Book Review - The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Well, I’m probably too biased to be evaluating a book like this.  This is precisely the kind of book that’s crafted to the appeal of someone who watched Empire Records 200 times as a teenager, goes to record stores thinking Penny Lane’s line from Almost Famous about visiting all her friends, and who's college radio show was written up in the Chicago Reader.  But I'm guess I'll just have to suck it up and do it!

Summer's the only time that 16-year-old Allie gets to work full-time at Bob and Bob's Records in Berkeley, the same place she works part-time during the school year.  The college kids have fled town, leaving her with only the locals, and what colorful locals they are.  There are all the usuals you'd expect in independent music stores: the homeless, the quiet nerdy guys, the cute quiet guys, etc.  It's Allie's heaven, and not just because of the cute quiet guys.  No, it's being surrounded by music all day long.  But that's not all - this summer she's going to start a revolution, vinyl-style, debuting a blog where she shows off her vinyl knowledge, or rather, shares it with like-minded folks all over the world.  And then there's her zine...

Prinz, who co-founded Amoeba Music, really captured the feel of a town like Berkeley in the summer.  As a former/recovered music buff, I totally believed every shared sentiment about the music listening/loving experience as conveyed through Allie (and her co-workers, Zach).  I loved the range of music knowledge that was shared, as it gave even me some ideas for stuff I’d want to hear, and it didn’t feel at all like name-checking for name-checking’s sake.  Also, as someone who’s been to Amoeba Records one too many times in the last few months, I can guarantee that the author has plenty of credibility on this front.

Even for someone who’s not completely obsessed with music, there’s a lot to like here.  The side plot about Allie’s divorced mother looking for love (and trying too hard) adds some humorous moments and balances very well with Allie’s own quest, and they actually end up mirroring each other by the end.

The best part?  There's an actual Vinyl Princess blog that still gets updated!

The worst part?  I have a feeling I'm about to blow a lot of money at Amoeba Records in the near future...