be required reading for literature classes? Probably not. It's not an earth-shattering kind of book and it's not meant to be. It is, however, a great summer beach read and an impressive entry for a first-time author. I sincerely hope that Mr. Murray continues to turn out new books. If the first is this good, I can't wait to see a second one!

(From Shauna's 4 stars Goodreads review, Read from May 05 to 09, 2011)

Colin Preston is a 19 year old sophmore in college, and he loves the Beatles. Colin's sophmore year is also the year he starts dating the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. The book journeys through Colin's life in college and all it's ups and downs. Colin was an easy character to like and I really enjoyed getting to know him, it was nice to see a BOY falling in love for once.

Colin being in love with the Beatles was cool too, he put music to everything, it was constantly playing and he thought about it non stop.

I loved this book!!!!

(from Nicole's 5 stars review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled)