The Cozy Book Corner No. 6: Sudden Book Love, Part II

Welcome to my Monday 

bookish feature!

In each weekly post, I explore 

my thoughts on several 

book-related topics.

Love at first sight, as I stated in my first post on this topic last week, can hit book lovers, as well.  Furthermore, it can be just as pleasantly surprising as it is between two human beings. 

Last week, I concentrated on one book, with which I actually fell in love, sight unseen. It was a guote from that book that actually reeled me in. It was such a beautifully-written quote, and expressed such a timeless truth, that I was struck with literary love..... You can access that post HERE.

This week, I want to explore this topic further, but from another angle: falling in love at first sight with a book cover.

All of us book bloggers have heard the old adage: "Don't judge a book by its cover." It is indeed true that some books have very beautiful covers, yet, the inside content is totally unappealing. Conversely, there are books with very ugly covers that contain breathtaking content. I am very well aware of this. Still, I do tend to get hooked by gorgeous book covers! Of course, if the plot and characters of the book -- in the case of a novel -- do not thrill me, then my love affair with the book will be very brief indeed. The same goes for nonfiction books, which, for some reason, don't seem to have covers that are immediately appealing, for the most part.

If I happen to have fallen in love with a novel (or a nonfiction book, for that matter) that has an ugly cover, then the solution is simple. I merely search for an edition with a more appealing cover, and donate the one with the ugly one to my local Goodwill store. Lol. 

In fact, I have been known to prefer buying an edition with a cover I love, even though I have to pay more, than a cheaper edition with a cover I can't stand! This is because I'm a bibliophile just as much as a bookworm!!  

Here are some books with covers that I think are GORGEOUS. I have not read all of them, but they are definitely on my mind.  I could pick one of them up at any moment. 

    

I featured this book in my most recent Tuesday Intros post, which you can access HERE. I LOVE horses, as well as the color blue, so I fell in love with this book HARD. Not only is the cover beautiful, though, but so is  the prose style, as well as the plot.

I own this book, and really need to get to it very soon!!

I find this cover to be absolutely exquisite! The composition, the colors, the font....everything just reels me right in! This one also passes the test of having a great plot, as well as wonderful prose! It's sitting on my shelves, and I hope to be able to get to it sometime this year.....

This is another stunning horse cover! The horse is absolutely GORGEOUS! I can see that it was influenced by a drawing done by Leonardo da Vinci, interestingly enough. The overall composition is just enchanting, as the horse floats over the stormy ocean waves. 

This book is a collection of fantasy stories, all dealing with horses, hence the title. The contributors are the very BEST in fantasy writing, too: Anne McCaffrey, Jennifer Roberson, Mercedes Lackey, Judith Tarr, and others. While I don't own this treasure, I am already looking for it online. It seems to be out of print, but that won't deter me!

This cover is just breathtakingly beautiful!! Of course, it immediately reminded me of King Arthur drawing the famous sword, Excalibur, from the stone. The subject matter of this novel is books, naturally, as one can see, not only from the cover image, but also from the title. I own this one, and love the plot and writing, as well!

I absolutely ADORE this cover! In this particular case, I read the book years ago, and wanted to find an edition with a cover I could love. So I looked and looked online, until I came across the above! Not only does it have a LOT of blue in it, but is very elegantly designed. The book arrived covered in Mylar, too, which was a HUGE plus! 

This is a collection of stories written by the great SF master, Ray Bradbury, so I have more than one reason to love this book!

What are your thoughts 
on this subject?
Have you ever fallen in love
with a book at first sight?
What drew you in?
What do you think of these covers?

Tuesday Intros No. 8: Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin

Welcome to First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros,

hosted by Diane @

Bibliophile By The Sea!!

Every Tuesday, each participant
shares the first paragraph 

(sometimes two) from a book
they're reading,

or thinking about reading.

The book I've picked this week is...

 Winter's Tale
Mark Helprin
Hardcover, 673 pages 
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
September 20, 1983
Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction,
Magic Realism, Romance

About the Book
  
New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.

Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.

Peter Lake, a simple, uneducated man, because of a love that, at first he does not fully understand, is driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and besieged by unprecedented winters, is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature. 





A White Horse Escapes

There was a white horse on a quiet winter morning when snow covered the streets gently and was not deep, and the sky was swept with vibrant stars, except in the east, where dawn was beginning in a light blue flood. The air was motionless, but would soon start to move as the sun came up and winds from Canada came charging down the Hudson.

The horse had escaped from his master's small clapboard stable in Brooklyn. He trotted alone over the carriage road of the Williamsburg Bridge, before the light, while the toll keeper was sleeping by his stove and many stars were still blazing above the city. Fresh snow on the bridge muffled his hoof beats, and he sometimes turned his head and looked behind him to see if he was being followed. He was warm from his own effort and he breathed steadily, having loped four or five miles through the dead of Brooklyn past silent churches and shuttered stores. Far to the south, in the black, ice-choked waters of the Narrows, a sparkling light marked the ferry on its way to Manhattan, where only market men were up, waiting for the fishing boats to glide down through Hell Gate and the night.   
  

This is yet another novel
I've owned for years, and have
yet to read! And with such 
a GORGEOUS cover, too!
I ADORE horses, and the color blue!!
I love the vivid, poetic prose,
so I think I'll be picking
this one up very soon!
(After I mentally kick myself
    for not doing so, all this time.)   
From what I've posted above, 
would you say that
I should keep reading? 

Spanish Lit Month 2015 Book Review: The Island of Eternal Love, by Daina Chaviano

This is an exciting event co-hosted every year by Richard @ Caravana de Recuerdos and Stu @ Winstonsdad's Blog. This year, not only will books by Spanish-speaking authors be featured, but books by Catalan-speaking authors, as well. 

This year, the event is taking place during the months of July and August (it's been extended). Every participant will be reading these novels, either in the original language, or in translation. I'm very excited to be participating for the first time this year!

The book I have chosen to read and review is La Isla de los Amores Infinitos (The Island of Eternal Love), by Cuban author Daina Chaviano. Although I originally read the book in Spanish, back in 2008, I have just finished re-reading it in English.

The Island of Eternal Love

Daina Chaviano

Hardcover, 336 pages

Riverhead Books, First Edition

June 12, 2008
Translator:
Andrea G. Labinger

Contemporary Fiction, Cuban Literature,

Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction,

Magic Realism, Romance

Book Synopsis

 
A magical new novel "of loss and love across more than a century of Cuba's past."(Chicago Sun-Times)

In an effort to escape her solitude in Miami, Cecilia seeks refuge in a bar where she meets Amalia, a mysterious old woman whose fascinating tale keeps Cecilia returning night after night. Her powerful story of long-vanished epochs weaves the saga of three families from far-flung pieces of the world. A suicide in China unleashes a chain of family reactions; a strange curse pursues certain women in a Spanish town; and a young woman is seized from her home on the African coast and transported to an unfamiliar world. These characters' lives will become entwined over time, from Cuba under Spanish colonial rule to the present day. Ardent, predestined loves from the past will gain renewed strength in Cecilia, who is also obsessed by the mystery of a phantom house that appears and disappears throughout the city of Miami, and whose secret she is attempting to discover.

 Goodreads/Amazon

 Note

The Goodreads link shows an ebook, which is incorrect. The cover shown does not exist in an ebook edition. It's actually the hardcover. I know, because I own this novel.

 Below is the cover of the original Spanish-language edition, published by Grijalbo in 2006, which I also happen to own.This is the first edition I read.

 Goodreads/Amazon

My introductory post on this author can be found HERE.

My Review

I have just finished -- for the second time -- a journey through the ethnic history of a people -- my people -- in a land of love and blood, a land of magically captivating landscapes in which sun and moon dance to the intoxicating rhythms of a gently rolling sea.

Chaviano's enthralling story has wrapped me in a nostalgic dream, one that has dwelt in my subconscious mind for years. It is the dream of a beautiful island paradise, one where love is indeed eternal, where the warm breezes of the Malecon entice one with their romantic whispers, where the night pulses with the vibrant music of the masters -- Ernesto Lecuona and Benny More...

This dream awakened once more in me as I read this enchanting story, which weaves the tales of three different families, three different ethnic groups, into one single thread. The experiences of each family also serve to highlight key periods of Cuban history.

There is the Chinese family, who seeks refuge from war in a land already sheltering their fellow countrymen. There is the African family, in the person of a young girl cruelly snatched from the bosom of her tribe, to be sold into slavery. Then there is the family from Spain, whose female members inherit a strangely humorous curse.

Cecilia, the protagonist, ties everything together through her unusual conversations with a mysterious old woman whom she meets in a Little Havana bar. This Miami neighborhood has been thus nicknamed for its heavy concentration of Cuban immigrants in the '60s and '70s. 

As Cecilia listens to the old woman's strangely fascinating tale, Cuban boleros play in the background, while vistas of a Havana from a bygone era roll on a screen set up next to the dance floor. Cecilia's nostalgia and sense of loss grow, even as, in her life away from the bar and these enthralling tales, she starts to investigate a very strange phenomenon -- a haunted house that appears in different locations all over Miami, as it once also appeared in Havana.

The plot weaves its serendipitous way from the old woman's tale to Cecilia's present-day life, from Havana to Miami. Through this technique, Chaviano metaphorically expresses the unceasing dance of longing felt by all Cubans who have had to uproot themselves in order to find a freedom denied to them by an oppressive regime.

There are many wonderful characters in this book, and I felt so sad at letting them go at the end....which means I will definitely re-read this novel in the future, probably in Spanish once again.

Each of the three families originated with a love story, and I thought the most poignant ones were those of Mercedes and Amalia. 

The first one was especially moving, as it clearly depicted the power of love to make everything new and miraculous. It also showed how that same power enables someone to see the real self hidden in the heart of a person considered an outcast by the rest of society.

Amalia's story is no less moving for its irony. She is a biracial child, yet her parents oppose her relationship with a young man from another race. Again, the power of love overcomes all obstacles, and thus Amalia becomes part of this fascinating family saga.

One real-life character is also present in this novel -- Rita Montaner, the famous Cuban singer and actress. I love that Chaviano included her in the plot, and thus, paid homage to a woman who was obviously a great soul. It's a lovely homage, too, as Rita vividly comes to life, and acts as an earthly guardian angel to some of the fictional characters.

Another reason I love this novel is the setting, since I happen to live in Miami, Florida. It was so great to find familiar landmarks and places mentioned in the book! This actually made me feel as if I were Cecilia, and were living through each of her unusual experiences. Of course, I also felt as if I were sitting at that table in the bar, dreamily listening to the old woman's unfolding tale, as Cuban boleros played in the background.... 

There are humorous touches in this magical book, as well, such as the already mentioned curse. One of Cecilia's friends, who calls himself "La Lupe", after a Cuban singer of recent years. is very funny. Also, one cannot possibly forget "Fidelina", the parrot who screams out popular Communist slogans, to the constant dismay of her owner, who lives in Miami, and is worried about what her neighbors might think. Through this comical parrot, Chaviano effectively satirizes the Cuban dictator the bird is obviously named for.

One might get the impression that Chaviano's interweaving of past and present, with several characters taking their turn upon the stage, would result in a chaotic, confusing read, but the opposite is true. The author seamlessly connects the secondary stories with the main one, and she does it in beautifully flowing prose, effortlessly leading the reader along, until everything comes together to form a perfectly harmonious whole at the novel's conclusion.

Magical, enthralling, enchanting...this novel is a mesmerizing tapestry of the Cuban experience, told by a literary master. It is the quintessential Cuban novel. It is also the story of my heart and soul, as it is the story of all of us born in that magical, eternal land of eternal love... However, I would add that it's a universal story, as well, for the longings of the heart are frequently, as well as  inextricably, enmeshed with the threads of a country's history, whatever country it might be.

This novel is an unforgettable, powerful experience. While much of that power is, to some extent, lost in translation, there's still plenty of it present for the discerning reader with an open heart and mind.

Daina Chaviano

Online Links

Website

Wikipedia

Goodreads

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

Book Review: The Wonder of All Things, by Jason Mott

The Wonder of All Things
Jason Mott
Trade Paperback, 304 pages
Mira Reprint Edition
July 28, 2015
Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Magic Realism



Book Synopsis: On the heels of his critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling debut novel, The Returned, Jason Mott delivers a spellbinding tale of love and sacrifice

On an ordinary day, at an air show like that in any small town across the country, a plane crashes into a crowd of spectators. After the dust clears, a thirteen-year-old girl named Ava is found huddled beneath a pocket of rubble with her best friend, Wash. He is injured and bleeding, and when Ava places her hands over him, his wounds disappear.

Ava has an unusual gift: she can heal others of their physical ailments. Until the air show tragedy, her gift was a secret. Now the whole world knows, and suddenly people from all over the globe begin flocking to her small town, looking for healing and eager to catch a glimpse of The Miracle Child. But Ava's unique ability comes at a great cost, and as she grows weaker with each healing, she soon finds herself having to decide just how much she's willing to give up in order to save the ones she loves most.

Elegantly written, deeply intimate and emotionally astute, The Wonder of All Things is an unforgettable story and a poignant reminder of life's extraordinary gifts.

My Review

One of the joys of reading literary fiction is the beauty of the prose style. Jason Mott's writing in this novel is absolutely beautiful, flowing, poetic, and full of wonderfully vivid details. The setting in The Wonder of All Things is the fictional town of Stone Temple, which is located near mountains, and Mott masterfully immerses the reader in this beautiful natural locale.

The plot revolves around Ava, the daughter of the town sheriff, who has suddenly developed the ability to heal physical ailments. She first discovers this when she unknowingly heals her best friend, Wash, after a tragic accident at a carnival air show being held at the town.

Mott deals with several themes in this novel, such as the ethics involved in Ava's healings and their concomitant effects on her health,  coming of age, facing tragic losses, the heady power of first love, the questioning of spiritual beliefs, the responsibilities of parents and siblings, and the underlying themes of the book -- the fragility and sacredness of human life, as well as the power of memory.

Mott deftly interweaves all of these themes through the interactions of his characters.

Ava is still struggling to accept the loss of her mother, whom she vividly remembers, and is resentful of the presence of her father's new wife, who is unfailingly kind to Ava in spite of the child's obvious hostility toward her.

Macon, Ava's father, is caught in the middle, and, at the same time, has to deal with the growing problem of Ava's sudden fame, which brings hordes of people into the town.

Carmen, Macon's second wife, has regrets and fears of her own, which she tries her best to deal with, pretty much by herself.

Reverend Isaiah Brown is perhaps the book's most complex character. He leads a church, one of several that have descended upon Stone Temple as a result of the appearance of what Brown sees as the miraculous. He also has a brother, Sam, who is a heavy responsibility for him, and for whom he feels unfailing love. Their relationship is a very poignant one.

Then there's Heather, Ava's enigmatic mother, who only appears in the story in flashbacks, which are Ava's memories of her. Through Heather, Mott gives a certain sense of foreboding to the novel. 

I love the relationship between Ava and Wash. They are constantly bantering with each other, each also constantly concerned about the other. Wash's healing has taken a terrible toll on Ava, and she is taken to the hospital. Wash is always there for her throughout her stay in the hospital, with his interminable, funny, discussions of Moby Dick, which succeed in lifting her spirits.

Ava is the more outgoing of the two; Wash is shy with everyone except her, and is a dedicated reader. Their contrasting personalities work well together, though. He supports her in everything, and she, in turn, confides in him completely. 

There's a dreamlike quality to this book, as the plot gradually moves along, with no sudden shifts or twists, the way people and things in nature grow. While I enjoyed this at times, I did wonder, at other times, just where the plot was heading. I was expecting more dramatic events, more healings, more personal confrontations between some of the characters. For instance, I couldn't believe that no one in Ava's family actually told the public at large that Ava couldn't commit to more healings because doing so would undermine her health. People who only knew her as "The Miracle Child" thought that she was actually being selfish in keeping her gift to herself, and that she had a duty to help humanity. Why didn't either Macon or Carmen at least explain things to Reverernd Brown, who had more personal contact with them? I must admit to some disappointment in this regard.

Another disappointment, one that is nevertheless a necessary part of the story, is Macon himself. Although he does love his daughter, he puts her health at risk by allowing, even encouraging her, to perform more healings. He seems to be more concerned with trying to improve the family's financial situation than with the debilitating effect of each healing on Ava. Ironically, it's Carmen, Ava's stepmother, who fights to protect Ava from having to carry out these healings. It's Carmen who is worried about Ava's health, Carmen who notices that the child is growing thinner. Still, she does nothing to enlighten the world about Ava's condition.

Interestingly, Mott includes another disappointing father in this novel -- Tom, Wash's father, who had abandoned his son due to his own inability to deal with his grief after his wife's death. When he returns to Stone Temple, it becomes painfully clear that he's not a fit parent for Wash. 

It's the mothers in the book -- and one grandmother -- who come across as truly nurturing, truly patient and loving with Ava and Wash. Heather, Carmen (although she could have done more for Ava), and Brenda are true heroines in this respect. Heather, unfortunately, was unable to be completely there for Ava, but she did try,  even in the face of her own unhappiness. That's more than can be said for Macon.

In spite of these objections, I do think that this is a novel worth reading, for its gently poetic sentences, for the slice of life in a small town which is a microcosm of the grand themes of existence, and, most of all, for its tenacious insistence on hope, in spite of all the tragedies the characters must face.

In short, Mott has penned a book that will long stay with the reader, a haunting, poignant memento of the truly important things in life.

 

About the Author

JASON MOTT holds a BA in fiction and an MFA in poetry both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is the author of two poetry collections. His writing has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize. In addition to the rare achievement of receiving starred reviews from all four of the top publishing industry magazines—Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews—The Returned was named a “People Pick” by People magazine, and was featured in Essence, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, among others.  Mott also appeared on numerous broadcast programs including NPR’s All Things Considered and Tell Me More, The Travis Smiley Show, the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Radio Show and many local television shows across the U.S. Mott lives in North Carolina.

  

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