Music & Silence

Music & Silence by Rose Tremain
Winner of the 1999 Whitebread Award for Novel
Genre: Adult Fiction

Summary from flap of book:

Winner of the Whitebread Novel of the Year Award, Music & Silence is the story of a young English lutenist named Peter Claire who in 1629 arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. From the moment he realizes that the musicians have to perform in a freezing cellar underneath the royal apartments, he understands that he's come to a place where the opposing states of light and dark, good and evil, are waging war to the death. Designated the King's "Angel" because of his good looks, he finds himself falling in love with the young women who is the companion of the King's adulterous and estranged wife, Kirsten. With his loyalties fatally divided, how will Peter Claire find the path that will realize his hopes and save his soul?

I do not think that this summary is very adequate for this book, in that it is giving you the false idea that this book is mainly about Peter Claire, when it is in truth about a wide array of characters. This is a novel, of many stories about lovers and love, about good and evil. There are many villainous characters in this story, many of which happen to be women, one of the main villains happens to be the almost-Queen, Kirsten. Although she isn't so much a villain as she is a selfish brat who expects people to be 100% devoted to her and let no one or thing share in that and who's only concern is herself 110% of the time. The book is an unwinding of and revelations of many characters who are all connected in some way, and in the end you feel satisfied that everyone got exactly what they wanted and quite possibly what they deserved. The characters that you will love are, indeed Peter Clare and his love, Emilia. Below is my favorite excerpt of this book, and actually does reveal Rose Tremains beautiful writing style:

"Then they stand just apart and stare at each other, and wonder whether they feel as Adam felt and as Eve felt when they contemplated themselves in paradise, and knew that, of all the wonders God had created, the man and the woman were the most extraordinary. They do not feel the shiver of autumn in the air. They are only distantly aware of the luminous sky and the white doves. One of the golden pheasants lets out a loud, irritable squawk (as though it thought that it, with all its superior finery, should be the object of their rapture) but they pay it no attention. They are face to face with all that they have longed for through the summer and they let it hold them perfectly still, as though caught in a trance, as though they might stand that way for ever."

I cannot say that I loved this book, but I did like it. I think the part that bothered me was how the book would jump from one person's point-of-view to the next at very short intervals, it almost felt soap opera-ish in that aspect. I don't mind seeing the story, or in this case, many stories unfold in a single book under different points-of-view, but this felt much to choppy and my attention for the book would start to wane. When asked by my husband if I liked this book, my response was, "well the fact that it took so long for me to read should partially answer this question." But the fact that I indeed did finish the books indicates that the book was worth of reading. And of course you don't need me to tell you that, it IS an award winner. While I may have had a hard time with the books jumpiness, and I definitely would not rate this book among my favorites, this book is surely worth your time!

Brief update...

I'm here. I'm alive. I'm currently reading Music and Silence. I read a review on another blog about this book and decided I wanted to give it a try. I like it okay so far.....but I'm not going to go into that right now. :) I've just got a lot of stuff going on that is preventing me from getting some reading done. Good news is, I believe I have a job! I say "believe" because it's pending a reference/background check. I have confidence I'll make it through that well enough.

Can't can't wait for November 21st. Twilight, here we come! I was in Wal-Mart today and was stopped right in my tracks when I saw a poster of "Edward" and another of "Edward & Bella." Hello - 28 year old mother wanting to scream like a school-girl here. Crazy, I know.

SO that's, that. I'm going to get reading so I can get back to reviewing. Don't forget about my "Water for Elephants" giveaway!

Book Survey

Ok Readers,

I challenge you all to answer a few questions for me. I know you’re out there, so join the party. Link to your blog, and invite your readers to come here and share their answers. And I'll make it a contest! You fill this out and leave a comment I'll randomly select one person to receive a copy of Water for Elephants.
1. What’s your favorite genre?
2. What books won’t you touch?
3. Did you read series books as a child/YA? If so, what was your favorite?
4. Do you have a favorite book blog? Why do you like it? (give us a link, please)
5. Is there a favorite character that you identify with or would love to meet? Do tell!

Here are my answers

1. What’s your favorite genre?
Hmm...is there a "drama" genre? I'd say I lean towards Romance more often than not, but I'm not overly particular as long as its good.

2. What books won’t you touch?
Horror, Murder Mysteries, True crimes, anything that involves extreme violence or crimes against children.

3. Did you read series books as a child/YA? If so, what was your favorite?
I loved ALL Judy Blume books. I also liked Anne of Green Gables Books, and the Mandie Mystery books. But my "favorite" book was The Secret Garden.

4. Do you have a favorite book blog? Why do you like it? (give us a link, please)
Since you are already at MY blog, I'll direct you to a couple of places I tend to "hang out" - Book Blogs and Here Be Reviews

5. Is there a favorite character that you identify with or would love to meet? Do tell!
Bella Swan. Just because as of right now I'm still a die hard Twilighter. Clare and Henry DeTamble from The Time Traveler's Wife...because I just LOVE them. :)

Tithe - A Modern Faerie Tale

Tithe by Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

(from book flap)
Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms-a struggle that could very well mean her death.

I read a review of this book on another blog and picked it up to fulfill what I can only explain to be my "Twilight" hole with some new fantasy characters. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out so well. I think the difference between the Twilight "young adult" and this "young adult" fiction is that Stephenie Meyer didn't actually indent to write for young adults. She had herself in mind while she was writing, while I'm almost100% sure that Holly Black was definitely writing something she felt would relate to young adults. I don't have a problem with a goth or emo type feel, in fact, I didn't really have a problem with the book at all. It just was not quite as entertaining as I had hoped for.

For me the characters were good, but not as complete as I like. I mean, you get a general idea of who Kaye is, but not really at the same time. What I mean is, you know that she's a "bad" girl who dropped out of school, who shop lifts, smokes and travels around with her mom's band from city to city essentially taking care of her mom on the way. But really, IS that who she is? How does she feel about this? You don't really get to delve into the realm of Kaye. Her thoughts are locked away from the pages of the book. She was almost real to me, but not quite. Then the whole faerie thing. All of the sudden you reach a point in the book when she finds out she's actually a faerie, and she doesn't even take a moment to question it. She doesn't really get mad, or happy or anything. In fact, outside of a little bit of gushing over Roiben, Kaye doesn't seem to posses much emotion at all about anything. I also had a hard time envisioning Kaye as a faerie. I mean, green? Not just green, but GRASS green? I couldn't do it. I could do the blond Japanese look, but not that giant (I'm assuming she was around 5'4"ish) green human, (did she still have blond hair, I don't even know) with wings?? Maybe at 28 I'm just old enough not to get the glamor of it. I couldn't think of it and still have her as a beautiful girl of the story, especially next to the handsome Roiben. It wasn't happening for me.

Outside of character development, the story was pretty good. Enough to keep you going, not enough to make your heart beat and your brow break out in sweat in excitement. So, if you like fantisy, and young adult books, go ahead and try it. If you're just out there looking for characters who remind you of Edward and Bella...this isn't the stop you should make!

Sweet Love

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer
Genre: Adult Romance

(From flap of book)

Like other well-meaning mothers, Julie Mueller's believed she did the right thing when she secretly ended her teenage daughter's crush on Michael Slayton, a wild older neighborhood heartthrob with a penchant for Shakespeare and the pedigree of trailer trash. Twenty years later, Betty Mueller has come to realize that was a big mistake. Her daughter Julie-divorced and raising a teenage daughter alone-is a workaholic obsessed with her career. And Michael, the one man who could make her happy, is the one man to whom she won't speak a word. Now near the end of her life and determined to make amends, Betty stages her last great feat of motherhood by reuniting the couple in a dessert class where she hopes the sweetness of a chocolate almond Torta Caprese will erase the bitterness of a wretched misunderstanding.

This type of book tends to be like "candy" to me. It's good cute, extremely sweet, but not much else. The character and story development was not great. The story line itself was sub-par, but it was exactly what I set out to read. A nice good story were I don't have to think too much while I'm reading it and does not make my adreniline run, but it does leave me warm and fuzzy. So as far as fulfilling it's purpose, it gets 4 stars, as far as a "good book" goes...I'd give it more like 2.5 to 3 stars.

A Book Survey

What was the last book you bought?
Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer

Name a book you have read MORE than once
The Time Traveler's Wife, all of the Twilight saga

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Yes, the Bible

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
First by the title, then by the summary. I also will read most recommendations

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Plot, character development is great too

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Edward Cullen

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I just finished a book, I haven't opened another yet...

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
I just finished The Hunger Games today. (started it yesterday afternoon...very good)

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes. I've decided if I just don't like it - I don't need to read it. And a few times I've picked up a book that goes quite far against my morals (it has to be pretty significantly far out there) or is blasphemous towards God.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

(from inside flap)

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Okay, to me the difference between a good book and a great book is this; I don't want to put down but I will, a great book I absolutely cannot put down. Going to sleep is torture, because I spend a lot of time (sometimes hours) laying awake wanting to know what happens next. This is one of those great books. I literally finished it a little more than an hour ago and couldn't wait to blog and get the word out. The Hunger Games is a suspenseful book that kept me going from cover-to-cover. I enjoyed the characters, although I will comment - if people were upset about the name "Renesme" in Breaking Dawn, they will not like the names in this book either. But I really could careless about that - the characters were great. In reality I'm glad this is a book, science fiction - and not reality. How heart wrentching when you really think about it - being forced to fight to the death with people your own age. I would be just like Katniss, having a hard time not forming attachments and honestly, I would never be able to follow through with any of the killing - even if I was forced to, I'd probably die first.

The book had many surprises, but the biggest one was the end - when...well I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. You'll see....

December

December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

(From book flap)

A spellbinding novel about a troubled young girl and a family in crisis, and a gripping, astonishing portrait of recovery and self-determination.

When December opens, eleven-year-old Isabelle hasn't spoken a word in nearly a year. Four psychiatrists have abandoned her, declaring her silence to be impenetrable. Her parents are at once mystified and terrified by their daughter's withdrawal, and by their own gradually loosening hold on the world tas they've always known it. Isabelle's private school, which until now has taken the extraordinary step of allowing her to complete her assignments from home, is on the verge of expelling her, forcing her parents to confront the possibility that what once seemed a quirk of adolescence, a phase, is perhaps a lifelong transformation, a swift and total retreat from which their daughter may never emerge. December paints an unforgettable picture of a family reckoning with a bewildering crisis, and of a critical month in the life of a bright, fascinating girl, locked into an isolation of her own making and from which only she can decide to break free.

Compulsively readable and deeply affecting, December is a work of marvelous originality and emotional power from a prodigiously gifted young writer.

This was a great book. It literally held me captive from the moment I started reading until the very end, leaving me to think about it at night until I could continue to read it again the next day. It is not a fast paced novel. But it definately dives into the innards of the thought process of all main characters, which I think is the part I enjoyed the most. I was struggling with Isabelle as she mourned the fact that she simply could not speak; her anger at herself, her disappointing her parents, friends, and teachers, her fear causes her to draw into herself more and more. I struggled with each parent trying to think of what to do next. Each parent having their own methods, strategies, and sometimes butting heads with each other, causing more frustration. I think one of my favorite parts is even though this family is going through such a hard time, Isabelle's parents; Ruth and Wilson are constantly doing things for each other. They rarely forget the simple things, like Wilson leaving the paper and a canister of coffee for Ruth on the nightstand on Sunday mornings, I think is great. And when it fails to happen, you know things are spirling more out of control.

I think this is an excellent book! Definately worth the time. I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Winthrop!

The Jane Austen Book Club

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

(From inside the book flap)

In California's Central Valley, five women and one man join together to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the sex months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens.

With her finely sighted eye for the frailties of human behavio and her finely tuned ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier, or her characters more appealing, while the complex dance of modern love has never been so devious - or so much fun.

I agree that this is a fun book! It was suggested by a friend and a fellow book-lover, and I thought it was a perfect fit for reading right after finishing Pride and Prejudice. Karen Joy Fowler made me fall in love with her characters, I loved how with each passing month and Austen book you got to dive into the mind of another one of the main characters. And of course, it's inevitable, if you're reading Austen books, there must be a happy ending, and this has a happy ending x5, and they give credit to non-other than Jane Austen herself, as if reading her books somehow helped them to love, forgive and fall in love all over again.

I guess next on my agenda is to check out the movie...which if it was done correctly this book should actually adapt well to film!

Mademoiselle Boleyn

*Originally posted 3/19/08 on my other blog

Mademoiselle Bolyen by Robin Maxwell
Taken from the back of the book:
When young Anne Boleyn is send to the French court with her father and sister, Mary, she thinks she’s in for an innocent adventure. But when the ambitious ambassador Thomas Boleyn leads them into the highly sophisticated and sexually permissive court of Francois I, Anne quickly learns that she and her sister are merely pawns for their father’s own political purpose. Mary becomes mistress to the outrageous French king and is ultimately seduced into his dangerous world by the luxuries of the court. But Anne will have a different fate…
Anne is younger, more clever, and stronger-willed than her sister, nd with the guidance of powerful allies and such unlikely friends such as Leonardo da Vinci, she learns how to navigate the challenges, passions, and betrayals of the court. And as she grows into a beautiful women, Anne undergoes her own awakening, each daring exploit taking her one step closer to the life that is her destiny.
I found this novel quite intriguing. So much so that I’ve sought out (and put on hold) other books on the Boleyn Sisters. My favorite part probably was Anne’s games of cards with the King - a seductive game of strip poker, but her intention wasn’t quite what the King had in mind. Anne is such a strong character from beginning to end, just making the book easier to read. With the scandal, sex, betrayal, religion as well as the compelling characters that were Mary and Anne, it’s no wonder they created a movie surrounding the family. I’m still waiting to read at least one more book before Netflixing the movie to watch. I’m sure I’ll be disappointed, because I can’t remember ever seeing a movie that was near as good as a book.