Bert Murray's Blog, page 5

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

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)

I still have some free Kindle copies for Goodreads members who want to rate and review 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

Brenna's Goodreads review of 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)

Attention Bloggers: I am looking for reviews for 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

I am still sending out free Kindle copies of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled to Goodreads members!

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

Free Kindle Copy To The First 10 Goodreads members who send me their email address (June, 2011)

(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

Author John Altman on Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled

"Bert Murray has produced a novel that is simultaneously absorbing, moving and funny - a character-driven page-turner that captures lightning in a bottle, and preserves a moment in time for eternity. I found the Beatles (and especially John Lennon) material compelling on several levels - as a fan, yes, but more so as a symbol of a generation gap, a figure for a grasping adolescent (or adult) to use when trying to figure things out, and as a touchstone - something every character and situation can be informed by."

- John Altman, author of The Watchmen and A Gathering of Spies

Author Meredith Sue Willis on Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled

Meredith Sue Willis's

Books for Readers # 139

February 10, 2011

MSW ON COLIN PRESTON ROCKED AND ROLLED

COLIN PRESTON ROCKED AND ROLLED by "Bert Murray" is a novel that does a wonderful job of capturing the voices and lives of a certain time and place. The use of music– both music contemporary to the characters and Colin's beloved Beatles (already, of course, at the time of the novel, classic)– works especially well. Instead of using words, Colin, when in the grip of a strong emotion, puts on an appropriate song. Overall, the compactness of the story and the ease with which one identifies with Colin and his situation create an inevitability about the events that has an almost tragic quality as well as a strong structure. I felt I experienced it all with Colin, and it was a pleasure to read.

About Meredith Sue Willis:

A well-known speaker and writer about the teaching of writing, her own novels include A Space Apart, Higher Ground, Only Great Changes, Trespassers, and Oradell at Sea. Her short story collections are In the Mountains of America and Dwight's House and Other Stories. Her work has been praised in periodicals like The New York Times Book Review, The Nation, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other periodicals.

She has won major awards including literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the arts, and her fiction has won prizes like the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award and the West Virginia Library Association Award (1980), as well as the Chaffin Award for fiction.

Rachel's Five stars Amazon review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled, May 28, 2011

Highly recommended

Five stars

Great book! It's a quick read, lighter and more fun than Prep. I loved experiencing college firsts with Colin, including his first love, and his friendships off the beaten path with a jock, a college professor and a social misfit. The book will having you rooting for Colin, and hurting for Colin, as he makes his way through his year at Elerby. The Beatles references are right on. Perhaps have your itunes ready so you can hear the soundtrack that plays in Colin's mind... I'm waiting for the sequel!

(From Rachel's Five stars Amazon review, May 28, 2011)

Lindsay Edmunds' Four stars Amazon Review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled, May 17, 2011

Easy, breezy, and sounds true.

College student Colin Preston studies, parties, works out at the gym, argues with his father, and falls in love with a beautiful girl, Jasmine, hoping that this love will magically cause his life to make sense. He loves the Beatles. He is a likeable guy with no special powers, dark secrets, or twisted family ties. This is refreshing.

This novel is good at capturing the mixture of child and adult in college-age kids. It has quite a few recognizable moments and some poignant ones.

(From Lindsay Edmunds' Four stars Amazon Review of Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled, May 17, 2011)