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Deep Cuts
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
18 posts | 8 read | 1 reading | 19 to read
"Tender as a ballad and pleasurable as a pop song, Deep Cuts is both a romp into the indie sleaze era of the early aughts and a timeless love story."--Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters "Warm, nostalgic, totally engrossing. I loved this novel."--Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods Look, the song whispered to me, that day in my living room. Life can be so big. It's a Friday night in a campus bar in Berkeley, fall of 2000, and Percy Marks is pontificating about music again. Hall and Oates is on the jukebox, and Percy--who has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it--can't stop herself from overanalyzing the song, indulging what she knows to be her most annoying habit. But something is different tonight. The guy beside her at the bar, fellow student Joe Morrow, is a songwriter. And he could listen to Percy talk all night. Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs--and the results kick off a partnership that will span years, ignite new passions in them both, and crush their egos again and again. Is their collaboration worth its cost? Or is it holding Percy back from finding her own voice? Moving from Brooklyn bars to San Francisco dance floors, Deep Cuts examines the nature of talent, obsession, belonging, and above all, our need to be heard.
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RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

Part 2

I‘m listing all musicians and bands mentioned. I thought I lost this book out in the wild. It turns out it fell behind the sofa.

-TLC
-Bob Dylan
-Billy Joel
-Buddy Holly
-Jimmy Cliff
-Lou Reed
-The Magnetic Fields
-Yo La Tengo
-Modest Mouse
-Nick Lowe
-The Shins
-Stevie Nicks
-Nina Simone
-Fiona Apple
-Pete Seeger
-Neil Young
-Pavement
-Radiohead

quote
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

“I let myself be cocooned in Ok Computer. No-body paid me any mind when I threw up a little, sending a stream of Long Island iced tea tricking down to the sidewalk. Briefly I dozed off and had an an insanely unsubtle dream in which my vagina spilt open as I walked, causing a whole bloody spectacle on Telegraph Avenue, children screaming, men fleeing”.

Hmm. Yeah. That happened to me once.

arlenefinnigan Were you listening to OK Computer at the time? 6d
27 likes1 comment
quote
monalyisha
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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“That‘s what I wanted, more than anything: a low pressure way to say hey, we‘re cool, how are you. No need to be weird anymore; we‘re too old, and the world is too fragile.”

TheBookHippie Picture is ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 1w
TheSpineView Cool photo! 🩶🩶🩶 1w
lil1inblue 😍 😍 😍 1w
See All 8 Comments
monalyisha 📸 Cred: Stock Cake (free) 1w
AnnCrystal 🌳🪞💦😍💝💝💝. 1w
TieDyeDude “we‘re too old, and the world is too fragile.“ 💔 🌈 1w
Blueberry Your photo reminds me of MC Escher's work. 1w
mobill76 I was thinking Jerry Uelsmann. 1w
69 likes8 comments
review
monalyisha
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

“Pour Some Sugar On (Past, Present, & Future) Me”

It was the summer of 1996. My best friend, Dana, and I had decided to start a band. Never mind that neither of us knew how to play an instrument. Never mind that at least one of us (me) couldn‘t carry a tune. Our name was Azalea and we were going to be HUGE. I knew this because I‘d read what was written in Dana‘s composition notebook. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/6: Struck by a flash of inspiration, she‘d hastily scrawled the lyrics to our first song. The words sparkled like sweet crystals on the page. Then, she sang me the tune and my brain exploded. Her song was called “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Ten-year-old me understood, immediately, that it was from the point of view of a piece of fried dough. 2w
monalyisha 2/6: This is a story about deception and betrayal. Because, of course, Dana didn‘t write that song. Def Leppard did. Only one thing remains true to this day: it‘s definitely about fried dough. I learned then that the only person you can fully trust is yourself. That‘s why I knew to trust myself when I intuited that Deep Cuts would be the exact right book for me. 2w
monalyisha 3/6: As soon as I read the synopsis, it was all I wanted to read. This morning, I finally cracked open the cover. I ditched all of my other (admittedly tentative) plans for the day and stayed home, reading it in one sitting and humming “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1” all the while. I was right about it being right for me. Know thyself. (edited) 2w
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monalyisha 4/6: Percy, the elder Milennial and music writer at the heart of Deep Cuts, describes a song by Joanna Newsome as being about “people doing their best” on “This Side of the Blue,” whether it be “the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, the sky, [or] the bottomless pit of misfortune hovering just one wrong step away from all of us.” That‘s what Brickley‘s book is about, too. 2w
monalyisha 5/6: It‘s about friends and lovers doing their best — and often failing — but holding firm to the moments of blissful rightness that occur both in life and in art. It‘s about growing up. And it‘s about why I had to wait for my hold on this book to come in instead of buying it — because (lol) I‘m a Milennial (obviously). I graduated college in 2008 amidst the absolute ruin of the financial crash. 2w
monalyisha 6/6: As Brickley puts it, “It was September 2008 and the economy was in a free fall, though projections varied; nobody was sure if the entire fantasy of America was grinding to a halt or if it would just be a slow fourth quarter.” Ahem. IT WAS THE FORMER. But hey, at least we have books like Deep Cuts, music, and love as we brake/break. (edited) 2w
Amor4Libros Great review!!! ☺️ 2w
TheKidUpstairs I love everything about this review. Anxiously awaiting my hold on this one at the library. 2w
MeganAnn I‘ve been thinking about this one since I first read the synopsis as well! The only question is do I buy myself a copy or continue to wait on a library hold? 🤔 1w
monalyisha @MeganAnn For me, it came down to whether or not I had other books I was excited to read in the meantime. If you‘re feeling “eh” about your current stock, GET IT, GIRL. 😜 1w
Chelsea.Poole Love this review. I wonder if I‘m cool enough for this one… 1w
monalyisha @Chelsea.Poole You are absolutely cool enough. And you can listen to the Spotify playlist after (or as you go) to fill in the gaps. 😉 1w
69 likes1 stack add12 comments
blurb
Amor4Libros
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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1. I was a great student in elementary and middle school. OK in HS, with the added bonus that I moved from DR to RI on my senior year and was so far advanced in the curriculum that I took mostly electives 🙌🏽 Did well in college

2. This has been one of my fave reads this year, and the MCs meet in college.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing!🥰 3w
30 likes1 comment
review
ICantImReading
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I didn‘t know all of the music and this wasn‘t my era, but I still loved the passion of the lyrical analysis and could relate to the emotional connection to songs. I think my favorite parts were the sparks of Percy and Joe‘s creative collaborations. ⬇️

ICantImReading It looks like Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler will play the leads in the screen adaptation, and I imagine it‘s going to be fantastic! I can‘t wait to actually hear “Bay Window”! 🎧 (edited) 1mo
Butterfinger I would watch Austin Butler in anything. I adore him. I will definitely read this book. 1mo
RowReads1 Saoirse is amazing! based on looks they could easily be Cal students. I‘ll say that much. 1mo
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ICantImReading @Butterfinger @RowReads1 and I bet they‘ll have great chemistry! 🔥 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I am waiting for this from the library, there is a song playlist for it on Spotify if you have that! I love books with music playlists 1mo
ICantImReading @ChaoticMissAdventures yesss, thank you, I did see that and thought it was such a wonderful touch! I love that, too! 4w
50 likes3 stack adds6 comments
review
Sara_Planz
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

This book is such a unique love story - a love story about friendship and indie music. Creative partnerships like Percy's and Joe's have such a rich dynamic, and I loved how Holly Brickley takes us through their ups and downs. Life and love are complicated, and Deep Cuts is an honest and frankly refreshing look at the early 2000s and all that came from that time, especially when it is the right person at the right time.

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review
marleed
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

This music industry story is more quiet than those told of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n‘ roll. It‘s chock full of song references made more fun because these days it‘s so easy to pull up said songs for a new listen. The setting is early aughts Berkeley and NYC, and it‘s about the love of the lyric. I don‘t know, I just really enjoyed a story concentrating on this aspect of music.

69 likes1 stack add
quote
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

“I loved these Craftsman homes of Berkeley, especially the undisturbed, unkempt ones. They were soulful and comfortable and had all the amenities that actually make people happy, like porches and window seats, and none of the things we believed to make us happy, like open-floor plans and living rooms optimized for super bowl viewing. They were built for reading and close conversation. Berkeley felt like a glitch in the modern machine, back then,

RowReads1 an alternative universe for the chosen few. Maybe this is how everyone feels about their college towns”. 1mo
Leftcoastzen Berkeley really is like that , though I didn‘t go to college there . I have bookshelves & things to hang on walls , fond of cottages with little nooks & built ins . Open floor plan , not a fan . 1mo
34 likes2 comments
quote
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

“I KNOW I KNOW YOU HATE SUBLIME EVEN MORE THAN YOU HATE NO DOUBT”.

Sometimes I do miss the 90s.

Leftcoastzen 😹 1mo
32 likes1 comment
blurb
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

I‘m listing all the bands and singers mentioned as I read this. I‘m now on ch 4. I‘ll post a full list at the end. No doubles. Here‘s hoping I don‘t miss any.

-Hall and Oates (Sara Smile)
-Joni Mitchell
-The Brian‘s Jonestown Massacre
-The Beatles
-Elvis Costello
-Elliot Smith
-Beach Boys
-Stevie Wonder
- Green Day (Dookie)
-Neutral Milk Hotel
-Tracy Chapman (Fast Car)

31 likes1 comment
quote
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley

“Actually,” I said, unable to stop myself, “ I would call this a perfect track, a perfect recording. Not a perfect song.” I could tell he already halfway understood but I explained anyway, with a level of detail befitting an idea of far greater complexity: “ A perfect song has stronger bones. Lyrics, chords, melody. It can be played differently, produced differently, and it will almost always be great. Take “Both Sides Now,” if you‘ll excuse me

RowReads1 being that girl in a bar talking about Joni Mitchell-any singer who doesn‘t completely suck can cover that song and you‘ll be drowning in goosebumps, right? It was a leap of faith that he‘d even know the song, but he gave a swift nod. “Totally.” 2mo
28 likes1 comment
blurb
RowReads1
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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🤨No

Yeah, yeah I have to read this one.

review
wallacereads
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

We follow Joe and Percy from college to adulthood as they navigate heart ache, career highs and lows and their friendship. I loved the references to songs from my youth and found myself pausing my reading to queue up a particular song. This one is definitely for the music lovers. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

23 likes1 stack add
review
Amor4Libros
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

Percy and Joe meet at a college bar and start dissecting a song…We follow them becoming best friends, having a deep attraction to each other but the timing was never right.

They go their separate ways after college, but somehow keep circling back to each other because of music.

Loved the nostalgia on this. Loved their mutual best friend, Zoe.

Read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AmyG Ooooooo thanks. 2mo
Lesliereadsalot I‘m in! 2mo
BarbaraBB Me too. Stacking! 2mo
Deblovestoread Great review! Stacked 📚 2mo
53 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
bookish_wookish
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Had this one preordered and it came today!

TheKidUpstairs Ooh, I was just reading about this one! 2mo
bookish_wookish It was a Book Of The Month add on choice but i already had it preordered! @TheKidUpstairs 2mo
27 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Amor4Libros
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Been slowly reading this one for a few days and I‘m enjoying it, so far.

AmyG Please let us know what you think. 2mo
Amor4Libros @AmyG Will do! 2mo
nelsonmatt890 I like to connect with you and read, lol. 2mo
60 likes2 stack adds3 comments
review
everlocalwest
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Mehso-so

Pitched as High Fidelity for the Indie Sleaze Era but it lacks Hornby's charm. I would feel like I'm too old and boring for this one but as an elder millennial I'm actually the target audience here. I was in college listening to these bands. I had a blog. I get it. But like, this did absolutely nothing for me.

I'm going to pass this on to my coworker that's into Sally Rooney. I feel like that's the better comp than Hornby.