Bert Murray's Blog, page 4
September 30, 2011
Naomi's 4 Stars Goodreads Review Of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
Naomi's review Sep 30, 2011
(Read on September 30, 2011)
This book was sent to my Kindle from the author Bert Murray so that i could read & review it so i would like to say thank you for that:o)
I really enjoyed this story. It's about a college guy named Colin Preston & his trials & tribulations of his college love-life. I got so engrossed in the story line that i swear i could feel Colin's anger & frustration at the heartbreak Jasmine (the bitch) caused him. I would actually like to slap her myself lol. It kind of reminded me of a YA novel with swearing, drugs, sex & tons of alcohol.
There is lots of humour too so not a boring moment to be found.
I would certainly recommend this to anyone that likes realistic fiction & will be recommending it to my Goodreads friends.
(Rating - 4 stars)
(Read on September 30, 2011)
This book was sent to my Kindle from the author Bert Murray so that i could read & review it so i would like to say thank you for that:o)
I really enjoyed this story. It's about a college guy named Colin Preston & his trials & tribulations of his college love-life. I got so engrossed in the story line that i swear i could feel Colin's anger & frustration at the heartbreak Jasmine (the bitch) caused him. I would actually like to slap her myself lol. It kind of reminded me of a YA novel with swearing, drugs, sex & tons of alcohol.
There is lots of humour too so not a boring moment to be found.
I would certainly recommend this to anyone that likes realistic fiction & will be recommending it to my Goodreads friends.
(Rating - 4 stars)
September 11, 2011
Ina's 5 stars review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
I literally couldn't put this book down. It captured me from the first couple of pages and kept me interested till the end. While reading, I almost felt like I was in college again and experienced all those emotions that were once so important and volatile.
I loved references to the music and if you are Beatles fan you will LOVE this book!
Anyone who had a crush in college should definitely read this book and it will make you feel again and experience again those crazy irrational actions that you were willing to take just to be with that person.
This is defnitely one of my favorite books and I look forward to reading more Bert Murray's creations!
(Read in April, 2011)
I loved references to the music and if you are Beatles fan you will LOVE this book!
Anyone who had a crush in college should definitely read this book and it will make you feel again and experience again those crazy irrational actions that you were willing to take just to be with that person.
This is defnitely one of my favorite books and I look forward to reading more Bert Murray's creations!
(Read in April, 2011)
September 10, 2011
"It's an easy read and very entertaining. Not just the music, mind you." Reading Good Books review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
The year was 1985. Madonna was making waves up and down the Top 40 charts. The Bee Gees were `staying alive'. Colin Preston was in his sophomore year at Elerby University; the toughest period in his life.
I remember seeing this book again and again in various giveaways from GoodReads and LibraryThing and I never won it. Until the author directly contacted me and graciously offered to provide a copy of the book for review. I received this book in the mail before my trip to San Francisco (in fact, a trip to San Francisco on a Greyhound bus was mentioned in the book. That was exactly what I did).
Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled is the debut novel of author Bert Murray. It has a big cast of characters that a lot of readers can relate to. As the author said, this is not a YA novel. It's not an entirely adult contemporary either. Somewhere in between. Having already gone through college, I definitely saw and even went through some of the situations mentioned in the book. And yes, I am old enough to remember what a cassette tape is. If I were a young teen picking this up, I would probably see this as a cautionary tale or "the older kids are crazy" kind of thing.
So Colin falls in love with the most beautiful girl on campus, Jasmine. She's one of those trust fund babies with one foot stuck in the Age of Aquarius. Colin's best friend is Karl, Mr. Popular. Among his other friends Big Ty, Mrs. Vesquez and her cat Quixote, Liz, Susan, and my favorite, Chester, the stoner. Things don't go the way Colin would've wanted it and eventually, he uses booze and sex to numb the pain. With a little help from his friends (oh, Beatles!), Colin finds a way to recover and get his life back on track.
The book is split into 3 parts. The first part started off well but it became monotonous with all the "Jasmine issues". How many people and how many pages does one need to show what the other characters thought of her? The story was progressing well enough without all the filler. The "Jasmine issues" gets carried over to parts 2 and 3. There were parts where I wanted to grab Colin and shake some sense into him. He sure could use some Brokeback Mountain wisdom... "I wish I knew how to quit you." I did like the conversations between Colin and Mrs. Vesquez. And also with Chester. I think that among all the characters, he had the most layers and I felt that I got to know him the most.
The setting is in the 80s but the music selection is definitely 60s-70s. Mentions of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, The Police, Led Zeppelin... the only thing missing from this book is a mixtape to go with it! There's even a mention of Hair, one of my favorite musicals. I think Liz, Karl, and I would be best friends music-wise. In fact, I drew a heart beside the songs that I really dug. I just found it so frustratingly fitting that there's a song to every situation that Colin goes through. It's as if his tape player knows what Colin is feeling and cues up a song for him. I believe that there are certain songs that stir emotions and memories within us but I found this a bit too convenient.
There are a lot of cliches in this book. Pretty girls, hot guys, betrayals, rebounds, music to fit the mood, sex, beer, expectations. It got predictable after a while. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel a lot. The cover art is really cool; that's one of the main reasons why I really wanted a hard copy of this book. It's an easy read and very entertaining. Not just the music, mind you. I am very familiar with Manhattan and it was nice reading about places that I've visited myself - Strawberry Fields, Penn Station, Central Park... even Dalton School where Colin spent his high school years (no joke!). I can easily see this as a TV show produced by the CW Network. I'm not sure how a teen male narrator would appeal to audiences but to me, it was very effective.
Rating: 4/5.
Recommendation: College kids, no matter where you're from, can find themselves enjoying this. Also, if you like music from the 60s-70s, you'll find some familiar tunes mentioned in this book.
- Cate
http://readinggoodbooks.wordpress.com....
I remember seeing this book again and again in various giveaways from GoodReads and LibraryThing and I never won it. Until the author directly contacted me and graciously offered to provide a copy of the book for review. I received this book in the mail before my trip to San Francisco (in fact, a trip to San Francisco on a Greyhound bus was mentioned in the book. That was exactly what I did).
Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled is the debut novel of author Bert Murray. It has a big cast of characters that a lot of readers can relate to. As the author said, this is not a YA novel. It's not an entirely adult contemporary either. Somewhere in between. Having already gone through college, I definitely saw and even went through some of the situations mentioned in the book. And yes, I am old enough to remember what a cassette tape is. If I were a young teen picking this up, I would probably see this as a cautionary tale or "the older kids are crazy" kind of thing.
So Colin falls in love with the most beautiful girl on campus, Jasmine. She's one of those trust fund babies with one foot stuck in the Age of Aquarius. Colin's best friend is Karl, Mr. Popular. Among his other friends Big Ty, Mrs. Vesquez and her cat Quixote, Liz, Susan, and my favorite, Chester, the stoner. Things don't go the way Colin would've wanted it and eventually, he uses booze and sex to numb the pain. With a little help from his friends (oh, Beatles!), Colin finds a way to recover and get his life back on track.
The book is split into 3 parts. The first part started off well but it became monotonous with all the "Jasmine issues". How many people and how many pages does one need to show what the other characters thought of her? The story was progressing well enough without all the filler. The "Jasmine issues" gets carried over to parts 2 and 3. There were parts where I wanted to grab Colin and shake some sense into him. He sure could use some Brokeback Mountain wisdom... "I wish I knew how to quit you." I did like the conversations between Colin and Mrs. Vesquez. And also with Chester. I think that among all the characters, he had the most layers and I felt that I got to know him the most.
The setting is in the 80s but the music selection is definitely 60s-70s. Mentions of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, The Police, Led Zeppelin... the only thing missing from this book is a mixtape to go with it! There's even a mention of Hair, one of my favorite musicals. I think Liz, Karl, and I would be best friends music-wise. In fact, I drew a heart beside the songs that I really dug. I just found it so frustratingly fitting that there's a song to every situation that Colin goes through. It's as if his tape player knows what Colin is feeling and cues up a song for him. I believe that there are certain songs that stir emotions and memories within us but I found this a bit too convenient.
There are a lot of cliches in this book. Pretty girls, hot guys, betrayals, rebounds, music to fit the mood, sex, beer, expectations. It got predictable after a while. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel a lot. The cover art is really cool; that's one of the main reasons why I really wanted a hard copy of this book. It's an easy read and very entertaining. Not just the music, mind you. I am very familiar with Manhattan and it was nice reading about places that I've visited myself - Strawberry Fields, Penn Station, Central Park... even Dalton School where Colin spent his high school years (no joke!). I can easily see this as a TV show produced by the CW Network. I'm not sure how a teen male narrator would appeal to audiences but to me, it was very effective.
Rating: 4/5.
Recommendation: College kids, no matter where you're from, can find themselves enjoying this. Also, if you like music from the 60s-70s, you'll find some familiar tunes mentioned in this book.
- Cate
http://readinggoodbooks.wordpress.com....
September 4, 2011
fivealarmbookreviews.com on Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled: "all the makings of a cult classic"
Five Stars
"Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled by Bert Murray has all the makings of a cult classic. It is set in the eighties, the references to great music and artists are made throughout the novel, and it is written with raw honesty and emotion. The life of Colin and his friends are exposed in such a way that the reader is able to relate to them personally. If you are not one of these characters, you know people like them." http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/....
"There are few books that are written with college age young adults in mind and even fewer who do it so well." http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/....
"Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled by Bert Murray has all the makings of a cult classic. It is set in the eighties, the references to great music and artists are made throughout the novel, and it is written with raw honesty and emotion. The life of Colin and his friends are exposed in such a way that the reader is able to relate to them personally. If you are not one of these characters, you know people like them." http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/....
"There are few books that are written with college age young adults in mind and even fewer who do it so well." http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/2011/....
Review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled by Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
"COLIN PRESTON ROCKED AND ROLLED" BY BERT MURRAY
Five Stars
I had been trying to get a copy of this book since March and finally received one in early June. I can honestly say that it was well worth the wait! This book is a story of coming of age, learning your true self, and realizing that first loves don't always last. It's also a story about deception and betrayal and how selfish people can be, but it's also about realizing this is not the end of the world and you can move on and be alright.
Colin Preston is a young college Sophomore with his entire life ahead of him, when he meets the one girl, Jasmine, that he thinks could be the one he finds his life is no longer his own. He begins to cater to her whims and even puts up with a certain amount of abuse, physical, mental, and emotional. He soon realizes that friendships are not always what they seem, that even the most trusted people can let you down and life is definitely what you make of it and you should never let anyone else live it for you.
I advise you to go on this journey with Colin Preston, pop in an old Beatles CD, sit back and relive those college years, or at least see them through the eyes of this young man! It's a story you won't soon forget.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
http://greatmindsthinkaloud.blogspot.....
Five Stars
I had been trying to get a copy of this book since March and finally received one in early June. I can honestly say that it was well worth the wait! This book is a story of coming of age, learning your true self, and realizing that first loves don't always last. It's also a story about deception and betrayal and how selfish people can be, but it's also about realizing this is not the end of the world and you can move on and be alright.
Colin Preston is a young college Sophomore with his entire life ahead of him, when he meets the one girl, Jasmine, that he thinks could be the one he finds his life is no longer his own. He begins to cater to her whims and even puts up with a certain amount of abuse, physical, mental, and emotional. He soon realizes that friendships are not always what they seem, that even the most trusted people can let you down and life is definitely what you make of it and you should never let anyone else live it for you.
I advise you to go on this journey with Colin Preston, pop in an old Beatles CD, sit back and relive those college years, or at least see them through the eyes of this young man! It's a story you won't soon forget.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
http://greatmindsthinkaloud.blogspot.....
livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com Review of Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled by Bert Murray
Four Stars
Need a good summer read? Colin is a typical sophomore in college. The reader will be immediately immersed in the novel. Colin is one of those characters that a reader will be unsure about. Is Colin a sympathetic character? Is he too neurotic? Yes, to both questions in this case. Colin isn't the most mature character, but that is actually a great quality to this novel. Colin shouldn't be extremely mature, he's still a kid in many ways. He does, however, show flashes of maturity throughout the novel; this gives the reader the impression that Colin is making progress and growing up to be an adult.
The reader is also introduced to Jasmine, a girl that Colin lusts after. She won't gain the reader's trust or sympathy. However, she makes for a good addition as well. Imperfect characters are essential to a novel. They make the novel seem that much more real. She is what many may refer to as "easy" during her college years and she whines a fair amount. Colin believes this "paragon of virtue" to be his soul mate, even though he is warned by several of his friends against her. This belief causes many problems for Colin through the course of the novel.
The characters are all pretty easy to identify with in one way or another. The plot is pretty good, will keep the readers' attention for the most part. The dialogue varies from the humorous to the serious-especially the dialogue in Colin's own head. The ending is a good one, the reader will not be disappointed or left on a huge cliff-hanger. This novel will be enjoyed by young adults/adults.
by Krystal
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com/.
Need a good summer read? Colin is a typical sophomore in college. The reader will be immediately immersed in the novel. Colin is one of those characters that a reader will be unsure about. Is Colin a sympathetic character? Is he too neurotic? Yes, to both questions in this case. Colin isn't the most mature character, but that is actually a great quality to this novel. Colin shouldn't be extremely mature, he's still a kid in many ways. He does, however, show flashes of maturity throughout the novel; this gives the reader the impression that Colin is making progress and growing up to be an adult.
The reader is also introduced to Jasmine, a girl that Colin lusts after. She won't gain the reader's trust or sympathy. However, she makes for a good addition as well. Imperfect characters are essential to a novel. They make the novel seem that much more real. She is what many may refer to as "easy" during her college years and she whines a fair amount. Colin believes this "paragon of virtue" to be his soul mate, even though he is warned by several of his friends against her. This belief causes many problems for Colin through the course of the novel.
The characters are all pretty easy to identify with in one way or another. The plot is pretty good, will keep the readers' attention for the most part. The dialogue varies from the humorous to the serious-especially the dialogue in Colin's own head. The ending is a good one, the reader will not be disappointed or left on a huge cliff-hanger. This novel will be enjoyed by young adults/adults.
by Krystal
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com/.
September 1, 2011
Sara's Five Stars Review Of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
August 6, 2011
By Sara F.
Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is from: Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled (Paperback)
Rating - 5 stars
This is a great book for anyone who has ever felt like an underdog. Before you know it you become immersed in the main character, Colin's, life during his sophomore year of college. As cliche as it sounds the characters and places in this poignant novel come alive: from Colin's hippy, self-centered, trust-fund baby girlfriend, to his critical but seemingly well-intended father, to his outcast friend who dresses up like Napoleon, to his dorm room where he lies and thinks, listening to Beatles songs whose lyrics mirror his circumstances and emotions, to the campus bar that becomes his haven. This book is full of surprises, humor, and pain. It is easy to get into and after the first 50 pages you will not want to put it down. The short chapters keep your attention. If you liked Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders and Prep you will love this book. Kudos to the author on an amazing first novel.
By Sara F.
Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is from: Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled (Paperback)
Rating - 5 stars
This is a great book for anyone who has ever felt like an underdog. Before you know it you become immersed in the main character, Colin's, life during his sophomore year of college. As cliche as it sounds the characters and places in this poignant novel come alive: from Colin's hippy, self-centered, trust-fund baby girlfriend, to his critical but seemingly well-intended father, to his outcast friend who dresses up like Napoleon, to his dorm room where he lies and thinks, listening to Beatles songs whose lyrics mirror his circumstances and emotions, to the campus bar that becomes his haven. This book is full of surprises, humor, and pain. It is easy to get into and after the first 50 pages you will not want to put it down. The short chapters keep your attention. If you liked Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders and Prep you will love this book. Kudos to the author on an amazing first novel.
June 29, 2011
Nicole's 5 stars Goodreads review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
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)
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)
Shauna's 4 stars Goodreads review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
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)
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)
June 21, 2011
Kirkus Review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled
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
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
