Review: While Beauty Slept

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While Beauty SleptElizabeth Blackwell, While Beauty Slept

This loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty follows the fortunes of Elise, a peasant who dreams of a better life. Growing up, she listened to her mother’s stories about working at the king’s palace and fantasized about going there herself one day. When a tragic outbreak of the pox kills most of her family, Elise decides she has nothing to lose and sets out to follow her dream. But working at the palace turns out to be more complicated than Elise anticipated. She sees that the king and queen, though apparently blessed with both love and riches, are devastated by their childless state — especially because the king’s brother has a jealous eye on the throne. She also observes the complicated relationship between the queen and Millicent, a relative of the king’s who lives in the palace and has a reputation for witchcraft. When an heir to the throne is born at last, Elise is caught up in the turmoil that ensues; eventually, she is the only person who can ensure the future of the kingdom.

I’m a big fan of fairy tale retellings, so I was excited to find a copy of this book at the library. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but I would caution fantasy lovers that it’s much more of a historical novel than a fairy tale. There’s hardly anything supernatural in the book; although Millicent plays the part of the evil fairy in the Sleeping Beauty tale (and even curses the newborn princess), her ultimate strike against the royal family has nothing to do with magic or sorcery. But I love historical fiction, so I very much enjoyed this magic-less tale. And many elements of the Sleeping Beauty story were still incorporated into this book; I especially liked the burning of the spinning wheels. Elise got on my nerves sometimes — she’s a bit too judgmental and superior for my liking — but ultimately I was interested in the story she told. The ending, in particular, packs a real punch! So all in all, I’d recommend this book to fans of historical fiction or fairy tale retellings.

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring fever

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Top 10 TuesdayWow, I haven’t done a single Top Ten Tuesday so far this year! It’s definitely time to get back in the game, and this week’s topic is the perfect opportunity: List 10 books that are on your spring TBR list. I’ve got a huge list of books on deck for this spring already, but here are 10 of them, in no particular order…

1. Bee Ridgway, The River of No Return — I’ve been interested in this book, which seems to involve a Regency romance and time travel, for quite a while. The paperback is coming out next week, so it seems like the perfect time to finally read it!

2. Kristan Higgins, Waiting on You — I’ve already pre-ordered this one from Amazon. Can’t wait to read the next book in the Blue Heron series!

3. Polly Shulman, The Grimm Legacy — This has been on my shelves for a while, and assuming that Carl will be hosting his Once Upon a Time challenge again this year, this book will fit right in!

4. Anne Sexton, Transformations — Another good choice for the Once Upon a Time challenge…plus, April is National Poetry Month!

5. B.J. Novak, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories — I’ve been meaning to read this since it came out, and I really don’t want it to languish on my shelf forever!

6. Timeri N. Murari, The Taliban Cricket Club — I have this one on deck for May. I’ve been interested in it for quite a while, and spring seems like a good time to branch out and read books set in other countries and cultures.

7. M.M. Kaye, Death in the Andamans — I’ll definitely be craving some classic mystery action this spring! This is the last “Death in…” book, and I’ve been saving it for the right time. The time is nigh!

8. Elizabeth Wein, Rose Under Fire — Another book I’ve been saving, since I loved Code Name Verity SO MUCH!

9. Sharon Kay Penman, The Sunne in Splendour — Nothing says springtime like the War of the Roses, amirite?

10. Ismail Kadare, Broken April — This one is a no-brainer for April. 🙂 I’ve already ordered a copy from Book Depository, because apparently my library doesn’t stock a huge number of Albanian authors (shocking, right?).

Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: Shh, shh

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Tune in Tuesday-pinkSpeaking of dance shows, lately I’ve been re-watching the short-lived ABC Family show “Bunheads” and mourning the fact that it was canceled far too soon. It definitely had its weak spots; the tone was frequently uneven, and the teenagers’ constant references to decades-old pop culture definitely strained belief. But it did contain a lot of the witty comebacks and pitch-perfect emotional moments that made “Gilmore Girls” (Amy Sherman-Palladino’s other, more successful show) so great…and also, there was dancing! So for this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I’ve picked a song that was featured as a dance sequence on the show, in the episode “You Wanna See Something?” It’s performed by Lucy Woodward on the show, but I actually quite like a different version…so here’s Björk with “It’s Oh So Quiet”:

Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: I was the one who showed you the sky

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Tune in Tuesday-pinkI have a somewhat embarrassing confession to make: Over the past week or so, I’ve been binge-watching “Dance Academy,” an Australian TV show about teens at an elite ballet school. And even though I am about 15 years too old for the show, I kind of love it! It’s full of melodrama and teen angst, but there’s also something very sweet and sincere about it. And all the actors are extremely talented dancers as well..I’ve always been a sucker for dance movies! 🙂 So for this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I’m sharing a song that has been stuck in my head since I finished watching the show: “Easy to Love” by the Jezabels. The whole cast dances to it in the Season 2 finale after one of those big dramatic tragedies that so often occur on this type of show.

 

And here’s the dance, if you’re interested:

Review: The Raven in the Foregate

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Raven in the Foregate, TheEllis Peters, The Raven in the Foregate

In December of A.D. 1141, the Benedictine Abbey of Sts. Peter and Paul in Shrewsbury welcomes a new parish priest to Holy Cross Church in the Abbey Foregate. The former priest was a kindly old man much beloved by his parishioners, so everyone is nervous about what to expect from the newcomer. Father Ainoth soon confirms the monks’ worst fears: although he is a scholar and a scrupulously holy man, he is extremely harsh with his congregation and soon stirs up bad feeling in Shrewsbury. When his drowned corpse is found in the river near the mill, it’s up to Brother Cadfael, herbalist and amateur detective, to solve the mystery. Cadfael also acquires a new assistant, supposedly the nephew of Father Ainoth’s houskeeper, but it soon becomes obvious that the boy is more than he seems. Meanwhile, both the abbey and the town continue to be affected by the ongoing civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud.

This book is the 12th installment of the Cadfael series, and anyone who likes the series will enjoy this book as well. Once again Cadfael finds himself in the position of having to solve a murder, aid a pair of young lovers, uncover a political secret, and hide that secret from the local authorities in the interest of a higher justice. As a longtime fan of the series, I can’t help but love every Cadfael book, but I must admit that the prose does occasionally veer toward the purple end of the spectrum. Also, because Peters sticks to almost the same formula in every book, I found the plot pretty predictable. I was a bit disappointed that the murder and the political intrigue weren’t more closely connected; I thought more could have been done with certain aspects of the story to make the plot more exciting. Still, I love the series and definitely plan to read the remaining eight books. They’re wonderfully relaxing reads if you enjoy a medieval setting!

Review: The World of Jeeves

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World of Jeeves, TheP.G. Wodehouse, The World of Jeeves

This book is an omnibus of short stories describing the adventures of Bertie Wooster, an amiable but dim aristocrat in early 20th-century England, and Jeeves, the consummate gentleman’s gentleman. Bertie is a friendly soul who just wants to be left alone to enjoy himself. Unfortunately, he has plenty of friends and relatives who are continually making demands on him, both financially and emotionally. His terrifying Aunt Agatha holds him in contempt, yet she is constantly trying to “improve” him and set him up with equally terrifying young females. His friend Bingo Little is always falling desperately in love with some girl or other, and for some reason he always approaches Bertie for help. Though Bertie is not overburdened with brains, he has a generous heart and usually wants to help. Good thing he has Jeeves, whose gravity and intelligence always manage to get Bertie and his friends out of whatever scrapes they’re in.

What can I say about Jeeves and Wooster that the entire world hasn’t said already? Wodehouse has a very specific style and brand of humor, and literally nobody does it better than he does. Bertie’s narrative voice is an utter joy to read, showcasing his own lack of intelligence but also satirizing the pretentious language of some popular fiction at the time. Strangely enough, his friends and family all think of him as the village idiot, but he’s probably smarter than most of his friends — definitely wiser than poor Bingo, for example! And the interplay between Bertie and Jeeves is wonderful; Jeeves always appears completely respectful and subservient, yet he dominates Bertie mercilessly (for his own good, of course!). I definitely recommend the story “Bertie Changes His Mind,” which is narrated by Jeeves and demonstrates how skillfully he is able to manipulate his employer. My one caveat is that you should pace yourself while reading this book, because the stories are all very similar and could become tedious after a while. But I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys British humor and wants a good belly laugh!

Bookish Update: February 2014

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bookish updates feb 2014

Currently reading: The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters

Books read in February:

  1. Alan Bradley, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
  2. Sarra Manning, Unsticky
  3. Lois Lowry, The Giver
  4. Matt Beynon Rees, A Grave in Gaza
  5. Katie Heaney, Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date
  6. Lois McMaster Bujold, Young Miles
  7. Sarah Addison Allen, Lost Lake
  8. Georgette Heyer, The Spanish Bride
  9. P.G. Wodehouse, The World of Jeeves

Favorite: I had so many great reads this month that it’s hard for me to pick just one, but I think I have to go with The Giver. It’s a very well-written dystopian novel that reveals the flaws in its society with incredible care and precision.

Least favorite: I actually liked everything I read this month, but I’d probably say A Grave in Gaza, just because it was a little heavier than I was looking for at the time. But it’s still a very interesting book, and definitely worth reading!

Books acquired in February:

  1. Claudia J. Edwards, Eldrie the Healer
  2. Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited
  3. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Pulp! The Classics edition
  4. Chris Wooding, The Black Lung Captain
  5. B.J. Novak, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
  6. Emma Jane Holloway, A Study in Silks
  7. Sharon Kay Penman, Lionheart

Review: The Spanish Bride

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Spanish Bride, TheGeorgette Heyer, The Spanish Bride

Brigade-Major Harry Smith is a Rifleman in Wellington’s army, fighting Napoleon’s forces in Spain and Portugal. He participates in the Siege of Badajos, a long and drawn-out battle that results in plunder, rape, and violence when the allied British and Portuguese soldiers finally conquer the town. As Harry tries to maintain order and discipline, he is approached by two Spanish women who are seeking protection from the carnage within the city. As soon as he lays eyes on the younger of the women, Juana, he falls instantly in love with her, and she with him. Against the advice of Harry’s comrades, they marry immediately, and Juana accompanies her husband throughout the rest of the Peninsular campaign. As she “follows the drum” and experiences life as a soldier, she demonstrates the courage and fiery temperament that make her a perfect match for Harry. Together, the Smiths witness history as they eventually see Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo.

I am a huge fan of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, but I found that I had to approach this book with entirely different expectations. Although the novel features two young, passionate lovers, it is much more about military history than it is about romance. Harry and Juana Smith were actual historical figures, and Heyer got most of her information from Harry’s journals, as well as from other comtemporary accounts including Wellington’s own dispatches. As a result, there is a lot of great historical detail in the book, but not a lot of plot or character development. While Harry and Juana are very vivid characters, their journey is not the focus of the book. I think the trick to enjoying The Spanish Bride is viewing it as a work of military history with a few romantic touches. If you approach it that way, you’ll find it very readable and entertaining. But if you go into it expecting a tale of romance and suspense with the Napoleonic Wars as a backdrop, you’ll find it extremely dull! So overall, I’d recommend this book if you’re interested in the time period, but you have to adjust your expectations.