Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song ✩✩✩✩✩
I have long been a Sara Bareilles fan and I am ashamed to admit that I rushed to purchase this book, had Sara sign it after a Waitress show in NYC, and then allowed the book to collect dust for a couple of years. I even purchased the book on Audible and still, I kept making excuses for not reading it.
Today, I finally (finally!) picked up the book and its accompanying audiobook, and I can say with confidence that not only am I ashamed I pushed off reading it for as long as I did, but I’m angry at myself for doing it!
This memoir was one of the most amazing, most candid memoirs I’ve ever read. As I said, I’ve been a fan of Sara’s for years and years, but I was so pleasantly surprised to read and learn more about her life beyond the stage and beyond her songwriting capabilities.
Sara is such a compelling song writer and an even more engaging author. She makes you feel the feelings she’s encapsulating in her songs and she draws you in with her prose. The book had me laughing, had me crying, and left me feeling PROUD to be a Sara Bareilles fan.
The vulnerability she exhibits in this book is admirable and the way in which she writes her story makes it feel like she’s letting you in on a secret only you and her know. Seeing the way Sara was able to seamlessly weave the stories of her life with the backstories of her songs I grew up listening to and loving gave an entirely new depth to her music and fostered a new appreciation for Sara as a person, and not just a talented writer and performer. It sounds silly to say, but you don’t realize how much somebody’s life impacts their craft and I feel lucky to have been let in on the stories she was willing to share.
As somebody who listens to many audiobooks, I’ve never been quite so taken with a narrator before. Memoirs, in my eyes, should always be read by the author, and hearing Sounds Like Me read by Sara gave an additional depth to this book and I honestly feel like it’s a disservice to anybody to only read and not listen to the audiobook as well.
I listened to the audio narration and read along with the book at the same time and I will say, both mediums have their perks. The book is filled with handwritten lyrics to Sara’s songs and beautiful photographs that add so much to the reading journey. The audiobook, on the other hand, made the story feel complete. Sara was able to whisper or yell or mock herself or use inflections as she read her story and I think it added another dimension to an already raw and beautiful story.
I can’t recommend this book (and audiobook) enough! Oh, and if you listen to the audiobook, make sure you listen all the way through the credits!
Anchored Musings 