Bookish appetites and desires

Author: Eva Ibbotson   First Published: 1985   Genre: Historical Fiction   Rating: ★★★★★ How does a girl who grew up sheltered in a loveless, cold household in England end up a beautiful and talented ballerina performing in Brazil? Through hardship, betrayal, and perseverance - and with the help of her company of swans of course. Eva Ibbotson weaves a beautiful and tragic narrative of a girl growing up in a household where she was shown no love, had no freedoms, and whose family was wound so tight and misogynistic that her future seemed very bleak indeed. That is, until fate, and a mere mention of an opportunity to pursue ballet professionally caused her to strike out on her own path and abandon her frigid family. Deep in the heart of the Amazon with her ballet company and some unexpected encounters, she transforms from a quiet and obedient cygnet to a beautiful and vibrant swan; here she finds and can be her true self. I'm ashamed to adm...

Author: Tana French    First published: 2007    Genre: Murder Mystery   My rating: ★★★   What do a young ballet dancer and a Dublin murder investigator have in common? They were both victims of crime in a small little estate called Knocknaree in County Dublin, when they were each twelve-years old. Intrigued? Until the final 100 pages or so, I was too! Following investigators Rob Ryan, Cassie Maddox, and Sam O'Neill through suspects, or lack thereof, and seeing how the details and turmoil of the case affected them all differently was, at times, intoxicating. In the case of Rob  (n ée Adam) Ryan, following his journey navigating this small town he had once called home, despite him not remembering much about it was exciting. The final 100 pages however, are the reason I've given this only a three-star rating, and why I have no intention of continuing on with the rest of the series. The author did an excellent job throughout ...

Author: Oscar Wilde   First published: 1890   Genre: Classic Literature   My rating: ★★★   Who knew that the desires of man could be so dangerous? From a beauty as pure and innocent as one could imagine, to a corrupt and tormented soul beyond reckoning, the story of Dorian Gray and his cursed painting draws one in to the outcomes of giving in too much to one's desires.  I'll be honest, I found the first half of the book to be quite slow and pedantic, causing me to look almost anywhere else for something to read. I've seen the movies though, and this story is so rich and interesting that I persevered because I knew at some point that the Dorian Gray I had seen on the big screen would come out of hiding.  Boy, was I not disappointed! Aside from a bit where Wilde went on for far too long about textiles, tapestries and, gems of all kinds, Dorian realizing his power -later to be his curse- and delving into ...