"Sometimes you buy a book, powerfully drawn to it, but then it just sits on the shelf. Maybe you flick through it, the ghost of your original purpose at your elbow, but it's not so much rereading as re-dusting. Then one day you pick it up, take notice of the contents; your inner life realigns."
--Hilary Mantel
Loved:
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel: Winner of the Man Booker Prize for English literature, "Wolf Hall" is the first of three novels by Mantel chronicling the life of Sir Thomas Cromwell in the Tudor court. I'm a fanatical English history nerd and Cromwell's politics and influential role in the English court of the 1520s and 30s have always fascinated me. Great, gorgeously descriptive read.
Enjoyed:
Fairest, Gail Carson Levine: A re-telling of Snow White that I picked up when feeling grumpy and out of sorts one day. Charming and light and smart - very much like "Ella Enchanted."
The Heir Apparent: The Life of Edward VII, Jane Ridley: Number 4 of 5 in my 101 in 1001 #76, this biography chronicled the exceptionally weird and dramatic and fascinating life of Queen Victoria's heir, Edward VII. Known as "the Playboy Prince," his Marlborough House antics and numerous affairs often overshadow his unique kingship and diplomatic finesse. I enjoyed the insight into a monarch I previously knew very little about.
Tolerated:
None this month!
Re-reads:
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine: Did anyone else adore this book as a child? It came up in conversation with a co-worker looking for good books for her nine-year old daughter and I immediately felt like I had to re-read it. Such a great, quick (2 hours-ish) read.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern: I've read this book five or six times in around four years and the imagery of the writing never ceases to astonish me. It's such an incredibly evocative novel...the phrasing and prose, just like the story, remain unexpected and draw me in every time.