BOOK CLUB: CASSETTE FROM MY EX

The ultimate mixtape, no Walkman necessary.

The cassette tape is having a moment.

Nearly 20 years ago, the palm-sized music recorder lost favor to the trendier compact disc. But now that CDs are worth less than a piece of paper and indie labels are issuing cassette-only releases, it’s hard to not look back fondly at them.

Which might explain our love for Cassette From My Ex.

Born from a blog of the same name, the new book features a diverse group of stories all connected by two things: lost love and mixtapes.

From Jancee Dunn to Rob Sheffield, the writers wax poetic about their rock’n’roll romances and the cassette tapes they produced. That includes photographs of the mixes themselves (some covered in stickers, others scribbled with illegible titles), as well as listings for each and every mix. The music is diverse (Salt'n'Pepa, Cream, and the Velvet Underground all make it onto the lists), but the sentiments definitely aren’t.

Best of all, there are tips for bringing cassette tapes back into your life (even a section explaining how you can upload them onto your computer). Which makes it official: We’re making cassette mixtapes for all our friends this year. REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

$23 at powells.com



This story was published on October 27, 2009.