Quote from "Master Misery" by TrumN Capote

Of all things this was saddest, that life would go on; if one leaves one's lover, life should stop for him, and if one disappears from the world, then the world should stop, too; and it never did.  And that was the real reason for most people getting up in the morning, not because it would matter but because it wouldn't.

A Natural History of Dragons

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delightful.  Loved Isabella Trent.  She is passionate about dragons and wants to unlock their mysteries, although such scientific work for ladies is generally  frowned upon.  Still, her enthusiasm helps her find a way...and I loved her pluck and determination, and I loved that she was also clumsy, headstrong, and a little condescending...no one likes a perfect heroine.  Loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the dragons.  If i could ask one thing it might be  a little more depth to some of Isabella's relationships, but I wondered if that was intentional...when you are that obsessed with  something, it leaves little room for passion about anything else.  I think YA would enjoy this book as well.


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The Good Earth

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read for me.  It was recommended to me as a way to explore Chinese history, but I found it was more a lesson in relationships.  The relationship between Wang and Olan, his wife.  His relationship with his children, father, uncle.  And of course, his relationship to the land and what it gives him, and what it takes from him.  It is a story of the relationship between the poor and the rich, and how money shapes the way we view everything from ourselves, to religion, to the rights we think we are entitled to.  Being poor brings a lot of problems...being rich brings even more.  And war trumps everything. There are no epic confrontations, no mysteries to solve, no great revelation....just a story of an imperfect man, doing the best he can to raise his family.


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Lullaby

Sometimes when you cry,

I hold you longer than I could.

I envelop you in the crook of my arms,

     a thousand kisses on your hair,

     rocking slightly side to side.

I hold you as long as,

      as tightly as,

      squirming will allow--

Trying to impress your soul

     with the warmth of my heart.

Because one day we will be apart--

     separated by years,

                          miles,

                          ideas,

                          life.

The night will be dark,

                          cold,

                          marble to the touch

And thoughts of the sun

         seem darker still:

Let your soul recall

This time--

Feel the shadows of feather pillows,

Hear Brahms in the wind,

Taste marshmallows on hot chocolate.

The night will still be dark

But may you feel the warmth of the sun.

The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book exceeded my expectations.  The characters were well-drawn, the plot was perfectly paced, deep questions of identity, freedom, and ambition were explored...even the writing was beautiful.  I was not impressed with The Secret Life of Bees ... I thought the characters were too cliche, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel.  Perhaps because Sarah was based on an actual person...sometimes life is better than fiction, and doesn't  fall so easily into cliches.  I could have done without Oprahs editorial thoughts in this edition. I read a few of them, then skipped the rest.


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Musicophilia

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

To be fair, a lot of how much I enjoy a book depends on my expectations going in.  I wanted to understand some of the mysteries behind music...why do some people like rock and others country? for instance...or does music actually help an athlete run longer or faster?  Exactly how does music work to get us to feel patriotic, or happy, or sad?  Why is music in the minor key perceived as dark and the  major key happy?  Why I thought these kinds of questions would be answered in this book I have no idea.  But I was disappointed.  It is true that some of these questions are answered, kind of, but the organization of the book makes it hard to get what I was looking for.  It seemed to me that Sacks merely searched "music" in his computer files of patients, then grouped them together according to diagnosis.  In fact, in several instances, he tells us what he prescribed to help the patient.  Fine if you are a doctor or fellow-sufferer, but not relevant to most of us. In some cases, there was no explanation or resolution, just a list of observations.   Since I was able to highlight about 10 min. worth of information, it was not a total loss, but not what I was looking for.


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Orfeo

Orfeo by Richard Powers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was not the book I thought it was.  Being a biology/scifi   afficianado I thought this would focus more on a guy in a chem lab and then a fast paced man hunt.  It was not that.  It is a story of music.  And artistry.  What do you sacrifice for arts sake?  Is it worth it?  What is art? Is it what is enjoyed by most or is it the purely original? Can anything be original anymore?  These questions have been  explored before, but I found this books reiteration wholly original.  Powers has created a book full of big ideas, large words, and layers of poetry and crammed them into the small life of a composer seeking that elusive song.  I actually thought I was plowing through it, when suddenly I realized this one of the most amazing books I have ever read.
1) it changed the way I listen to music.  Being a word person who likes to dance, music has always appealed to me in one of two ways: either as another dimension to the poetry of the words, or it had a good enough beat to dance to.  I listened to classical music like someone taking their vitamins, not necessarily out of enjoyment but because it was good for you.  And I hardly tolerated the shoe-gazer music my husband likes.  But Powers descriptions of several pieces of 20th century composers were transcendent.  After reading his descriptions, I looked them up on you tube and sat with my eyes closed on the couch and felt like I was seeing for the first time.  He made me love all of these beautiful songs by unlocking their mysteries through his words (except Barstow...even I have my limits).
2) music is life and death. The songs he picks to highlight are songs that transcend death, save people from death, or are powerful enough that they could have caused death.  Now here is Peter Els trying to create an eternal legacy that others simply fear is a song of death.
3) I loved the way Powers used musical descriptors to describe everyday scenes.  "He returned, de capo..." Sure I had to look up what de capo meant, but I loved the blending of the two worlds.  Using everyday imagery to describe the songs, and musical ones to describe life.
4) go back and read Els tweets scattered throughout the book after you have finished.  Reading them at one go is illuminating.
All right, I am done.  And I haven't even touched on the relationships Els accumulates, the questions he asks about freedom, art, and legacy or the observance of our diminishing patience as a people, the over-saturation of information and music available to us, the busyness of our existence that cause us to not notice or appreciate the natural music all around us.  But this is an amazing book.  I would be interested to see what my musical friends think.


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