The Rewind
Mix Tapes, Now in Book Form

You don't always like to show it, but deep down, you're a romantic.

You keep flower shops on speed dial, hold boom boxes over your head outside windows at midnight, and have occasionally dabbled in our era's answer to the love letter: the romantic mix tape. (Your patented Sade-Twisted Sister segue has a way of setting the mood.)

That's why we suggest Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves, a new book that salutes a time when your life felt—and sounded—like a John Hughes movie. (Not Curly Sue.)

Born out of the blog by the same name, the book's the creation of Glen Ellyn–born Jason Bitner, who delves into the world of aural love letters, harkening back to a time when someone spent hours methodically bringing together The Cure and Cole Porter—which, of course, was a secret message only you would understand.

Along with the glitter-pen-written liner notes, you'll read recollections of esteemed writers (The New Yorker's Ben Greenman; Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield, The Ice Storm's Rick Moody) recalling their tragic teenage stories. Like this one: "I was an Asian guy with long hair who was into Heavy Metal; she was a Latvian dancer who liked to chain-smoke Camels." (That old story.) Or the time "Long ago, in a city I will not name, I loved a woman, and she punished me for it."

Sounds like someone got Manilow: The Mandy Mix.