Sunday, January 22, 2012

Review of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

In yet another attempt to read and review all of the books in my personal collection, here is another review--this time of Erin Morgenstern's debut, "The Night Circus." The following review is from my Goodreads page if you want to follow what I'm reading :)

"I relay it through printed words on crumpled newsprint, words that they can read again and again, returning to the circus whenever they wish, regardless of time of day or physical location. Transporting them at will. When put that way, it sounds rather like magic, doesn't it?"---The Night Circus, p 369

Has an author ever included a quote that so fantastically sums up their work? In my opinion--not until now. Erin Morgernstern's debut novel, The Night Circus," is every bit as whimsical and enchanting as she paints Le Cirque de Reves, or the Circus of Dreams, to be. Her story revolved around a competition of magic involving two young people who eventually become a couple that could give old Romeo and Juliet a run for their money (pardon the cliche, please). With more on the line than either can imagine, they are forced to play the competition with spectators, people whose lives will ultimately be effected by the outcome.

Morgernstern does an amazing job of painting a lavish and enchanting scene to immerse the reader into the world of the Circus of Dreams. She has a line-up of characters that help to enrich the story of Marco and Celia; her words paint a lavish scene that will surely transport readers to a place of wonder and illusion. Reading through it, I was at this circus--I could sense the anticipation of the crowds, feel wonder at the sparks of the bonfire, and smell the sweet caramel scent in the air (amongst other things).

My thoughts? This has solidified itself into one of my favorite books, a tale that I will surely re-read in the future. A good book will have you immersed in it's story; have you interacting with the characters and make you feel satisfied, yet wanting more, at the end.

My only regret with this book is that it took me so long to get around to it!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Something any book lover can enjoy!

Saw this video and automatically fell in love!

I always love when you see photos (or in this case, a video) of books color-coded. Which led me to ponder--"How do you organize your bookshelf?"

Are you the type that alphabetizes? Do you group according to genre? Size?