It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (11)

Alas, the start of another week. But happy Monday anyways!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Currently I'm Reading:

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (349 pgs.)

SYNOPSIS

When Ruby Jacinski meets bad boy Paulie Suelze at a dance, it's not just their perfect kiss that has Ruby spinning when the night is over. Paulie gives Ruby and idea--one that just might rescue her from dull factory work. Jobs are scarce in 1940s Chicago, but Paulie tells Ruby about a place where she can work as a taxi dancer--a girl paid ten cents a dance to lead lonely men around the floor. It's an intoxicating world of dance halls, fancy dresses, and jazz--and Ruby thinks she's finally found a way out of the tenements. But it's not all romance and glamour, and soon Ruby is in over her head. Her regular patrons want more than just a dance, she's struggling to keep her job a secret from her family, and Paulie has stolen her heart... even though she's still not sure she has his.

MY REVIEW

When I first stumbled upon this book at Borders, I knew I was going to take it home right that minute. Key word: 1940s. I live and breath the 1940s! I love the music, the fashion, the life... basically everything. So just off the bat I have to say kudos to Christine Fletcher for thinking outside the box and writing a Y.A. novel about the 1940s.

Our main character Ruby is more of a diamond in the rough type. She's decent and good on the inside, but the situations she finds herself in and the choices she makes aren't all that great. For example, her boy Paulie is introduced to us as a bad guy. When Paulie shows up, everyone knows who's boss. He's been kicked out of the army and is just a pretty sketchy figure in general. But still, Ruby hangs on to him. Even then she has the nerve to act surprised when SPOILER she finds out that Paulie has shot someone, stole his moeny and his car? END SPOILER Really? I could've seen that coming a mile away. But I guess that's the beauty of being 16 and "in love"... lessons must be learned.

The character I really, REALLY liked was Peggy DeGroot. Even just from Peggy's description:

"She looked about twenty, with the most perfect waves in her reddish brown hair... She had a crooked tooth in front, pushing a little ahead of the others. Freckles and clear hazel eyes.

'Ruby Jacinski.' I shook her hand. 'I love your nails.'

They were long and rounded, painted carmine red with the moons left bare" (38-39).

When I was reading that I thought to myself, "That's me." It was like Christine Fletcher was describing me. Even down to the freckles and the nails! Even that coincidence aside, Peggy is the most admirable character in this novel. She isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and she puts her heart into everything she does.

The history in this book was absolutely fantastic! Christine Fletcher did such an amazing job with researching every little detail about Chicago in the 40s. The only problem is I wish I was there!

The only thing that could've been better about this book was the writing. I felt like I really had to get into Ruby's character in order to sympathize with her. Also, some plot events in the novel seemed too good to be true... it seemed like some stuff that happened in the book wouldn't happen in real life. But I guess that's fiction for you.

All in all, a good read, especially for someone like me who adores the 40s!

MY RATING

4****

Follow Friday (4)

Happy Friday everyone! The weekend is finally here, and it couldn't have come a moment too soon.


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://baileysbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (10)

Happy Monday everyone! It just so happens to be my tenth "It's Monday!"

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Currently I'm Reading:

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Book Haul: Borders

Greetings and happy Sunday everyone! I had the fortunate chance to stop by Borders today. No, I didn't come back with a huge haul, but it's enough to make me happy... for now. Here's a sneak peak at my two new titles...

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher (Genre: Y.A. Historical Fiction)

With her mother ill, it's up to fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski to support her family. But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago's poor Yards is a job in one of the meat-packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer—a girl paid ten cents to dance with any man—and soon becomes an expert in the art of "fishing" as she works her patrons for meals, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself.


The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Genre: Fiction / Classic Literature)

A dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. This dandy, who remains forever unchanged—petulant, hedonistic, vain, and amoral—while a painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years, has been horrifying, enchanting, obsessing, even corrupting readers for more than a hundred years. Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not only a melodrama about moral corruption.

Friday is for Fairytales (4)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.

MY POST IS ABOUT: Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault

Sleeping Beauty, for me, represents all that a classic fairy tale should be. You've got the good side, and you've got the powerful evil side. You've got a beautiful, lovely princess, and you've got a handsome prince charming. Plus, a clever story to boot. What else could you ask for?

Sleeping Beauty, I have come to discover, is not your typical fairy tale princess. I mean, she's no Belle or anything, but she faces alot of challenges of her own. How would you feel if you knew that on your 16th birthday you were cursed to either fall asleep for a hundred years or die? I think the Disney version of this movie REALLY emphasizes all of the distress that Sleeping Beauty goes through, which is quite a lot.

There's nothing like a handsome prince charming fighting dragons and evil witches to come and rescue you. I think that this story is so romantic. The Prince and Sleeping Beauty are destined to be together, and no magic, evil or good, can get in the way of that.

This has been one of my favorites since I was a small child. I always used to love to pretend that I was Sleeping Beauty, lying peacefully sleeping, just waiting for my prince charming to come and sweep me off my feet.

Book Blogger Hop (3)

Time for another hop!! Hosted by the wonderful Crazy-For-Books.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question/topic comes from:

Anne @ My Head Is Full of Books

Post a link to a favorite post or book review you have written in the past 3 months.

I decided to post a link to a review that I wrote actually just two days ago. This book review was for The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This was one of my favorites/the most special because this book was such a journey for me, and to finish and review it was really an accomplishment.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Follow Friday (3)

Happy Friday everyone!! It's the weekend finally!! For those who are back in school like me... I hope it's not kicking your butt too much yet. :)


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://readingangel002.blogspot.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

GENRE

Fiction/Fantasy/Arthurian Legend (876 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

The Arthurian legend is well-known by many, but in The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley approaches it in an entirely new way: from the perspective of the women involved in the story. We hear of Arthur's conception and birth from his mother, the courageous Igraine, and there are several scenes told from Guinevere's point of view, but the most intriguing and dominant character in the book is Morgaine, Igraine's first child, whose destiny lies not with the Christian future of England but on the enchanted isle of Avalon.

This hauntingly beautiful book spins a legend of the closing days of Avalon's rule, as paganism and worship of the Goddess give way to Christianity and its male God. Morgaine's tales of a life lived between the worlds of faerie and humanity, as she watches all the things she loves fade away into the mists, is tragic and moving, and will stay with the reader long after the tale closes.


MY REVIEW

Drumroll please! I am very pleased to announce that I have finally FINISHED the Mists of Avalon!! Now, onto the review.

I am so devotedly passionate about Arthurian legend. It has become so much a part of me over the past few years. It holds and will always hold a special place in my heart.

My Aunt was kind enough to let me borrow this book from her. I was a bit stunned by its sheer size at first (876 pgs and the smallest print I've seen), but I take a sick delight in long novels... the more the merrier, right? I couldn't wait to dive into this one, being the Arthurian junkie that I am, but boy, I did not know what I was getting myself into.

First of all, this book takes you on a journey. I spent 3 months of my life devoted to the reading of this single book. It is a saga, a legend, a journey through history. When reading this book, you have to be willing to let it take you wherever it will...

Marion Bradley, rest her soul, has written something so epic, so special I can hardly believe it. The pure detail that went into this book is really amazing, let alone the historical accuracy. Almost every single aspect of the Arthurian legends are present here in some way; she included everything (I mean everything!).

The characters... wow. Such a broad, diverse spectrum! From the chaste and beautiful Gwenhwyfar to the deeply devoted and passionate Morgaine, to the evil and scheming Queen Morgause... I think Ms. Bradley could have written individual books on each of these characters! But each one captures your attention and your heart, and really pulls you into the legend. I cared about these characters so much!

Speaking of characters, there is the matter of Lancelot and Guinevere (in my opinion, the greatest love story of all time). Ms. Bradley handled this side of the legends beautifully. Of course, Lance and Gwen didn't get the ending that I think they deserve (when do they ever do?), but Bradley wrote their story so well I found myself in tears at the end.

I had mixed feelings about Morgaine, on whom much of this book is based upon. Her devotion to the Godess and the rule of Avalon was a conflict for me, since this ended up partly bringing on the downfall of Camelot in the end. But I think that the ending truly makes up for that fact, when Morgaine realizes that all religions and people were one, and that "her work was done" (876).

The only downfall to this book was religion. Ms. Bradley shapes most of the story around it, and it can be a bit tedious at times. The themes she presented about religion were really swe-inspiring, but it seemed like at some points it was a constant back and forth about religion. I just wished maybe she could have focused more on the actual legends and the characters that the religious and theologous aspect of it. But it was a small downfall that I tried no to pay to much attention to, and I think the ending COMPLETELY makes up for all of my doubts.

This book is a tremendous addition to the library of Arthurian legend. If you are a fanatic like me, you MUST read this book! I probably didn't even do it justice in my review. Take the journey, read the legend!


MY RATING

5*****

Appropriateness Factors:

Just a small warning... this is an adult fiction book, and being so, there are a few sex scenes in this book. Take it for what it's worth.

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (292 pgs.)

SYNOPSIS

Rembrandt van Rijn was once the most admires and respected artist in Amsterdam. But as Rembrandt teeters on the brink of madness, only his daughter, Cornelia, cares enough to stay by his side--though she too is haunted by secrets and scandal.

With her mother dead of the plague and her brother newly married, Cornelia is left without a friend or confidante. But she steals happiness from her growing relationship with Carel, the wealthy son of a shipping magnate, and the dark and brooding Neel, her father's last remaining pupil. Carel's passion for the arts stirs something in Cornelia, but Neel's devotion to her father touches her. With two suitors who are unfazed by her family's drama, Cornelia must find the path to her heart.

MY REVIEW

Cornelia van Rijn, the daughter of one of the world's most renown painters, is a homey sort of gal with a big heart and huge dreams. She has a father who sometimes embarrasses her, dreams of marrying the handsome, rich merchant down the street, but ends up falling for the her best friend, the man she's truly loved all along. Almost just like me... well, about 400 years later.

This book is really beautifully written. Sometimes the prose is plain and unadorned, which I think reflects on the meticulous and pristine Dutch culture of that time period. But when Cornelia visits her sister-in-law (who is quite wealthy), as a reader you can really feel Cornelia is out of her element, with 'silk this' and 'china that', 'gold this' and 'silver that'. I love how Lynn Cullen uses the culture and society to really influence her writing and make the history more "liveable" to the readers. You really sense the dramatic change between scenes with the middle class and the upper crust.

I also loved the fact that at certain places in the book, Lynn Cullen inserts a small chapter recounting Cornelia's past, and each of these flash back chapters are accompanied by one of Rembrandt's famous paintings. This kind of relates the story behind each of his paintings, and I thought that was really awesome, not just for the cool back-story, but for the art history as well.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that Cornelia didn't end up with her "dream suitor" in the end (a.k.a the rich, handsome merchant). I thought it was downright refreshing for the heroine NOT to end up with her "prince charming." Well, I kind of take that back. She DID end up with her prince charming, it's just not the prince charming she was expecting. It was the prince charming that was with her all along, and she didn't even know it. I think that that is even more romantic for me. :)

Getting inside of Rembrandt's head in this book is really interesting. Books that revolve around famous artists are always interesting for me. Art is such a dynamic subject and such a reflection of culture that I always enjoy a book about it (especially a historical fiction book about it).

All in all, this is a tremendous read. I love Cornelia's strong-hearted character and the way Lynn Cullen steeped this book in 17th century Dutch culture. Super good!! Love the art history as well. A great read!!

MY RATING

4.5****/*

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9)

Happy Monday!! Just wanted to start off by apologizing for going completely AWOL for a week. Unfortunately, school has once again taken the top spot on my priorities list, however much I want to fight it. But today I'm going to fix that with a new review!! Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

P.S. I have like 30 pages left of Mists!! I will have it DONE (finally) sometime this week, I promise!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Currently I'm Reading:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley