Brilliantly imagined and lovely in style and substance
356395
This story immediately pulled me in. Walsh keeps up a good pace, revealing a bit, then
revealing a bit more, then a bit more, parceling out the mystery in a very pleasurable
manner. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing in this book, too. Everything about this book
has an enchanting, lyrical, magical quality. It felt a little like walking around in someone
else's dream. If you can appreciate a quiet, beautiful story, full of emotion, then try this
book! Or, if the themes of sisterhood, memory, journeys, place, art/music, and the piecing
together of past, present, and future intrigue you, give Walsh's debut novel a try.
4157427
I was pleased to be a featured artist. Beyond that, I am impressed with this gorgeous, high-quality book. It will thrill anyone who appreciates the artistry of distinct, well-crafted, one-of-a-kind apparel and accessories. This is a book of ideas--not how-to instructions--but it will not disappoint viewers for its eclectic and imaginative use of materials and inspiration.
3443410
Inordinately beautiful and thought-provoking, this is Klein at his consummate best -- these poems, prose poems, and essays once again show why this poet must be read. The work here resounds with both plaint and celebratory clamor; Klein observes the world and himself in the distinct spheres of the present and the past, providing some of the most honest and poignant portraits of family, lovers, friends, and the fumbling gods watching over our acts of simply being alive. The work is so broad, and carries so many references; yet it is also finite and familiar -- re-visioning previous themes and giving nativity to new ones. Klein can take a ride in a car in the midst of a frozen day, and make it seem as if the world was made of magic: "The trees on the Taconic that day were miraculous looking at one point -- every branch covered in just enough ice to make it seem as though we were driving through a glass menagerie of something--just then--that might have been trees, something more musical than trees." In "When I Was A Twin," Michael Klein makes us stop and consider ourselves: How are we living? Do we love?  He helps us see to both. This is an exultant new collection from one of the great poets writing today.
633433
At many points along the story, I felt a vivid projection of lifefrom a small caf where Marco and Marisa had a chat about philosophy to some of the more dark corners of its favelas. Shes done an outstanding job of conveying the reader through the trappings of her scenes, not least because of her elegant word choices, but also for her wide range of artistry with details large and small. Collet expertly brings the reader into a fantasy state about the lovers, treating the reader to something urgent yet well foretold, immediate yet hoped-for. She shows us the human condition of being in love and reminds us that no relationship is perfect, regardless of circumstances. The grind and mesh of logic and wanting, the crushing ethical choices, and the sweet impulse of attaining something precious are elements in Collets story that dance in harmony, giving emotional terrain below the heights of sensuality.
4454457
If Catherynne M. Valentes Fairyland books had existed when I was a child, they would certainly have jostled with my Oz, Narnia, and Wonderland books for room on the shelf of most influential fantasy stories. Whats amazing to me is that the Fairyland books are recent works written by a living, breathing author. I could almost swearand I mean this as the most reverent complimentValente discovered some old, dusty manuscripts from the 1940s and edited them very lightly for the modern reader. Her style is so quaint, and her language is so unapologetically nostalgic, I cant help feeling as if I myself have stumbled upon some long-forgotten fairy stories that never achieved the renown of, say, Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland. Valente wears a deep affection for traditional fairy tales on her sleeve for all to see, and the result is an enchanting new fairy tale classic for the 21st century.

The first book of this series, The Girl Who Circumnagivated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, introduces the reader to September, a girl as precocious as Wonderlands Alice, as brave as Ozs Dorothy, as kindhearted as Narnias Lucy, and just as eager as all of them for an adventure to disrupt her humdrum life. The Green Wind arrives at Septembers window to whisk her away to Fairyland, where she makes unusual friends, including a Wyverary, a creature who is half-Wyvern, half-library (makes sense, right?), and a Marid, a young genie of the sea. September discovers the outlandish beauty of Fairyland, with its capital city crafted entirely out of textiles, its herds of wild velocipedes (bicycles), and its exquisite fairy food. However, the new ruler known as the Marquess has enacted numerous laws that threaten to remove all the fairyness from Fairyland, such as chaining all flying creatures wings, requiring everyone to go through customs before entering Fairyland, and forcing inhabitants to work in factories. September resolves to help her new friends defy the Marquess but instead finds herself forced to go on a quest for a mystical swordotherwise the Marquess will have her friends executed.

Although this may sound like the beginning of so many other fantasy quest stories, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is unique in its own right. The sword September must retrieve for the Marquess is unlike any traditional sword you may have read about before, and the ship September builds to speed her quest is one of a kind, becausewell, youll just have to read the book to find out why. I said Valentes writing style reminds me of fairy tales from another era, but the story of September is its own delightful thing. September, I believe, has earned a place next to Alice, Dorothy, and Lucy as a girl who, just like them, has left her indelible mark on a magical world as limitless as her imagination.

(And now I am really tempted to write an old-fashioned apostrophe, beginning with something like O! Fairylandhow fair are your skies, how crystalline your seas, how Okay, Ill stop, I promise. Its that kind of book, thoughjust makes me want to write longhand with a quill pen!)
68190
Susan Lewis's new chapbook is enchanting, enticing and wise.  From the cover art to the poems, there is an aliveness to this collection that wakes the reader up time and time again with a delightful, but kind jolt.  The book sits next to my bed where I can savor it slowly.  What a treat to explore brilliantly chiseled, sculptural poems about our humble efforts to be in relationship.
3077519
Gorgeous- splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.; magnificent. Characterized by magnificence or virtuosic brilliance.

Gorgeous truly describes this CD by master musician and software engineer Doug Wyatt. Though this is an instrumental piece (though voices are used throughout), the music has a depth and polish that reminds me of the latest Kate Bush production. The sounds are rich and spacious.

The styles of music span a range from soundtrack-ish classical to prog to wonderfully weird electronic. There are themes that reappear throughout the CD in a filmic or symphonic mode, giving the sense of a whole composition, not just a selection of songs.

The layering of acoustic and electronic sounds yields a sonic palette that is both familiar and brand new, classic yet ground-breaking. The Christoffer Lundquist production is sumptuous, and the attention to sonic detail is quite evident.

In short, this is a highly engaging CD that reveals itself in layers. I've enjoyed playing it over and over on my daily commutes.
1306361
A delightful romp through a surreal landscape that dances along the edges of our real world. Each vignette with its accompanying slice-of-life story draws you closer into the lives of Horace and Agnes and had me eagerly turning the pages to learn more. Kepkas photography and styling are sublime, making great use of the vintage palette and found objects. The writing is both clever and heartfelt without ever becoming twee. Its a fine line that Dowling walks with true skill. From the very beginning, I found myself happy to be traveling through their world. I highly recommend inviting yourself in to spend some time with this enchanting couple.
4720803
These beautifully sensitive and evocative tales are an impressive anthology {of translated} works for the modern age. La Fontaine matches the original subtlety and inventiveness of each fable, whilst injecting a fresh outlook that's respectful to such classic works. This selection ranges from 1668 to 1693 and contains a full range of subjects and themes, each accompanied by majestic engravings by Gustave Dor that bring the words vividly to life. This book contains some of the best-loved and greatest French poetic work that derive from the traditional folktales of Aesop and various orental sources. It is a conglomeration of English diction transcending boundaries by celebrating and enhancing the power of poetry, through wit and satirical clichs and irony. Although many children {including myself} are read traditional tales...like `the tortoise and the hare' for instance, I would state how this contemporary collection is more suited to the adult reader - who can greatly appreciate the iconic take on contemporary society.

"They say, and I believe, the world is old; it still must be diverted like a child" - quote

The visions and inspiration behind each fable is truly remarkable, as too is the literary artistry; with the combination of both giving life to the inner messages and meaning of the story. As a child I was read Aesop's fables at bedtime and so fond nostalgic memories and deep-rooted emotion have been pulled from me, having delved into this delicious delight that re-awoke the past. The enchanting cover and delicate drawings add that stylish, elegant touch to this collection of timeless and eternally cherished tales that will live long in the hearts of many.

The Cock and the Pearl

 Scratching for food, a cock once found
a pearl half-buried in the ground.
He took it to the jeweller down the street,
And said: "It's very pretty, I can see,
But still, some corn that I can eat
Is much more suitable for me."

An ignoramus once possessed
A manuscript from some bequest.
He to it to a bookseller to sell,
And said: "I know it's written very well.
But money I can spend will be
A lot more suitable for me."

I won a hardback copy of Jean De La Fontaine's book: Selected Fables on Goodreads, through a first-read giveaway.

The Lion and the rat

 Be kind if possible to one and all:
we often need the help of someone small...

Emerging from the Earth without much thought
Between a Lion's claws a rat was caught.
But showing what a monarch ought to be
The King of Beasts, the time, let him go free.
...Thus patience will with time at length
accomplish more than rage and strength!
2077636
I wrestled with this novel more than usual.  It is vividly written, a genuinely beautiful style that evokes a brilliantly conceived future world without completely explaining what is going on.  If this is something you enjoy unravelling - even re-reading - this is a true masterpiece of scifi that can stand on its own as a fine novel.  It is of the same caliber as Octavia Butler or Frank Herbert, in my view.

This novel plays with the reader in a number of unusual ways.  First, there is the race of the protagonists:  it makes a difference in the plot and meaning depending on how you picture it in your mind's eye.  Second, there are so many basic plot/theme inferences that there are many different ways to connect the dots.  While confusing, it is also a challenge.  Third, there are many seemingly unrelated incidents, which may indeed form a whole if you can recognise the overall pattern of the tapestry.  It is deliciously mysterious and fearfully evocative.

Spoiler warning.  My reading of it is that there is a crisis, with the strangely destructive and apparently unknowable aliens.  Into this, a learning disabled man miraculously survives a completely destroyed planet and with the help of technology assumes the charisma of an enlightened despot, which establishes a cult following of a frightened populace.  But what is so amazing about this is the detail of the world as imagined, from the turtle-like nature species to the bizarre practices of an elite family (they taste rocks while hunting).

 Warmly recommended.
15009
As a young avid reader who can admit to sometimes judging a book by its cover, I came across Dunant's The Birth of Venus and found the cover really pretty - so I read it. This was one of the books from which I recieved so much pleasure in reading.

In this novel, Dunant almost paints the story into the reader's mind, engraving our imaginations with colorful and intricate details  with such emotion and conviction that I couldn't help being drawn into the life of Alessandra Cecci, the charmingly precocious herione of this story.

It is set in the Renaissance with fourteen year old Alessandra who cannot seem to belong in her own family. She starts off with her innocence and unbounding curioisty for her city, Florence, wishing to one day explore the beauty of her homeland. Unwillingly, she is thrown into a series of obstacles that she must face alone; only with the occasional help of her profoundly loyal black servant, Erila. First, she must deal with family problems, having always been overshadowed by her older siblings and at last wanting some glimpse of glory of which to make her family proud. Then she is forced into a marriage with a much older yet charming man but which ends up being a plotted attempt to hinder a forbidden secret that could ultimately cost her husband's life. Within the marriage, she struggles with herself as she soon discovers the intimate pleasures of her blooming body, all the while trying to suppress her growing desire for the strange yet captivating young painter whom her father had brought with him from the North.

And as if this was not enough for a young girl of seventeen, Alessandra has to deal with the violence and corruption that is steadily taking over her beloved city. Savonarola, a fundamentalist monk, is preaching to the people of Florence and polluting their minds with words of falsity and vulgarity. Soon, dead bodies are being found and the life Alessandra has been so accustomed to all her years is suddenly falling apart.

The story goes on and into so much more than I could ever try to describe in this review and of course, I also do not want to spoil anything for those whose minds I might have managed to convince of the beauty of this remarkable novel.

As for Alessandra herself, it is difficult not to read her life and not feel something for her. Personally, I found her journey to be short yet great with more love, death and resurrection than I could ever imagine for myself.
1093194
A book that is as much a piece of art as are its photographs and as are the pieces in the collection. The years-long collaboration between the authoritative collector, Christine Suppes, and the cosmically talented star photographer Frederic Aranda demonstrates the potential of all-out commitment to a vision and two people with tremendous mutual respect.

The book takes the reader back in time to the beginnings of a world-class collection with real-time blog postings from one of the first (if not the first) fashion websites on the Internet. As the collection grows, so too does Suppes' relationships with couture designers. Her taste is unique and her ability to wear pieces that are so exquisitely detailed and fantastical allow for conceptual reach from both the wearer's and the designers' perspectives. Suppes collects pieces from avant-garde designers the likes of Rodarte, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Lacroix, and On Aura Tout Vu, and wears these veritable sculptures as if she and they were made in the ethers-- and then the photographs of the craftsmanship and handiwork of the designs are revealed by the academic photographs, and we are all aware of the weight and structure of each piece.

The stunning photographs by Aranda are sculptural in a sense, too: more three-dimensional than most fashion photography tends to be. He is as much an authority on fashion as Ms. Suppes, but his respect for the not just the work but for his model is apparent. He takes each piece and clearly wants to demonstrate how it makes the collector herself feel-- and what better for we readers to understand than not just the perspective of the workmanship, but also the thrill of placing one's figure into a work of art? Each photo is more sumptuous than the last.

Both collector and photographer write for "Electric Fashion" as well, speaking honestly about their inspirations. This book is compelling, readable, and absolutely gorgeous. It is also a rare peek into one of the greatest and most unique collections via one of today's most talented photographers.
3444717
Gary Inbinder's new novel "The Flower to the Painter" is a scintillating tapestry of lives lived on the cusp of 1870s high society and the artistic milieu which it both supported and exploited.

There is fine mood setting and character delineation in the opening chapters, with a nice achievement of dramatic equilibrium in the ruthless ambitions of the two main women portrayed there. And we quickly realise that we are reading not a lightweight romance novella but a potentially much richer and deeper literary work.

And then the author sets himself a classic challenge. Let's face right up to it here: Can the reader seriously believe in any story where a woman decides to impersonate a man and gets away with it for more than thirty seconds? Well, we believe in it without blinking in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" ... and perhaps mainly because it's Shakespeare. Thankfully we can accept it all the more readily here, because Inbinder steadily and surely suspends our disbelief with the finest attention to every little detail (both nice and nasty, both public and private) of his heroine's partly enforced subterfuge.

And once we do believe, we can luxuriate without a care in the richness of the story itself!

Soon, our new "hero" -- a talented young artist -- has managed to hoodwink both a man of the world and a sought-after heiress. Or has he really? And there will be many other men and women to be deceived (or not) along the way. The reader, largely (but not completely) in sympathy with Marcia (now Mark) Brownlow's successive challenges and crises, will ponder such agonising questions along with "him" throughout the star-studded story.

This carefully crafted novel does not rely much on dramatic action, let alone melodrama, for its powerful effect. This is achieved instead by the ever-increasing emotional tensions in the heart and mind of the ambitious protagonist, as the complexities of her new existence grow and multiply. Her story, like the stormy sky so often threatening to spoil the joys of her outdoor work and pleasure, is supercharged with "electrical potential". And rich, faithful local colour blossoms from every page as the brilliant young artist's ship of life plies its way back and forth between the old world landscapes of Florence and Venice, Paris and London, Rome and Nice, before finally breaking free, perhaps too late, into a new-born modern San Francisco.

Gary Inbinder displays a fine and consistent appreciation of the history of art, and especially of contemporary developments in fashion and style and of the rivalries among the artistic elite. Just as important (and extremely satisfying!), he depicts the places and characters of late nineteenth century European society with great panache, as vividly and accurately as if he had lived his own life there in those heady, arty days.

"The Flower to the Painter" is a superb, refined work and a fabulous read.
3268803
This novel really caught me up and had me living the lives of the characters. It's as gorgeously detailed and exact as a Vermeer, where the painter has so precisely caught the color of the light that you understand more about what it means to be alive.

Each of the characters becomes very real in their inner as well as their outer lives. In the process of inhabiting their struggles as well as their pleasures, you get the chance to experience what it's like to be a human being who may be quite different from you, in a way that enlarges your sympathies. It's a work of literature, but it feels more like a work of life. Ann Packer here wrestles with moral questions as urgent as those in The Dive from Clausen's Pier, but with a grander and more richly complex architecture. She brilliantly contrasts the daily with the horrific, the ordinary with the nightmarish.

Among other things, and not the least of its gifts, this book could literally save lives. I'd give it to anyone I know who struggles with depression or whose friends/family have emotional troubles. It provides a visceral education in how a person might make it through the darkest possible times. What the path out could look like.

I love that the beauty of the writing never becomes about showing off - Ann Packer is much more concerned with exactly capturing the hard dilemmas of life. What do we owe the people we love? What if we can't deliver that? How can we help each other and ourselves? How can we heal from the ferocious blows life deals us?

A beautiful and deeply rewarding book.
1563310
I love the way it made me stop and think about the story - the descriptions, the reactions, the dialogues, the teasing-out of the tale, the way books and reading and magic and being and responsibility and love were weaved in. It was gorgeous and unexpected, and at the last page I felt a strong sense of satisfaction with how it ended. No sequel needed; it still lives within my own memory; it builds and let the reader build upon the tale too.  Excellent and immensely pleasing. I did not want to rush through it - indeed, I could read and then dwell on the imagery and the puzzles of the characters for hours afterwards. This is a talespinner's delight!
1714442
The Museum of Lost Wonder is a pop-up book for adults, a Maurice Sendak cartoon narrative for grown-ups. The text contains an eclectic blend of philosophical tidbits, scientific factoids, history, alchemy, New Age musings on dream states, visions and hypnosis, Tibetan Buddhism, and quantum physics, all presented in the form of enchanting illustrations and gorgeous artwork.

Author Jeff Hoke, senior exhibit designer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA, and an award-winning creator of museum exhibits, was inspired by the eclectic museums and curiosity cabinets of the 1600s. As such, The Museum of Lost Wonder is constructed as a storehouse for arcane bits of knowledge. Despite the grandiose claims of self-discovery, going through the book is like wandering through a funhouse. The seven "exhibit halls" (i.e., chapters) begin with "The Hall of Technology," whose ambitious exhibit is entitled, "The Beginning of Everything." The other exhibit halls have similarly provocative "exhibits," with titles such as "Who Are You?" and "What Is Reality?"

Each hall includes a fold-out, do-it-yourself model that is reminiscent of an Escher painting or a Rube Goldberg creation, with such titles as "Path of Destiny Peep Show" or the "Carousel of Life." The reader is instructed to cut the paper to build the models, but I was reluctant to do so because it would destroy the integrity of this gorgeous book.

At nearly $50, this book may out-price itself for what it delivers in terms of mystical wisdom or esoteric knowledge. But it is a marvelously beautiful piece of work, the top of the line in the tradition of the coffee table book. The Museum of Lost Wonder is well worth the time spent browsing through it--and its expensive cover price.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mysteries-Magazine/dp/B0009IS3WK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mysteries Magazine</a>
4065728
I read American Music with very high hopes as I'd been a huge fan of I Was Amelia Earhart and had liked Innocence, and I was hoping that Jane Mendelsohn would rise to that high standard after some years of not publishing.  I was really blown away.  Her writing is brilliant, poignant, wise, and lyrical.  The book is full of mystery, and it plays on various formal devices, but it never takes on the awkwardness of so much postmodern fiction.  There is a deep humanity at its center, a kindness both within the characters and surrounding them, a generosity of authorial spirit that is infinitely touching.  The plot is engrossing and there is ample wit.  It is a structural miracle, as delicate and perfectly arranged and assembled as a snowflake.  When you read it, it seems as though you are getting everything in it, but after that, you find yourself thinking and thinking about it, and applying its insight to real life.  Mendelsohn's work is often in the form of a perfect miniature, and this has some of that diminutive quality, but it is also a work of substance, and it will change the way you think and feel.  I am afraid this will sound like hyperbole, but it is in fact my honest response to a gorgeous work of fiction.  I wish I could have that lovely voice of the novel beside me always.