I have the Book Lovers Page-a-Day Calendar in my office, and whenever I see a book that looks like it might be worth featuring on the blog, I save the page instead of throwing it away. It's now December 23rd, and I have a pile of pages that I saved from the calendar but never got around to featuring here on the blog this year. Rather than walk in on January 5 to a pile of last year's books, I thought I'd do a few posts listing the books that caught my eye, with a very short description. I don't have time do my usual level of research into each book, so apologies for the brevity!
Marrying Mozart, by Stephanie Cowell (2004). Amazon: "Cowell's novel portrays Mozart as a passionate, determined young man and focuses on his relationships with the four Weber sisters. The second eldest girl, Aloysia, captivates Mozart, who finds her singing talent is matched by her beauty. Against the wishes of his mother, Mozart proposes to Aloysia, but he can't marry her until he makes his fortune. His dream is to be able to compose operas for a living, but when Idomeneo closes after just a few performances, Mozart is forced to beg the arrogant archbishop of Salzburg for a position. Aloysia, who dreams of fame and fortune as an opera singer, elopes with a portraitist. Mozart is heartbroken, but little does he know that true love lies with another Weber sister. As much about the four Weber sisters as it is about Mozart, Cowell's novel is an engaging look at Mozart's colorful world and his struggles during his early twenties." [Is this based on real life? I'm not sure.]
Just Friends, by Robyn Sisman (2002). Amazon: "Thirtysomething Freya, a British art dealer, gets dumped by a boring lawyer just when she thought he was going to propose. She didn't even like him, but the humiliation is devastating. Suddenly homeless, Freya moves in with her old friend Jack, who is a struggling writer with an allowance from his wealthy family. With smart-mouth bickering, banter, and dirty tricks, they explore the perilous proposition of a man and woman being 'just friends.'" Page-a-Day calls Just Friends "delightful", with "winning and witty characters."
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, by Kate Atkinson (1999). Amazon: "'I exist!' exclaims Ruby Lennox upon her conception in 1951, setting the tone for this humorous and poignant first novel in which Ruby at once celebrates and mercilessly skewers her middle-class English family. Peppered with tales of flawed family traits passed on from previous generations, Ruby's narrative examines the lives in her disjointed clan, which revolve around the family pet shop. But beneath the antics of her philandering father, her intensely irritable mother, her overly emotional sisters, and a gaggle of eccentric relatives are darker secrets–including an odd 'feeling of something long forgotten' –that will haunt Ruby for the rest of her life."
Intuition, by Allegra Goodman (2006). Page-a-Day: "This excellent novel is set in the Boston-Cambridge area, where a prominent cancer laboratory is the petri dish for the ambitions, betrayals, ideals and passions of scientific researchers Cliff and Robin (who are ex-lovers) and administrators Sandy and Marion. This is what happens when powerful, dissonant personalities are forced to coexist in a crisis of their own making."
A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby (2006). Amazon: "Four different people find themselves on the same roof on New Year's Eve, but they have one thing in common–they're all there to jump to their deaths. A scandal-plagued talk-show host, a single mom of a disabled young man, a troubled teen, and an aging American musician soon unite in a common cause, to find out why Jess (the teen) can't get her ex-boyfriend to return her calls. Down the stairs they go, and thoughts of suicide gradually subside. It all sounds so high concept, but each strand of the plot draws readers into Hornby's web. The novel is so simply written that its depths don't come to full view until well into the reading."
Boy Meets Girl, by Meg Cabot (2004). Amazon: "Kate, an earnest young human resources representative at the New York Journal, must handle a dreadful case. Her evil boss, Amy, is forcing her to fire the beloved Ida Lopez, whose desserts are famous in the senior staff room, just because Ida refused a second dessert to the detestable Stuart Hertzog, Amy's beau and the paper's lawyer. When Ida Lopez sues the paper for wrongful termination, the case goes to Mitchell, Stuart's handsome, unconventional brother. Kate is charmed by Mitch, despite the fact that she is sure he is just like his brother. Despite the forces standing in their way, Mitch and Kate are falling for each other until Mitch tries to catch Amy in a lie during a deposition, which has disastrous consequences for Kate. Told in a series of e-mails, phone messages, instant messages, and journal entries, Cabot's novel is delightfully fun to read."
Round 2 tomorrow…